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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.

 

World Day of the Sick – 11 February

11 février 2017
Nicole Gregoire
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Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: Bernadette Soubirous, Lourdes, Parkinson disease. health, Pope Benedict, Pope Francis, sick

About World Day of the Sick
Pope John Paul II initiated the day in 1992 to encourage people to pray for those who suffer from illness and for their caregivers. The Pope himself had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s a year before, in 1991, and it is considered that his own illness was impetus for his designation of the day.

World Day of the Sick was first observed on February 11, 1993. February 11 is also the Catholic Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, which a name is given to the Virgin Mary in honor of the apparitions that were said to have been seen in and around Lourdes, France, by a young girl called Bernadette Soubirous. The Church canonized Bernadette as a saint several years later.

Did you know?
Pope Benedict XVI declared his decision to resign from his post as the Pope on this day in 2013. He cited his failing health as the reason behind his decision.

Source: Text: timeanddate.com  Images: Catholic News, Herald Malaysia

6th Sunday of the Year, A

9 février 2017
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: excuses, fault, free, libération, maturity, mistake, scapegoat, Si.15:15-20

Have you ever notice how people answer when they must give an account of something… negative that has happened. You will hear:

“The cup fell and got broken.”
“This thing got lost.”
“So-and-so made me do that…”

All these statements have one thing in common: they ‘free’ someone from the responsibility of having done something.
He did not break the cup, she did not lose something, and if they did something wrong, well… it was the fault of somebody else!

This reflection came to me as I read the very first line of the first reading of this Sunday (6th Sunday of Year A – Si.15:15-20):
“If you wish, you can keep the commandments,
To behave faithfully is in your power.”

Being free, yes, from having to look for excuses, free from feeling obliged to find a scapegoat.
Being able to say:

“I did it.”
“It is my mistake.”
“It is my fault, I am sorry.”

What a liberating experience!
And the way to… human and Christian maturity!

Source: Image: www.nikkenu.com

 

 

International Epilepsy Day – 8 February

8 février 2017
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: discrimination, epilepsy, illness of the brain, neurological disorder, sickness, success

International Epilepsy Day is marked in order to recognise that epilepsy is an illness and spread the message that people who suffer from it can be successful.

It is estimated that one in every 100 people suffers from epilepsy. Despite it being a recognised neurological disorder, there is still a lot of stigma and discrimination associated with epilepsy.

Epilepsy South Africa’s Gauteng Director, Magdaleen Kruger, says many people succeed in life despite living with the condition.  

“It is not a mental illness. It is not a psychiatric disorder and it is not infectious or contagious. It is a normal illness of the brain characterised by unusual electrical activity in the brain. People who suffer from epilepsy can live a full life if their condition is accepted as an illness.”

Source: Text: SABC Image: International League Against Epilepsy

World Cancer Day – 4 February

4 février 2017
Nicole Gregoire
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Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: cancer, death, détection, disease, opportunity, prévention, spread, treatment

On February 04, 2017 World Cancer Day (WCD) is observed to raise awareness of cancer and to encourage its prevention, detection, and treatment. This health awareness day is led by theUnion for International Cancer Control, a global consortium of more than 470 cancer-fighting organizations in over 120 countries.

The aims of WCD are to help save millions of preventable deaths each year by raising awareness and education about cancer, and pressing to governments across the world to take action against the disease. The day is a key opportunity for everyone affected by cancer to work together to ensure that world leaders stick to the promises they made at the UN Summit in relation to reducing the impact of cancer.

Cancer is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the body through the lymphatic system or bloodstream. Not all tumors are cancerous.

Significantly, the number of cancer cases and related deaths worldwide is estimated to double over the next 20 to 40 years. With the greatest increase in low and middle income countries, those least equipped to cope with both the social and economic impact of the disease.

Source: Text & Image: Cute calendar

Symbols
There are different symbols that are used to help promote the fight against different types of cancers. For example, the pink ribbon is a global symbol of breast cancer awareness, while the orange ribbon is associated with child cancer awareness. Another example is the daffodil, which the American Cancer Society sees as a symbol of hope that people share for a future where cancer is no longer a life-threatening disease.

Source : Text : timeanddate.com

5th Sunday of the Year, A

2 février 2017
Nicole Gregoire
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Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: comforting, Is.58:7-10, listening, relief, Temptation, the homeless, the hungry, the Lord, the oppressed, the poor, understanding

Have you ever said to yourself: ‘If only I knew what God expects from me!’
The 1st reading of this Sunday (5th of Year A – Is.58:7-10) answers this desire.

