Customer Reviews

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

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I love well-designed little books like this one, which I can tuck into a big pocket, purse or work bag -- to add a new season of spiritual discipline to my life.

Sister Macrina Wiederkehr adapts traditional, daily cycles of prayer with thoughtful themes to focus our meditations and offers all kinds of resources: from specific prayers and readings we can use to little meditation-provoking nuggets of wisdom from a variety of writers.

In the introduction of her book, she reminds us that the original rule of St. Benedict called on monks to pray their way through all 150 Psalms each week -- a daunting task in today's busy world. So, she writes, "this book is to provide you with poetic reflection material on the spirit of the hours rather than the historical text of the hours."

I also appreciate her breadth of selections in the book from scriptures themselves to lines by W.H. Auden, Kahlil Gibran and Eleanor Roosevelt.

Nicely done. Nicely packaged. A great companion for a new season.

This is a gem of a prayer, and contemplative book. Like the monks' practice of the Daily, this gives all of us a guide and text to use in dividing and divining our day into 7 parts set aside to rememeber God and who and what we are -- or ought to be as Christians. If you ever envied the Moslems' daily call to prayer, here is your Chrisitan alternitive.

I have long been a fan of Macrina which is why I purchased this book. What I got was more than I could have imagined. Her book brings us back and shows us the wisdom , many of us have forgotten , of taking the time to stop. To take a few minutes seven times a day so that we can really live our lives to the fullest. In this crazy busy world what could be important than to get in tune with the natural pauses of day and clear our minds of the clutter that keeps us from realizing the life we were meant to live.

Seven Sacred Pauses is a wonderful spiritual tool to help us remember the sacredness in each hour of the day. Macrina Wiederkehr has lived the monastic rhythm of the days and is able to give lay people the opportunity to recognize and honor the Divine all around us. I really find her meditations very helpful and can easily adapt them to the seasons of my life. I have given it as gifts and use it various groups from my prayer shawl ministry to EFM class. Velma Frye's accompanying CD is a terrific addition and the songs/chants serve as a shorthand to remembering the meditations.

In my desire to become more aware of God's Presence in my life and to find a concrete way to incorporate Paul's encouragement to pray without ceasing into my busyness, I find Seven Sacred Pauses to be an invaluable tool. It is simple, non-time consuming, and truly facilitates the goal of reminding me, in the midst of an extremely intense, fast-paced workday, that I exist to live in awareness of the God I serve. Wiederkehr's prayers are powerful and frequently enable me to focus exactly where my heart needs to be.

Sr. Macrina Wiederkehr has crafted a practical and do-able journey into daily "mindfullness" of the Divine in us and all creation. She goes beyond the 'How To' with beautiful reflections in poetry and prose that draw one deeper and deeper into the pause that refreshes and sustains our living in the noise and busyness of our world. Using her book to practice the pause, brings us to know how essential and necessary awareness of and response to God's presence is throughout our 'daily' days. She artfully nudges us to continuing moving along the way of living mindfully in the Church's rich prayer traditions, pointing the way to going deeper and broader in our living aware and mindful of God's presence in all our day and days.

This book is a gem for those who seek to develop their spirituality. Seven pauses during the day is not always possible, but, when the pause is taken and the prayers, etc. are used, it has a very beneficial effect. The poetry written by Macrina is breathtaking.

If you have an active prayer life but no time, this book is for you! Macrina has made it simple to pray at different hours of the day by listing prayers, beautiful poetry, and inspiring sayings from various writers and prayerful people. The beauty is you can pick and choose the prayers and sayings, and also choose the hours of the day you want to open the book and inspire yourself. A must for the busy, prayerful person. Well written and inspiring.

If you enjoy spiritual books and classics, if you have a meditation practice, and if are drawn to monasticism in any way, this book is wonderful. It is in essence, a Liturgy of the Hours for the rest of us - busy lay persons. Macrina's work is relevant, the prose is delicious, and I found myself just reading sentences here and there, and coming back to them - enjoying each sweet morsel. I have given this book away as a gift several times.

Every time I pick up this book and read just a few pages I am refreshed and renewed. What a great book to help us honor each day.