The talks on which this book was based were given at the John Main Seminar in 1998, the annual international event of the World Community for Christian Meditaion. Previous presenters have included the Dalai Lama, Jean Vanier, Bede Griffi ths, and William Johnston. Father Keating's enlightening commentary on the contemplative meaning of the gospel, particularly the story of the siblings from Bethany, Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, fi ts into the great...
Father Keating writes in a simple and straghtforward manner. In "The Better Part" he relates the three stages of comtemplative prayer to Martha, in the formative stage. Christ is in the house, but she is very busy cooking and "fussing" for Him. As she works, she is aware of His presence, but too busy to enter into it. Mary, on the other hand, sitting at His feet, has come to the realization that you don't need to do, you...
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You can read this book in a couple of evenings, and it will be a very uplifting experience. Keating offers new insight into the Gospel story of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus--with each character representing a different stage of spiritual development. This book will be a source of encouragement for those readers already familiar with Keating's teachings on centering prayer. Those not already familiar with the practice might...
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Thomas Keating is maybe the leading writer on contemplative prayer. It is evident that in reading THE BETTER PART that Keating has spent many hours in doing and studying contemplative prayer.The book, even though brief, has so much good and challenging material. It contains seven chapters. One of the most interesting chapters is "Questions and Answers." In his last chapter, Keating seeks to look into the future. It...
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