O God of All

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frightening, God of All, hear, hearts, Macrina Wiederkehr, mind, prayer, seven sacred pauses, souls, spirit, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, truth

I heard an urgency in the voice of Macrina Wiederkehr this morning in a prayer she wrote to the God of All. Take it with you today as a plea for what we need to stay the course of courage in this fragile world.

All peoples, all nations, all seasons, all years, all hours and days — You, who have invited us to love, hear our cry! Listen to our prayer. Make our spirits free, our hearts open, our minds healthy, our souls awake. Then we will be able to love as You have asked: with all our hearts, all our minds, all our souls. The all is frightening, yet in our deepest moments of truth we know that this is what we desire. O God of all, hear us. (Seven Sacred Pauses, p.104)

 

 

 

 

 

 

What’s On Your List?

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anxieties, blessing, calm, centering prayer, forgive, holy anger, hopeful, inspiration, judge, Macrina Wiederkehr, non-violent heart, prayer, seven sacred pauses, sit in silence, spirit, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, tolerance

Not having any inspiration this morning – nor even cogent thoughts for that matter, I have been searching the words of Macrina Wiederkehr for an expression that would mirror how I’m feeling. Since I am unable to recognize myself in anything I read, I choose simply to offer her prayer that begins: There are mornings when I simply sit in silence trying to remember some of the things that rise in me. Her list is challenging but maybe if I focus on even one of the elements, it will jump-start my motivation for the day. May this day be a blessing for each of us and all of us together as we rise to the call of the Spirit.

Macrina’s list includes a tolerance for those who don’t agree with me, a refusal to judge others, a willingness to forgive, greater effort to live with a non-violent heart, a calm and hopeful spirit in the midst of my anxieties, discipline in my daily personal prayer, attention and faithfulness in my daily work, a holy anger for the injustice in our world. (Seven Sacred Pauses, p. 63-4)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dawn

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awakening, dance of creation, dawn, Jesus, Macrina Wiederkehr, mindfulness, Rumi, seven sacred pauses, stay awake, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, Thoreau

On the opening page of chapter 2 of her Seven Sacred Pauses, Macrina Wiederkehr writes about greeting the dawn. Toward the end of her reflection she offers words more meaningful than any I could string together as guidance for this day.

This is the awakening hour. This is the hour of praise. “O medicine of dawn; O healing drink of morning!” Offering both words and silence, I join in the dance of creation. What will this day be like? Will I choose to walk through the hours mindfully? “To affect the quality of the day is the highest of arts,” Henry David Thoreau tells us. And the mystical poet Jalaluddin Rumi reminds us, “The breezes at dawn have secrets to tell you; don’t go back to sleep.” Jesus says, “Stay awake.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Seeking the Light

Tags

darkness, dawn, life, light, Macrina Wiederkehr, morning light, night, seven sacred pauses, snow, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, winter

6:26am. No inkling of any light in the sky. The sound of one car braving the cold (17 F degrees). I know it must be snowing as all the reports last night telling of 45 states where snow will be a hazard today are likely true of us, but I cannot yet tell. Too tired to think much I turn to Macrina Wiederkehr for help, for a word…She says:

Out of darkness we come passing through dawn into day. Holding hands with dawn we clothe ourselves with light. We clothe ourselves with day. Out of the night we come, bathed and cradled in light, reaching through the dawn, we cover ourselves with day. Our beautiful bowl of life, so full of eternal questions, is filled to the brim with new light. Morning light, be kind, help us find peace of mind this day. (Seven Sacred Pauses, p.64)

May it be so.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Truth About Ourselves

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bitterness, compliment, flaws, foibles, gift, hope, humility, love, Macrina Wiederkehr, mirror, nonviolent heart, Peace, self-esteem, seven sacred pauses, strength, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, The Truth, transform, truth

I often spend time encouraging people to recognize and celebrate what is good about themselves because I find so many of us focusing mainly on our flaws and foibles. In workshops and retreats I have been known to give a piece of advice learned from a friend long ago. She tells groups of women (and sometimes men) to look in the mirror every morning and say, “What a woman!” (“What a guy!”) When I say that the whole room laughs and only once did someone admit practicing something like that compliment! When the laughter subsides, I ask why that was their response and what it says about our self-esteem. If humility is truth, we should be able to give ourselves a compliment without discomfort as long as we credit God for the provenance of the gifts we possess. Our reticence most likely comes from all those influences from childhood that encouraged us to be seen and not heard and never, never to brag. “All in moderation” and “Consider the Source” might have been more helpful.

