Contemplative Living I: Contemplative Practices in Daily Life
September 9 – December 2, 2023
Course Description:
I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. (Ezekiel 36:26)
"Contemplative life begins when when take the first step into the silence of our heart. It's a pilgrimage—a journey that takes us first to the inner reaches of who we really are, and from there, into the life we were meant to live." (Julie Saad, Contemplative Life: Discovering Our Path into the Heart of God)
This a four-month long online course is the beginning of the Contemplative Living concentration for the Certificate in Spiritual Formation. This study is an experiential course that guides participants to deepen their experience of the abiding presence of God by cultivating their contemplative capacities. Participants will learn and integrate contemplative spiritual practices into daily life within a community of seekers through monthly meeting, weekly online meditation chapel, and personal practices. Contemplative practices are the doorway into the gift of contemplative prayer where the journey that begins in the silence of our hearts leads us into the heart of God. As we cultivate contemplative practices amid ordinary life, we begin to experience oneness with God and all creation.
The design of Contemplative Living I: Contemplative Practices in Daily Life
Learning, cultivating and integrating into daily life the contemplative practices of:
Objectives
Location: Online
With: Julie Saad. Julie Saad is a spiritual director, author, teacher, and retreat leader. Since 1994 she has been a student of Thomas Keating (1923-2018), a Trappist monk who was a founding member and spiritual guide for Contemplative Outreach. Julie has also served Contemplative Outreach as a coordinator of the Denver Chapter, facilitator of spiritual journey courses and retreats, member of the Governing Board, and coordinator of the Contemplative Living Experience Program. She has been practicing and teaching Centering Prayer and other contemplative practices for over 25 years. She recently published the book Contemplative Life: Discovering Our Path into the Heart of God, a guidebook to spiritual formation in the Christian contemplative tradition, based o the teaching of Thomas Keating.
Schedule: Contemplative Living I consists of four monthly, synchronous teachings and practices with individual study and devotion between the monthly sessions:
The synchronous monthly session meets from 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM Eastern Time on the following Saturdays:
Contemplative Living I: Sep 9, Oct 7, Nov 4, and Dec 2, 2023
Program Fee: $700, early registration discount fee $650 through August 8, 2023
Contact: lifelonglearning@ctsnet.edu
Earning CEUs for this course: If you desire to earn a certificate confirming earned CEUs in this course, please contact the Center for Lifelong Learning.
In order to qualify for CEUs in this course you must fulfill the following requirements: