Books That Merit Attention: Reviews by Sister Laura Swan, OSB

Seven Sacred Pauses: Living Mindfully through the Hours of the Day by Macrina Wiederkehr, Sorin Books, 2008. Practice waking up seven times a day, Sister Macrina invites us. In waking up we remember God and our love and need for God. Seven Sacred Pauses is an invitation into the wisdom, archetypal images and unique mood of each of the traditional seven hours. Titled “The Night Watch,” “The Awakening Hour,” “The Blessing Hour,” “The Hour of Illumination,” “Wisdom Hour,” “Twilight Hour,” and “The Great Silence,” each hour offers a unique and intimate conversation with God.

Finding the Monk Within: Great Monastic Values for Today by Edward Sellner, Hidden Spring, 2008. Sellner tells the stories of some of monasticism’s interesting characters and their companions with an eye to the spiritual values each most exemplified—solitude and silence; faith, humility and compassion; friendship, love and mentoring; contemplation, social action and leadership. This is a delightful journey through church history, the history of spirituality with an ever-present eye to contemporary spiritual concerns.

Candlelight: Illuminating the Art of Spiritual Direction by Susan Phillips, Morehouse, 2008. Many of our sisters are gifted and trained spiritual directors. Many of you wonder—often silently within yourself—what spiritual direction is and how this ancient ministry might enhance and support your spiritual journey. Candlelight paints a wonderful icon of the experience of spiritual direction.

Awe-Filled Wonder: the Interface of Science and Spirituality by Barbara Fiand, Paulist Press, 2008. Humanity is in a season of global upheaval and transition; painful, fearful and yet exciting things are emerging. Sister Barbara draws the connections between recent discoveries and developments in science with spiritual transformation. This is a wonderful, prayerful introduction to the ways these two fields are “educating” one another, providing new vision and hope for the future.

At Sea With God: a Spiritual Guidebook to the Heart and Soul by Margaret Silf, Sorin Books, 2008. Into sailing? Boating is the marvelous metaphor (and experienced reality) that Margaret works with in relation to the voyage of self-discovery into God. The sea evokes images of both terror and glory, and so does our search for God. Her self-guided retreat uses creative sources to invite us to consider new possibilities. I found this enticing.

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