Having said all this, I was interested in the tiny bit of squeamishness that arose in me as I read Macrina Wiederkehr’s reflection this morning called The Truth. As you do the same, consider your reaction.

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.  (Seven Sacred Pauses, p. 109)

Perhaps we would do well to create our own list of beautiful truths. Some of us may have to start small; Macrina must’ve spent a long time developing her list. But if you dug deep and kept looking in that mirror, (honestly try now) what would your list include?

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Simple Things

Tags

amazement, beauty, gratitude, healing properties, joy, loveliness, Macrina Wiederkehr, nature, praise, presence, seven sacred pauses, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

After my wild July of travel and retreats it is good to be home. Although my “routine” is never regular (a cherished reality of my life) the alternating round of office work and spiritual conversations and tasks at home gives me ample opportunity for what Macrina Wiederkehr speaks of as the practice of presence that leads to praise. I recognize my life in what I read this morning from her book, Seven Sacred Pauses, when she says the following:
Learning to trust the healing properties of the beauty that surrounds me has become a spiritual discipline in my life. It takes practice, yet when I am faithful to the practice, I find it increasingly medicinal. There is a seed of praise in each of us. If it is watered with the daily practice of presence, it will find its voice in our lives and be good company for us on our pilgrimage through the day. (p. 54)

It doesn’t have to be notice of anything extraordinary, although the noticing itself might create the sense of amazement in us. Take for example my joy yesterday as I climbed on our tractor-mower for the first time in a month. (Are you tired yet of my inordinate attachment to that machine?) As I rolled across the land heading for the far field I noticed a small cluster of three leaves on a transplanted hibiscus bush that we had mostly given up for dead. Now I have reason to hope for the beauty that I know is in her to return next spring! An hour later down in the back field I had to stop just to look around: the sky was so blue, punctuated with cumulus clouds playing hide and seek with the sun. For the first time in weeks the air was light and the breeze was cool and the praise that rose in me was palpable joy – just for the beauty of it all.

I know my life is greatly blessed and I do not forget those who need to work hard to find the beauty that is mine without effort on my part. Today my prayer is for those people who are not yet motivated to look around for what loveliness they may find. Especially, however, is my prayer for those who hearts and eyes are open to such gifts, that they may feel and see – even in the smallest thing – the beauty that exists around and inside of them. And, oh yes, for me great gratitude…every moment praise.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Everybody Means Everybody

Tags

blessing, grateful heart, life, light, love, love your enemies, Macrina Wiederkehr, Matthew, psalm 85, seven sacred pauses, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Although the gospel passage itself would have been sufficient for reflection this morning with Jesus saying to his disciples, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you…” (MT 5: 43-48) I continued to feel a tug from my nightstand. As I pulled Seven Sacred Pauses by Macrina Wiederkehr which fell open to a page in the section called “The Blessing Hour,” I knew the rightness of the message for today. I offer her words of blessing, hoping that they will bring additional attention to the words of Jesus, so crucial to each of us at this moment in our country and our world.

May your work this day be your love made visible. May you breathe upon the wounds of those with whom you work. May you open yourself to God’s breathing. May you honor the flame of love that burns inside you. May your voice this day be a voice of encouragement. May your life be an answer to someone’s prayer. May you own a grateful heart. May you have enough joy to give you hope, enough pain to make you wise. May there be no room in your heart for hatred. May you be free from violent thoughts. When you look into the window of your soul may you see the face of God. May the lamp of your life shine upon all you meet this day.   (p. 85)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Signs of Spring

Tags

awaken, calm, dawn, discipline, flowers, forgive, hopeful spirit, impatience, injustice, love, Macrina Weiderkehr, non-violence, prayer, psalm 5, seven sacred pauses, spring, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, tolerance, unfold, wake, winged heart

Late yesterday afternoon I went on a brief “inspection tour” of the property where I live, looking for signs of spring. The air had a different quality to it (it was almost warm!) and there was evidence that the daffodils and tulips, and even the irises, were getting impatient for their time to shine. I whispered to them to slow down because March is so unpredictable; we could be buried in snow next week! There was a feeling of holding back in me at the same time as my own impatience to get out there to begin the clean up of the yard.

