1. The steps to be followed in meditation.
2. Brief history of this practice its roots in the early Christian Church ( 3rd century AD) ; its alignment with Jesus’ teachings on prayer as recorded in the Gospels; the fruits of meditation in the beginning about strong and lasting wellness at all levels – physical, psychological and above all, spiritual. Contemplation improves the quality of our actions.

A Retreat for Priest

Fr. Laurence will lead an international ecumenical retreat for  ordained Priests, Ministers and Pastors  and those in training for ordained ministry on " Ministry in the Priesthood of Christ"  from Monday 26 to Friday 30 September 2011 .

The retreat is at  Ammerdown Retreat Centre situated in beautiful English countryside near Bath. Priest, Ministers and Pastors who meditate or might be interested in nowing more about meditation or in need of a contemplative retreat could make use of this oppurtunity.

Also view the blog in support for Priest and Ministers in the practice of meditation at:

http://www.christianmeditationforpriests.blogspot.com/

For details of the retreat broucher click the below link

http://wccm-india.org/PriestsRetreat2011.pdf

Fr Joe

National Co ordinator

WCCM INDIA

THE RETREAT

The retreat will be a residential gathering held in a spirit of quiet recollection, silence, sharing and friendship. It will be open to ordained men and women from all denominations of the Church, and also those in training for ordination. In the daily round of the retreat Fr Laurence’s talks (given in English) will be woven in to a pattern of silent prayer. We will celebrate the Eucharist respecting our diverse disciplines in a spirit of unity and be able to share questions, problems and insights.
FR LAURENCE FREEMAN OSB
Fr Laurence Freeman is the Director of The World Community for Christian Meditation which teaches silent prayer throughout the world. He is a Benedictine monk and travels widely as an international speaker and retreat leader He is the author of many articles and books including ‘The Selfless Self’, ‘Jesus the Teacher Within’ and ‘Light Within’. Active in inter-religious dialogue and international peace initiatives he has worked with the Dalai Lama and leaders of other faiths. He encourages the teaching of meditation to children and students and the recovery of the contemplative wisdom tradition in the Church and society at large.
AMMERDOWN RETREAT CENTRE
The Ammerdown Centre is an ecumenical retreat and conference centre set in beautiful grounds and open countryside. All rooms are single occupancy with en suite bathrooms and the Centre is renowned for its home cooking. It is located 13 miles south of Bath, 2.5miles from the town of Radstock in Somerset. Full travel details will be supplied with confirmation of your booking.
COSTS
The all-inclusive cost is £390.
A deposit of £150 is payable on booking. Full payment must be made by 1st September 2011. Deposits / full payments will be 100% non-refundable after this date. You may wish to insure against this eventuality.
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UK Coordinator for the Clergy
Fr Robin Burgess E: rmeburgess@aol.com T: 020 8998 4710

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Dear Meditators,

A seminar on MEDITATION WITH CHILDREN :Experience and Promise  which will be held at Regents College, Inner Circle, Regents Park London on Dec7 ,2010,followed  by seminars in Belfast, Killarney, Brentwood, Milton Keynes and Birmingham.  It's a unique opportunity for those interested in introducing meditation into their classes , parish Sacramental programmes , Sunday Schools anf grandchildren,to listen to the practical experience of  Cathy Day and Ernie Christie who pioneeered it in Townsville , Fr Laurence Freeman on the contemplative aspect of education  and Johnathon Campion who worked with Ernie and Cathy to evaluate the effect of meditation on childrens' behavior

Below is a poster of the seminar,sent to us by Pauline Peters.Meditators are requested to enroll directly if possible, and spread this message to fellow meditators.

Thanking you

In Prayer

Fr. Joe

National Co ordinator

WCCM-INDIA

The Tablet May, 2010
The Hospital

Laurence Freeman OSB

Just before I rose to leave, idly like a two year old, I reached to pick up an attractive ornament on the shelf beside me. It was one of those shiny polished stone balls that are not even much use as paperweights because they roll around so easily. I held it for a moment and admired the beauty of the stone and then, making to replace it, it slipped. I tried to catch it with my other hand but dropped it as it hit my little finger. After a short pang of pain I noticed that my finger was in an interesting new shape.
Seeing one’s own body differently even in a small part like this re-orientates everything in one’s perception of the world. Imagine what Resurrection must be like. I was tempted to force it back into its usual position but was wisely advised against it. No one knew which way to push or pull it. The finger throbbed a little but was rigid. However inconvenient, I was helpless and needed help.
I went in search of it at the Accident and Emergency unit of St Mary’s Paddington, reassured by the blue plaque on the wall informing us that here Alexander Fleming had discovered penicillin in the year of my birth, a karmic connection perhaps. Like most London hospitals it was homey, a bit tatty not the plate glass and metal hygienic efficiency of television healthcare, but it was friendly. I had to give my name and a few routine proofs of my social existence to an understandably bored form-filler behind a screen papered with so many notices that she was scarcely visible. But I was not asked if I had health insurance or even if I was a British citizen. I was not pampered, rejected or treated as a customer but just accepted as someone in need and put in line with others like me.
Sitting with my kind companion we looked around at the other shades in need. Some were alone, others with many family members. Occasionally eyes met as we looked at each other and wondered what their problem was. Sometimes it was obvious. How vulnerable and transparent we are when our real needs are known to others. The man next to me had his finger in a big bandage. Feeling we were in the same category I asked him if he had broken it. No he had almost sliced it off cutting paper at the office. He was scared and muttered something about being so stupid. Like me, like all of us in need, he felt ‘stupid’ at the mistakes that land us up like this.
Expecting a long wait we decided to meditate but it was a short prayer – St Benedict says that prayer should be short - as my name was called out. The system had remembered me by name! I was triaged and x-rayed in quick order and told to wait again. I was soon lying down in a treatment bay joking with a large bouncy nurse who must have been captain of her school hockey team. She was a pediatric nurse doing extra training. We chatted while she assessed my damage. She could straighten the dislocated finger she said but she was not allowed to yet. A gentle Indian doctor soon arrived, dressed in jeans, no clinical whites, trained for more important things than relocating a bone. I breathed deeply on nitrous oxide and waited for the pain of the wrench but it was hardly noticeable. ‘Is that it?’ Yes that’s it, no don’t try to move it yet.’
The whole earth is our hospital endowed by the ruined millionaire. The care was not finished yet. I needed another x-ray to ensure it had worked. My smiling nurse came out to bandage me when a real emergency arrived. A cardiac arrest. The A&E team dropped everything and rushed to their stations like a football team following a secret game plan. They enjoyed using their skills. With the other walking wounded I pressed against the wall while the patient was wheeled in,
bare-chested, having CPR, surrounded by those whose absolute sole concern was to save his life, the life of a stranger as we all were until our needs had introduced us. When my nurse eventually returned I asked her how he was. Her face lit up with a benediction. ‘We pulled him through’.
Beneath the bleeding hands we feel the sharp compassion of the healer’s art, resolving the enigma of the fever chart.
The nurses and doctors were not pretending to be perfect. The hospital was not a perfect society. If they made mistakes they were accountable. They were healers of their fellow human beings.
If only we could see the church simply in the same way.

Travel light, live light, spread the light, be the light.