During three days (2-5 January 2014),  the Cave of Saint Ignatius has hosted a retreat on contemplative prayer, guided by Javier Melloni SJ and Laurence Freeman OSB, director of The World Community for Christian Meditation (WCCM).

More than 60 people have attended the retreat.

The topic was “The Cave of the Heart” in the contemplative tradition, from the Cave of Subiaco for Saint Benedict, through the Cave of Manresa for Saint Ignatius, until the cave of the heart for Henri Le Saux and Ramana Maharshi.

The days were scheduled with four times of quiet meditation and two walking meditation as well as two daily talks, by Laurence Freeman and Javier Melloni. Marco Schorlemmer, coordinator of the WCCM in Catalunya and Spain, also gave a daily talk on the contemplative prayer and the WCCM.

Javier Melloni:

“It has been a time of encounter in silence and also through the words with Laurence Freeman, direct successor of John Main. We have lived and shared during three days the Benedictine contemplative tradition (following the lineage of John Cassiano and John Main) with the Ignatian one (following the lineage of Franz Jalics). It has certainly been a time of grace, in which we have been reciprocally enriched, and in which it has been confirmed the meaning of the new space of the fourth floor and the Meditation Hall (Sala Arrupe).” (Originally published at http://covamanresa.blogspot.com.es).