Macrina Wiederkehr - Abide: Keeping Vigil with the Word of God

Keeping Vigil with the Word of God

Macrina Wiederkehr, OSB

LITURGICAL PRESS

Collegeville, Minnesota

www.litpress.org

Cover design by David Manahan, OSB.

Photos courtesy of Thinkstockphotos.com.

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible with Revised New Testament and Revised Psalms 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, DC, and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Grail Psalms, Copyright 1963, 1983, The Grail, England. GIA Publications, Inc., exclusive North American agent, 7404 S. Mason Ave., Chicago, IL 60638. www.giamusic.com. 800.442.1358. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

The Gap in the Cedar from Accompanied (Best Cellar Press), copyright 1974 by Roy Scheele.

2011 by Order of Saint Benedict, Collegeville, Minnesota. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, by print, microfilm, microfiche, mechanical recording, photocopying, translation, or by any other means, known or yet unknown, for any purpose except brief quotations in reviews, without the previous written permission of Liturgical Press, Saint Johns Abbey, PO Box 7500, Collegeville, Minnesota 56321-7500. Printed in the United States of America.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Wiederkehr, Macrina.

Abide : keeping vigil with the Word of God / Macrina Wiederkehr.
p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN 978-0-8146-3383-0 ISBN 978-0-8146-3958-0 (ebook)

1. BibleMeditations. 2. Catholic ChurchPrayers and devotions.

I. Title.

BS491.5.W52 2011

242.5dc23 2011028702

Dedicated to

the Word of God,

abiding in you.

When I found your words, I devoured them;
they became my joy and the happiness of my heart. (Jer 15:16)

Jeremiah, the great prophet of Israel, was torn between his devotion to God and his utter terror at proclaiming the difficult message that Gods people needed to hear. He begged the Lord for relief from his duties, and yet embraced his prophetic mission with a zeal that was singular. Why? Because Gods words had become Jeremiahs nourishment; he knew no joy or happiness could match the power of God that filled him.

Jeremiah wrestled with the Word of God, a sometimes difficult but always life-giving Word. He is not the only one to do so. Our Bibles are filled with stories of those who sought Gods voice and responded, sometimes haltingly and sometimes poignantly, to the sound of the divine. They listened for Gods voice so often that it became familiar.

We do the same. When we allow Gods words to wash over us, we cannot help but be transformed, however slowly, until finally we want to consume the sacred words. This book, appropriately titled Abide, invites us to sit with the Word of God, to remain there for a while so that it can begin to seep into us. It reminds us that receiving the Word of God is not a matter of intellect but of presence, our lingering presence in the company of God, and Gods desire to be present with and for us.

In 1991, Macrina Wiederkehr, OSB, began writing a regular column for the Stepping Stones newsletter of Little Rock Scripture Study. From the beginning, she set out to invite readers into a relationship with God through the words of Scripture. Her columns are titled Romancing the Word and in each one she reminds us that when we pray with Scripture, we place ourselves knowingly in relationship with God. These original columns form the background for this book that you hold in your hands.

In the reflections that Sr. Macrina offers, you will notice the rich Benedictine heritage of lectio divina as well as evidence of artful attention to lived experience. This is the kind of book that can be picked up for a short while, allowing just a few pages at a time to penetrate your being. This book will invite you to stillness and wonder, and sometimes to wrestling and embracing.

Cackie Upchurch
Director, Little Rock Scripture Study

The Gift you have received, give as a gift. (see Matt 10:8)

This book is a gift and I am indebted to many gift-givers who have assisted me in the shaping of these pages as well as teaching me to abide.

I am grateful for the gift of

• the Little Rock Scripture Study staff and their tireless efforts to offer the Word of God to seekers throughout the world: Judy Hoelzeman, who in 1991 invited me to write a column for the Stepping Stones newsletter; Cackie Upchurch, director, and Susan McCarthy, newsletter editor, who have been encouraging mentors in this project;
• Mary Ann Soerries, Joyce Rupp, Elise Forst, Beth Fritsch, and Diana Squibb for their wise suggestions about rearranging words;
• my Benedictine community, Fr. David McKillin, Barbara Bock, Rachel Dietz, Kay Pope, and Karen Ewan for the little ways (often unknown to them) they teach me to abide;
• Liturgical Press, with special mention of Hans Christoffersen, Lauren L. Murphy, and my editor Stephanie Lancour, as well as all those behind the scenes;
• and finally for my newly discovered editor Mary Ann Soerries, who, although not a professional, became my primary editor for this work. As she faithfully perused these chapters making valuable suggestions for improvement, I kept saying to her, People get paid for what you are doing. Nevertheless, she did it as gift.

The Gift you have received, give as a gift.

Long before I knew anything about the Word of God, I found words intriguing. As a child I took delight in rearranging words into phrases and patterns, stories and poems. Perhaps, even then, I was romancing the Word. I was discovering that words bless. They move and dance and sing. They abide. They absorb and unite. They inspire. Words invite us to feel included, loved, honored. They call us to play and to work. They teach, comfort, praise. They forgive. They ask us to be authentic and true. They summon us to go deeper into the mystery of our lives. They teach us compassion and love. They make us laugh and cry. They draw us into the romance of life. Words can also destroy, wound, and kill the spirit. They can reject and ridicule. They can torment and make us believe that we are less than we are. Words are powerful; we can use them for good or for evil. Our words have power to bless or distress others. When we speak a word, it cannot be unspoken.

When our words are united to the Word of God, the result is a new creation. We are born into creativity, for ultimately we have come from the womb of God, the Source of life. The Word that spoke us into life was the Word of God. There is power in every word God speaks and since each one of us is a word of God, there is power in our words also. This is why it is so important for us to attend the Word. Pay attention to the words you speak. Pay attention to the words spoken by God. Only with attention will we discover the power in the Word that enables us to call it the Word of God.