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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.

 

International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination – 21 March

20 mars 2016
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: bigotry, challenges, commitment, dignity, Durban Declaration, enslavement, fairness, human rights, intolerance, racial discrimination, racism, UN, xenophobia

2016 Theme: Challenges and Achievements of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action – 15 years after

The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is an opportunity to renew our commitment to building a world of justice and equality where xenophobia and bigotry do not exist. We must learn the lessons of history and acknowledge the profound damage caused by racial discrimination. »       Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

We need to fight racism everywhere, every day. But on 21 March – proclaimed by the General Assembly as the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination – all eyes are on the issue. This year, the International Day is devoted to challenges and achievements of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action – 15 years after the landmark document was adopted at the 2001 World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance in South Africa.

The Durban Declaration and Programme of Action is the most comprehensive framework for fighting racism and related forms of intolerance and discrimination. It represents the firm commitment of the international community to tackle these issues, and serves as a basis for advocacy efforts worldwide.

It contains a broad range of measures aimed at combating racism in all of its manifestations, and underscores the human rights of all groups suffering from racial discrimination, emphasizing their right to participate freely and equally in political, social, economic and cultural life.

2016

« Fifteen years after the Durban Conference very little progress has been made in tackling racism, afrophobia, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, » three human rights experts said.  There is a clear need for putting into practice what was agreed to in Durban. This year’s anniversary, following the 10-year anniversary observed in 2011, provides the opportunity to recommit to taking the actions outlined in the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, and for all countries, individually and collectively, to intensify efforts aimed at reducing instances of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.

Photo: “People of African descent have for centuries been victims of racism, racial discrimination and enslavement and of the denial by history of many of their rights… they should be treated with fairness and respect for their dignity and should not suffer discrimination of any kind.” – Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, 2001. UN Photo/Logan Abassi, Haiti 2012
Source: Text & Photo: UN website

Palm Sunday, C

17 mars 2016
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: Jn.12:13, Jn.13:2-11, Jn.18:33-38, Jn.19:15, Jn.5:41, Jn.6:15, Jn.8:37, Lk.19:38, peace, service, truth, Your kingdom come

Some years before, they had come to make him king. It was after the multiplication of the loaves. Imagine someone feeding a huge crowd with 5 loaves and two fish – this is the kind of king they wanted, the kind of king they needed. With him the social problems of their people would be solved in no time. So, in what we would call today a ‘populist movement’ they wanted to take him and crown him by force. But he had escaped to the mountain and spent the night there, praying (Jn.6:15).

Later, during some discussion with the Jews, he had told them: “Human approval means nothing to me” (Jn.5:41). But he knew that they did not believe his words and he told them clearly: “Nothing I say has penetrated into you” (Jn.8:37).

And then, unexpectedly, he sends two of his apostles to a village telling them to fetch a donkey, yes, a donkey. He sits on it and enters Jerusalem surrounded by a crowd crying out with joy: “Blessings on the King who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Lk. 19:38). Strange, this time he not only accepts this manifestation but he has, somehow, ‘stage managed’ it, people would say nowadays.

A king, on a donkey? Which earthly ruler would accept to be seen on such a mount?TriEntry3
A king without a territorial kingdom to claim as his own?
A king without soldiers to wage war in his name to spread his fame and his rule?
A king without servants – nay, a king who is THE servant?!

What does this mean?
What does it mean to his people?
What does it mean to HIM?
What does it mean to US?

In four days’ time, only 4 days, he will be seen doing the work of a slave, washing the feet of his apostles (Jn.13:2-11).
The following day, the crowd that had cried so loud: “Blessings on the King… ” (Jn.12:13) will now shout: “Crucify him!” (Jn.19:15).

When asked by Pilate if he is a king, he will not deny it but he will make it clear what kind of a king he is: the one who came to witness to the truth – not what the Roman prefect expected to hear – in fact, he did not even listen to the answer (Jn.18:33-38).
He is a king who brings peace to the world – the chants of the people have recognised this.

SERVICE – PEACE – TRUTH, perhaps this is the deep meaning of Palm Sunday…
The deep meaning of what we pray every day: “Your kingdom come…”

Source: Image: christianbiblereference.org

 

World Social Work Day – 15 March

16 mars 2016
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: dignity, recognition, rights, social work, social workers, society

ifsw_85303-6

World Social Work Day, held this year on 15 March, is an annual occasion when social workers around the globe highlight their work and receive the recognition their invaluable contribution to society – in countries all over the planet – deserves.

