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.

 

World Braille Day – 4 January

4 janvier 2017
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: blind people, braille, Charles Barbier, Louis Braille

The History of World Braille Day
Louis Braille, the inventor of braille, was born in France on January 4th, 1809. Blinded in both eyes in an accident as a child, Braille nevertheless managed to master his disability while still a child.

Despite not being able to see at all, he excelled in his education and received scholarship to France’s Royal Institute for Blind Youth. During his studies, inspired by the military cryptography of Charles Barbier of the French Army, he developed a system of tactile code that could allow the blind to read and write quickly and efficiently.

Braille presented the results of his hard work to his peers for the first time in 1824 when he was just fifteen years f age. In 1829, he published his first book about the system he had created, called “Method of Writing Words, Music, and Plain Songs by Means of Dots, for Use by the Blind and Arranged for Them”.

The braille system works by representing the alphabet letters (and numbers) in a series of 6 dots paired up in 3 rows. The simplicity of his idea allowed books to start being produced on a large scale in a format that thousands of blind people can read by running their fingertips over the dots. Thanks to this, blind students have the opportunity to be educated alongside their peers as well as read for pleasure just as easily as any seeing person can.

Source: Text & Image: DaysoftheYear

World Day of Peace – January 1st

1 janvier 2017
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: dignity, governments, international life, likeness of God, Message Pope Francis, nonviolence, peace, peacemaking, respect, values

Pope Francis has chosen “Nonviolence: A style of Politics for Peace” as the theme for the 50th World Day of Peace, commemorated each year on January 1st . This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Catholic Church’s World Day of Peace. Inspired by both St. Pope John XXIII’s encyclical Pacem in terris and his own encyclical Populorum progressio, Pope Paul VI introduced the commemoration of the World Day of Peace in 1967; it is now celebrated every year on the first day of January.

Source: Text & Image: Collaborative Center for Justice, USA

«Non-Violence: A Style of Politics for Peace». This is the title of the Message for the 50th World Day of Peace, the fourth of Pope Francis.

« I wish peace to every man, woman and child, and I pray that the image and likeness of God in each person will enable us to acknowledge one another as sacred gifts endowed with immense dignity. Especially in situations of conflict, let us respect this, our “deepest dignity”, and make active nonviolence our way of life.

This is the fiftieth Message for the World Day of Peace. (…) On this occasion, I would like to reflect on nonviolence as a style of politics for peace. I ask God to help all of us to cultivate nonviolence in our most personal thoughts and values. May charity and nonviolence govern how we treat each other as individuals, within society and in international life. When victims of violence are able to resist the temptation to retaliate, they become the most credible promoters of nonviolent peacemaking. In the most local and ordinary situations and in the international order, may nonviolence become the hallmark of our decisions, our relationships and our actions, and indeed of political life in all its forms. »

Source: Text: Vatican, Libreria Editrice Vaticana

Feast of Mary, Mother, Year A

29 décembre 2016
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: Christmas, Gal.4:4-7, getting used to, God's plan, God's Son, human being, Mary Mother of God, New Year, praise, wonder

There are attitudes which can be helpful and make life easier and more pleasant. Other ways are less conducive to growth and happiness. One of these is called: ‘Getting used to’… Of course, the repetition of certain tasks can make them easier to perform. Exercise and practice can make one more proficient. But this does not apply to understanding some realities.

You may wonder where this reflection is leading to. These thoughts came to me while reading the letter to the Galatians (2nd reading, Year A – Gal.4:4-7) where we are told that God’s Son was “born of a woman”. We repeat it every time we pray the Creed: “He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary.”

Do we ever stop at this point unable to go on out of sheer amazement? Has it ever happened that other people around us went on reciting the text while we remained in total wonder at this extraordinary reality: GOD IS THE CHILD OF A HUMAN MOTHER. The fact is that we have got ‘used to it’… It somehow seems that the words flow of themselves as if things could not be otherwise – we have repeated them for so long!

Only God can make such plans: to involve a human being like us for his own Son to become precisely this: a human being like us. This is what we celebrate at Christmas, and this is what we celebrate today on this Feast of Mary, Mother of God.

