Etty Hillesum: Story of a Mystic
Between March 1941 and October 1942, Etty Hillesum kept a diary of her experiences as a Jew in Nazi occupied Amsterdam. It’s a story of personal growth, intimacy with God, and the forging of a spirituality which enabled her, even though she did not survive, to reach a state of transformative union despite atrocity. Inspirational!
Though she died over 80 years ago, through her diaries and letters, she emerges as a strangely contemporary figure: she came from a dysfunctional family and her entrance into faith was through psychotherapy. The heart of her faith was not doctrinal faith, but a profound contemplative practice similar to Centering Prayer. Her spirituality surpassed the boundaries of religion.
“Truly my life is one long harkening unto myself and unto others and unto God. And if I say I hearken, it’s really God who hearkens inside me. The best and most essential in me hearkens to what is essential and deepest in the other. God to God.”
Flow of the Evening:
Wednesday, August 28, 2024 from 5:30pm – 8:30pm
- 5:30pm -6:00pm Gathering & Light Refreshments
- 6:00pm-6:10pm Welcome and Introductions
- 6:10pm-6:35pm Guidelines and Centering Prayer
- 6:35pm-7:15pm Presentation
- 7:15pm-7:30pm Break
- 7:30pm-8:10pm Presentation 2
- 8:10pm-8:25pm Q & A
- 8:25pm-8:30pm Introduce Beldan Lane for next EnLIGHTenment & Closing Prayer
Location:
Kirkwood Community of Christ Church
830 N Kirkwood Rd
Kirkwood, MO 6312
This event is also available on zoom. Zoom information will be emailed to zoom attendees a couple of days before the event.
For more information: enlightenment@centeringprayerstl.com
Why attend this event:
Thomas Keating, William Menninger, and Basil Pennington developed the method of Centering Prayer to share the gift of contemplation in our times. Etty Hillesum devised basically the same method by assimilating all the spiritual resources available to her. On June 8, 1941 she described her method of prayer: June 8, 1941: “I’ll ‘turn inward’ for half an hour each morning before work, and listen to my inner voice… So let this be the aim of meditation: to turn one’s innermost being into a vast empty plain, with none of that treacherous undergrowth to impede the view
About the Presenter
Jim McElroy has been practicing Centering Prayer since 1996 and is a commissioned presenter since 2002. Jim has been on the leadership team of 12-Step Outreach since its formation in 2005 and is especially interested in teaching contemplative practices to the recovery community. He is a former coordinator of COSTL, serves on the Welcoming Prayer and Living Flame Service Teams, and currently serves on the Board of Contemplative Outreach LTD.
This event is free. However If you wish, please support us with a donation of your choice, which helps us cover our rent, website, other expenses and scholarship fund. This is purely a suggestion and not meant to be a barrier to attendance. All are welcome.
Register
Please register and submit the online form below.