hello

Greetings to each and everyone of you.


This section for English-speaking viewers –
and all those enjoying the culture –

has developed over the months and is now offering materials of all kinds:

texts, images, poems, videos, etc.

It will continue to provide you with rich contents week after week.

 

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day – 20 January 2025

20 janvier 2025
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: assassination, injustice, legacy, non-violent resistance, racial oppression, volunteer

On January 20, 2025, the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday will mark the 30th anniversary as a National Day of Service. This day was established to honor the life and legacy of Dr. King, and to encourage all Americans to volunteer to improve their communities.

Dr. King advocated for nonviolent resistance to overcome injustice as a means of lifting racial oppression. He created change with organized sit-ins, marches, and peaceful demonstrations that highlighted issues of inequality. Dr. King received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964; he was the youngest person to ever receive this high honor. He followed in the footsteps of his grandfather and father by entering the ministry to become a Baptist minister. On April 4, 1968, at the age of 39, he was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee as he stood on the balcony of his hotel. Dr. King traveled to Memphis, Tennessee to lead a march in support of striking sanitation workers.

 

Source: Text: https://www.dodea.edu/news/observance-calendar/martin-luther-king-jr-day#                               Image: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King_Jr._Day

2nd Sunday of Year C – 2025

17 janvier 2025
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: accept God in our lives, believers, disciples, John 2:1-11, problems, relationships, rely on God and trust him, water changed into wine

It can happen that we get so used to reading, or hearing, the gospel texts that, somehow, we have the impression that… we know them.
But perhaps we need to get to… know them anew!

Some people will say that the Scripture texts do not change, and this is true, but… we do!
Yes, with time, we become different – physically, of course, but also mentally and emotionally.
Many factors contribute to our becoming different people from what we were some years ago: the readings we make, the people we meet, the happenings in our lives, all these mold us in a certain way.

All these influences that we are submitted to have also an impact on our relationships with people and… with God!

The last verse of today’s gospel text (John 2:1-11) mentions an interesting fact:
“What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory;
and his disciples believed in him.”

We find this understandable, of course, since what Jesus did was to change an enormous quantity of water into the best wine.
I think that if we had been among those present at the feast in Cana on that day, we would have readily seen Jesus as someone exceptional.
We would have easily believed that he had some special power.

Let us move from the first century to today, and let us look at ourselves, believers.
We can ask ourselves: What is it that has made us become believers?

What has led us to accept God in our lives?
How have we been drawn to know him and accept his message?
What keeps us following Jesus from day to day?
Where do we find the courage not to give up, even when faced with problems and difficulties?

If we look closely at our lives, we may realize that our relationship with God is different today from what it was some years ago.
In fact, it should be so!

We should have grown in knowledge of who he is.
We should be closer to him, trust him more deeply, relying on him no matter what!

We are still at the beginning of a new year…
We see the disciples of Jesus believing in him for changing water into wine.
What is Jesus doing for us, in us, that makes us believe in him just now?

It should keep us going well into… the coming year, yes, no matter what!

 

Note: Another reflection is available on a different theme in French at: https://image-i-nations.com/2e-dimanche-de-lannee-c-2025/

Source: Images: https://carmelites.org.au/item/1078-the-true-bridegroom                pexels.com (Rene Therp; Juan P. photo and video)

World Logic Day – 14 January

14 janvier 2025
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: awareness, consciousness, humanity, reason, UNESCO

The ability to think is one of the most defining features of humankind. In different cultures, the definition of humanity is associated with concepts such as consciousness, knowledge and reason. According to the classic western tradition, human beings are defined as “rational” or “logical animals”. Logic, as the investigation on the principles of reasoning, has been studied by many civilizations throughout history and, since its earliest formulations, logic has played an important role in the development of philosophy and the sciences. 

Despite its undeniable relevance to the development of knowledge, sciences and technologies, there is little public awareness on the importance of logic. The proclamation of World Logic Day by UNESCO, in association with the International Council for Philosophy and Human Sciences (CIPSH), intends to bring the intellectual history, conceptual significance and practical implications of logic to the attention of interdisciplinary science communities and the broader public.

 

Source: Text: https://www.unesco.org/en/days/world-logic       Image: https://council.science/news/logicday/

The Baptism of the Lord, Year C – 2025

10 janvier 2025
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: faith, focus, gifts and blessings, God's graciousness, God's love and compassion, grâce, Holy Spirit, saint Thérèse de Lisieux, Titus 2:11-14; 3:4-7

Many people want to know the God in whom they believe.
But people are sometimes faced with a difficulty as they try to understand matters of faith.
They are so eager to find out what to believe, and how to believe, that they forget to focus on whom to believe!

