Last October I attended a weekend retreat at the Bethany Retreat Center. Father William Meninger led the retreat. He shared The Cloud of Unknowing and Saint John of the Cross.
Pulled directly from his web site is the below comment about the origin of Centering Prayer.
In 1974, Father William Meninger, a Trappist monk and retreat master at St. Josephs Abbey in Spencer, Mass. found a dusty little book in the abbey library, The Cloud of Unknowing. As he read it he was delighted to discover that this anonymous 14th century book presented contemplative meditation as a teachable, spiritual process enabling the ordinary person to enter and receive a direct experience of union with God.
Even at 84, Father Meninger is funny, witty, current, sharp, present. Father Meninger loves God and wishes to share this love with others. As I listened to this wonderful man, I filled my notebook with his teaching and many “one liners”.
Here is one simple but powerful quote:
“God is going to love you and that is it.”
This made me think about my centering prayer practice. God loves me. God is delighted when I sit with Him. If I miss a sit, I don’t need to beat myself up. God’s love for me never stops. God looks forward to our next silent sit.
I hope you feel the same way too!
“God is going to love you and that is it!”
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