Sylvain Reynard

NY Times Best-Selling Author

Lenten Read-Along #4

Dear Everyone,

I hope that you will join me in a chat this Saturday, April 1, at 9AM Eastern (New York). The All Things SR Podcasts hosts, Pam and Leslie, will be hosting the chat. I’m looking forward to discussing “The Art of Lent” by Sister Wendy Beckett and hearing about your favourite paintings.

You can join the chat here. It will not be live until 9AM sharp Saturday morning.

In the meantime, I welcome your reflections and comments on this week’s paintings. I’m struck by the beauty of “Diana the Huntress,” and Sister Wendy’s reflections on the nature of joyful confidence. Truly, she sees things that I do not see. I really appreciate the depth of her understanding.

All the best and hope to chat with you on Saturday,

SR

www.sylvainreynard.com

Lenten Read-Along #3

Dear Everyone,

As I continue reading “The Art of Lent,” by Sister Wendy Beckett, I’m struck by the range of works she’s including in her discussions.

I’ve never been moved by abstract art, but Sister Wendy found beauty in the abstract and has shared her insights with us. Take, for example, Rebecca Salter’s painting “J1 1994.” In this painting Sister Wendy sees what I do not – silence and the bliss of silence.

But as I take my time and study the painting, eventually I can glimpse what I think Sister Wendy is referring to. I have to be patient. I have to take my time. And I have to be open to the experience.

Part of my Lenten journey this year has been focused on developing patience, and finding silence, and engaging in contemplation. These are spiritual as well as mental disciplines. Sister Wendy has linked them to art appreciation and the enjoyment of beauty.

In her commentary on Sandro Botticelli’s “Annunciation” (1489), Sister Wendy writes, “There is no lasting peace that does not rest upon a sense of life having meaning.” Again, she has seen something profound in this painting and tied it to a wider theme – the faith of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Finding silence, engaging in contemplation, and taking time for beauty are ways in which we can reflect on what gives our lives meaning. This is both profound and sacred, and it takes time.

I welcome your reflections on any of the artwork or readings below.

Peace be with you all,

SR

www.sylvainreynard.com

In gratitude

Dear Everyone,

Congratulations to the cast and crew of “Gabriel’s Redemption” as they wrap filming tomorrow. Thank you for your hard work and dedication. I’m really looking forward to viewing the final product.

Thanks especially to Ali, Denis, Margie, and the entire Passionflix team, and to Mary Pocrnic for an excellent script .There could not have been a better partner than Passionflix. I am so glad we were able to work together. 

I owe a debt to Tosca Musk, Giulio Berruti, and Melanie Zanetti, for staying true to the books and for bringing the characters to life. Giulio and Melanie truly became Gabriel and Julia and were so kind to readers during set visits and premieres. Truly, this entire project has been blessed and I have been blessed through it.

Finally, thank you to the readers for your support of my writing and of these films. I hope this will be the beginning of other journeys for us together.

All the best,

SR

www.sylvainreynard.com

Lenten Read-Along #2

Dear Everyone,

Thank you for reading along with me. Last Thursday, Sister Wendy included one of my favourite paintings, “The Return of the Prodigal Son” by Rembrandt. Readers of “Gabriel’s Inferno” will recall mention of this painting as hanging in Richard Clark’s study. He makes reference to it when he calls his son, Scott, into his office to speak about Scott’s attitude toward his brother, Gabriel.

As part of my Lenten reflections, I’ve been looking at the painting Sister Wendy chooses each day and examining it before reading her reflection. After reading her reflection, I look at the painting again.

This past Thursday, on a second look at the painting, I noticed the prodigal son is missing a shoe, or perhaps it has come apart and fallen off. The missing shoe is a small detail but Rembrandt conveys so much with this absence; it marks extreme poverty and desperation. Perhaps it conveys the long walk the son had to make his way home. William Shakespeare mentions “troubling deaf heaven with his bootless cries,” in his Sonnet 29. He uses the adjective “bootless” to indicate that his cries are worthless. Perhaps Rembrandt is communicating a similar thing by removing the shoe of the prodigal.

Then there’s what could be the brother, standing to our right in the painting. He’s looking down at the prodigal. He’s standing apart from him. Those of us whose cries have been bootless understand the prodigal, but the brother doesn’t. He hasn’t found himself in that desperate form and so he keeps his distance. From the story in Scripture, we know that the brother reacts with judgment and condemnation. But those of us who have truly felt desperate or in despair know how the prodigal is feeling. In him, I see myself. O to be able to return to my father’s house and be welcomed with open arms, even though I am impoverished and shoeless …

The painting, like the parable in Scripture, shows us unconditional love and the open arms of God that await us. We are not alone and we are loved.

I welcome your comments below and as we embark on a new week, feel free to comment on any of the paintings we encounter on our journey this week.

Peace be with you all,

SR

www.sylvainreynard.com

Lenten Read-Along Begins

Dear Everyone,

Peace be with you all. I wish a blessed Ash Wednesday to everyone who is celebrating. Today, I’m beginning to read Sister Wendy Beckett’s work, “The Art of Lent.” I invite everyone, of all traditions, to join me in reading this book.

Take a moment and examine the first painting chosen by Sister Wendy – “The Great Wave” by Katsushika Hokusai. It’s a beautiful painting but it’s frightening. Spend some time taking a closer look at the details of the painting – the ships, the people, the flecks of foam on the wave …

Then take some time to read and reflect on Sister Wendy’s commentary.

“What we can do, we do. Beyond that, we endure.”

Sister Wendy quotes a Scripture, Romans 8:38-39, reminding us that “Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

The waves may be high, our ship may be fragile, but we are not alone and we are loved. This is a profound thought we can carry with us through the waves and over them.

Thank you for joining me on this journey. I welcome your comments below. I shall probably post once or twice per week, but feel free to comment on any of the readings this week below.

Thank you for reading and Peace be with you all,

SR

www.sylvainreynard.com

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About The Author

fluer-de-lisI am honoured to have had all three of my novels appear on the New York Times and USA Today Bestseller lists. I was a Semifinalist for Best Author in the 2011 and 2012 Goodreads Choice Awards. {More About Sylvain}

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