Wherever You Turn…

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face of God, Macrina Wiederkehr, Qur'an, seven sacred pauses, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

I just opened Macrina Wiederkehr’s encouraging book, Seven Sacred Pauses, that puts me in mind, somehow, of cheerleaders. My eye fell on a sentence that I remember from years ago when I first began chanting and the chants were brief so as not to strain the brain but rather to facilitate dropping into a deeper level of prayer. The quote is from The Qur’an. I was not familiar with the first half but am happy to now have it added to the prayer that says; (To God belongs the East and the West; and) wherever you turn, there is the face of God.

Think about that for a moment. Try standing and saying it (just the second half) as you close your eyes, do a quarter turn and say (or sing) it as you open your eyes. See what you see and repeat the process. Inside or out, it shouldn’t matter, although I always prefer to be out in nature. Whatever your eye falls on, let your imagination take you—not thinking, just seeing. Make up a tune to sing—one tone is probably best because you won’t have to think about it. See what happens…You’ll never know until you try…Wherever you turn, there is the face of God…Wherever you turn…

A Look Back and Ahead

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breathe, deep breath, Macrina Wiederkehr, newness, sacred space, seven sacred pauses, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

The sun has been up for quite a while now (8:33 AM) and I’m feeling a hint of what used to be my “regular work schedule.” I would be in an office by now, attending to the work of the week that is beginning. If I think further back, the bell for the first period class would have already rung and we would be on our way to France by now…Those would be the days when I was a teacher of French, of course.

Now life is quite different, especially because of the interruption of the Covid-19 pandemic which has reshaped much of life in the world, especially for people like me whose “work” has become a response to need in the religious congregation of St. Joseph founded in 1650 in France to do “all the works of which women are capable and which benefit the dear neighbor.” (from the Constitution of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet) I never thought much about what that could mean as I moved from high school teaching to parish religious education to diocesan service in the same, to spiritual direction for individuals and groups, to the creation of an entity supporting the work of spiritual growth wherever the need arose. But here I am, waking up each day to a newness, responding to need as I see fit. Today I will spend time on the telephone, listening to and loving at least one person—maybe more—to a realization of how much God loves her, and later ascertaining the value of a certain kind of retreat for a contemplative group in the beautiful state of Vermont.

Days like this call for deep breaths. Actually most days do that now and prayers like those offered by Macrina Wiederkehr in her book, Seven Sacred Pauses, are a necessity throughout the day. Here is one of my favorites:

In you, O God, I live and move and have my being. Morning’s bright beginning has worn away, and I am full of thoughts about the things I must accomplish this day. Remembering how you stole away from the crowd for personal prayer, I take a deep breath. I invited you into the ground of my being. I cannot leave my work right now but I can breathe. Breathe in me anew. I will follow your breath to the depth of my being. I will remember to pause. O Holy One, enter into the sacred space of my life and abide. Amen. (p. 84)

Out of the Mud

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face of God, joy, Macrina Wiederkehr, pessimism, reawaken, seven sacred pauses, sinking, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Here we go again…a new month…..Can we look forward with any sort of optimism, even while predictions of disease become more and more dire? I ask myself that question and then consider the alternative. What would be the result of giving in to pessimism? As I consider that, a stunning image comes to me: a huge line of people sinking into mud – all wearing masks now but continuing to sink – hands at their sides – silently sinking. No one is helping another. No one is speaking to anyone else. Just sinking.

