Threads of Grace

Morning Quiet Time

Pat emphasizes beginning the day with scripture and silence. The length matters less than the consistency. Even a few minutes of intentional presence creates space for encounter.

"It helps to have some kind of daily practice that draws you into God's presence, whatever quiets you in body, mind, and heart."

— "Come Away" (August 29, 2021)

Centering Prayer

A form of contemplative prayer developed by Thomas Keating and Basil Pennington. Pat describes it as sitting in silence, using a sacred word to return attention to God's presence when the mind wanders. Typically practiced for 20 minutes, though beginners might start shorter.

"Centering prayer is the form of adoration I rely on most often."

— "Prayers, Corporate and Individual" (September 19, 2010)

The Daily Examen

An evening practice from the Ignatian tradition. At day's end, review where you noticed God's presence, where you responded with love, and where you missed the mark. Pat calls this "looking back to see where we have been aware of God's presence through the day."

"The more we notice the more we likely will become conscious of the Divine Presence enfolding us in the minutiae of daily life."

— "Remember" (June 30, 2019)

Seven Sacred Pauses

Drawing on Macrina Wiederkehr's teaching, Pat recommends punctuating the day with brief moments of awareness—perhaps no longer than five minutes, but intentional stops "to breathe, focus on what is going on around us, both within and without, and give thanks for it all."

— "Athirst for God" (June 23, 2019)

Journaling

Pat frequently recommends journaling as a way to capture insights from prayer and scripture. "Journaling with any insights or implications for action you receive is a good way to continue unchaining the Word."

— "Unchained" (October 9, 2016)

Lectio Divina (Divine Reading)

The Benedictine practice of slow, meditative scripture reading. Pat describes four movements:

• Read — Read the passage slowly, perhaps aloud
• Reflect — Notice what word or phrase catches your attention
• Respond — Speak to God about what you've noticed
• Rest — Simply be in God's presence with the word

"The Benedictine way, known as lectio divina, takes a word or phrase from the passage that gets our attention and uses it as a focus for meditation, contemplation, letting the word seep into our being."

— "Are You Listening?" (February 17, 2013)

Ignatian Imaginative Prayer

From the Jesuit tradition, this practice invites you to enter a gospel scene with all your senses—seeing, hearing, smelling, touching what the first witnesses experienced.

"The Ignatian way of hearing the word of God in scripture involves using one's imagination to see oneself in the story, to see, hear, feel, smell, taste what is going on, to let it become real in our minds in order to 'inwardly digest' what it has to say to us."

— "Are You Listening?" (February 17, 2013)

Slow Reading

Pat emphasizes the importance of not rushing through scripture. She recalls discovering the comma between "read" and "mark" in the collect—a reminder to slow down.

"If I'm in a rush to get through or just going through the motions, I'll miss it entirely."

— "Read, Mark, Learn, and Inwardly Digest" (November 17, 2013)

The Cud-Chewing Metaphor

Pat uses the image of cows chewing their cud to describe returning to scripture throughout the day.

"It is helpful to follow the example of cows chewing their cuds, that is, bringing it up over and over through the day reflecting on whatever we hear. In so doing, we can digest all the nutrients the passage has to offer us."

— "Read, Mark, Learn, and Inwardly Digest" (November 17, 2013)

Quiet Days

A "mini-retreat"—a single day set aside for silence, reflection, and worship. Pat describes these as accessible ways to step out of ordinary time without the commitment of a multi-day retreat.

Directed Retreats

Silent retreats where participants meet one-on-one with a spiritual director once daily. The director helps the retreatant notice where God is moving in their prayer.

Conducted Retreats

Typically three-day silent retreats where a leader gives a series of addresses and participants have extended time for personal prayer and reflection.

The Lenten Crucible

Pat describes leading a Lenten Quiet Day where participants wrote confessions on scraps of paper, nailed them to a cross, then collected and burned them together—"recognizing that the fire of God's love burns away the dross leaving us pure and clean once more."

— "Grace" (March 10, 2024)

"Silence is God's first language; everything else is a poor translation."

— Thomas Keating

"You have made us for yourself, and we are restless until we find rest in you, O Lord."

— Augustine of Hippo

"God is closer to us than our own soul."

— Julian of Norwich

"Humble spirits are free to love and be who they are. They have no artificial standards to live up to."

— Gary Zukav

"Thou canst not stir a flower, without troubling of a star."

— Francis Thompson

"Be still and know that I am God."

— Psalm 46:10

"God needs nothing more than for us to offer him a quiet heart."

— Meister Eckhart