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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.

 

5th Sunday of Year C – 2022

4 février 2022
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: Apostle Peter, compassion, fear of God, image of God, Isaiah 6:1-8, Luke 15:11-32, Luke 5:1-11, prophet Isaiah, return, sins


The mention of the word GOD can bring different images to our minds, images and feelings.
Sad to say, often the first feeling that arises within us is… fear.
It has been so through the history of humanity – people have been afraid of the God they worshipped.

The 1st reading of this Sunday (Isaiah 6:1-8) shows the prophet Isaiah reacting in fear to the vision he is given:

 “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips…
and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.”

In the gospel (Luke 5:1-11), we see Peter, the apostle, who “fell at Jesus’ knees and said:
“Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!”

How long, indeed how long, does it take us to move from this picture of a fear-inspiring God,
to the picture of God that Jesus himself gave us – that of a God of tenderness and compassion.

In the parable of the Prodigal son – which is in fact that of the Prodigal God – (Luke 15:11-32) 
Jesus shows us, he literally shows us, what kind of a God his Father, and OUR Father, is:

  • a God who is NOT put off by our sins, no matter how shameful, but always ready to forgive us,
  • a God who is anxiously waiting for our return,
  • a God who bends to lift us up,
  • a God with no thought of punishment (as we so easily picture him) but only of showering on us his blessings of all kinds.

This is how God revealed himself in Jesus – nobody else would have dared to… ‘invent’ such a god…
Jesus became his incarnation, his very presence among us.

If this is not our image of God, then…
we need to abandon all other images of him and accept this ‘vision’ of him that is the true one.
 

Note: Another reflection on a different theme is available in French at: https://image-i-nations.com/5e-dimanche-de-lannee-c-2022/

 

Source: Images: istockphoto.com    bible.com    Worship House Media

Chinese New Year – 1 February 2022

1 février 2022
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: célébration, Chinese New Year, culture, cycles of the moon, Spring Festival, tiger, tradition

Paper style chinese new year background Free Vector

The holiday that’s celebrated by almost two billion people across the world, also known as Chinese New Year and Spring Festival, is upon us!

The holiday has a longstanding connection to the moon. Mainly observed in multiple countries in east Asia, the holiday is filled with rich culture and tradition that centers around the hope for good fortune and prosperity.

The Lunar New Year date is different each year, and is dependent upon one thing: the cycles of the moon. The lunisolar calendar tracks the phases of the sun and moon, in contrast to the commonly used Gregorian calendar which does not.

Although the date varies annually, it will always fall between Jan. 20 and Feb. 21 on the Gregorian calendar. Another constant is that each year has a corresponding animal from the Chinese zodiac, based on ancient Chinese mythology; 2022 will mark the Year of the Tiger.
The Lunar New Year falls on a different date each year, but the celebration typically lasts 16 consecutive days. This year, it starts on Lunar New Year’s Eve, beginning on Jan. 31, and ending on Feb. 15, 2022. Only the first seven days, Jan. 31 to Feb. 6, are considered a public holiday.
The Lantern Festival, also known as the Shangyuan Festival, is celebrated on the fifteenth day of the first month in the lunisolar Chinese calendar. A beautiful display of lanterns are lit and released into the night sky, signifying the final day of traditional Chinese New Year celebrations.

Lunar New Year is annually linked to one of 12 zodiac animals – each possessing their own character traits. The animals consist of Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig.

The animals are assigned based on a 12-year cycle, making 2022 the Year of the Tiger. The Tiger is known to be the king of all beasts, and is seated third in the Chinese zodiac order of animals.

 

Source: Text: people.com  Image: Freepik

4th Sunday of Year C – 2022

28 janvier 2022
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: difficulties, God's ways, Jeremiah 1:17-19, Jeremiah 1:4-5, learning, obstacles, problems, prophet Jeremiah, students

God’s ways are not our ways – we have been told long ago and we know it, perhaps… from experience!
The prophet Jeremiah had certainly learned this from experience!
The 1st reading of today is a good example of this (Jeremiah 1:4-5,17-19).

« Get yourself ready. Stand up!”

With these words, God sends Jeremiah on a mission:
“Pronounce my judgments on my people”.

The prophet may try to object that he is too young, that he does not know how to speak.
God does not listen to any of this and he adds some surprising words:
“Do not be terrified by them, or I will terrify you before them.”

Is this not strange?
We would think that God will encourage his prophet but these words sound rather like a threat…

However, God goes on with words of reassurance.
Referring to his rebellious people, God tells Jeremiah:

“They will fight against you but will not overcome you,
for I am with you and will rescue you”.

