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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.

 

2nd Sunday of Easter, Year C – 2022

22 avril 2022
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: apostle Thomas, GOD LORD, John 20:17, John 20:19-31, personal God, prayer, repeating, Risen Lord

Repeating things – speaking again the words already said – we do it very often.
To remind someone of something, to explain something voiced before, to make sure people have understood.
We do it with people and for people, and we do it also… with God!

Yes, it is something that is often part of our relating to God.
Is it that we fear he has forgotten some of our requests?
Is it that we think he likes to be reminded?
Is it that we like to make sure that we have asked properly?

Returning to God again and again, for whatever reason, is not bad.
He may indeed be happy with our coming again to be in his presence!

But… there may be a danger in repeating…
The danger is that we, ourselves, may no longer be very attentive to what we say.
We may be used to the words our lips pronounce again and again and…
our mind and heart may be busy somewhere else!

I think especially of some of our prayers.
And today, I think more specifically of the words of Thomas, the apostle, in today’s gospel (John 20:19-31) –
the words he spoke to Jesus when seeing his wounds:

“My Lord and my God!”

It is a very meaningful expression of faith and we do well to repeat it.
But, as the words come to our lips, is our mind really present, is our heart expressing itself personally?

Jesus is indeed the Risen LORD and he is truly GOD, we are convinced of this.
But what about the small word ‘MY’?
Is Jesus-the-Lord-God really ‘MY’ Lord and ‘MY’ God?

When he had risen, Jesus met Mary Magdalen in the garden, he told her:
“Go to my brothers and say to them,
‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God’.” (John 20:17)

When Jesus spoke these words, he may have had something in mind…
he obviously stressed that God is OUR Father and OUR God.

It may be good to… REPEAT our reflection on this so as to appropriate Jesus’ message…
to appropriate especially… God as OUR God
as truly as Thomas did on that night as he met the Risen Lord –
not as a remote Being, but as a very personal God
who wants to be present to our daily experience whatever it may be.
 

Note: In a video presentation, Thomas, the apostle (personified by Arnold Rodriguez) tells us of his experience with the Man of Nazareth: https://youtu.be/kp1eb-oBH6w

And another reflection, on a different theme, is available in French at: https://image-i-nations.com/2e-dimanche-de-paques-annee-c-2022/

 

Source: Images: The Better Fundraising Company    www.churchofjesuschrist.org

Earth Day – 22 April 2022

22 avril 2022
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: Children, climate, green future, health, livelihood, planet

All TOGETHER now!

This is the moment to change it all — the business climate, the political climate, and how we take action on climate. Now is the time for the unstoppable courage to preserve and protect our health, our families, our livelihoods… together, we must Invest In Our Planet.

Because a green future is a prosperous future.

We need to act (boldly), innovate (broadly), and implement (equitably). It’s going to take all of us. All in. Businesses, governments, and citizens — everyone accounted for, and everyone accountable. A partnership for the planet.

And while there is still time to solve the climate crisis, time to choose BOTH a prosperous and sustainable future, and time to restore nature and build a healthy planet for our children and their children, time is short.

The Earth Day 2022 Theme is Invest In Our Planet. What Will You Do?

 

Source: Text: www.earthday.org    Image: www.radio.gov.pk

Easter Sunday, Year C – 2022

16 avril 2022
Nicole Gregoire
2 Comments
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: believe, body, conversations, encounters, events, John 20:1-9, linen cloths, meetings, Risen Lord, see, stone

A stone rolled away…
A corpse… missing…
“Strips of linen lying there”…
Cloth wrapping the body “still lying in its place”…
All these are seen, noted, but…

No body lying there, NOBODY present!
Yet, the gospel text tells us that when John had witnessed this scene,

“He saw and believed.”  (John 20:1-9)
                                                             
Daily events…
Regular meetings…
Occasional encounters…
Ordinary situations…
Unexpected happenings…
Unusual occasions…
Overheard conversations…
Surprising details…

Which of these?
All of these?
At times… sometimes… could be… will be… the signs that could lead us
to make the personal experience that John made.
We will see and believe.