This applies especially to what is called ‘grace’ in the Christian message.
Theologians describe this concept and attribute different qualities to it.
Their presentation often becomes dogmatic, theoretical, abstract.
Often, it fails to inspire people to believe, to trust, to rely on someone, a real person…

On this feast of the Baptism of the Lord, the 2nd reading of our celebration is a section of Paul’s letter to his friend Titus (Titus 2:11-14; 3:4-7).
Paul says:

“God’s grace has been revealed, and it has made salvation possible for the whole human race.”

Paul goes on to explain:
“When the kindness and love of God our saviour were revealed,
it was not because he was concerned with any righteous actions we might have done ourselves;
it was for no reason except his own compassion that he saved us…
Renewing us with the Holy Spirit… that we should be justified by his grace.”

It becomes clear that it is not a matter of merit on our part, but a matter of accepting God himself into our lives.
Accepting his kindness, his love, his compassion, reaching us where we are and how we are – no matter how poor, how weak, how sinful.

Grace is really the special presence with us of the one who is a gracious God.

All that we are, all that we have, all that we become, is God’s graciousness drawing us to himself to pour into our lives his gifts and blessings of all kinds.

Saint Thérèse of Lisieux could say:
“Everything is grace.”

Truly, EVERYTHING… a gracious God enfolding us…

 

Note: Another reflection is available on a different theme in French at: https://image-i-nations.com/le-bapteme-du-seigneur-annee-c-2025/

Source: Image: https://www.scripture-images.com/bible-verse/web/titus-2-11-web.php

Epiphany of the Lord, Year C – 2025

3 janvier 2025
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: 'God-with-us', being far, darkness, deceitfulness, epiphanies, hope, Isaiah 60:1-6, light, Matthew 2:1-12, questioning, search

Day after day, we read the Scripture to know and to understand –
to know better, to understand more deeply who God is.
The Bible texts offer us images and symbols, they relate events, they describe situations.
Very often, they present us a message by way of contrast, of opposites.

We see this in the readings of today’s feast as we celebrate the Epiphany of the Lord.
The 1st reading shows us a landscape of darkness overcome by light (Isaiah 60:1-6):

“Arise, shine, for your light has come… and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.
See, darkness covers the earth, and thick darkness is over the peoples,
but the Lord rises upon you… Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn”.

People who had been exiled return in joy and celebration:
“Your sons come from afar, and your daughters are carried on the hip.
Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy”.

The gospel text presents us with a series of paradoxes, of realities turn around all of a sudden (Matthew 2:12):

Magi from the East, learned people, are searching, questioning to find their way.
Having reached their destination, they prostrate themselves before a new-born.
They offer this child gifts fitting a powerful ruler.
They trust the deceitful king Herod but, warned in a dream, they managed to outwit him.

Looking at these scenes, better still contemplating what they suggest…
Do we not perceive something of our own personal experience?


We know too well the darkness, the questioning, the feeling of being far from those we love, the deceitfulness of some people?…

And yet… do we not also experience some personal… ‘epiphanies’ – the revelation in the here-and-now of our lives – of the One who has made himself “God-with-us”?

Epiphanies – manifestations, real and unmistakable – that
we are not alone,
our search is not in vain,
light will prevail over darkness,
our lives have meaning,
God hears our cry when we feel we can no longer cope…

We can walk in HOPE… Someone shows the way and walks with us…

 

Note: Another reflection is available on a different theme in French at: https://image-i-nations.com/lepiphanie-du-seigneur-annee-c-2025/

 

Source: Images: pexels.com (Ray Bilcliff; Keenan Constance; fauxels; AndreaPiacquadio)
Three Wise Men HD Wallpaper free download

Feast of Mary, Mother of God, Year C – 1st January 2025

1 janvier 2025
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: célébration, glorify God, in a hurry, Luke 2:16-21, message, New Year, reason for the season, treasure

Being in a hurry, we all know what this means – rushing here, rushing there, our lives are filled with this.
Somehow, we so often find ourselves in a hurry.
Things to do, items to buy, people to meet, tasks to carry out, promises to fulfil – the list could go on and on.
Silently we wish for a few moments to breathe, a short period at least to relax.