The very first line says :
“It is the Lord who speaks…”
The prophet Isaiah, God’s messenger, reveals to us what God wants from us:

“Share your bread with the hungry,
and shelter the homeless poor,
clothe the man you see to be naked,
and give relief to the oppressed.”

It is clear and simple, but very demanding indeed!
Not to try and escape, not to do as if I had not seen, not to pretend I have not noticed.

The temptation is always there: to mind my own business, not to meddle with what concerns other people.

And if ‘what concerns other people’ – their needs, their situation of want, their lack of this or that – should become ‘my own business’!…
This is exactly what these words of the Lord demand of me.

We are inclined to protest: “There are so many people in need, they are always there… “
Their presence annoys us sometimes, their persistence irritates us.

‘We can’t help everybody!’ – ‘No, for sure…’
‘Impossible to come to the aid of everyone!’ – ‘Obviously!… But perhaps… one at a time…’

And beyond the material assistance, there is the understanding look, the attentive listening, the comforting reply…

And the word of the Lord asking that we do something,
this demanding word which exacts what we hesitate to give,
this word bears a promise:

“Cry, and the Lord will answer;
call, and he will say : ‘I am here’!”

Source: Images: colourbox; Daily Mail

 

World Leprosy Day – 29th January

28 janvier 2017
Nicole Gregoire
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Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: awareness, cure, Hansen's disease, Leprosy, Mahatma Gandhi, prévention, Raoul Follereau, treatment

World Leprosy Day is observed internationally on January 30 or its nearest Sunday to increase the public awareness of the Leprosy or Hansen’s Disease. Leprosy is one of the oldest recorded diseases in the world. It is an infectious chronic disease that targets the nervous system, especially the nerves in the cooler parts of the body – the hands, feet, and face.

Source: Text: Wikipedia

The day was initiated in 1954 by French philanthropist and writer, Raoul Follereau, as a way to raise global awareness of this deadly ancient disease and call attention to the fact that it can be prevented, treated and cured.

About World Leprosy Day
Leprosy is one of the oldest diseases known to humankind. It is also known as Hansen’s disease, named after Norwegian physician, Gerhard Henrik Armauer Hansen, who debunked the prevailing notion of the time that leprosy was a hereditary disease. He showed that the disease had a bacterial cause instead. For thousands of years, people with leprosy have been stigmatized and considered to be at the extreme margins of the society. The aim of World Leprosy Day is to change this attitude and increase public awareness of the fact that leprosy can now be easily prevented and cured.

The date for World Leprosy Day was chosen to coincide with the anniversary of Indian freedom fighter, Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination on January 30, 1948. During his lifetime, Mahatma Gandhi worked tirelessly towards the betterment of people afflicted with leprosy.

Source: Text: timeanddate; Image: medindia

International Holocaust Remembrance Day – 27th January

27 janvier 2017
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: Auschwitz-Birkenau, discrimination, education, génocide, Holocaust, intolerance, Jews, libération, Nazi regime, remembering, UN, violence

The International Holocaust Remembrance Day is annually observed on the 27th of January. It’s a solemn commemoration of the Holocaust which is considered to be the darkest period during the Nazi regime wherein millions of Jews including all other cultural minorities are brutally killed in mass concentration camps across the German-occupied Europe. The primary objective of the holiday is to honor both the deceased and surviving victims as well as to promote awareness of the Holocaust worldwide.

On November 1, 2005, the United Nations General Assembly has formally designated January 27 as the day of the holocaust commemoration through UN resolution 60/7. 27th of January was also specifically chosen because it was the day of liberation for Auschwitz-Birkenau, the Nazi concentration or extermination camp nicknamed as “The Death Factory.”

All UN member states and offices observe the holiday with their own respective events and activities but from 2010, the UN started designating specific annual themes to focus on.

Holocaust 2017 – Holocaust Remembrance: Educating for a Better Future
The UN charter which established the holiday also stressed the reasons why the annual commemoration is observed. The holiday primarily aims to remember and honor the Holocaust victims. Second is the development of educational programs or materials about the Holocaust and its lessons. Related to this is the establishment of a Holocaust and the United Nations outreach program to be able to achieve said education purpose.