We will NOT see any body – not ANYBODY – but we will perceive a presence.
We will recognize the Risen Lord with us as surely as he was 21 centuries ago!

 

Note: And another reflection, on a different theme, is available in French at: https://image-i-nations.com/dimanche-de-paques-annee-c-2022/

 

Source: Image: christianity.com

 

 

 

Good Friday, Year C – 2022

14 avril 2022
Nicole Gregoire
2 Comments
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: 1st century, 21st century, actors, betrayal, blindness, denials, guilt, innocence, Isaiah 53:12, John 18:1 – 19:42

The Good Friday celebration includes, of course, the text of the Passion of Jesus (John 18:1 – 19:42).
The version is that of John, he who was present up to the very end as events unfolded.

He was there at the time… we come more than 2000 years after.
We know well – too well, perhaps – what happened.
Reading about the Passion on the left page of our Bible,
we know that, on the right page, we will read that Jesus rises from the dead!
Can were capture something of the reality of what Jesus has experienced?

The Passion of Jesus – it is… humanity at its most contemptible… and at its most noble, its most… divine!

Some people call this… a drama… they identify the ‘actors’…

‘Actors’ of the 1st century…
Betrayal (Judas)
Triple denial (Peter)
Blind religious leaders (scribes and Pharisees)
Escapist authority in power washing its hands (Pilate)
The guilty freed, his condemnation assumed by the innocent (Barabbas)
Sycophant attitude of a servant who slaps the innocent (an official at the High Priest’s residence)
Shameful absence of friends (the apostles)

‘Actors’ of the 21st century…
OUR betrayals…
OUR denials…
OUR blindness…
OUR escapism and lack of responsibility…
OUR substitution of guilt for innocence …
OUR subservient attitude…
OUR shameful absence…

The contemporary scene can take on all the shadows and dark aspects of the original one.
But this is not the ending… it has never been…

“Because he poured out himself to death,
the righteous one, my servant, shall make many to be accounted righteous.”  (Isaiah 53:12,11)

The innocent one, the righteous one, has made us innocent and righteous.
His humanity betrayed and beaten has uplifted and ennobled our humanity.

Being saved… is nothing less!
And the cost to Him… was no less!
                                                             

Note: Another reflection, on a different theme, is available in French at: https://image-i-nations.com/vendredi-saint-annee-c-2022/

 

Source: Image: Fox Nation – Fox News

Holy Thursday, Year C – 2022

13 avril 2022
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: Holy Spirit, Jesus washing feet, John 13:1-15, question, understand

Parents sometimes ask their children: “Do you understand?”
A teacher will ask the same question to a class of students.
A contractor may use the same words addressing workers at a building site.

« Do you understand? »

When, at the  Last Supper, Jesus asked this question from his apostles (John 13:1-15),
his voice must have carried a special accent and intensity.
He had just been washing their feet – he, their Master.
In spite of Peter’s objection, he had done this work usually done by a servant.

“Do you understand what I have done to you?”

The apostles may have thought they did, yet soon after, it was obvious that they had understood very little.
They would need their whole life, they would need, in fact, the help of the Holy Spirit to understand –
understand what God had done to them… through Jesus.

What if the question were addressed to us?…
We are, indeed, confronted to the same questioning day after day:
Do we understand what God does to us… for us?…

Do we understand the kind of God he is?
Do we understand what he has made us to be… and what he wants us to become?

Perhaps we, too, need the help of the Holy Spirit and…
the understanding may come to us all through our life.
                                                             

Note: And another reflection, on a different theme, is available in French at: https://image-i-nations.com/jeudi-saint-annee-c-2022/

 

Source: Image: churchofjesuschrist.org   

 

 

 

International Day for Street Children – 12 April

12 avril 2022
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: abuse, protection, rape, street children. delinquents, threats, violence

New York, 12 April 2012 – “It is easy to get beaten if you are a street boy. People can rape you. There is nothing you can do but run away if you are lucky”

Boy, 12 living in the street. Eastern and Southern Africa. 2005 (UN Study on Violence against Children)

“In joining the commemoration on April 12 of the International Day for Street Children, I reiterate my strong support to the promotion of the rights of children living and or working on the streets, including their protection from all forms of violence.