In today’s gospel text, we meet a group of people who are also in a hurry.
They have been given a message – a very unusual, quite extraordinary message – by some angels.
They are shepherds who had been quietly watching over their flock at nighttime.
They are now in a hurry to find out about what the angelic messengers have been speaking about: the birth of a new-born child.

We are told: 
“So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger” (Luke 2:16-21).

In the pre-Christmas season, many of us have been quite busy, in fact, we may been rushing here and there – there was so much to do to prepare for the feast.
Christmas is really a special feast and we wanted to make of it a real celebration.
But… the celebration of what exactly?

I recall having seen, a few years ago, a poster of the Nativity scene with the caption:
“Let us not forget the REASON for the SEASON.”
This text usually comes back to my mind when the time comes to prepare for Christmas.

The shepherds were hastening to find the true REASON for our celebration.
They found him and…

“When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child…
They returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen.”

As for Mary whose motherhood we celebrate today, we are told that:
“She treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.”

Glorifying and praising God… Keeping in our hearts as a treasure what we have seen and heard…
Is it not the best way to start a new year?

 

Note: Another reflection is available on a different theme in French at: https://image-i-nations.com/fete-de-marie-mere-de-dieu-annee-c-1er-janvier-2025/

Source: Images: https://www.scripture-images.com/bible-verse/kjv/luke-2-16-kjv.php
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Palestine-06399_-_Nativity_(34893132736).jpg

 

Holy Family, Year C – 2024-2025

28 décembre 2024
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: 1 John 3:1-2.21-24, faith, God the Father, identity, who we are

Sometimes, those around young people say that they do not know what/who they are.
But if we are honest, the same can be said of many people who are no longer young!
Those adults do not understand themselves; they try to find out what they truly are.
They are searching for their real identity.

In the 2nd reading of today’s celebration, the apostle John has a message for the first Christians.
His message is addressed to all of us as well (1 John 3:1-2,21-24).
He writes:

“See what great love the Father has lavished on us,
that we should be called children of God!
And that is what we are!”

John goes on to say that the world does not know us as such, but do we truly realize that this is indeed what we are?
The apostle insists: “That is what we are!”

And he adds:
“We know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him,
for we shall see him as he is.”

God has made of us his children.
He, the Father, has lavished his love on us.
One day, we shall be like Christ.
We will see him as he is.

Perhaps, as we are about to enter a new year, it would be good to make of these 4 lines… our Creed –
a way of proclaiming our faith in who God is, yes, but also in who we are!

The conviction that this our true identity will provide us with a way to overcome our sadness, our discouragement, our feeling of unworthiness…
Let the words of John continue to echo in our minds and hearts: “That is what we are!”

 

Note: Another reflection is available on a different theme in French at: https://image-i-nations.com/sainte-famille-annee-c-2024-2025/

 

Source: Image: https://www.scripture-images.com/phone-backgrounds/web/1-john-3-1

Nativity of the Lord, Year C – 2024-2025

24 décembre 2024
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: Emmanuel God-with-us, Isaiah 9:2, John 1:1.4-5, John 8:12, light, Word

It is well known: a new-born does not speak – little by little, the infant will learn to make sounds that, eventually, will become words.

Is it not amazing that, on this Feast of the Nativity of the Lord, as we look at the baby in the manger, we are told that he was ‘the Word’.
In today’s gospel, the very first line of John’s gospel text says it clearly:

“In the beginning was the Word…” (John 1:1)

The 2nd reading text proclaims the same thing in similar words:
“In the past, God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways,
but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son.”

This is, in fact, the meaning of Christmas:
God is coming to us because he wants to relate to us, relate to us in a special way.
And this relationship starts with a word… a living word –
it has become alive in this new-born child that we look at in the arms of his human mother.

A new-born child of our race, he is one-of-us, and he will speak as we do.
He will be giving us God’s message for us.

This message is one that brings LIGHT to our lives.
“In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind” (John 1:4).

The prophet Isaiah had foreseen it and spoke of it in these words:
“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned” (Isaiah 9:2, 1st reading, night mass).

Looking at ourselves, seeing what is happening in our world, we become aware that we really need light.
Hearing people speak around us, we can easily detect the dark areas of sadness, discouragement…
Opinions of all kinds create confusion; new ideologies cause questioning and a sense of loss…

But we are assured that:
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:5)

So, we become aware that all the puzzles us,
the personal life-situations that cause questioning and anxiety,
the world-events that seem so meaningless and unsettling,
all these are seen in a new light.

