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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.

 

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   

 

 

 

International Day of Happiness – 20 March 2022

20 mars 2022
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: Bhutan, freedom, generosity, governments, happiness, need, policies, societies

The International Day of Happiness is observed every year all over the world on March 20 to highlight the importance of happiness in the lives of people.

The day recognizes happiness as the one of the most important need of human being and also highlights why it is essential to discuss about it. Apart from the individual happiness it also focuses on over societies happiness, countries happiness. So it guides governments, organisations so they can make public policies or corporate policies which can improve happiness quotient of the people in country or for any specific organisation also.

History of International Day of Happiness 2022

The United Nations started to celebrate the International Day of Happiness in 2013 but a resolution for the same was passed on July 12, 2012. Bhutan was the first country which emphasized on the importance of national happiness in 1970s. They brought the concept of Gross National Happiness over Gross National Product.

It shows that just by increasing GDP or income of the people it doesn’t guarantee happiness. But there are other factors which also plays major role in happiness of the person. The World Happiness Report, evaluates global happiness from various countries and then publish the happiness report before World Happiness Day on March 20. To rank various countries on happiness it considers six characteristics like GDP per capita, social support, life expectancy, freedom to make choices, generosity, and perception of corruption.

 

Source: Text: The Free Press Journal   Image: pexels

3rd Sunday of Lent, Year C – 2022

18 mars 2022
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: attention, burning bush, Exodus 3:1-15, God's ways, Moses

Do you sometimes wonder at… God’s ways?
What he does can be quite astonishing…
And, at times, the way he deals with us, human beings, can leave us rather puzzled.

The scene presented in the 1st reading of this Sunday is indeed surprising (Ex.3:1-8,10,13-15).
We see a bush burning but not diminishing in size and not being consumed by fire.
Quite unusual a sight, really.

It is the way God has chosen to draw the attention of Moses –
in fact, to draw Moses himself to God’s presence.
God intends to send him to his people to make himself known to them.

I pause and… I wonder…
I look at my life and I ask myself what are the ways that God uses to draw MY attention…
What is my own ‘burning bush’?

And… what can I say about God to people?
What does he want me to reveal to them of who he is and what he wants to be for us?

The burning bush can lead to an interesting personal discovery…
of God, and of myself…
 

And another reflection, on a different theme, is available in French at: https://image-i-nations.com/3e-dimanche-du-careme-annee-c-2022/

 

Source: Image: YouTube

 

 

 

2nd Sunday of Lent, Year C – 2022

11 mars 2022
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: blessings, crédit, faith, Genesis 15:17-18, Genesis 15:5-12, God's help, trust

In times of need, in times of shortage of money, some people risk using the ‘credit’ option –
they decide to get some commodities on credit and… pay later.
Different forms of advertising invite them to do precisely that.
Some shopkeepers will accept to extend credit to customers, others will not.

It is interesting to note that God himself is ready to go along with the ‘credit option’ in our favor! 
He did it for Abram, as the 1st reading of this Sunday tells us:

“Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness” (Genesis 15:5-12,17-18).

God gives credit… on one condition, could we say, and that is: that we believe in him.
It is as simple as that.
God is ready to give us – abundantly – his blessings of all kinds provided we trust him.

He will count it as credit for us that we rely on him with a faith that does not waver.
A faith that does not doubt either his power, or his readiness to come to our help.

Confident belief, trustful reliance on God, this can obtain so much!
Just see for yourself…

Note: A blog, in French, gives another perspective of the 1st reading: https://image-i-nations.com/le-jour-ou-dieu-a-invite-abraham-a-faire-de-lastronomie/

Published 3 years ago for a special occasion, its message remains still valid:

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

 

Source: Image: youtube.com

 

 

 

 

 

World Kidney Day – 9 March 2023

10 mars 2022
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: awareness, disease, health, kidney, transplantation

About the Day

World Kidney Day is a global campaign aimed at raising awareness of the importance of our kidneys.

