Nancy Sylvester

Contemplate This - Systemic wrongs are coming up to face us at a time when the U.S. is grappling with becoming a pluralistic democracy. The flood has started. But we have work to do if it is to be truly an "upstart Spring."

Contemplate This - If those of us who are aging can resist surrendering to weariness and continue to fan our passion for justice, perhaps those younger will experience a renewed energy and courage.

Mary and Jesus could have said "No," but they said "Yes." Their "Yes" continues to reverberate and emerges in each of us, as does our freedom to say "No."

Contemplate this: Consider contemplative prayer to deal with the powerless and grief you feel over Russia's war with Ukraine and other places that need God's love and peace.

Contemplate This - As we enter the Lenten season, I felt that a renewed contemplative practice might be just what is needed. Contemplation helps us to "see" in new ways, inviting us to respond out of love and not fear.

Contemplate This - The old has passed away. It will still take time for some things to die, to be transformed bringing forth a spring like rebirth. That newness takes time and we can play our part in its unfolding.

Contemplate This - We will have many choices to make in the months and years ahead. As the New Year begins, try to remember who you really are and how you will choose to respond to the future that is calling us.

Contemplate This - Advent is about taking time to prepare to celebrate an event and recommit to a process. The Advent calendar is a way to slow down and focus one's reflection every day. How would I create an Advent calendar today?

Contemplate This - In a way we are all masked — living somewhat in a lockdown, not wanting to nor able to speak to those who may be carriers of another worldview, political position or partisan affiliation.

Contemplate This - Through contemplation, your true self aligns with the magnetic center of Divine Love within. Held there in love, you are totally immersed in all that is, and yet nothing pulls you off that center.

Contemplate This - I wonder whether our lives and all that happens in the world might be a "600-pound leaf" we are asked to carry. If we simply carry it, it is a burden. But through the lens of the Gospel, could it be a source of life?

Contemplate This - As we move forward out of the pandemic, take time to turn your head backwards and see what wisdom emerges from our past. We have learned too much to think there is a "normal" to which we want to return.

Contemplate This - Our awareness and presence every time we act communicates who we are and generates an energy that can be life-enhancing or life-threatening. 

Contemplate This: The past few days I had noticed a growing resistance to situations, people and ideas that I've responded to in the past with compassion and understanding.

Contemplate This - The stark realization that we are all connected is uncomfortable and challenging, but when our structures fail us — as we are experiencing today — then they must be repaired.

Contemplate This - Instead of giving up anything else in this pandemic, perhaps what is needed is taking more time to spend with God this Lent. One way to do this is to engage with Jesus' life in the Gospels.

Contemplate This - There has to be a national effort to begin to repair the great divide among us. That effort has to seep down into each of our families and local communities. And it has to start with each one of us.

Contemplate This - We are being asked to imagine ourselves joining hands and becoming a circle around our planet and through space and time. Conscious of who we are at our best, we take part in a mutual exchange of wisdom and protection.

Contemplate this - Reflecting on 2020, I found myself flooded with thoughts and images. A patchwork quilt emerged as a way to reflect on this time. Here are some of the patches that make up my quilt.

Contemplate This: With the breakdown of trust in our democratic processes, it is not clear to me whether there will be enough confidence and willingness to risk that a pluralistic democracy can bring us together.