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.

 

16th Sunday of Year B – 2021

15 juillet 2021
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: direction, eat, Mark 6:30-34, meaning, purpose, reason to die, reason to live, rest

It has been said that more than food, drink, or rest, what a human being needs is meaning.
What is most necessary, in life, is a sense of direction, a purpose for living.
The statistics about suicide given in the media support this affirmation.

This thought came to me as I read the gospel text of this Sunday (Mark 6:30-34).
In the scene presented to us, we see Jesus concerned about his apostles.
As they return from their teaching tour, Jesus is aware that they need to rest for a while.
To rest and to eat, because people are coming to listen to Jesus in such great numbers that his apostles have no time even to eat.

With them, Jesus crosses the lake to a lonely place, but the crowd has guessed their intention and meets them there.
Seeing these people in search of him, Jesus perceives their need:
the need to hear from him the words that give meaning to their existence.
They have discovered that his message gives a sense of direction to their daily life.

They, who are “like sheep without a shepherd” have found in Jesus the Shepherd who can guide them to what they want to be and to become.

If we think seriously about it, what all of us need, is it not a reason to live and… a reason to die?…

 

Note: Another reflection is available on a different theme in French at: https://image-i-nations.com/16e-dimanche-de-lannee-b-2021/

 

Source: Image: thechurchnews.com

15th Sunday of Year B – 2021

9 juillet 2021
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: Christians, Eph.1:3-12, Holy Spirit, imagess, photos, souvenirs

Many of us have collected, over the years, some pictures – photos of ourselves and our loved ones.
From time to time, we take out an album, or an envelope, where these souvenirs are safely kept.
We enjoy going through these mementoes and see what we looked like at different periods of our lives.

Do you have a picture of yourself as… a Christian, yes, as a follower of Christ?
I suppose that you wonder what this could be…

The different Bible texts that we are given to reflect upon each Sunday can serve this purpose:
to give us a picture of what a Christian looks like.
It happens that what is given to us to ponder over is absolutely… amazing!

Amazing because of what it says about God, yes, but amazing also because of what it tells us about ourselves!
The image of what a Christian is, what we are and what we have been made for.
It is the case with the 2nd reading of this Sunday where we find Paul’s words to the Ephesians (Eph.1:3-12). 

“The Father of our Lord Jesus Christ has blessed us…
He chose us…
He determined that we should become his adopted sons (and daughters)…
He has let us know the mystery of his plan…
We were claimed as God’s own…
We have been stamped with the seal of the Holy Spirit…”
 
I look at the words, I read again each sentence, and I find it absolutely astonishing!
This is what we are meant to be… if only we accept it!

Some will exclaim: “It is too good to be true!”
I personally believe that, since God is involved, it is too good NOT to be true!”

 

Note: Another reflection is available on a different theme in French at: https://image-i-nations.com/15e-dimanche-de-lannee-b-2021/

 

Source: Image: Twitter

14th Sunday of Year B – 2021

2 juillet 2021
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: 2 Cor.12:7-10, God's strength, God's tenderness, Hosea 11:3-4, Jeremiah 31:3, Matthew 11:29, power, Psalm 103, religions and gods, weakness

  Those who study the history of religions usually describe in detail their origin, the beliefs of different groups, their rituals, and the practices of their followers.

They present the attributes of the deity, or god, often referred to in the plural as there are many supernatural beings invoked.

 

One thing is of particular interest: the gods are shown as all-powerful trying to enforce their will on all.
They may even fight one another to impose their rule and obtain the allegiance of all the people concerned.

This came back to me as I read the 2nd reading of this Sunday (2 Cor.12:7-10) where Paul writes to the first Christians of Corinth.
He speaks of his own experience saying how he repeatedly pleaded with God to be freed from what he saw as a weakness in himself.

He then shares with the Corinthians God’s reply to him:
“My power is made perfect in weakness.”
 
