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

by Macrina Wiederkehr

Author and retreat leader Macrina Wiederkehr opens the monastery door and invites readers to come in and learn how the practice of consciously pausing for prayer at the seven sacred moments of each day can make their daily passage through time a more sacred pilgrimage. Using scripture, poetry, reflections. personal stories, and quotes from a rich array of spiritual teachers, Wiederkehr helps readers become more attuned to living in the present moment and develop a kindred spirit with the rich tradition of the sacred hours. Seven Sacred Pauses is a wonderful gift to those who seek to find balance in their busy days and to bring the practice of the Divine Hours home to their own hearts.

Genres: Spirituality, Nonfiction, Christian, Prayer, Religion, Faith, Theology

224 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2008

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

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book did a great job of over-viewing the practice of pausing throughout the day in prayer and meditation. Gentle, well-crafted chapters. Why three stars and not five? Seven Sacred Pauses included many prayers and meditations that were not exclusively Christian, and that leaves me to seek them in other places. This book is worth a read- especially to understand the practice of "living mindfully throughout the day."

[Benjamin · Rating 3 out of 5]

“If you want to he attentive to your soul, you simply must find ways to honor your need to acquire a sense of rhythm in your life-some kind of balance in your work, leisure, and prayer.” (Weiderkehr)

How can ordinary people practice a rhythm of pausing and noticing, noticing the work and presence of God in their world? 

Why are the Divine Hours a helpful rhythm of prayer?

A few years ago I discovered the Divine Hours – those ancient rhythms of prayer that purposefully take one through the day with the Lord, pausing in the middle of the day for small conversation. I’ve discovered wonderful prayerbooks that guide through the hours, but it wasn’t until I came across a Benedictine Short Breviary that I had seen a prayerbook that really guided through all seven hours (see below).


I quickly purchased that Breviary and excitedly kept company with the Lord on the seven hours, with some routine, but a lot of struggle to keep the rhythm. Carrying that little book with me everywhere as well as trying to pause in the middle of the day was a tough discipline to establish. I enjoyed, however, the significance of the pauses in the day; each pause and time of prayer had a certain something to add to that time of day, even projecting and connecting times of life to times of the day.

To illustrate what I enjoyed, this comes from Weiderkehr’s book: “We practice pausing to remember the sacredness of our names, who we are, and what we plan on doing with the incredible gift of our lives-and how we can learn to be in the midst of so much doing. We have to practice loving and forgiving. We practice breathing and being careful with one another’s life. We practice nonviolence. We practice enjoying what we have rather than storing up possessions. We practice silence.”

After loosely keeping company with the Divine Hours (6, 9, 12, 3, 6, 9, with sometime in the middle of the night for an enthusiast – which I wasn’t) and the breviary, I needed to pause. What I wanted to discover was a rhythm that I could share with my family, Jenny and my two boys who are 3 and 1. I wanted to practice rhythms of prayer so that I could walk with them in prayer as well, once the boys discover the beauty of sitting still (this might be a while…).

So, the Benedictine Breviary, though so richly beautiful, was too much to engage for where my family is at and will be for a while. But, I wanted to retain the beauty of the hours, the significant pauses of the hours.

That’s when I discovered Seven Sacred Pauses (through seeing it mentioned in Phileena Heuertz’s A Pilgrimage of a Soul).

I read with thirst.

What I’ll share with you now comes from the book; these clips are helpful phrases regarding the intent of each hour. I find them helpful and hope to memorize them in order to continue to keep company with God, pausing in the various special times of a day.

1.) Matins or Vigils. “The Night Watch” (Sometime between midnight and dawn). Themes for the hour: vigilance and deep listening mystery and silence surrender and trust.

2.) Lauds or Morning Prayer. “The Awakening Hour” (apx. 6am). Themes for the hour: praise and resurrection joy and delight the coming of the light.

3.) Terce or the Third Hour of the Day. “The Blessing Hour” (apx. 9am). Themes for the hour: the coming of the Spirit wind and flame, breath and blessing strength and courage the sacredness of work.

4.) Sext or the Sixth Hour. “The Hour of Illumination” (apx. noon). Themes for the hour: commitment and passion courage and faithfulness healing, truth, and peace.

5.) None or the Ninth Hour. “The Wisdom Hour” (apx. 3pm). Themes for the hour: steadfastness, surrender forgiveness and wisdom impermanence, aging, maturing death and transition.

6.) Vespers or Evensong. “The Twilight Hour” (apx. 6pm). Themes for the hour: gratitude, praise serenity, mystery the lighting of the lamps.

