Monday 11th October, 2021
Justin Langille, 'There is Nothing between God and You', in Thomas Keating, Spirituality,
​Contemplation & Transformation: Writings on Centering Prayer (Lantern Books, 2008), 60.
Image: Warren Wong, Gold Coast, Australia, @warrenwong

This quote is from Justin Langille's chapter, ‘There is Nothing between God and You’, in a collection of essays by Thomas Keating and others entitled Spirituality, Contemplation & Transformation: Writings on Centering Prayer (Lantern Books, 2008), 60. Justine Langille was a Catholic priest who taught theology at the University of San Diego and was part of the Board of Trustees for Contemplative Outreach for many years. Contemplative Outreach is an international organisation that promotes Centering Prayer. Its website, here, describes Centering Prayer as 'a receptive method of Christian silent prayer which deepens our relationship with God, the Indwelling Presence - a prayer in which we can experience God's presence within us, closer than breathing, closer than thinking, closer than consciousness itself.' If you would like to explore this particular practice of silence as a spiritual discipline of prayer, then Cynthia Bourgeault's book, Centering Prayer and Inner Awakening (Cowley Publications, 2004), here, is probably the clearest and most robust writing about it. For Thomas Keating's 7 minute video introduction to the practice see here. On YouTube you will also find a 75 minute introduction to Centering Prayer by Keating, here. Whilst the practice at first seems almost identical to 'Christian Meditation' as taught by John Main and Fr Lawrence Freeman of WCCM (the World Community for Christina Meditation - see here), its key difference is in the centrality of an intention to let go of thoughts during meditation, rather than to give a focus for thoughts, as in the WCCM practice.