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"Universal Call to Contemplative Prayer"
Retreat Talks for Lay People given by Fr. Thomas Dubay, S.M.
Complete Set of Fr. Dubay's Weekend Retreat talks
(These retreat CDs are not available elsewhere.)
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Front of CD#1
TO ORDER BY MAIL:
If you live in the USA and prefer to order these CDs by mail, send us your mailing address, a note telling us what you are ordering, and a money order or a check (USA checks only) for the amount plus shipping to:
Abundant Life Publishing
PO Box 3753
Modesto, CA 95352
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4 CD Set (for CD Player)
$33. (plus $4.50 shipping in USA,
extra shipping for international orders):
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From Fr. Dubay's Retreat: Psalm 27:4: “The one thing I ask of the Lord, the one thing I seek, is to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life and gaze on the beauty of the Lord.” That’s contemplation… the most important thing... to gaze on the beauty of the Lord, to have deep immersion in the Trinity, eternal ecstasy, unspeakable fulfillment and delight as a human person. We begin this on earth by meditative prayer, which leads to contemplative prayer as we grow normally. Make time for prayer as a top priority and then fit in the other things. Christian contemplation is a deep interpersonal love communion with the real God. It is so deep that it can only be received by God. St. Teresa of Avila said, “You can’t produce the least spark of it”. John of the Cross calls it a “divine inflowing”.
"God alone suffices."
St. Teresa of Avila said, “God alone suffices”. She said that the path to union with God is prayer. Fr. Dubay's retreat teaches about contemplation, the highest form of prayer, and how it is for everyone from all walks of life and all vocations. If we are in union with God, we experience an inner peace and joy no matter what is going on around us. We are made for eternal ecstasy. He said St. Paul got it right. Most of us don’t unless we are advanced in prayer and experience this deep intimacy with our God.
What did the Saints know that many of us have not yet come to realize? The answer lies in their close union with God… and this is the subject of this special retreat. Fr. Dubay mentions that the information given on the retreat is not something you generally hear during homilies at Mass but it should be. Pope John Paul II said to the Austrian Bishops, “Your first duty as pastors is not projects and organizations, but to lead your people to deep intimacy with the Trinity.” Here is an opportunity to learn what we might not have ever heard.
Important teachings that you often don’t hear in homilies
In 2003, I had the privilege to participate in this retreat given by Fr. Thomas Dubay (a well-known expert on the spiritual life and contemplative prayer) to my Secular Carmelite (OCDS) community. I was listening to the tapes from the retreat again and got the idea that I should share them will all of you. So I got permission from both Fr. Dubay and my Carmelite community to make these tapes available to others because I felt they had so much valuable information and should be shared. Also Father said to go out and teach this to others. Many Catholics and Christians do not have the opportunity to attend a retreat like this so I wanted to give you the chance hear these talks and learn what many never hear or learn but should.
Many Catholics and Christians do not understand what contemplative prayer is or that we are ALL called to it. The only type of meditation or contemplation many people have heard about is what is popularly being taught from eastern religions and/or new age meditation techniques, which are not the same as Christian prayer and not recommended in the Bible or by the Saints. What we want is real union with the real God (not just a technique that will might make us feel good while we are practicing it.)
However we often don’t hear or learn about Christian contemplation, which is the Church teaches is the highest form of prayer. When we have this type of prayer and union with God, we are living life to the fullest in joy, thanksgiving, love and peace that Jesus came to give us. Fr. Dubay calls it the one important and essential thing in the spiritual life.
Union with God: Eternal Ecstasy
Listening to Fr. Dubay's talks is an opportunity to learn more about the authentically Catholic approach to union with God and contemplative prayer. The Bible and Church have many references to deep prayer and deep intimacy with God. The Saints achieved union with God while here on earth and they teach us how we can also grow in our relationship with God. No need to turn to other religions or new-age gurus because the Bible, Saints and Church have the correct information on how to reach union with God.
"Christianity has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and not tried." G. K. Chesterton.
These retreat talks give excellent teachings and insights from the Bible, Church and Saints. Fr. Dubay illustrates his points with stories, examples, personal insights and humor. I learned a lot from attending this retreat and I think you will too. I suggest if you are interested in growing in prayer that you get a copy of the retreat talks and listen to them in a quiet place so you can really focus on what is said. They are worth listening to more than once. They also are great to listen to in the car… or with others who are receptive and discuss them.
Fr. Dubay is an expert on contemplative prayer, and he is very solid in his Catholic teaching. I have read many of his books, watched him on EWTN and also attend this retreat and met him in person. I recommend his books and teachings as a in-depth solid resources for growth in the spiritual life and they are very Biblical.
The retreat talks are available both on CD for CD players, and as Mp3s for Mp3 player or ipods. (By the way part of the money from the sale of these talks goes to Fr. Dubay’s religious order and some of it goes to help keep the CatholicSpiritualDirection.org website going. We appreciate your support.)
More about Fr. Dubay and his retreat on contemplation:
Fr. Thomas Dubay, S.M., is an author, retreat master, spiritual director and an expert on the spiritual life. He holds a Ph.D. from Catholic University of America. He has taught on seminary level and has had programs on EWTN. He is an expert on the teachings of the two mystical doctors of the Church, St. John of the Cross and St. Teresa of Avila.
