Putting on the mind of Christ

Cecily McNeill
2 May 2011

Mystic, theologian and Episcopalian priest Cynthia Bourgeault spent Sunday afternoon April 10 in ‘intimate’ conversation with 30 followers at Pa Maria discussing Jesus as the master of non-dual or unitive thinking.

We can get into this way of thinking through centring prayer or the practice of meditation that enables us to set aside our egoic mind and get in touch with the deepest working of our heart.

Cynthia quoted a United States theologian Jim Marion whose book, Putting on the Mind of Christ [1996], influenced her to understand such parables that tend to ‘fry the mind’ such as the labourers in the vineyard (Mt 20:1-16). Only if we can see that Jesus was not interested in a landowner whose main objective was more produce but in giving employment to those in need can we get some idea of the radical nature of Jesus’ message.

A practitioner of centring prayer for some 20 years, Cynthia advised setting aside 20 minutes or so each day to sit quietly and using a sacred word whenever thoughts distracted from a focus on the heart.

More about Cynthia’s work www.contemplative.org/cynthia.html