Trappist monk and priest, Thomas Keating (March 7, 1923 – October 25, 2018) passed over yesterday. A spiritual elder not just for his Catholic community but like the Dalai Lama for the entire earth community, Keating was one of the formative figures following his older and fellow Cistercian Thomas Merton in retrieving the contemplative tradition within Christianity.

Blessed are you, brother Thomas, for your service to the gospel of life and the all-encompassing oneness of God’s lavish love. We rejoice that you are now experiencing the effulgence of God’s glory, the intimacy of God’s presence, and the fullness of God’s love.“For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)