In fact, what we celebrate is: God who needs – God wanting to be in need: is this not astonishing? –in need of a created being to carry out His design. Mary said ‘Yes’ not only to a baby of her own, but to… a son of God’s own, and yet… a son or her own!

Is this not enough to keep us in wonder and praise for the whole of this new year?!

Christmas, Year A

23 décembre 2016
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: 'God-with-us', birth of a child, event, glorifying God, helplessness, human history, Lk.2:15-20, Mt.1:23, power, proverbs, strength, weakness, wisdom

Proverbs often have much wisdom encapsulated in a few words. They convey the popular wisdom which has much to tell us about life and situations.

At one time or another, you may have heard this saying: “There is more to it than meets the eye.” Looking at a situation, observing the attitude of someone, a friend or neighbour may have whispered these words: “There is more to it than meets the eye.” The person would have acknowledged that what he saw, what she noticed, was “not the whole story”, as they say.

These words are truly appropriate for what we are celebrating at Christmas – what we see, or… think we see! – as we look at a Nativity scene. The scene itself may be very ordinary or quite elaborate, it may show only the new-born child with his mother and father, or display as well the humble visitors and the royal guests that are part of the longer narrative.

Yes…

  • We look at a baby – We are to see God himself;
  • We look at poverty – We are to see the riches of God;
  • We look at weakness – We are to see the strength of God;
  • We look at helplessness – We are to see the power of God;

Indeed, we look at a simple situation: the birth of a child – We are to see the most extraordinary event in human history: God who has become a human being like us.

He has chosen the name he was to be called: “God-with-us” (Mt.1:23) – this is what He is, what He wants to be for each one of us. There is no situation – except that of our refusal – which can render this obsolete.

The gospel text (Lk.2:15-20) tells us, that having seen the new-born child, the shepherds “went back glorifying and praising God.” What more could we do?

Source: Image: Answers in Genesis          

                                                                                                                                                     

International Human Solidarity Day – 20 December

20 décembre 2016
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: awareness, Development Goals, diseases, diversity, fear, forced migration, global cooperation, governments, hunger, international agreements, poverty eradication, protect the planet, UN

« Global problems require collective solutions. At a time of divisiveness on many key global issues, from armed conflict to forced migration, people need to turn toward each other in common cause, not away from each other in fear. » — UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon

This year’s celebration of Human Solidarity Day comes after leaders of the world adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which is a new, inclusive development agenda — succeeding the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) — to eradicate poverty, protect the planet and ensure dignity for all.

The new SDGs agenda is centred on people & planet, underpinned by human rights and supported by a global partnership determined to lift people out of poverty, hunger and disease. It will be thus be built on a foundation of global cooperation and solidarity.

International Human Solidarity Day is:
a day to celebrate our unity in diversity;
a day to remind governments to respect their commitments to international agreements;
a day to raise public awareness of the importance of solidarity;
a day to encourage debate on the ways to promote solidarity for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals including poverty eradication;
a day of action to encourage new initiatives for poverty eradication.

Source: Text & Image: UN

World Day of Migrants and Refugees – 18 December

18 décembre 2016
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: Church, cooperation, equitable distribution, humanitarian crises, international interdependence, Mercy, migrants, Pope Francis, refugees, solidarity

The theme chosen by Pope Francis for 2016 is “Migrants and Refugees Challenge Us.  The Response of the Gospel of Mercy.”
“The tragic stories of millions of men and women daily confront the international community as a result of the outbreak of unacceptable humanitarian crises in different parts of the world,” writes Pope Francis.

“Indifference and silence lead to complicity whenever we stand by as people are dying of suffocation, starvation, violence and shipwreck,” he continues. “Whether large or small in scale, these are always tragedies, even when a single human life is lost.”

The Message also states:
“The Church stands at the side of all who work to defend each person’s right to live with dignity, first and foremost by exercising the right not to emigrate and to contribute to the development of one’s country of origin.  This process should include, from the outset, the need to assist the countries which migrants and refugees leave.  This will demonstrate that solidarity, cooperation, international interdependence and the equitable distribution of the earth’s goods are essential for more decisive efforts, especially in areas where migration movements begin, to eliminate those imbalances which lead people, individually or collectively, to abandon their own natural and cultural environment.”