7.) Compline or Night Prayer. “The Great Silence” (apx. 9pm). Themes for the hour: silence, rest, and sleep darkness, trust, and protection personal sorrow, completion, intimacy.

…

I recommend Weiderkehr’s book to those who would like to hear more about the hours. There are helpful guides for prayer tucked into the back of each chapter as well. I found her book a good, concise guide to the hours, to taking the soul of the hours into my life, pausing with the above thoughts in mind to inspire simple prayer.

[JOANNE MACPEEK · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like to think that when I wake in the middle of the night it is such a good time to pray and reflect on the healing power of night...and it helps me return to sleep.

[Kristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is outstanding, whether it is used to enhance spiritual exercises or just to add a degree of mindfulness to each day. The simple included reflections are ideal for each “sacred moment;” I was absolutely thrilled to find my daily morning prayer listed among those in the dawn chapter! Sometimes praying the actual Liturgy of the Hours can seem daunting to lay people (awhile back I managed a year of morning & evening prayer only) but this small, brief introduction is ideal in so many ways. Beautiful, sacred, and important, I look forward to revisiting this gem of a book often to keep focused on the gift & sacredness of each day. Highly recommended!!

[Susy Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was able to meet Macrina at the St. Benedictine Center in Schuyler, NE and have her sign my book. This book has lots of dog eared pages and it's a book I could re-read (and should re-read) every year. She sheds lots of light on the structured life of prayer, at each hour of the day. In my quest to live mindfully, Macrina Wiederkehr is an author at the top of my list.

[Lydia VanOsdol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully transformative.

[Carey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will be reading most of this book every day as I am attempting to pray mindfully throughout the day. I love the new perspective on each phase of the day, especially the part about work being our love made visible. I have been challenged, humbled and blessed thus far by the prayers and insights in this little book.

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful book to guide us in the art of divine pauses, also known as the daily office. An invitation to beauty.

[Jacqueline · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love this book! Macrina Wiederkehr's writing is warm and engaging. Her personal reflections are never self-indulgent but really add to my own experience of praying the hours. The quotes, poems, and prayers she has written and/or gathered together are always thought-provoking and deepening. And I love that she has deliberately made praying the hours as accessible as she can to people of diverse faiths. Highly recommended.

[Suzanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finally finished this one! It was ok. I love the ideas that inspired this book, but I did find her writing style a bit hard to follow and concentrate on. And let's be honest, sometimes I want very literal - like an exact time and not just "mid-morning," so that part was a bit disappointing, haha. Overall it's such a good practice to get into, so I am grateful to have delved a bit more into it.

[Darrel Hofland · Rating 4 out of 5]

After stepping out of ministry in the church... this book has been super helpful in finding God throughout the hours of my regular days.

Full of wisdom
Full of grace
Full of spirit
Full of good ideas.

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the exact brand of woo woo I needed this summer. A gentle welcome to the cyclical postures and meditation and prayer prompts for each part of the day. Especially seasonal, “help me to be an afternoon shadow to others in the heat of the day”.

[Jo Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was already pre-prejudiced before reading this book...I've heard Macrina give retreats and speechs in Kansas City, and she is a nun from St. Scholastica Monastery in Ft. Smith, AR, where I attended high school. The subject matter was one I've been intrigued about: the rule of St. Benedict encouraged stopping 7 times a day to pray. In my 15 years of Benedictine education, I had been curious, and then very drawn to, the 7 pauses I saw many of my teachers embrace. When I witnessed Vespers and Matins at Subiaco Monastery, I was hooked. I won't be getting up at dawn, but the book has inspired me to slow down, be more prayerful, and has given me some wonderful tools and readings to inch me ever closer to my Benedictine roots!

[Jim Warnock · Rating 4 out of 5]

This small devotional book reminds us to live thoughtfully through the day. I’ve enjoyed the poems, quotes, and hymn texts. I’ve tried reading small portions of this inspirational text during the work day and found that it helps me maintain a focus on what is most significant in work rather than being caught up in busyness.

[Angi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the concept of stopping for prayer during the day. I am trying to put this into practice with bell alarms on my cell phone. However, a great deal of this book is self-focused. In my seven sacred pauses I would rather turn my eyes to Jesus the author and finisher of my salvation and contemplate His grace than focus on myself.

[Francine Apollo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this at the recommendation of a friend. It both sets the pace for moments of prayer during the day as well as a calmly influence in times where patience and quiet are needed.

With the help of this book you can take a mini retreat whenever you are moved to do so.

Highly recommended.