I am appalled at this image. As quickly as it appears to me, it disappears. I will not let this sinking be my truth. I reach for Macrina Wiederkehr’s book, sevensacredpauses and determine to keep one or the other of the quotes I find in mind throughout the day. They will be my lifeline to pull me out of the mud. Listen to the voices:

We must learn to reawaken and keep ourselves awake, not by mechanical aid, but by infinite expectation of the dawn. (Henry David Thoreau)

Joy is God in the marrow of our bones. (Eugenia Price)

Joy is the echo of God’s life in you. (Dom Marmion)

To God belongs the East and the West; and wherever you turn, there is the face of God. (The Qur’an, Surah 2)

Of Sun and Wind

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blessing, centered heart, inspiration, Macrina Wiederkehr, pandemic, present moment, seven sacred pauses, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

The wind has been roaring mightily since late yesterday. The sky is very gray. A few moments ago as I looked up and out my back window I saw what seemed like a capture of the sun by the sky. As I watched (it was only a few seconds) a light appeared over the mountain, delineating the movements and the thrust of the wind. Suddenly the sun appeared in the midst, a small circle of hope seized and muted by the clouds, taken prisoner and being shunted along across the sky. Just as suddenly he was gone, having fallen back into the depths of the wind carrying the entire retinue northward.

This little drama seemed indicative of what the day might hold. The lack of sunlight challenges my desire for moving forward with any worthwhile project. The wind makes me wonder if the earth is keening for us in this pandemic. I turn to Macrina Wiederkehr for a good prayer and find what may be my best companion for the day.

I long to live in the present moment. I want to stop trying to control the hours so that new paths of inspiration are free to unfold within me…Take my scattered thoughts, my fragmented moments. Breathe into them and draw them into your centered heart. Open my eyes that I may see the grace that waits for me in every moment. You are the Source of every moment’s blessing. Teach me to live awake. (Seven Sacred Pauses, p. 83)

Morning Wake-up

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diversity, eerful, love, Macrina Wiederkehr, seven sacred pauses, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, waking up

I’ve been awake and sitting upright for quite awhile now but have not found in my own mind or the printed word any thought uplifting enough to share. I smiled when I turned to Macrina Wiederkehr’s thoughts on what she calls “The Awakening Hour” however, as I found my own often repeated words in hers. “I don’t always enjoy getting up,” she writes, “however, I like being up early. Getting up cheerfully in the morning is a spiritual practice for me. For this reason I set the clock of my heart as well as my alarm clock…Dawn is like medicine and morning is a healing drink that I have to brew in my heart as I brew my coffee.”

Later in her reverie she writes, “It is important that we respect the differences of others. Not everyone lives on my heart’s schedule. Not everyone wakes up good to go. Not everyone wakes up wanting to give praise. Waking up in the morning is a process, just as awakening to the gift of life is a process.” (sevensacredpauses, p. 54-55)

A fanciful reflection, to be sure, but good for us to hear once in awhile so that we can all move into the day as we are able and give thanks for the diversity that makes the world go ’round with love.

Sleep Patterns

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acts of love, Macrina Wiederkehr, prayer, seven sacred pauses, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

I’ve been blessed in my life with a rather consistent pattern of sleep at night – as well as a felt need for at least eight hours in bed each night. I have also been aware that things change…Yesterday morning I was awake from 3 to 5AM thinking about the upcoming events and challenges of the day to come. Happily, after completing some small tasks and my 20-minute centering prayer meditation, I got back into bed and slept for another hour before my alarm rudely interrupted me.

This morning I found a section of Macrina Wiederkehr’s book, Seven Sacred Pauses, that I had underlined sometime ago. I think it will help me to relax the next time my head is too full to sleep. She says the following:

Perhaps some night when you get up to pray, something will turn over in someone’s heart and find its voice all because of your small prayer. Never underestimate what little acts of love can accomplish. Do not take lightly the sacred connections that are possible in daily life. Perhaps our very waiting in the darkness gives some struggling unknown pilgrim of the hours hope. (p.32)

Getting It Done

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awakening, blessed, holiness, Macrina Wiederkehr, mindfulness, pause, prosper, seven sacred pauses, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, to do list

Today promises to be one of those days when I wonder how I can possibly do all the things I have to do in order to be ready for what comes next. As usual, the answer popped right up, this time from Macrina Wiederkehr on a circled page number of her book, Seven Sacred Pauses, which is subtitled Living Mindfully through the Hours of the Day. Whether or not I get all my tasks completed today, I hope at bedtime to feel as if all is right with the world as long as I remember the advice Macrina gives at this first hour.