Source: Text & Image: The British Association of Social Workers

5th Sunday of Lent, C

10 mars 2016
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: condemnation, Isaiah 43:16-21, John 8:1-11, Ph.3:8-14, Pharisees, Psalm 126, salvation, the past, woman caught in adultery

The past… OUR past…
We can live in the past, with nostalgia…
We can cling to the past traditions and customs…
We can try to bury the past in forgetfulness…
We can try not to face the past because of it being too shameful or painful…

The 1st and the 2nd readings of this 5th Sunday of Lent (year C) speak about the past.
Through his prophet, Isaiah (Is.43:16-21), God tells us: “No need to recall the past, no need to think about what was done before. See I am doing a new deed.”

youtube 5th LentAnd Paul, writing to the Philippians (Ph.3:8-14), says about himself: “I forget the past and I strain ahead for what is yet to come.”

Why should we not cling to the past, or try avoiding it, or take refuge in it? Simply because God wants something new for us. And not only does he want it, but he makes it for us.

The gospel shows him doing exactly that (Jn.8:1-11). There, we meet a woman dragged before Jesus because of a past deed – shameful, sinful, yes. The Pharisees have brought her to the Master and their eyes accuse her as much as their words.freebibleimages.org

Jesus, for his part, does not even look at her. Not to shame her, he looks down to the ground and… writes in the sand! Then, it is to her accusers that he speaks. Soon, they have disappeared because they know well that from being the accusers they have become, silently, the accused…

Addressing the woman, Jesus does not say that what she did was not wrong but he helps her to go beyond the bad action. He helps her to forget the past and to look to the future. “Woman, has no one condemned you? Neither do I condemn you; go away and don’t sin any more.”Jesus forgets and forgives her past. This is how God is. God looks at our past to forgive it, if only we are sorry for what we have done. And he directs our eyes and our hearts to the future, to what he is preparing for us.

Today’s Psalm (Ps.126:1-2,3-6) says it beautifully: “When the Lord delivered (us), it seemed like a dream.”

Source: Images: youtube;      freebibleimages.org   

International Women’s Day 2016 – 8 March

7 mars 2016
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: 8 March, awareness, Ban Ki-moon, Gender equality, Planet 50-50 by 2030, UN

IWD2016_Banner_StepItUpMarch8March_RLB_0689_675x450-2The 2016 theme for International Women’s Day is “Planet 50-50 by 2030: Step It Up for Gender Equality”. The United Nations observance on 8 March will reflect on how to accelerate the 2030 Agenda, building momentum for the effective implementation of the new Sustainable Development Goals. It will equally focus on new commitments under UN Women’s Step It Up initiative, and other existing commitments on gender equality, women’s empowerment and women’s human rights.

Events
The official UN commemoration will take place in the Trusteeship Council at the UN Secretariat in New York City from 10 a.m.-12.45 p.m. It will consist of a series of musical performances and two panel discussions. The first, from 10-11.15 a.m., will reflect on what a gender-equal planet means and how to achieve it by 2030 by joining the efforts of the United Nations, governments, civil society and the private sector. For the second panel, entitled “The Push for Parity”, panelists will probe the progress made in achieving gender equality in the UN system, examine the challenges remaining and unpack how to mainstream gender perspectives from 11.15 a.m.–12.45 p.m. 

Also on 8 March, Deputy Executive Director Lakshmi Puri will ring the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange in New York at 9 a.m. Similar events will take place in 34 countries around the world as part of joint awareness-raising efforts with the Global Compact.
Around the world, UN Women is organizing International Women’s Day events in more than 40 countries, including: a friendly hockey match between a men’s and women’s team in Tanzania on 5 March; a march and cycling rally in New Delhi, India on 6 March; a festival with live musical and dance performances in Palestine on 8 March; marches, a football match and painting expositions across Albania from 5-8 March; and a women’s “run to Step It Up” in São Paulo, Brazil on 20 March—to name just a few.

Speeches and messages
UN Secretary-General’s message for 2016
“We have shattered so many glass ceilings we created a carpet of shards. Now we are sweeping away the assumptions and bias of the past so women can advance across new frontiers,” says UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in his message for International Women’s Day 2016.

UN Women Executive Director’s message for IWD 2016
“Each one of us is needed—in our countries, communities, organizations, governments and in the United Nations—to ensure decisive, visible and measurable actions are taken under the banner: Planet 50-50: Step It Up for Gender Equality,” says UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka in her message.
For International Women’s Day messages from the UN system, visit Women Watch.

– See more at: http://www.unwomen.org/en/news/in-focus/international-womens-day#sthash.6QgbZZ4w.dpuf    Source: Text & Image: UN Women

World Day of Prayer – 6 March

5 mars 2016
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: Christian women, Cuba, oecumenical movement, prayerful action, solidarity, World Day of Prayer

World_Day_of_Prayer_Logo.svgThe World Day of Prayer is a global ecumenical movement which brings Christians of many traditions together to observe a common day of prayer each year. Through preparation and participation in the worship service, we can come to know how our sisters of other countries, languages and cultures understand the Biblical passages in their context. We can hear their concerns and needs and can feel ourselves in solidarity with them as we pray with and for them. In this way, it is possible to enrich our Christian faith as it grows deeper and broader in an international, ecumenical expression.

