Colleen Gibson

"Cultivating a culture of synodality is filled with promise," writes Sr. Colleen Gibson, "though not without the growing pains that come with allowing our hearts and minds to be reformed by the Spirit." 

What if this Lent, instead of holding tight to a roadmap of  tasks or rules, the invitation was to a more free-range traveler's point of view, to explore the art of accompaniment as it plays out in our everyday lives?   

Horizons - Traditionally within the Christian community, November is a month of remembrance of the dead. Remembrance is, at its core, an act of love. What sparkles in our souls when we remember is the love of God.

Most parishioners I meet either remember the sisters who taught them in pre-Vatican II habits or they have never actually met a sister in real life. This, it seems, is a big part of bearing public witness to religious life in the world today: being human and being present.

Summer reminds us that we all need rest. We rest so that we can better love, and by resting, we recognize that rest — the very act of sabbath-making — is part of our call as people of faith. 

Horizons - We certainly should rejoice in those whose voices and votes will be counted and included at the upcoming Synod of Bishops. The question is: How are we going to enlarge the space of our tents at other levels too?

Horizons - Prayer at times can feel intangible. On a long journey, it feels like we need to be more active, like there must be something we can do. The reality is that the best thing we can do is simply show up.

Horizons - On the day "The Embrace" was unveiled, honoring Martin Luther King and his wife, Coretta, the thing that was most palpable was a sense of Black joy. Joy isn't something you can fabricate. It rises out of freedom, liberation, fullness.

Horizons - This time of waiting and reflection prepares us for the promise of Christmas. Yet, it might also invite us to reconceive of the way in which we prepare to welcome that new life into our lives and our world.

Horizons - While the oneness we Catholics proclaim may be a hard-forged unity, the national synthesis offers hope that even if it is not a full reality, unity is desired by people on all sides of the ecclesial aisle.

Horizons - How long can this war, this drought, this virus, this suffering, this dissension go on? If we continue at this pace, will we ever make the turn? That is, will we find our direction?

It is our embrace of the gifts of the Holy Spirit that cultivates a hunger for justice and love of God. These gifts are meant to be put into action, used in union, and refined and reimagined each new day.

Amidst the pressing demands of work and the noise of every conceivable need in the world, God was speaking to my heart. I just needed to stop long enough to let myself listen.

Horizons - Martin Luther King Jr. followed the urging of the Spirit into ministry and the pages of history. His clarion call for justice and equity is still ringing out if we unclog the ears of our hearts to hear it.

Horizons - As we reflect on the story of Christmas and prepare ourselves for Christ's coming in that moment, it's a good reminder that, like the shepherds, we are not the main character. We are not the Light. Jesus is.

Horizons - The grace that we name may or may not be the grace we receive. We trust, though, that by entering into prayer with our full being, God will guide us to what we need.

Horizons - When we probe more deeply into the practice of ministry of presence — being actively present to the people in front of us — we discover that what seems to be simple is, in reality, rather complex.

Horizons - Multilevel conversations about the future of religious life will inevitably bear many fruits. Our challenge will be recognizing, balancing and reconciling these fruits of the Spirit: We're making fruit salad.

Horizons - As we celebrate Father's Day in the United States and in places around the world this weekend, I believe St. Joseph offers us an example of a father whose faithfulness is ingrained in each of us.

Horizons - Reading the stories of the Resurrection this Easter, I have been struck by the emotions of the disciples. What is so often portrayed as a crystal-clear experience of joy, of pure and precise revelation, is, upon further examination, not nearly as clear as one might hope.