If we practice living mindfully, we slowly begin to see the holiness of so many things that remain hidden when we choose to rush through the hours, striking tasks from the list of things we must accomplish by day’s end. It will be a happy moment when we remember to add the wise act of pausing to our to-do lists.

This pause can be as simple as standing attentively before a flowering plant or listening to the frogs in the pond. Perhaps we can stop for a cleansing breath: Breathe in the spirit of the hour; breathe in gratitude and compassion for yourself; breathe out love and encouragement for your co-workers, friends, family members. Your pause may be an awakening stretch, or sitting quietly and remembering your name. If you can learn the art of pausing, your work will prosper and be blessed. (p. 20-21)

Summer Solstice

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courage, Divine Light, invigorate, Macrina Wiederkehr, rejuvenate, seven sacred pauses, solstice, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Today, at 11:54 am, Google tells me, we in the northern hemisphere will mark – and perhaps celebrate – that moment that we call the summer solstice. It is the moment when the earth is bowing most graciously toward the sun, lyrically speaking, giving us our longest day of the year. I am always amazed when I begin to read all of the scientific research about the angle of tilt and how it has changed over billions of years, etc. to recognize the fact that all this continues to happen regularly – one might say “in spite of us.” So here is what might be a prayer in gratitude and desire for the blessing of earth’s relationship to the sun as we mark at 11:54 this miracle of our universe.

Beautiful reflection of divine light, shine on me at this noonday hour. Rejuvenate and invigorate me. Renew my commitment to the tasks of this day. Lead me to my courage. Warm what has grown cold in me. Energize all that has become lethargic. Enliven my growing moments. In the middle of this day help me to stand before my life with all who have gone before me, I pray. (seven sacred pauses by Macrina Wiederkehr, p. 105)

First Light

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dawn, day, healing, joyful, Macrina Wiederkehr, Mark, morning prayer, night, retreat, seven sacred pauses, shining, silence, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Waking up very early (5:20am) has its benefits as I am experiencing today. I need to be in my car by 7:30, in order to be able to breathe when I arrive at the retreat venue where I will share the day with probably about 50 people. During the event we will share reflections on three questions from the gospel of Mark:

1. Jesus, what do you want from us?
2. Who do you say that I am?
3. What is it you want me to do for you?

There is always a bit of trepidation on days like this, hoping that I have written – and/or will say – something relevant to the lives of those who participate in the retreat. The overarching feeling this morning, however, is gratitude and wonderment that I have been given this privilege. As I read a psalm prayer from Macrina Wiederkehr’s book, Seven Sacred Pauses, I am reminded that God is in charge of this day:

With joyful silence I receive the soft light of a new day, light born from earth’s turning. O Medicine of Dawn, healing are your morning rays. I lift my face toward the ointment of your splendor as I become a morning prayer. As Morning Blossoms, I go forth to meet the great shining, the dear unfolding of the day. With the fading night I begin a sacred dance in the arms of your shining.

 

 

 

 

 

Believe It!

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beautiful, bitterness, despair, hope, indifference, love, Macrina Wiederkehr, nonviolent, Peace, power, seven sacred pauses, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, transform, truth, unconditional love, violence

I read something from Macrina Wiederkehr’s book, sevensacredpauses, this morning that made me smile, especially given what I wrote yesterday. I think it’s worth sharing.

I will believe the truth about myself no matter how beautiful it is:

• I believe in my power to transform indifference into love.
• I believe I have an amazing gift to keep hope alive in the face of despair.
• I believe I have the remarkable skill of deleting bitterness from my life.
• I believe in my budding potential to live with a nonviolent heart.
• I believe in my passion to speak the truth even when it isn’t popular.
• I believe I have the strength of will to be peace in a world of violence.
• I believe in my miraculous capacity for unconditional love.

I will believe the truth about myself no matter how beautiful it is. (p.109)