This is an obvious display of God’s ways:
God does not remove obstacles but helps his people to overcome them.

This was his method in the time of Jeremiah and…
it is rather clear that he has not changed his method in our own time!
We would prefer that he makes things easier for us, and then… we could manage on our own!
But precisely, God does not expect us to manage on our own! 

Problems, difficulties, failures, losses – all these are part of our daily life.
God who is all-powerful could take them away from our path.
He surely could, but he does not… and we have to believe that he knows what is best for us.

This kind of learning finds us… students all through our lives…
We need to learn that God does not expect us to manage on our own, he wants us to manage with him!

To us also God’s words are addressed:
“I am with you and will rescue you”.
 
Note: Another reflection on a different theme is available in French at: https://image-i-nations.com/4e-dimanche-de-lannee-c-2022/

 

Source: Image: chretiensaujourdhui.com

3rd Sunday of Year C – 2022

21 janvier 2022
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: compassion, frustration, God's presence, hope, ills, inspiration, Isaiah 61:1-2, Luke 1:1-4;, Luke 4:14-21

Listening to a speaker can be interesting, inspiring, or… frustrating.
The same can be said of listening to a preacher.
What makes the difference between inspiration and frustration?

You may think that some people are gifted speakers and others simply do not have this gift.
This is true, but there is something else that contributes to the result.
It is whether the person reaches the listeners personally –
reaches them by speaking of what touches them in their daily lives.

In today’s gospel, we see Jesus returning to “Nazareth where he had been brought up”. (Luke 1:1-4; 4:14-21)
Going to the synagogue on the sabbath, he is given the scroll and reads a text of Isaiah (Isaiah 61:1-2).
Then, giving back the scroll to the attendant, he sits down and starts preaching.

We are told:
“The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him.”

The people listen with anticipation, with a feeling of expectation that what they will hear may be good for them.
Listening to Jesus, their hear him speak of the poor, the prisoners, the blind, the oppressed.
He promises good news, recovery of sight and liberation.
To all, he proclaims “the year of the Lord’s favor.”
 
Had you been there on that day in Nazareth, would you not have listened intently?
I know that I would not have wanted to miss a word!

Some may say: “Yes but… that was long ago, and those words were not addressed to us.”
True, Jesus is not visibly present to us, and we cannot hear him pronounce what he said on that day.
But this does not mean that “the Lord’s favor” is no longer available to us.

In fact, his favors are plenty and they reach us in our day-to-day living.
The discoveries of science, and the ‘miracles’ – literally so – worked in the field of medicine are among God’s ways of healing us and curing many of our diseases.

And among us, there are people with genuine compassion – meeting them helps us to free ourselves from guilt and negative feelings.
Other people have a true understanding of events and situations – they give us a clearer vision of what is happening around us.
Others still are spiritual guides – their wisdom enables us to find our way when we no longer see the direction our lives should take.
All of them are making God’s presence and help available to us in their own way.

Not all our needs are met and not all our ills are cured…
We know that they will be… one day, and this is why we live in HOPE of that day!

 

Note: Another reflection is available on a different theme in French at: https://image-i-nations.com/3e-dimanche-de-lannee-c-2022/

 

Source: Image: Quora

2nd Sunday of Year C – 2022

14 janvier 2022
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: answers, God's presence, intervention, John 2:1-11, Luke 2:41-49, New Year, questions, request

Questions are very much part of our daily conversation – questions of all kinds.
We ask them from friends and neighbors, family members and colleagues.

The scene of today’s gospel gives us an example of such questioning (John 2:1-11).
At Cana, Mary approaches her son to mention the situation that has arisen at the wedding feast they are both attending:
“They have no more wine.”
 
Jesus answers his mother with a question:
 “Woman, why do you involve me?”
 
Hearing the question, Mary may have remembered another question, one asked by her son long ago.
At that time, Jesus was only twelve years old but he had already voiced such searching words (Luke 2:41-49).

On both occasions, Mary remains silent before Jesus.
But this time she speaks, not to him, but to those who will take part in what her faith dares to ask for:
« Do whatever he tells you », she says.

On her request, it seems that Jesus has anticipated the time – he calls it his hour –
to show something of God’s presence and God’s intervention for people.

Because this is exactly what Jesus does:
he manifests, he makes clear, that God does come to our help in time of need.
And a wedding feast short of wine is as good a place as any for him to show that he cares for people!

