Seasons of Your Heart: Prayers and Reflections, Revised and Expanded – A Lyrical Devotional Guide to Hope, Love, and Mystery

by Macrina Wiederkehr

In this masterpiece of simplicity, Macrina Wiederkehr offers a series of meditations to bring us closer to a "God for all seasons," revised and expanded into this new edition. Designed for daily use as well as for retreats, Seasons of Your Heart is an eloquent and lyrical invitation to journey through the spiritual seasons of wonder, hope, love, mystery, and faith. Macrina Weiderkehr shares her "seasonal struggle with God" and encourages us to reconize those same peaks and valleys in our own spiritual life. Using biblical passages, poetry, and excerpts from her journal, Wiederkehr provides meditative ideas and prayers as "postures" for realizing and approaching the holy in our daily lives. These reflections and prayers, then, have grown out of a daily listening to God in the changing seasons of my spiritual life, "writes the author. "These reflections have grown out of my conviction that our God is not some Almighty Being beyond us, but a Mystery within."

Genres: Spirituality, Poetry, Prayer, Devotional, Faith, Theology, Christian

224 pages, Paperback

First published August 30, 1991

About the author

Macrina Wiederkehr is an author and spiritual guide and a Benedictine monastic of St. Scholastica Monastery in Fort Smith, Arkansas. She travels throughout the US and Canada as a retreat director. In her retreats seekers are guided through experiences of silence, contemplation, and faith sharing.

Reviews

[Tamarah Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite devotional book - hands down. I’ve read and reread it. I’ve given away 5 copies. It’s filled with beautiful poetry and simple yet deep connections between scripture and life. So very unique. So beautiful.

[Rendi Hahn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A year ago Bekah gave me this lovely little book for Mother's Day. This is not the kind of book you rush through - you need time to savor and ingest the beautiful poetry. Macrina Wiederkehr is a Benedictine nun who has a thoughtful approach and open heart, and her writing led me to a sense of wonder and awe at God's work in the world and in me. While gentle, she also doesn't shy away from calling out what needs to be addressed in our Christian journey. The poems and reflections are clustered around four seasons of life. I highly recommend this one!

Here's a passage from "A Lenten Meditation" to give you a sense of the riches here:
O God of Lent, remember me!
Help me take the fragile vessel that I am
and fill it with your dying.
Oh, for one short season at least
let me give up my pink-shadowed crosses,
my jewel-filled crosses,
my plastic crosses.
Take all the clutter that I try to decorate my crosses with,
all the ways I try to camouflage your death and dying
because my faith hasn't grown enough
to look at death as it really is:
an emptiness that brings me face to face with life.

[Megan Mae Oitzman · Rating 5 out of 5]

CHANGED MY LIFE & my vocabulary !!!! love this book

[Brooke Strickland · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an incredible collection of poems and reflections gifted to me by someone that I love dearly. Every section lead me to bow deeper in humility toward the Father. Every poem reminded me of the beauty of an intimate relationship with Christ. I have been reminded of the power of honest prayer and collapsing into dependence on the Lord. What a gift

[Zoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will keep this book with me for the rest of my life. This spoke tremendously to my heart. I’m thankful

[Arielle Thorpe · Rating 5 out of 5]

what a sweet sweet book. took me forever to completely finish because I just kept going back to earlier readings I had read to make sure I missed nothing! an amazing collection of poems & prayers for all seasons in your walk with the Lord!! convicting but thoughtful and comforting. definitely recommend

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Useful as a guide for prayer and meditation, this book was put together with much thought and care, having a very logical progression. It's great strength are the four indices, one for prayer, reflection, Scripture, and subject that allow you to use the work in a multitude of ways.

[Kathi · Rating 5 out of 5]

She was often known to many as just “Macrina,” because there is just no other. Macrina’s writing is as spiritual as it beautiful. You might even recognize it because it is so often published in so many places.

Wherever you find a prayer or a book, or something in between, with her unusual name, read it. You’ll probably award it five stars in any setting.

[Michele Thrailkill]

Similar style to every moment holy

[Thokozani Ncube · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book changed my life!

[Michelle Wegner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is by far the best book I have ever read. Each word, each phrase left me utterly speechless. I have never heard of Macrina Wiederkehr until this past week when a friend read out loud a few passages from this text. Immediately, I felt the words of my heart had found a home. She expresses thoughts I have thought a hundred times over and have never had words for...It was truly remarkable to turn each page and find more and more and more truth and beauty and love of Jesus.

I am so glad this book found me.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seasons of Your Heart: Prayers and Reflections, Revised and Expanded by Macrina Wiederkehr (1991)

[Raychel · Rating 5 out of 5]

AMAZING.

[Bobbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A beautiful and contemplative book. I enjoyed working through it and using it as a prayer guide.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reflections on the seasons of the year. Macrina Wiederkehr's prayers and refections are from the heart....wonderful.