In many countries around the world, children living and/or working on the streets face hostile perceptions; they suffer neglect, marginalization, violence and abuse, are often labelled as delinquents, perceived as a social threat, and stigmatized by the media and society as a whole.

As noted by the UN Study on Violence against Children, many of these are demonized for activities which – even when they involve petty offences – in no way warrant the kind of cruel and gratuitous violence these children endure.

Challenging perceptions around these children is a question of urgency and a crucial dimension of the protection of their rights! This is why I strongly welcome the attention given to this topic by this year’s commemoration of the International for Street children!”

International Consortium for Street Children

 

Source: Text: UN    Image: International Police Association

Palm Sunday, Year C – 2022

8 avril 2022
Nicole Gregoire
2 Comments
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: God close to people, inspiration, intuition, John 6:15, jubilation, Luke 19:28-40, praises, recremination

The following reflection is about the Gospel at the beginning of the celebration before the blessing of the palms (branches) (Luke 19:28-40). A meditation on the gospel of the Passion will be given on Good Friday.

A day of jubilation.
A day where acclamation and recrimination compete surrounding a man coming into Jerusalem on a donkey.
With cries of joy, the crowd acclaims him as the descendant of king David.
The man’s adversaries want them to be shut up.

The scene is familiar but…
What is less familiar is Jesus’ attitude – in the past, he has been avoiding attempts to make him king (John 6:15).

And now, he accepts readily the glorious welcome that people give him – he seems to delight in it!
He does not shut up the people shouting praises but those who want to silence them.

None of the gospel texts tells us why Jesus acted in this way…
Jesus himself did not explain the reason of this unusual display of mastery –
he, himself, had arranged it having sent two of his apostles to get the donkey in the first place!

We cannot guess, or imagine, what led him to do this – whatever we think is pure fantasy.
But possibly – perhaps – Jesus could have wanted these ordinary people to know that they were right…
They were right in recognizing him as God’s messenger in their midst.
They come close to him rejoicing that God has made himself close to them…

An approximation… an intuition… an inspiration… as to what, WHO the real God is –
a God close to us, ever present to all that we live. 
Could this intuition be ours… and could we delight in it as much people did on that day!

 

Note: Another reflection, on a different theme, is available in French at: https://image-i-nations.com/dimanche-des-rameaux-annee-c-2022/

 

Source: Images: Pinterest    stringfixer.com    churchofjesuschrist.org

 

 

 

International Day of Sport for Development and Peace – 6 April 2022

6 avril 2022
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: development, future, hope trust, interest, peace, power, sports

“Sport has the power to align our passion, energy and enthusiasm around a collective cause. And that is precisely when hope can be nurtured and trust can be regained. It is in our collective interest to harness the tremendous power of sport to help build a better and more sustainable future for all. »
– UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed

Securing a Sustainable and Peaceful Future for All: The Contribution of Sport

The International Day of Sport for Development and Peace (IDSDP), which takes place annually on 6 April, presents an opportunity to recognize the positive role sport and physical activity play in communities and in people’s lives across the globe.

Sport has the power to change the world; it is a fundamental right and a powerful tool to strengthen social ties and promote sustainable development and peace, as well as solidarity and respect for all.

In recognition of sport’s broad influence, the global theme of IDSDP 2022 is, “Securing a Sustainable and Peaceful Future for All: The Contribution of Sport,” which creates an opportunity for the Day’s celebrations to promote the use of sport as a tool to advance human rights and sustainable development. Under this theme, UN Headquarters in New York will recognize the role of sport in addressing the climate crisis and will highlight actions to lower greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate against climate change.