It also rejects any denial about the veracity of Holocaust and urges the preservation of Holocaust or Nazi-related artifacts and sites like the concentration, labor and prison camps. The resolution also condemns ethnic or religious discrimination as it states “Condemns without reserve all manifestations of religious intolerance, incitement, harassment or violence against persons or communities based on ethnic origin or religious belief, wherever they occur.” But ultimately, all these aspects point to the aim of preventing a similar case of genocide today and in the future.

Source: Text & Picture: World Religion News: « 2017 International Holocaust Remembrance Day Events » http://www.worldreligionnews.com/?p=34495

4th Sunday of the Year, A

26 janvier 2017
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: advertising, direction, gentle, happiness, Jesus, merciful, mourning, Mt.5:1-12, peacemakers, persecuted, poor in spirit, pure in heart, standard, today, values, way of life

Advertising has taken on a very important place in business and it has an impact on our daily life, there is no doubt about it.
Newspapers are filled with ads of all kinds, and our TV programmes are interrupted by much publicity that we could do without!
As for the web, it offers a constant flow of things to buy, programmes to join in, clubs to be part of, etc.

What all these have in common is that they describe in a very positive way what they offer. They present a glossy picture of what they want us to choose, to obtain, to adopt.

Those who design the ads, entice us to see things from their point of view and they aim at convincing us that, if we want to be happy, yes, really happy, there is no other way but to take on what is on display!

On this Sunday (4th of the Year, A) we see Jesus, early on in his life of teaching the crowds. In today’s gospel (Mt.5:1-12), we hear him address the people about that very topic: HAPPINESS. But his words do not describe an appealing picture of what will provide happiness. His speech does not resemble in any way what we are used to when someone wants to have us take on his ways!

Who are the happy people according to Jesus?

  • « The poor in spirit,
  • the gentle,
  • those who mourn,
  • those who hunger and thirst for justice,
  • the merciful,
  • the pure in heart,
  • the peacemakers,
  • those persecuted in the cause of right. »

The standard definition of happiness is definitely NOT this one!
Fame, riches, power, are most often part of a description of the happy life, not deprivation and persecution.

But then, perhaps our standard needs to be corrected…
Perhaps our values need to be readjusted…
Perhaps our search for happiness needs to be given a new direction…
Perhaps our way of life needs to be more attuned to Jesus’ message… perhaps…

Today may be a good day to start doing that!
And, ‘by the way’ happiness may just find us… in HIS way!

Source: Images: www.dreamstime.com;  Pinterest

3rd Sunday of the Year, A

19 janvier 2017
Nicole Gregoire
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Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: believe, dark cloud, darkness, doubts, fears, illumination, Is.8:23-9:3, light, lights, prayer, worries

‘Turn on the light,’ – it is an expression that we hear very often. All the more so in this mid-January period when the clouds seem to be ever present and darkness more obvious in the mornings and evenings. The solution is close at hand: we switch on the electric lamps which bring the desired illumination.

But, somehow, we sometimes feel that this kind of illumination is not sufficient. Our eyes may benefit from the additional light, but it seems that something else is missing… light for our minds for our hearts. The very kind that the prophet Isaiah speaks of in the 1st reading of this 3rd Sunday of the Year, A (Is.8:23 – 9:3). He says:

“The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light;
on those who live in a land of deep shadow a light has shone.”

And with this light, come joy and a sense of liberation also provided by God for his people.

Reading these lines, some may think: “That happened long ago…” And it is true. But has God stopped doing this? I like to believe that he has not and that light, joy and a sense of liberation, are also there, ‘at hand’ so to speak, for us as well. Shadows and darkness need not envelop our days like a dark cloud.

And yet… at times, we feel they do… this dark cloud may take the form of our doubts, our worries and our fears. This is where a ‘great light’ is needed to dispel our inner darkness.

So, perhaps our often-repeated words can become a genuine prayer: ‘Turn on the light… please, Lord, YOUR light!’

Source: Images: Pixabay;   1wallpaper.net

 

Week of Christian Unity: 18 -25 January 2017

18 janvier 2017
Nicole Gregoire
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Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: 2 Cor.5:14-20, Church, divisions, prayer, reconciliation Christians, Unity

This year, we rejoice in the opportunity to pray with the Christians of Germany.

They have chosen as their theme “Reconciliation – The Love of Christ Compels Us,” inspired by 2 Corinthians 5:14-20.

They invite Christians around the world to celebrate God’s reconciling grace, call us to recognize the pain of the deep divisions which afflict the Church, and urge us to become ambassadors of Christ’s message of reconciliation.

 

Source: Text: The Canadian Council of Churches  Image: Protestant.org