World Kidney Day comes back every year. All across the globe many hundred events take place from public screenings in Argentina to Zumba marathons in Malaysia. We do it all to create awareness. Awareness about preventive behaviors, awareness about risk factors, and awareness about how to live with a kidney disease. We do this because we want kidney health for all.

World Kidney Day is a joint initiative of the International Society of Nephrology  (ISN) and the International Federation of Kidney Foundations (IFKF).

Our Mission

World Kidney Day aims to raise awareness of the importance of our kidneys to our overall health and to reduce the frequency and impact of kidney disease and its associated health problems worldwide.

Our Objectives

  • Raise awareness about our “amazing kidneys” Highlight that diabetes and high blood pressure are key risk factors for Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD).
  • Encourage systematic screening of all patients with diabetes and hypertension for CKD.
  • Encourage preventive behaviours.
  • Educate all medical professionals about their key role in detecting and reducing the risk of CKD, particularly in high risk populations.
  • Stress the important role of local and national health authorities in controlling the CKD epidemic. On World Kidney Day all governments are encouraged to take action and invest in further kidney screening.
  • Encourage Transplantation as a best-outcome option for kidney failure, and the act of organ donation as a life-saving initiative.

 

Source: Text & Image: www.worldkidneyday.org

International Women’s Day – 8 March 2022

8 mars 2022
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: challenges, climate, crisis, Gender equality, leaders, poor, vulnérable, Women

Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow

Advancing gender equality in the context of the climate crisis and disaster risk reduction is one of the greatest global challenges of the 21st century.

Women are increasingly being recognized as more vulnerable to climate change impacts than men, as they constitute the majority of the world’s poor and are more dependent on the natural resources which climate change threatens the most.

At the same time, women and girls are effective and powerful leaders and change-makers for climate adaptation and mitigation. They are involved in sustainability initiatives around the world, and their participation and leadership results in more effective climate action.

Continuing to examine the opportunities, as well as the constraints, to empower women and girls to have a voice and be equal players in decision-making related to climate change and sustainability is essential for sustainable development and greater gender equality. Without gender equality today, a sustainable future, and an equal future, remains beyond our reach.

This International Women’s Day, let’s claim “Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow”.

 

Source: Text: United Nations  Image: Vector Stock

 

1st Sunday of Lent, Year C – 2022

4 mars 2022
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: goal, honor, Lent, pilgrimage, promises, protection, Ps.91:14-15, what God does for us

Usually, our reflection is on a theme taken from one of the readings.
However, today we will focus our attention on the Psalm of today’s celebration, Psalm 91.

This Sunday opens the period of Lent and we start today our Lenten pilgrimage.
A pilgrimage, a journey to a destination, to a goal that we plan to attain.
We are not setting on a leisurely walk, we are moving intending to reach a goal.

To do so, many of us are considering what we will do to come to our destination.
What if we changed the perspective?
What if we no longer kept our attention on what WE will do
but rather saw – at long last, perhaps – what GOD is ready to do for us?

In Psalm 91, the author lists what he is convinced God will do for the person who acknowledges him as God.
If we trust him and rely on him, God will guard us from harm, he will protect us from danger of all kinds.

Suddenly, the Psalmist is… interrupted, as if God cuts him short!
It seems that God wants to speak for himself!
We then hear these amazing words:

“Because he/she loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him/her;
I will protect him/her, for he/she acknowledges my name.
He/she will call on me, and I will answer him/her;
I will be with him/her in trouble,
I will deliver him/her and honor him/her.”   (Ps.91:14-15)
 
We often think that we should make promises to God,
but here it is God himself who makes these wonderful promises to us.
God commits himself, he speaks words that are really astonishing.
Not only will he rescue and protect us, he will be with us in our troubles and deliver us.

Have you ever thought that God would… honor you?
This is how he concludes his promise – he will honor us!
 
If we allow ourselves to be inspired by these words,
a quiet serenity will be ours as we progress on the Lenten journey.
 
 

Note: Another reflection on a different theme is available in French at: https://image-i-nations.com/1er-dimanche-du-careme-annee-c-2022/

 

Source: Image: flickr