Sport is in a unique position to display leadership, to take responsibility for its carbon footprint, engage in a climate neutral journey, incentivize action beyond the sporting sector, and play a major role in amplifying awareness among its billions of spectators, facilitators and participants at all levels. With the need for urgent action growing more dire every day, the relationship between sport and climate must be better understood and ways of developing policies and taking concrete action to help reverse the impact of climate change through sport must be communicated to as wide an audience as possible.

Today, our world faces generational challenges, from poverty and hunger, to climate change to the COVID-19 pandemic. More than ever, we need to overcome our differences and unite as one team working together to tackle these obstacles and create a safer, more peaceful, and more sustainable future for all.

 

Source: Text: www.un.org/en/observances/sport-day   Image: Unesco

 

 

5th Sunday of Lent, Year C – 2022

1 avril 2022
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: answer, cell phones, compassion, computers, John 8:1-11, question, sand

Our days are filled with messages sent and received on many platforms –
computers, cell phones, tablets – these tools are available at our fingertips, literally.
The more traditional media – books, magazines, periodicals – are still in use to contact people.

But have you ever received a message written on… sand?
This is surely not the usual mode of communication nowadays! 
Amazingly, we see this in today’s gospel (John 8:1-11) – we see Jesus writing in the sand.

What did he write? What was the message he wanted to make known?
No one can say…
Did the Pharisees read it? Did they realize that the words were meant for them?
Impossible to assert…
Did the woman make out the characters traced by Jesus’ finger?
Did this give her courage, hope to be spared the stoning prescribed by the Jewish Law?
This, too, is unknown.

It is after the question voiced by the religious leaders, that Jesus bent down to write in the sand.
Their question was:

“Now what do you say?” 

Obviously, the leaders were more concerned with condemning Jesus than condemning the woman!
The gospel writer adds immediately:

“They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.”

The answer of Jesus is framed in silence and… in the sand – there is no need for more.
This answer has all the power that compassion can offer.
The leaders leave, and the woman is forgiven.

And… the same can happen today…
 

Note: A video presents this gospel scene where Jeannie Calavrias personifies the Woman caught in adultery; it can be found at: https://youtu.be/lH5ZJSjSItI

And another reflection, on a different theme, is available in French at: https://image-i-nations.com/5e-dimanche-du-careme-annee-c-2022/

Source: Image: shop.catholic.com

 

 

 

4th Sunday of Lent, Year C – 2022

25 mars 2022
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: bitterness, compassion, émotions, feelings, freedom, hunger, Luke 15:1-3, Luke 15:11-32, need, pleasures, regret, The Father, the Spirit

In many ways, feelings and emotions mold our personalities.
They mark our actions and reactions.
They influence much of what we live, for better or for worse.

Today’s gospel is filled with emotions (Luke 15:1-3,11-32):
The eagerness of sinners to hear Jesus.
The frustration of the Pharisees seeing them at the table.
The desire for freedom of the younger son.
The compassion and generosity of the father.
The anger of the jealous brother.

In this whole panorama describing human attitudes, there is one verse that stands out.
It refers to the young man and says:
“He came to himself” (v.17).
 
And this has been quite a long journey indeed!
He has gone through a whole landscape of feelings.

 

His desire for freedom, his enjoyment of life’s pleasures,
his hunger and need, the awareness of what he has lost,
his regret, his planning to return home,
the preparation of his ‘confession’ to his father,
and… finally setting on the road…
with, probably, more than a little bitterness.

This was the l o n g  process of ‘coming to himself’…
And, strangely enough, it had to take place before he could come to his father!

This may be the experience we need to make in this period of Lent:
We have to come to ourselves.
We have to become aware of what lies deep within us –
become aware and acknowledge what makes us act and react as we do.

Then, with all that ‘inhabits’ the depths of our being,
we will be able to set on the way to return to our Father.

This may involve a long pilgrimage but the Spirit can accompany us every step of the way…
If we allow him to do so…

                                                              

And another reflection, on a different theme, is available in French at: https://image-i-nations.com/4e-dimanche-du-careme-annee-c-2022/

 

Source: Images: Free Bible Images