The motto of the World Day of Prayer movement is Informed Prayer and Prayerful Action. Through our participation in the World Day of Prayer, we affirm that prayer and action are inseparable and that both have immeasurable influence on the world.

World Day of Prayer in Canada
The World Day of Prayer began in the 19th century when Christian women of Canada and the United States started to be involved in missions at home and in other parts of the world. Since 1812, women have encouraged one another to engage in personal prayer and take leadership in communal prayer within their mission auxiliaries and associations.

Source: Text: Women’s Inter-Church Council of Canada  Image: Logo, World Day of PrayerCuba-cover-Art-website-257x300

World Day of Prayer takes place internationally on the first Friday of March every year. In 2016 that will be March 4th. If you can’t celebrate World Day of Prayer on the first Friday in March, choose another date that works for your community and you can celebrate in symbolic solidarity with women around the world!

The host country for WDP 2016 is Cuba. The women of Cuba call us to explore the depths of God’s love and accept the invitation to receive the realm of God as a little child (Mk. 10:13–16).

Source: Text & Image: World Day of Prayer USA

World Day of the Fight Against Sexual Exploitation – 4 March

4 mars 2016
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: human rights, prostitution, sexual exploitation, slavery, trafficking, UNICEF

sex exploit www.dreamstime.comEvery year since 2009, 4th March has been designated as World Day of the Fight Against Sexual Exploitation. Although there are exceptions, sexual exploitation overwhelmingly involves women and children, and it is a problem of worldwide proportions.

It has been estimated that every second of the day an average of eight women, girls and often young boys, are trapped by international criminal networks where the sole aim is to sexually exploit them, traffic them and enslave them. This process obviously robs them of their basic human rights, including their right to freedom, their dignity, their right to live where they choose and the right to control their own bodies.

Although the problem is a worldwide one, some places are more vulnerable than others. These include areas in Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe and some Latin American and Caribbean countries. Trafficked women from these areas are generally taken to destination countries in the so-called developed world for the purposes of prostitution. Although older teenage girls can be involved in this traffic, younger girls and boys who are involved in sexual exploitation will generally stay close to their region of origin.

UNICEF estimates that more than 3 million children worldwide are affected by prostitution and that children make up more than a third of all sex workers in Asia. (…)

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) estimates that nearly a million people are trafficked every year for purposes of sex ual exploitation. Although 98% are women and girls, this number also includes a significant number of boys and young men. The major international crimes are trafficking in drugs and weapons, but sexual trafficking follows closely behind and is now a highly lucrative international criminal industry.

According to the ILO, human trafficking for sexual exploitation makes between US$ 7 billion and $12 billion a year on the initial « sale ». However, once the victims of trafficking arrive in the destination country and are exploited, a further US$32 billion will be generated by the « industry ».

See more at: http://www.earthtimes.org/politics/world-day-fight-against-sexual-exploitation/2289/#sthash.kowtrjUw.dpuf
Source: Image: www.dreamstime.com    2nd Image: https://wcdevents.home.blog/march/worlddayoffightagainstsexualexploitation/

4th Sunday of Lent, C

3 mars 2016
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: extravagance, forgiving, giving, Lk.15:11-32, Prodigal Father, Prodigal son

In many public places, the decor of the waiting-rooms displays some works of art: it can be paintings, sculptures, framed texts, etc.
It is always interesting to look at such pieces and to look also at the titles given to these items.
More than once, I have observed that, surprisingly, the name given to the art works does not correspond to the subject matter of the exhibits. It simply does not reflect what is shown!

Strangely enough, I have the same feeling with the gospel story of this 4th Sunday of Lent (year C): the parable of the Prodigal Son (Lk.15:11-32).
To me, the title should be: The Prodigal FATHER.njchodae.net
In Jesus’ story it is not the son who is prodigal but the father!
It is indeed the father who is giving, and giving again, to his undeserving son, and forgiving him without questioning.

The attitude of someone prodigal is that of a person giving lavishly, over-abundantly, not measuring, not keeping count, piling up good things on a loved one. Such giving, giving with such profusion, some people would qualify of… extravagance!

This was the father’s way:
– giving in to the son who wanted his inheritance there and then;
– keeping hope that the ‘lost’ son will return one day;
– watching the horizon to see if he is not on the way;
– welcoming him back with deep joy;
– no questioning, no checking on what happened, where the son went, how he spent the money and with whom – nothing of the sort: only a warm embrace that restores the son to his right place near the father, no matter the indignation and the recrimination of the other son.

I must admit that… I have never met such a father among the people I live with and those I meet wherever I go.
But… I can say that I have met one – the very One Jesus told us about – who gives more than can ever be expected, or hoped for…
No matter how far we have strayed, no matter how mean and selfish we have shown ourselves to be: an overwhelming welcome is given to us, day after day, after day….
I know from experience what ‘prodigality’ is – God’s own, I mean!

Source: Image: njchodae.net