The light of this new-born-child named “Emmanuel”, “God-with-us” who, having grown up will remind us:

“I am the light of the world.
Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)

 

Note: A Christmas video (in French, under the title: “Noël de Lumière”) continues this reflection: https://youtu.be/6RhHjE4cWYw

          Another reflection is available on a different theme in French at: https://image-i-nations.com/nativite-du-seigneur-annee-c-2024-2025/

Source: Images: https://www.scripture-images.com/desktop-wallpaper/kjv/isaiah-9-2-kjv-hd-wallpaper.php      https://www.scripture-images.com/desktop-wallpaper/kjv/john-8-12                                 

4th Sunday of Advent, Year C – 2024-2025

20 décembre 2024
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: believe, blessed, Gods promises, Jeremiah 17:7, Luke 1:39-45, Prophets, Psalm 1:1, Psalm 128:1, Psalms

The Bible is filled with blessings – they are the attribute of all those whose relationship with God has a special character.

The PSALMS tell us about those who are blessed:
“Blessed is the man whose delight is in the law of the Lord” (Psalm 1:1).
“Blessed are all who fear the LORD, who walk in his ways” (Psalm 128:1).

The PROPHETS also speak of the person who is blessed:
“Blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him” (Jeremiah 17:7).

In the chapter 5 of Matthew’s GOSPEL, we hear Jesus’ words telling us about those who are especially blessed.
« Blessed are those who mourn… the meek… those who hunger and thirst for righteousness… the merciful…
the pure in heart… the peacemakers… those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake”.
Each group has a special reason for being blessed.

It is said that, in the Bible, the word “blessed” shows up 306 times! (in the ESV version).

Today’s gospel text (Luke 1:39-45) gives us to meet someone who is especially blessed –
not a prophet, not an apostle, not a king, but a young woman.
In the last verse of today’s text we hear Elisabeth, the cousin of Mary, who exclaims:

“Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”

A very special type of blessing, one would say.
And Mary was also someone very special as she was carrying in herself the child who was God’s own Son.

But I believe that each one of us could claim… the same blessing –
the blessing of someone who believes in the Lord’s promises.

Could we fail to claim such a blessing?…

 

Note: Another reflection is available on a different theme in French at: https://image-i-nations.com/4e-dimanche-de-lavent-annee-c-2024-2025/

 

Source: Image: https://www.oblates.org/reflections/the-visitation-of-holy-mary-an-expansion-of-the-heart

3rd Sunday of Advent, Year C – 2024-2025

13 décembre 2024
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: Advent, challenging question, generosity, honesty, John the Baptist, Luke 3:10-18, the way we treat people, truth, What God wants

The text of today’s gospel presents us with people who have come to John the Baptist with the desire to be baptized by him (Luke 3:10-18). 
We are told that they are asking themselves questions.

“The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts…”

What they were wondering about was something most important – they were asking themselves…
“if John might possibly be the Messiah”…

So, they wanted to prepare themselves, first by being purified through this rite of purification which was the baptism John administered.
But they realized that more was needed to make themselves acceptable to God when his messenger – “the Messiah”, God’s messenger – would come.

Each group of people asks a question which they know is essential.
Tax collectors, soldiers, the crowd as a whole, they are all questioning John.
They ask him: “What must we do?”

Is it not a question that remains with us, a question that even challenges us, in many situations?
How can we please God?
What should we do, how should we behave?
What does he expect from us in our daily life?

John replies to each of them precisely referring to their life-situation.
The answer he gives them is something practical, concrete, adapted to who they are.

His answers focus on generosity, honesty, truth.
Attitudes that are meant to acknowledge the needs of the people they are in contact with from day to day.
This is something interesting to realize: to please God we must treat his people – everyone we meet – with generosity, honesty, truth.

Rituals, bows and prostrations, repeated formulas of worship, are not what God himself asks for.
What he wants – what he demands, indeed – is that we treat people around us as we would… treat him!

This period of Advent gives us this timely reminder!

 

Note: Another reflection is available on a different theme in French at: https://image-i-nations.com/3e-dimanche-de-lavent-annee-c-2024-2025/

Source: Images: https://jesusfootprints.wordpress.com/2012/02/28/johns-baptism/
                               https://www.scripture-images.com/bible-verse/kjv/luke-3-10-kjv.php