Silent Saturday with Lectio Divina
Advent Silent Saturday with Father Bob Aten
December 13 @ 8:30 AM – 11:00 AM
A Morning of Woven Prayer
This Silent Saturday will unfold in a flowing, contemplative rhythm.
Fr. Aten will offer brief reflections interwoven throughout our periods of Centering Prayer — not as a separate talk, but as part of the same living prayer of the heart.
Theme for Our Morning
Be who you are…
the living flesh of Christ.
Your cross is His cross.
Your wounds are His wounds.
Your heartbeat is His heartbeat —
for your heart is not two, but one.
“It is not my heart that lives;
it is the Heart of Christ that is beating,
and that rhythm is all that I know.”
Throughout the morning, we will rest in that interior place
where silence becomes teacher,
Christ becomes breath,
and the one Heart becomes known.
“Come Into the Heart That Beats as Your Own”
Theme for Our Morning
Be who you are… Theme for Our Morning
Be who you are…
the living flesh of Christ.
Your cross is His cross.
Your wounds are His wounds.
Your heartbeat is His heartbeat —
for your heart is not two, but one.
“It is not my heart that lives;
it is the Heart of Christ that is beating,
and that rhythm is all that I know.”
Throughout the morning, we will rest in that interior place
where silence becomes teacher,
Christ becomes breath,
and the one Heart becomes known.
Be who you are…
the living flesh of Christ.
Your cross is His cross.
Your wounds are His wounds.
Your heartbeat is His heartbeat —
for your heart is not two, but one.
“It is not my heart that lives;
it is the Heart of Christ that is beating,
and that rhythm is all that I know.”
Throughout the morning, we will rest in that interior place
where silence becomes teacher,
Christ becomes breath,
and the one Heart becomes known.
Come as You Are
Come into the silence that welcomes everything.
Come into the union that has always been yours.
Come into the Heart that beats as your own.
Advent Silent Saturday
A Morning of Woven Reflection and Centering Prayer
Theme: Be Who You Are… the Living Flesh of Christ
Contemplative Outreach St. Louis invites you into a gentle, spacious Advent morning of silence and presence with Father Robert Aten, our chapter’s first Coordinator and a beloved early shepherd of this community.
In 1989, Fr. Bob sensed deeply that the Church needed to rediscover and reclaim the contemplative way. As a diocesan priest in the Archdiocese of St. Louis, he helped establish Contemplative Outreach St. Louis as an official Archdiocesan office.
Archbishop John L. May welcomed the movement wholeheartedly, even writing a supportive article in the St. Louis Review.
At one time, more than thirty Centering Prayer groups met regularly in parishes across the region. Interfaith connections blossomed as communities from many traditions asked for the Introductory Workshop for Centering Prayer. We are grateful to welcome Fr. Bob’s presence again during this holy season of waiting.
The facilitator for this program is Sarah Legett
The Morning Flow Will Include:
- Welcome! And Gathering for a half hour
- Entering silence together
- Reflections from Fr. Aten woven throughout
- Centering Prayer
- Opportunities for deep stillness
- Closing prayer and optional sharing
Saturday, December 13th, 2025
Doors open and Gathering at 8:30 am, We begin at 9 am & end at 11 am
Light refreshments will be available
Silent Saturday is at:
Community of Christ Church, 830 N Kirkwood Road, Kirkwood, MO 63122
We recommend registering so we can prepare the continental breakfast and seating. Walk-ins are welcome.
There is no fee for this event but if you would like to make a donation of any amount to help cover our rent, website maintenance, scholarship fund and other expenses, it will be gratefully accepted. This is purely a suggestion and not meant to be a barrier to attendance. All are welcome.
Save these dates – PLEASE NOTE: The next Silent Saturdays are the second Saturday: February, April, June, August, October, December
We are blessed to have videos presented by Father Thomas Keating on Lectio Divina, calling us into a deeper relationship with God. Lectio Divina draws from scriptural and/or other sacred reading, meditation, and prayer to promote communion with God and increase the knowledge of God’s Word.
Centering Prayer and Lectio Divina with Thomas Keating, Part 1: In this talk, Fr. Thomas explains that Lectio Divina is meant to be an experience of scripture in which one listens for God rather than reads for content. The words penetrate one in a dynamic process under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, gradually moving one into deeper union with God. Fr. Thomas describes the traditional four ‘moments’ of Lectio Divina in a circular format; the experience is not linear as all the ‘moments’ are interrelated. This conference was given at the Lectio Divina Institute held on January 17-21, 1997, at the Benedictine Center in Beech Grove, Indiana.
Centering Prayer and Lectio Divina with Thomas Keating, Part 2: In this talk entitled “Principles for the Practice of Lectio,” Fr. Thomas explains that Lectio is the process of assimilating the Gospel and being assimilated by it. He describes five moments in this process: 1) Beginning prayer to the Holy Spirit as your Guide, 2) Noticing how scripture is mirroring your life, 3) Experiencing the Word of God as directed to different levels of consciousness, 4) Reading your experience of grace into the scriptures, and 5) becoming the Word of God in a particular human situation. This conference was given at the Lectio Divina Institute held on January 17-21, 1997, at the Benedictine Center in Beech Grove, Indiana.
Four Steps of Lectio Divina
There is no standard way of doing lectio divina, but the following method has proven helpful to beginners.
- Read (Lectio): Read a passage from Scripture. “Listen” to God’s word. Gather the facts. Does a particular word or phrase speak to you?
- Reflect (Meditatio): Read the passage again. Reflect on the passage as a whole or on a particular phrase. What is God saying to you?
- Respond (Oratio): Read the Scripture once again. Respond to God with your heart. What do you want to say to God?
- Rest (Contemplatio*): Read the selection a final time. Rest in God’s presence for a few minutes.
* Strictly speaking, contemplation is a gift of grace that depends on the movement of the Holy Spirit. It is a real awareness of God, desiring and loving Him, beyond concepts, feelings, and particular acts.
Register
Please register and submit the online form below.
Having trouble registering or did not receive a confirmation email? Reach out to susiebrentcostl@gmail.com.