Highlights of the retreat talks include:
• The reasons and benefits of going on a retreat and how a good retreat can transform a person for life
• An explanation of contemplative prayer, why it is the most important thing and why it should be a top priority for all
• How we are all called to this deep intimacy with the Trinity
• Six Biblical themes showing all the faithful are called to this
• Church teachings on the importance of contemplative prayer
• How a deep prayer life is basic and essential
• What is means to “pray continually” and “always”
• How an intimate communion with the Trinity prompts a person to want to live the Gospel fully and to give up pettiness
• A very important insight on better communication and getting your points across in marriages, communities and relationships… when I heard it I went “aha!”… it’s not just about the content of what we say but the quality of person we are and how we say things… some very valuable insights
• Insights on the meaning of “idle words”, “apostolic effectiveness”, “mutual communal enrichment” and more
• The ways contemplative prayer enriches an individual
• An essential ingredient for effective teaching and evangelism
• The main conditions needed for growing in prayer and deep intimacy with God
• How techniques do not produce union with God nor contemplative prayer and what does
• Insights from the Saints on prayer
• How to get the eternal perspective
• How transforming union is far greater than any sufferings in this life
• How we are created for eternal ecstasy
Time: 6 talks for a total of 4.2 hours
For those having a difficult time: Jesus is the answer.
Are you having a difficult time from problems (economic, health or relationships) to the point that you are losing your peace and joy and getting anxious and worried? Have you ever really experienced the peace, joy, and love that the Bible talks about and Jesus came to give us? How can we grow in our faith, hope and love?
Do we realize that many Saints had much worse sufferings than many of us are facing but were still happy inside, joyful and even ecstatic? How did they do it? Is it something we can learn? Is it a gift of God's grace that we can receive?
For example, how did St. Paul “rejoice always” even while being beaten, stoned, shipwrecked, hungry, thirsty, often starving and left for dead in a pool of blood? He calls all of his sufferings “very small”: "Yes, the troubles which are soon over, though they weigh little, train us for the carrying of a weight of eternal glory which is out of all proportion to them.” (2 Cor. 4:17) How can we be more like St. Paul and the other Saints who experienced joy even amidst trials?
Where does true happiness lie? We know by faith that true happiness comes from God but how can we experience it more? One thing is to pray to Jesus and ask for an increase in faith, hope and love as they are gifts from God. There are some other things we can do. One is to learn our faith better, practice it more devoutly and to develop a deep prayer life. One excellent way to learn about prayer and how to pray more effectively is to listen to Fr. Thomas Dubay's retreat below.
Here are a few more samples of some of the great teachings from the "Universal Call to Contemplative Prayer" Retreat Talks
All are called to a deep intimacy with God. 6 Biblical themes show that all the faithful are called to a deep intimacy with God...
1st Theme: In prayer we should be growing to where we experience God deeply.
2nd Theme: Even when prayer is dry and difficult, a thirsting for God or yearning, and it feels empty, even then it is to be vehement prayer.
3rd Theme: Prayer is called in scripture the “one thing”.
4th Theme: We are to find in our prayer (contemplation), an enthralling fulfillment.
5th Theme: We are called to continual prayer. We might say we can’t pray continually, but God can give it. It means being constantly aware of the Trinity. It doesn’t interfere with what we are doing on the surface, but they go together. It is about love.
6th Theme: There is no limit to growth in prayer. You can’t love God too much (or enough).
A deep prayer life is absolutely basic and essential to the spiritual life to have this intimate communion with the Trinity. It prompts a person to want to live the Gospel full and to gladly give up petty clingings and selfishnesses. “Every idle word a man speaks, he has to give an account on Judgment day.” An idle word is a word that does no good at all. It benefits neither the hearer, speaker or a third party. The Bible says to overcome evil with good. If a husband or wife snaps, the other one doesn’t return it with a snap, but with a gentle response. You overcome evil with good, because you are in love with God. A person can’t flourish in life without a deep love for God. Saints say a complete “yes” to God; they are deeply in love with God. You can’t produce this love yourself, but God gives it to the extent that we want it and are living the Gospel fully.
How to be more effective in relationships and getting your points across:
“Your ‘apostolic effectiveness’ and ‘mutual communal enrichment’ depend first of all, not on the amount of time spent with others, but on the quality of your person.” Frank Sheed said, “In teaching science or mathematics… the main thing is to be lucid. But for ideas, which could call on a man to change his life, lucidity is not enough. The self of the teacher has to make contact in depth, with the self of the hearer…. The speaker gives himself with the truth adhering… The speaker and his message reach the hearer together. If the hearer finds the speaker repellent, the message hasn’t a hope. It arrives discolored by, smelling of, the one who uttered it.” That’s why arguments get nowhere. That is why if we love each other, beginning with love of God, and then share amiably, then we get someplace. We need a deep prayer life, or a deep conversion is not going to happen. This is getting to the core of marriage problems. The mere psychological approach, while having some beneficial insight, doesn’t get to the heart of it.