But there are also the questions that God, in turn, may ask of us!
God’s questions may reach us in different situations…

  • A reading from a book may suddenly awaken something in us…
  • An email, or a letter, from a friend may challenge us in an unexpected way…
  • A phone call from a relative may remind us of something we had pushed away from our awareness…
  • The sight of a generous gesture from a stranger may be an invitation to the best in ourselves…
  • A comforting word overheard from a patient in the waiting room of a clinic may inspire us with something we did not expect…

All of these, and many more, can transform themselves into questions – questions from God.

At the beginning of a new year, it may be helpful to hear anew these questions that we may not have dared to listen to until now…
And to remember Mary’s words: « Do whatever he tells you. »

We may be quite surprised at the result!…

 

Note: Another reflection on a different theme is available in French at: https://image-i-nations.com/2e-dimanche-de-lannee-c-2022/

And in a video, also in French, Teresa Penafiel shares her own thoughts on this scene of the wedding at Cana: https://youtu.be/XRKyex5S_uw

 

 

Source: Image: LDS Scripture Teaching

Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, Year C – 2022

7 janvier 2022
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: 'God-with-us', baptism, Hebrews 4:21, identity, Jesus one-of-us, Luke 3:15-16, Luke 3:21-22, proximity, saint Irenaeus, Sign

Among us, people, signs are very much part of our interaction.
A wink, a scowl, a frown, a shaking of the head – all of these give a message.
But to be truly meaningful, such signs need to be interpreted.
If not, then the message can be either lost or misunderstood.

Today’s gospel text, on the Feast of Jesus’ Baptism (Luke 3:15-16,21-22), offers us many signs indeed.
People coming to John to be baptized is the sign of their repentance from their sins.
John speaks of the untying the sandal straps; this was a sign of unworthiness as it referred to the work of a slave.
The fire mentioned by John is a sign of purification.
The dove descending from above is interpreted as the sign of God’s Spirit.

But no matter how meaningful these signs may appear, they are weak and poor in comparison to THE SIGN not yet mentioned.
This exceptional SIGN is that of Jesus himself being baptized.

He goes down into the water, just like everyone else.
Even when John the Baptist objects, Jesus insists to be treated like all others (Matthew 3:3-15).
What does this say?
What does it mean?

During the Christmas season just ended, we have remembered the name given to Jesus: God-with-us.
Jesus is indeed God-with us, but today, we are given to understand that Jesus is also one-of us.
And the author of the letter to the Hebrews dares to say that Jesus was

“in every way, just as we are – yet he did not sin” (Hebrews 4:21).

A close proximity, you may think.
More still: an amazing identity – this is the true meaning of the Incarnation.
Born like all of us, he will die as we will all do, to make us what he is:
true children of God!

Already in the 2nd century, Saint Irenaeus was teaching this extraordinary truth to the early Christians:
“The Son of God became the Son of man so that man might become a son of God”.

Ours is also an amazing identity!

 

Note: Another reflection is available on a different theme in French at: https://image-i-nations.com/fete-du-bapteme-du-seigneur-annee-c-2022/

 

Source: Image: Pinterest

Feast of the Epiphany, Year C – 2022

2 janvier 2022
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: caring, goals, Isaiah 40:11, king, Matthew 2:1-12, plan of God, plans, shepherd, watching over

At times, listening to some people talking, we may hear a person say:
“It’s all a question of planning”.
True, much in life depends on the plans we make to achieve our goals.

Strangely enough, this thought came to me as I reflected on the texts of this Feast of the Epiphany.
There are many plans mentioned in today’s gospel reading (Matthew 2:1-12).

We see three Magi, yes, Wise Men, planning for a long journey.
Their plan, in fact, is to find a new-born king – so they believe.
We meet a devious ruler, himself a king, having his own plans about a potential new-born rival.
Their quest having been rewarded, the three Wise Men make a new plan for the return journey.

But this summary has left out one more plan of the utmost importance: the plan of God!
While everyone speaks in terms of kingship, God speaks another language.
In the gospel text, we are told:

“You, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.”

A shepherd, this is the one who has come to us from God – God himself.
This is what God wants to be for us: someone who watches over us, someone who cares.
Long before his birth, the description of this shepherd had been made by the prophet Isaiah (40:11):

“He tends his flock like a shepherd:
he gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart;
he gently leads those that have young.”

Perhaps, at the beginning of this new year, this is something we need to learn:
to be shown the way,
to be led and…
to be carried when needs be!

 

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

 

Source: Images: allinnet.info    Wikipedia

Feast of Mary, Mother of God, Year C – 2022

31 décembre 2021
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: adult, angel, blessing, God gracious, God-one-of-us, Numbers 6:22-27, Psalm 67:1-8

Since the beginning of the Christmas season, we have been looking at a child in a manger,
or, looking at this new-born held close to her heart by his mother.