Source: Text: Vatican Radio  Image: www.acmro.catholic.org.au/resources/migrant-refugee

4th Sunday of Advent, Year A

15 décembre 2016
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: 'God-with-us', home, Lk.2:8, Lk.9:54, opening the door, Ps.97

At one time or another, you may have found yourself in this situation: as you approach the house or a person you intend to visit, you detect a movement at the window: a curtain is pulled slightly and you can recognize the person you hope to meet.

You ring the bell, or knock at the door but… no answer. You try again, but again your ringing or knocking obtains no reply. Yet, the person is there, no doubt about it. You may feel disappointed, even annoyed. You may ask yourself questions…

I believe the Lord knows from experience how this feels.At one time or another, you may have found yourself in this situation: as you approach the house or a person you intend to visit, you detect a movement at the window: a curtain is pulled slightly and you can recognize the person you hope to meet.

I believe the Lord knows from experience how this feels.
For him, it started over 2,000 years ago when people would not open their door for his mother to give birth to him – “There was no place for them at the inn….” (Lk.2:8).
Later on, some people would not even allow him to pass through their village… (Lk.9:54).

And this experience may repeat itself for him in our own time when people – when we – do not open the door of our lives to him…
He knocks and may keep on knocking, but… he is still standing at the door, waiting… waiting for us.
We say that Advent time is a period of waiting – could it be that it is so for Him too?…

The response to the Psalm (Ps.97) of this Sunday (4th Advent, year A) says: “Let the Lord enter…”
Simply this: to allow him to come in, to welcome him to share our day-to-day experiences.
We know that his name is “God-with-us”, this is what he wants to be for each one of us.

When welcoming people to their homes, people often say: “Come in, come in, make yourself at home!”
Perhaps these are the very words the Lord is waiting to hear from us…
‘Welcome, Lord, make yourself at home!’
This could be the best Christmas prayer we can make!

Source: Image: Pinterest

International Human Rights Day – 10 December

10 décembre 2016
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: ambitions, basic needs, food, goals, human rights, priority, shelter, water

Every so often a thing comes to pass that is of such astounding importance that we must stand up and recognize it. We must place this thing on the pedestal it deserves, and ensure that the precepts and policies put in place by it are adhered to, appreciated, and spread as far as the human voice will carry. Such is the sort of message sent by Human Rights Day.

History of Human Rights Day
Human Rights Day was established in 1948, and ever since that auspicious day it has stood as the first major stride forward in ensuring that the rights of every human across the globe are protected. From the most basic human needs such as food, shelter, and water, all the way up to access to free and uncensored information, such has been the goals and ambitions laid out that day.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was a shout across the world by the leading countries in the world, stating loud and clear that no matter where we live, what we believe, or how we love, we are each individually deserving of the most basic fundaments of human needs. Every year Human Rights Day marks conferences around the world dedicated to ensuring that these ideals are pursued, and that the basic Human Rights of every person is made a priority in the global the basic Human Rights of every person is made a priority in the global theater.

Source: Text & Image: Days of the Year

 

World Day on Climate Change – 8 December

8 décembre 2016
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: Climate change, hope, Marrakech, opportunity, political commitment, solidarity, sustainable development, UN

 

A shift towards a new era of implementation and action on climate change and sustainable development has been signaled by Heads of State, Heads of Government and Delegations from all over the world through the Marrakech Action Proclamation. (Marrakech, 17 November 2016)

The Proclamation celebrates the unstoppable global momentum on climate change and sustainable development action by governments, businesses, investors, sub-regional government and cities.

It calls for the highest political commitment to build on that momentum so that climate action can fully support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals for the benefit of people and the planet.

The statement issued at the end of the gathering said: « Our climate is warming at an alarming and unprecedented rate and we have an urgent duty to respond… As we now turn towards implementation and action, we reiterate our resolve to inspire solidarity, hope and opportunity for current and future generations. »

Source: Text & Image: UN