| A PEARL OF GREAT PRICE Laurence Freeman, OSB |
| Again the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls; when he finds one of great value he goes and sells everything he owns and buys it. (Matthew 13:45) |
THE WORLD COMMUNITY FOR CHRISTIAN MEDITATION John Main saw that meditation creates community. Over the past 25 years this insight has taken shape in the growth of a worldwide contemplative network extending to over a hundred countries. There are Christian Meditation Centres in many of these. These Centres serve as focal points for the teaching and life of the community locally and nationally. An annual John Main Seminar is held in which a leading thinker or teacher enriches the Community’s contemplative vision of the modern world and its challenges. A Guiding Board in the spirit of the Constitution of The World Community is drawn from different countries and gives direction and assistance to the growth of the Community. A quarterly Newsletter gives spiritual teaching and local and international news of the Community. Learn more... SCHOOL FOR TEACHERS The School for Teachers has been started to help people better understand and accept the gift of meditation in their own lives so as better to share it with others. It would be very enriching to participate in one of the regular Schools that are held in many countries every year. A School weekend experience would help you discern whether to start a group and give you more clarity about how to do it. Later you can participate in a School with members of your group. All that is required to attend a school is personal commitment to the way of Christian meditation, a year or two of sustained personal practice, and a call to share the gift with others. The School is an experience of encouragement and empowerment. The International Coordinator in London works with National coordinators in other countries. The School consists of three phases: a weekend workshop on the ‘Essential Teaching’ and offering help with presentation skills; a series of wider-ranging workshops applying the contemplative insight to issues of modern concern; an extended retreat experience in which a guided reflection on one’s own spiritual journey may help one to be a better spiritual friend to others. You may contact your national coordinator or the School Coordinator at the International Office in London. Learn more... THE WEBPAGES: A growing number of people every day are led to meditation by means of the Internet. Many are led to meditation groups near to their homes through this connection as well as finding a further sense of community in the frequently updated news and discussion of The World Community web page. When you start a group let the web page community know. If you have any special events, pass it on. You will also find news of upcoming retreats and workshops in the web page international calendar. There are reports and photos of recent events and often talks or teachings on meditation are posted. There is also a weekly posting of short readings, described below. Visit the Contact us Section MEDIO MEDIA: Medio Media is the publishing arm of The World Community. A wide range of products, books, audio tapes and videos by John Main and many others may be ordered over the web direct. You can also ask to receive the catalogue by mail and regular email notification of new titles.
627 North 6th Avenue Tucson AZ 85705 USA Toll-free: 1-800-324-8305 Fax: 1 520 882 0311 Website: www.mediomedia.org INTERNATIONAL CENTRE OF THE WORLD COMMUNITY The International Centre of The World Community is based in London. It serves as a central point of communication and communion for meditators and other Christian Meditation Centres worldwide. It coordinates many aspects of the life of the Community such as the quarterly Newsletter, the annual John Main Seminar, visits, retreats and other special events. The team at the Centre is also there to help you personally with any queries you may have and will happily put you in touch with the local community nearest to you. International Centre
St Mark’s, Myddleton Square London EC1R 1XX Tel: + 44 20 7278 2070 Fax: + 44 20 7713 6346 Email: mail@wccm.org
The Benedictine Monastery of Christ the King, Cockfosters, is a community in the city that welcomes meditators from around the world for retreats and visits to share in the prayer life of its monastic and parish communities. The Guestmaster, Monastery of Christ the King, Bramley Road, London N14 4HE, UK (Tel: +44 20 8440 7769)
We are a group of people who have been deeply touched by the gift of Christian Meditation. We are seekers whose lives have been transformed. We come from all over the world and from all walks of life. We also provide financial support to The World Community for Christian Meditation towards its work of sharing the gift of Christian Meditation worldwide. In particular, a Friend supports the work of the Community in developing, nurturing and assisting emerging Christian Meditation communities in locations where there may be no regional or national contacts or coordinators. Learn how to become a Friend. MEDITATION WITH CHILDREN “Children are born contemplatives and so contemplation is not only the goal of the Christian life but in a sense its starting point too,” Fr Laurence Freeman, a Benedictine monk and the Director of The World Community for Christian Meditation, has written in a foreword to the Like A Child series of books - a program for teaching Christian meditation to children in primary schools.
their religion lessons: they wanted to experience God in their heart. Christian meditation provides your child with an opportunity to start a journey of silence and stillness where he will experience the presence of Jesus within. Visit the webpage: www.meditationwithchildren.com TAPES AND CDs FOR MEDITATION GROUPS A good series to begin with is Communitas. There are five sets in this series each set having ten tapes. These are inspiring and moving talks given to meditation groups and ideal for leading your group into a period of meditation. Side A is a talk for beginners and at some point repeats the essential ‘how to’ of meditation. Side B is for ongoing meditators. A second set of tapes or CDs invaluable to the beginner is A Simple Way, Fr Laurence’s teaching of how to meditate, including 20 minute timed meditation silence. A set of six tapes called In The Beginning is composed only of talks for beginners. Another set called Being on The Way is just talks for more experienced meditators. These and other sets of tapes by John Main and Laurence Freeman can be found in the Medio Media catalogue or ordered directly from the web page (www. mediomedia.org) BOOKS FOR MEDITATION GROUPS John Main’s Word into Silence is an excellent short introduction to the Christian context of meditation. His Christian Meditation: The Gethsemani Talks tells concisely how he came to meditation himself. After that Moment of Christ and The Way of Unknowing would be helpful. Laurence Freeman’s Christian Meditation: Your Daily Practice is a good short practical summary and his Light Within is also a good introduction. His book Jesus: The Teacher Within explores the contemporary meaning of Christian identity in the light of the experience of meditation. A Simple Way, published in 2004, is a short practical booklet with Fr Laurence’s teachings on how to meditate. MUSIC FOR MEDITATION GROUPS An ideal and beautiful music for leading into and out of meditation is that of Margaret Rizza, an English meditator. Her acclaimed CDs include River of Peace and Fountain of Life and are available from Medio Media (www.mediomedia.org) WEEKLY READINGS FOR MEDITATION GROUPS There are readings for meditation posted each week in English on the following websites: www.wccm.org, www.mediomedia.org and www.friendsinmeditation.com In Spanish on www.meditacioncristiana.com and www.meditacioncristiana.cl The readings usually contain a teaching from John Main or Laurence Freeman, with a brief complementary after-meditation reading from other sources, including Scripture, poetry, and sacred texts from other traditions. The readings can be printed out and used in the group itself or given out to members as a support for their daily practice. Each week, hundreds of people around the world receive the readings directly by e- mail; if you would like to receive them, just follow the instructions under the “Weekly Readings” section of these websites. |
| A Pearl of Great Price Copyright © 2002 The World Community for Christian Meditation Webservices: www.comunicasoluciones.com |
| A PEARL OF GREAT PRICE |
| SHARING THE GIFT OF CHRISTIAN MEDITATION BY STARTING A GROUP |
| THE WORLD COMMUNITY FOR CHRISTIAN MEDITATION |