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Seven Sacred Pauses:  Living Mindfully Through the Hours of the Day

This beautifully reflective book draws you into the practice of contemplative listening.  In the heart of your busy work day, you are reminded to pause and breathe in the spirit of each hour. Macrina encourages her readers to use the traditional seven sacred pauses of monastic life to assist them in keeping vigil with their own lives.

Remember to Pause is a key phrase that companions you through the book

The hours and some of the themes are as follows:
The Night Watch (midnight to dawn): vigilance, trust
The Awakening Hour (dawn/morning): praise, joy, light
The Blessing Hour (midmorning): Spirit, breath, blessing,
The Hour of Illumination (noon): commitment, passion, peace
The Wisdom Hour (midafternoon): impermanence, wisdom, aging
The Twilight Hour (dusk):  praise, gratitude
The Great Silence (night): darkness, silence, rest, protection

from those who have read the manuscript:
    Seven Sacred Pauses is "...a mini daily retreat which breaks into our daily duties, sanctifying our experience of the day and our perception of time while leading us ever deeper into the silence of our souls."
                                                 - Beth Fritsch,   Cincinnati

     The soul knows that moments taken to reflect on the sacred reap a bountiful harvest in our hurried lives.  Seven Sacred Pauses offers an opportunity to honor what the soul already knows.  This book is for those who want to  journey through the day mindfully: seven sacred pauses to bless the soul’s need, seven welcoming breaths to anoint the “hurry” in your heart.
                                                 -Karen Ewan—Williamsburg, VA

A Companion CD
Seven Sacred Pauses:  Singing Mindfully Dawn to Dark
Velma Frye

One of the delightful features of the Seven Sacred Pauses book is that Macrina has teamed up with another artist, Velma Frye.  The result of this collaboration is a companion CD of songs of exquisite beauty.  In creating the songs, Velma has used Macrina’s poetry and prose for lyrics.

The Circle of Life: The Heart's Journey Through the Seasons

We long for connection in the midst of our disconnected lives. Connections to ourselves…to others…to the world we live in. We ache for the touch of the sacred. In The Circle of Life, Joyce Rupp and Macrina Wiederkehr show us a way to connect with life’s sacred center.

More information

A Tree Full of Angels: Seeing the holy in the Ordinary

For your prayer, your journey into God,
may you be given a small storm,
a little hurricane named after you,
persistent enough to get your attention,
violent enough to awaken you to new depths,
strong enough to shake you to the roots
majestic enough to remind you of your origin:
made of the earth yet steeped in eternity
frail human dust, yet soaked with infinity.

Seasons of Your Heart

It seems to me Lord that we search much too desperately for answers when a good question holds as much grace as an answer.
Guard us from the sin of settling in with our answers hugged to our breasts.
Make of us a wondering, far-sighted, questioning, restless people
and give us the feet of pilgrims on this journey unfinished.

The Song of the Seed

Happiness is elusive and fleeting. It can easily slip away. Yet underneath each moment of happiness is an eternal joy too deep to blown away by every little wind of change. This deep joy is part of the hallowed ground of your being. A beautiful sunset or a starry night may bring you happiness. The abiding joy, however, is the reality that you are a spiritual being -- part of a universe to which you are so intimately connected that the rhythm of its movements affects your very soul.

Gold In Your Memories

There is a way that the soul can get crowded out of one’s day. The soul is a bit shy and does not demand center stage. She lives a life of her own, and yet there are soul-prints in every fibre of your being, even in the things you’ve forgotten. The soul is the keeper of memories. She knows where the beauty is stored. Deep in your unconscious she stands guard. She remembers every path you’ve taken in your search for God. She knows about the seasons when God seemed absent. She was there at your birth. She will be there at your death. ...so what do we mean when we say that someone is living "without soul"?

Behold Your Life

In order to experience healing it is imperative that we find the courage to look upon our wounds and integrate them into our lives. Sometimes we suffer from the decision to remain a victim. We can wallow in self pity and choose to live embittered lives because of wrongs done to us. ...but there is another way. In this other way we compassionately befriend our wounds. Thus, we learn experientially that what we wallow in will make us sick; what we embrace will restore us to health.

Behold Your Life CD - 28 Guided Meditations
          Macrina Wiederkehr and Jose Tharakan

The perfect complement to her popular book, Behold Your Life, these twenty-eight guided meditations are the ideal way to enter into the sacred space of memory. Each meditation gently leads us to recognize the traces of God's presence throughout our lives. Read by Sr. Macrina who is accompanied by composer Jose Tharakan, these comforting meditations combine carefully crafted reflections with original music composed specifically for each one.

Used on a daily basis, these meditations form the basis of a twenty-eight day retreat. Or they can be selected by theme for occasional use in personal reflection or in small groups. Each one begins with a brief scripture verse and concludes with a heartfelt prayer. Just a few minutes in length, they include appropriate periods of musical background for personal reflection.

Romancing the Word - Column by Macrina
Stepping Stones Newsletter - Little Rock Scripture Study

"Remembering God's Gifts" - Summer 2006, p.3
"The Year of the Eucharist" - Spring 2006, p.3
"We are Called to Trust in Providence" - Fall 2005, p. 3
"Accepting the Challenge" - Summer 2005, p. 2
"Simple ways of pleasing God" - Spring 2005, p. 2
"A season of forgiveness" - Fall 2004, p. 2
"Finding your holy limp" - Summer 2004, p. 2
"God is always inviting us" - Spring 2004, p. 2
"How healthy are the eyes of your heart?" - Fall 2003, p. 2
"You have been called to live in freedom" - Summer 2003
"My grace is enough for you" - Spring 2003, p. 2
"Keep my O God, for in you I take refuge" - Fall 2003, p. 2