Invitation to Love - Keating
Here’s a full, detailed summary of Thomas Keating’s Invitation to Love: The Way of Christian Contemplation (first published 1992; later expanded in revised editions).
Comprehensive Summary of
Invitation to Love
by Thomas Keating
Purpose and Context
Thomas Keating, a Cistercian monk and one of the architects of the Centering Prayer movement, wrote Invitation to Love as both a spiritual guide and theological reflection on the Christian contemplative path. The book is intended to help Christians move from an external, rule-focused faith toward an interior transformation rooted in divine love. It builds upon themes from Keating’s earlier book Open Mind, Open Heart, but here he develops a deeper psychological and spiritual framework for the journey.
Main Themes
Contemplation as Relationship. Contemplation is not primarily a technique but a relationship with God.Through Centering Prayer, one cultivates inner silence, allowing the Holy Spirit to work in the subconscious layers of the self.
The goal is union with God, expressed through love rather than intellectual understanding.
The Human Condition and the False Self
Keating explains the development of the “false self system”, formed in early childhood as we seek survival and security, affection and esteem, power and control.These drives, though natural, become disordered attac hments that dominate adult life. Spiritual growth involves the dismantling of this false self and the emergence of the “true self” — the person we are in God.
Healing Through Divine Therapy
Keating describes Centering Prayer as “divine therapy.”In the silence of prayer, repressed emotional material arises. Rather than being obstacles, these are invitations to healing. God’s love gradually purifies the unconscious, freeing us from compulsions and emotional wounds.
Stages of Spiritual Growth
Keating adapts John of the Cross’s framework of the purgative, illuminative, and unitive ways. He presents the spiritual journey as a series of transformations: from self-centeredness to God-centeredness, from emotional reactivity to inner freedom, from ego-based love to pure charity. The “Dark Nights” are interpreted psychologically as times when God withdraws consolations, forcing us to trust in deeper faith.
The Fruits of Contemplation
Growth in humility, compassion, forgiveness, and service to others. A contemplative life leads to nonviolent attitudes, inner peace, and solidarity with the suffering of the world. Ultimately, the contemplative sees all reality in God and God in all reality.
The Christian Community as Support
Keating emphasizes that the contemplative journey is not solitary but rooted in the Body of Christ. The Eucharist, liturgy, and church life support and balance personal prayer. Community provides accountability, discernment, and encouragement.
Structure of the Book (Overview by Sections)
How silent prayer exposes hidden wounds. The process of purification and release.
Stages of the Spiritual Journey. Purification of senses and spirit (drawing from John of the Cross). Movement toward union with God. Transformation in Christ
Fruits of contemplative practice: growth in virtue, compassion, humility.
Integration of inner transformation with outer life of service.
Love as the ultimate fruit of contemplation.
Distinctive Contributions of the Book
Conclusion
Invitation to Love is a profound exploration of the contemplative life, describing how silent prayer opens the heart to God’s transforming presence. The “invitation” is God’s call to deeper intimacy and freedom, while the “love” is both God’s gift and the fruit of our response. The book has become a foundational text for those drawn to Christian mysticism and Centering Prayer, widely used in retreat settings and contemplative study groups.
Now for a chapter-by-chapter outline of Thomas Keating’s Invitation to Love: The Way of Christian Contemplation.
Since Keating revised the book over several editions, the exact chapter titles vary slightly, but the following reflects the standard expanded edition most people use.
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Chapter-by-Chapter Outline of Invitation to Love
Part I – The Beginning of the Journey
Chapter 1 – The Human Condition: The Evolutionary Model
• Humanity is wounded by original sin and conditioned by unconscious drives.
• Introduction of the “emotional programs for happiness”:
1. Security/survival
2. Affection/esteem
3. Power/control
• These drives are not evil but become distorted, forming the false self system.
Chapter 2 – The False Self in Action
• How compulsions rooted in childhood shape adult behavior.
• False self leads to frustration, conflict, and spiritual blindness.
• Awareness of the false self is the first step toward healing.
Chapter 3 – Centering Prayer as Method
• A practical way to consent to God’s presence and action.
• Letting go of thoughts, using a sacred word to maintain intention.
• Distinction between “prayer of quiet” and “contemplation.”
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Part II – The Healing of the False Self
Chapter 4 – Divine Therapy: Healing the Unconscious
• Centering Prayer acts as therapy, allowing repressed material to surface.
• Instead of resisting, we let thoughts and feelings come and go before God.
• Grace heals the unconscious in silence.
Chapter 5 – Dismantling the False Self System
• As prayer deepens, attachments loosen.
• The Spirit purifies misplaced desires.
• This can feel like interior disorientation but is a sign of growth.
Chapter 6 – The Process of Transformation
• Psychological healing and spiritual purification go hand in hand.
• The journey involves surrender rather than self-effort.
• Movement from self-centeredness toward God-centeredness.
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Part III – The Spiritual Journey in Stages
Chapter 7 – The Night of Sense
• Drawing on John of the Cross.
• Early purifications: God withdraws emotional consolation.
• Invitation to deeper trust, beyond feelings.
Chapter 8 – The Night of Spirit
• A more radical purification: loss of conceptual and spiritual security.
• God purifies our deepest motives.
• Leads to greater freedom and surrender.
Chapter 9 – The Fruits of Transformation
• Humility, forgiveness, compassion, detachment.
• Integration of inner silence with outer love and service.
• Signs of growth: gentleness, patience, solidarity with others.
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Part IV – Living in Divine Love
Chapter 10 – The True Self and Union with God
• The “true self” is our identity in God, hidden with Christ.
• Transformation means living from God’s presence within.
• Union is not escape but full participation in reality.
Chapter 11 – Contemplative Attitudes in Daily Life
• Extending consent to God beyond prayer periods.
• Practicing silence, humility, nonviolence, forgiveness.
• Awareness of God in every moment.
Chapter 12 – Community and the Body of Christ
• The contemplative life is not solitary but lived in communion.
• The Church, sacraments, and Eucharist support the inner journey.
• Contemplation flows into service and justice.
Chapter 13 – Invitation to Love
• The title theme: God constantly invites us to deeper intimacy.
• The end of the journey is divine love, expressed in charity toward all.
• Contemplation is both gift and response - the flowering of grace in human freedom.
Key Flow of the Book
1. Diagnosis - the false self (chapters 1–2).
2. Prescription - Centering Prayer as divine therapy (chapters 3–6).
3. Journey - puration, illumination, union (chapters 7–9).
4. Fulfillment - living in divine love in daily life and community (chapters. 10–13).
👉 Together, the summary and this outline give you both the big picture and the sequential unfolding of Keating’s teaching.