MONICA FURLONG writes of our need for stillness in

a modern lifestyle that keeps us from acting on our inarticu late but real feelings of a need for God. Our frantic lives have lost their rhythmic quality where stillness alternates with activity, so Contemplating Now encourages us to see repose as a necessary counterpart to activity.

Furlong offers periods of contemplation as a way for us to be at rest and at home in our environment, and reflect on the aim and meaning of our lives. She discusses it in terms of Eastern thought, prayer, yoga, the role of the body, and the role of the Church.

CONTEMPLATING NOW speaks to all men and women

who live under the pressures of active lives, and is essential for Christians grappling with the frustrations of contem-porary church life.