I noticed this morning how bright it was at 6:30 – a sure sign of spring – when my alarm went off and I actually spent a moment before I rolled out of bed, musing about how the day might go with God’s companionship. It was not surprising to me then when Macrina Weiderkehr offered me a morning reflection that felt like a plan for  renewal. I’ll share it in its entirety and I’ll take it with me to work, hoping it remains as God’s work within me today and in the burgeoning season just beginning inside and out.

The words of Kahlil Gibran are sitting at the gate of my heart this morning. “To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving.” Words from Psalm 5 are also trying to get my attention: “In the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I plead my case to you, and watch.” I don’t always rise at dawn and watch for God, nor do I consistently awaken with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving. There are times when the wings of my heart remain folded; yet prayer still happens in me. There are mornings when I simply sit in silence trying to remember some of the things that need to rise in me:

1. a tolerance for those who do not agree with me,
2. a refusal to judge others
3. a willingness to forgive,
4. greater effort to live with a non-violent heart,
5. loving thoughts toward those who don’t exactly dote on me,
6. a calm and hopeful spirit in the midst of my anxieties,
7. discipline in my daily personal prayer,
8. attention and faithfulness in my daily work
9. a holy anger for injustice in our world.

As I remember these necessary risings in my life, the wings of my heart slowly begin to unfold. All Praise to You, Giver of the Morning! (Seven Sacred Pauses, p. 61-62)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Opening to Possibility

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awareness, Come to the Quiet, creation, creativity, gift, grateful living, Great Dawn of God, hope, Islamic Center, joy, laughter, lift my spirit, Macrina Wiederkehr, morning light, new day, reflection, seven sacred pauses, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, Who is my neighbor

As I begin to write this morning I hear Julie Andrews singing in my head as she leaves the monastery: What will this day be like? I wonder…It’s Saturday and yet at 6:15AM my mind is already spinning like a top with all that awaits me. Yesterday I spent much of the day preparing for today’s morning of reflection and sharing with seven women who have responded to an invitation to “Come to the Quiet” at Sophia House (see our website). I hope my vision and their desire for what will happen there coincides. From there I will go to the Islamic Center of the Southern Tier of New York. They are having an “open house” where I hope to find a way for us to collaborate on an event at the Sophia Center under the title of “Who is my Neighbor?” What will happen after that is anybody’s guess. I’m accompanied as I go forward by Macrina Wiederkehr’s words that urge me on.

Anointed by your morning light I lift my spirit to receive the gift of this new day. Open my eyes to the beauty that surrounds me that I may walk through this day with the kind of awareness that calls forth grateful living. In all of creation let me see the brightness of your face. Shine in my heart and on my life, filling me with joy, creativity, hope and laughter…May I live with the kind of presence that enables others to feel at home. Great Dawn of God, hear my prayer. (Seven Sacred Pauses, p.59)

May your day be similarly blessed!

A Turn to the East

Tags

antiphon, Awakening Hour, charity, de-cluttering, Macrina Wiederkehr, monastery, monks, seven sacred pauses, St. Basil the Great, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Author Macrina Wiederkehr calls the first of her Seven Sacred Pauses (a book for “living mindfully through the hours of the day”) the Awakening Hour. One of the antiphons for this hour sings, “To God belongs the East and the West; and wherever you turn, there is the face of God.” Originally from the Qur’an, this invitation to God’s presence has also made its way into our Wisdom School chants as a reminder that God waits for us at all times in all places.

Celebrated as the Saint of the Day is St. Basil the Great, of whom it is said, “What St. Benedict is to the West, Basil is to the monks of the East” as he established what was probably the first monastery in Asia Minor. His principles influence Eastern monasticism to this day. In addition, Basil faced many of the same problems that we see in modern society and he was especially mindful of the poor. I found the quote offered on the American Catholic website today to be quite apt. I share it as a reminder for all of us who are in the process of de-cluttering and as an indicator of where we might turn to find the face of God.

The bread which you do not use is the bread of the hungry; the garment hanging in your wardrobe is the garment of him who is naked; the shoes that you do not wear are the shoes of the one who is barefoot; the money you keep locked away is the money of the poor; the acts of charity that you do not perform are so many injustices that you commit.