Contemplative prayer causes an enrichment of an individual as one grows in depth of communion with the Lord in various ways:
1. One becomes more sensitive to the beauties of creation and the Creator.
2. One is led to linger over reality and appreciate it more.
3. Contemplation feeds us in our deepest hungers for truth, joy, beauty, celebration and most of all LOVE, real love. A person needs it to flourish in life. Jesus came that we might have abundant life.
4. Deep contemplative union with God gives us something to say to the world that good people want to hear. Von Balthasar said, “He who does not listen to God, has nothing to say to men.”
How do we grow in deep contemplative prayer? Most people think they need to learn techniques. There are some methods of meditation, like the Ignatian method, but there are no techniques that produce contemplative prayer. Techniques like centering prayer do not produce contemplation. It is given by God.
Three main conditions for growing in deep contemplative prayer:
1. Live the Gospel fully with generosity in your vocation and in your duties
2. Understand the first purification of John of the Cross (”snag stage”)
3. Solve the time pressure problem and spend time in prayer. (Matt. 6:6)
Newly Available:
"Universal Call to Contemplative Prayer"
Retreat Talks for Lay People given by Fr. Thomas Dubay, S.M.
Complete Set of Fr. Dubay's Weekend Retreat talks available in 2 formats: CD and Mp3
(These retreat CDs are not available elsewhere.)
|
Front of CD#1 |
4 CD Set (for CD Player)
$33. (plus $4.50 shipping in USA,
extra shipping for international orders):
|
Back of CD#1:
Here are a few more samples of some of the great teachings from the "Universal Call to Contemplative Prayer" Retreat Talks
All are called to a deep intimacy with God. 6 Biblical themes show that all the faithful are called to a deep intimacy with God...
1st Theme: In prayer we should be growing to where we experience God deeply.
2nd Theme: Even when prayer is dry and difficult, a thirsting for God or yearning, and it feels empty, even then it is to be vehement prayer.
3rd Theme: Prayer is called in scripture the “one thing”.
4th Theme: We are to find in our prayer (contemplation), an enthralling fulfillment.
5th Theme: We are called to continual prayer. We might say we can’t pray continually, but God can give it. It means being constantly aware of the Trinity. It doesn’t interfere with what we are doing on the surface, but they go together. It is about love.
6th Theme: There is no limit to growth in prayer. You can’t love God too much (or enough).
A deep prayer life is absolutely basic and essential to the spiritual life to have this intimate communion with the Trinity. It prompts a person to want to live the Gospel full and to gladly give up petty clingings and selfishnesses. “Every idle word a man speaks, he has to give an account on Judgment day.” An idle word is a word that does no good at all. It benefits neither the hearer, speaker or a third party. The Bible says to overcome evil with good. If a husband or wife snaps, the other one doesn’t return it with a snap, but with a gentle response. You overcome evil with good, because you are in love with God. A person can’t flourish in life without a deep love for God. Saints say a complete “yes” to God; they are deeply in love with God. You can’t produce this love yourself, but God gives it to the extent that we want it and are living the Gospel fully.
How to be more effective in relationships and getting your points across:
“Your ‘apostolic effectiveness’ and ‘mutual communal enrichment’ depend first of all, not on the amount of time spent with others, but on the quality of your person.” Frank Sheed said, “In teaching science or mathematics… the main thing is to be lucid. But for ideas, which could call on a man to change his life, lucidity is not enough. The self of the teacher has to make contact in depth, with the self of the hearer…. The speaker gives himself with the truth adhering… The speaker and his message reach the hearer together. If the hearer finds the speaker repellent, the message hasn’t a hope. It arrives discolored by, smelling of, the one who uttered it.” That’s why arguments get nowhere. That is why if we love each other, beginning with love of God, and then share amiably, then we get someplace. We need a deep prayer life, or a deep conversion is not going to happen. This is getting to the core of marriage problems. The mere psychological approach, while having some beneficial insight, doesn’t get to the heart of it.
Contemplative prayer causes an enrichment of an individual as one grows in depth of communion with the Lord in various ways:
1. One becomes more sensitive to the beauties of creation and the Creator.
2. One is led to linger over reality and appreciate it more.
3. Contemplation feeds us in our deepest hungers for truth, joy, beauty, celebration and most of all LOVE, real love. A person needs it to flourish in life. Jesus came that we might have abundant life.
4. Deep contemplative union with God gives us something to say to the world that good people want to hear. Von Balthasar said, “He who does not listen to God, has nothing to say to men.”
How do we grow in deep contemplative prayer? Most people think they need to learn techniques. There are some methods of meditation, like the Ignatian method, but there are no techniques that produce contemplative prayer. Techniques like centering prayer do not produce contemplation. It is given by God.
Three main conditions for growing in deep contemplative prayer:
1. Live the Gospel fully with generosity in your vocation and in your duties
2. Understand the first purification of John of the Cross (”snag stage”)
3. Solve the time pressure problem and spend time in prayer. (Matt. 6:6)
4 CD Set (for CD Player)
$33. (plus $4.50 shipping in USA,
extra shipping for international orders):
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