Personally, this has led me to think at what God… did NOT do!
We usually contemplate what God has done, but what about seeing the reverse?…

God wanted to reach us, the people he has created, to share his life with us, but…
He did not try to reach us as an angel.
He did not show himself with power.
And, amazingly, he did not come to us as an adult!

Yet, being God, he had a vast choice of options!
He chose to be born from a human mother, small and needy.

A God who must rely on human beings… rather unusual, is it not?

He wanted to be known as a GRACIOUS God.
This is what we hear in the 1st reading (Numbers 6:22-27)
and the Psalm (Psalm 67:1-8) of today’s celebration.

“The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you.”

“May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face shine on us.”

In becoming one-of-us, God has ‘graced’ us,
he has blessed us in all kinds of ways –
ways that we have never finished to discover and to understand!

The whole of the new year opening up before us will not be sufficient for this discovery…
But we can start opening the gift now, and doing so day after day!

 

Note: Another reflection is available on a different theme in French at: https://image-i-nations.com/marie-mere-de-dieu-annee-c-2022/

 

Source: Image: lds365.com

Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, Year C – 2021

26 décembre 2021
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: 'God-with-us', accepting others, differences, DNA, family, Holy Family, Luke 2:41-52, quilt

A family… the word evokes people, different people of course –
each with his/her own character, likes and dislikes, weaknesses and strengths.
Every single member has a personal history and… a personal DNA, of course!

This description brings to my mind the picture of… a quilt!
Yes, a piece of patch-work serving as a colourful blanket to some of us.

Looking at a quilt what is most striking is that it includes so many different pieces of various sizes and colours.
When starting to put them together, one may think that they will not match, or fit together.
One may fear that the final look may be unpleasant, even jarring.
And yet… the finished piece is so pleasant to the eye – a masterpiece, really.

And so is a family – or… so it should be!
People, different, yes, but accepting one another.
Perhaps strongly autonomous and original, but valued for what each contributes to the group.

Thinking about it… it was somehow the same with the Holy Family!
Mary, a young woman pregnant, not by the man she is promised to, but by God’s own Spirit!
Joseph, a decent young man, dreaming of soon bringing home his beloved; but he suddenly thinks he must make another plan…
A baby born like others, it seems, but is he only an ordinary child?…

When he grows up, his mother and adoptive father will have cause to wonder… (Luke 2:41-52). 
The birth had taken place during a journey  imposed by a political leader –
not in some cozy surrounding with a nice crib to welcome this new-born.
A shelter from the rain for shepherds, a ‘grotto’ people would call it nowadays.
But, in spite of this…

One, really only one, thing matters to that Family – and, in fact, to all our own families:
God is present to all that happens, to all that these people live –
a real patchwork of experiences,
each one blessed by the One who has made himself ‘God-with-us’.

Note: Another reflection is available on a different theme in French at: https://image-i-nations.com/sainte-famille-de-jesus-marie-joseph-annee-c-2021/

 

Source: Images: Wallpaper Access   Free Bible Images   Church of Jesus Christ

Nativity of the Lord, Year C – 2021

24 décembre 2021
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: 'good news', Christmas, faith, God's coming, home, joy, Luke 2:1-14, Nativity

Someone telling a group of friends that he, or she, has received some good news would set their minds thinking.
Their curiosity would lead them to try and guess what this piece of good news can be…
A promotion? Winning the lotto? Going on holidays?
Perhaps the visit of a loved one? Or, maybe, expecting a child?
If after a few moments enjoying the friends’ guessing, the person said:

“God has come to us, yes, he’s come to our home,” –
the reaction of the group would probably be one of silent… amazement!
The friends would be utterly bewildered…
GOD, GOD has gone to his/her home!

If these words were said, not in a joking fashion but as a statement of deep faith,
it might be an incentive for the listeners to become aware that…
the same thing could be true for them, the same good news!

In fact, this is precisely the message of the gospel on the feast of the Nativity (Luke 2:1-14).
The angel appearing to the shepherds tells them:

“Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy
that will be for all the people.”
 
Good news, great joy, and for everyone!

Those more discrete among us may not like to say openly:
“God has come to our home”,
and it may not be necessary to voice the words.

But what is necessary, what is essential, for Christmas to be truly Christmas is
to realize it deeply and…
to allow God to be at home with us!

 

Note: Another reflection is available on a different theme in French at: https://image-i-nations.com/nativite-du-seigneur-annee-c-2021/

 

Source: Image: verseoftheday.com