[Janis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author Joyce Rupp recommended this book at one of her workshops. Seven Sacred Pauses is full of wisdom. I expect to reference it many times in the years to come.

[Bob Price · Rating 4 out of 5]

Days have meaning...hours have meaning.

Anyone who has ever tried to pray the Liturgy of the Hours might be confused as to why a person would stop seven times a day to pray. Or they might be wondering how in fact to do it. Marcina Wiederkehr attempts to answer these questions in her little book Seven Sacred Pauses.

Wiederkehr is a retreat guide and author in the Order of Saint Benedict. She has had years of experience and this experience comes shining through in this book. She has great insights into the necessity of the hours and the reason behind them.

Each chapter discusses a particular 'hour' of prayer: Vigils, Lauds, Terce, Sext, None, Vespers and Compline. She draws on Benedictine spirituality but also on writers from other Christian and non-christian traditions. Each chapter is a few pages of exposition followed by the resources to use for prayer during each of the hours.

Her writing is very clear and non-technical.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to think about prayer in a more deepful or meaningful way or anyone who is exploring the Benedictine tradition.

Grade: A-

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you fancy yourself in need of guided meditation, or, like me, are wishing to take your gift of prayer to a new level, this book will not disappoint.
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I have been in a purging habit for most of my life. 8 years ago, in this this endeavor, I actively tackled my obsessive compulsive book buying habit. First, I left nearly all of my books as a donation to the school in which I last taught. Then, I simply vowed to stop buying books unless I knew I would read/need them again.
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I’m here to tell you that though my first read through this book was a library copy, it is officially on my “Buy It” list.
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It is also actively on my “Will Tead it Several Times” list. If you know me, you know that devotionals are 100% not my thing.
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This was different. There’s too much to digest in one reading alone, and much of it is meant to be sipped slowly and pondered. But it is fantastic and I wholeheartedly recommend it.

[Rendell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up “Seven Sacred Pauses” out of a free library along a route I walk. The “Living Mindfully Through the Hours of the Day” in the title caught my eye. I am inspired/intrigued by those that observe a practice that guides their daily lives through prayer, routine and reflection. I like that Macrina includes wisdom from so many sources. In my quest to be more mindful and to take time for self care I like to think I might incorporate these some form of these “pauses” into my daily routine.

[Chelsea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Memorable messages:

Equanimity: the stability of mind that allows us to be present with an open heart no matter how wonderful or difficult conditions are.

Sometimes the most important thing in a whole day is the rest we take between two deep breaths, or the turning inwards in prayer for five short minutes.

Even if you have a lot of work to do, if you think of it as wonderful, and if you feel it as wonderful, it will transform into the energy of joy and fire, instead of becoming a burden.

[Allison Pickett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been interested in learning and practicing mindfulness. The book is beautiful, maybe a step on the mystical side, easily applicable to even a more conservative believer if you choose the scriptures you'd prefer to mediate on. I'm inspired but not sure I'm dedicated enough! An easy and lovely read.

[Ana Marlatt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book off and on all year long. I did not follow every prayer, but reading it made me more aware of the day and God’s presence in the hours of the day. I can honestly say that, whenever I picked up the book and read a prayer or followed a practice, it makes me happier and more fulfilled. This to me is the essence of mindful living.

[Alejandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book so much. I keep waiting to mark it "read" because I'm continuing to read it over and over again. I have alarms set for 7 pauses a day, and I might only get to 3 on any given day, but I keep the book in my purse for ideas when I need some.
The flow of the purpose of each pause is a perfect way to bring mindfulness and gratitude through the small moments of every single day.

[Luann]

This is not a book that you are likely to read through. You may read through the Introduction and first chapter, but then you are lead through the seven sacred pauses, giving choices for various readings to contemplate the significance of that hour -- a collection of prayers, poems, and short sentences or quotes.

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent, contemporary summary of the sacred Hours and there is something here for anyone who is interested in marking time through prayer. Macrina Wiederkehr writes beautifully and inclusively for all readers. She leaves us with lots of options for following the hours simply or adding more complexity to the marking of each sacred hour.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

It took me so long to read this one because I didn’t want it to end. This is such a good book. One that I will return to again which I don’t do very often. I pray that I could someday incorporate these 7 sacred pauses into my own personal practice.

[LaDonna Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned so much.

I have always struggled with prayer. This provides me a system. And prayers. And pauses. This is what I've been waiting for all my life. Lol. I love structure and pester seemed so unstructured or it seemed fake. This is neither.

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such great thoughts and worth keeping by the bedside for quick reference

[Jodi Tooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice compilation of inspirational poems and snippets to help make mindfulness a habit.