An amazing statement, absolutely – it almost sounds… ‘ungodly’!
Our God does not want to overcome us with his power – he wants to draw us to himself in meekness.
The prophets and the psalms speak of kindness, gentleness, tenderness. (Psalm 103;  Jeremiah 31:3,9;  Hosea 11:3-4)

Ours is a humble God.
In Jesus, this is how he presents himself:
“I am gentle and humble in heart.”   (Matthew 11:29)

Can you believe it?!

 

Note: Another reflection is available on a different theme in French at: https://image-i-nations.com/14e-dimanche-de-lannee-b-2021/
 

Source: Images:   Egyptian gods: PhilArchive      Greek gods: education.toutcomment.com     Roman gods: vecteezy.com

13th Sunday of Year B – 2021

25 juin 2021
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: Churches, crowds, cultural events, faith, hope, Man of Nazareth, Mk.5:21-43, sport competitions

The woman we meet in today’s gospel (Mark 5:21-43) was affected with a disease considered shameful in her society – 
a condition that should be kept well hidden.
But well hidden also was the woman’s secret hope.

She had been hoping before, going from one doctor to another, spending all her money, and the disease never left her.
But this time, things could be different, she thought.
Now, her hope was strong and daring because of her faith in the Man of Nazareth.

She did not want to be seen, she did not want people in the crowd to know, but she was brave.
Her courage would bring her close to the Teacher.
She would find a way to come so close that she would be able to touch his garment.

She did and, immediately, her faith brought about what she had hoped for.
She was healed and she was praised, in front of everyone, by this Man who had cured her, freeing her from pain and shame.

Leaving for a moment this crowd of the time of Jesus, I look at the crowds of our time…

  • crowds at sports competitions of all kinds,
  • crowds at cultural events of all descriptions,
  • crowds at camping sites and beach resorts,
  • crowds in churches, yes, liturgical gatherings…

I ask myself: among all those people, are there some with this kind of deep faith and daring hope?…
And, closer to home… I look at myself… is there such a faith and hope in me?…

The very kind that obtains… miracles! 

 

Note: This gospel scene is presented in video format at: https://youtu.be/ZuxiEatESS0
and https://youtu.be/_K7rfk9mZ48
 
And another reflection on a different theme is available in French at: https://image-i-nations.com/13e-dimanche-de-lannee-b-2021/

 

Source: Image: Timothy Lutheran Bible Study

12th Sunday of Year B – 2021

18 juin 2021
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: drink, faith, food, God's care, Mk.4:35-41, sickness, sin, storm, Temptation

Some people enjoy making lists – lists of all kinds of things.
Names of places they have visited, names of stars of cinema or sports heroes,
names of best deals for items to buy, names of prospective clients for their business, etc.

I wonder if anyone has ever made a list of… temptations he, or she, has to grapple with!…
This could be an interesting – and possibly quite surprising – ­exercise!

I will not reveal here my own list of things I have to struggle with,
but I will tell you what I find perhaps the worst temptation.
It came back to me as I read the words of the apostles in the gospel of this Sunday (Mk.4:35-41).

The scene is well known to us: the apostles are caught up in a storm on the lake at nighttime.
The wind is terribly strong, the waves threatening, and the men can no longer cope with the situation.
As for Jesus, he is quietly sleeping through it all!

The gospel text says:
 “The disciples woke him and said to him,
“Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”
 
The temptation I spoke of is NOT that of fear, of weakness, or helplessness –
NO, these are only expressions of our being human.
The temptation – insidious, vicious, really – is to think that God does not care!
 
How many of us have not given in to this temptation at one time or another?
To think that God is too far, too great, too occupied with other people’s problems,
to be concerned with our own troubles!
To think that the nitty gritty of our daily lives is too insignificant for God to be bothered with it.
Would he lower himself to care for that?…
 
This is precisely what he has done in becoming one of us!
Food and drink, sickness and sin, and whatever comes with these situations –
this is precisely what he has been caring about… and continues to do so.

And we, “who have no faith”, are still tempted to ask him the question?!

 

Note: Another reflection on a different theme is available in French at: https://image-i-nations.com/12e-dimanche-de-lannee-b-2021/

 

Source: Image: Bijoux to Cara 

11th Sunday of Year B – 2021

11 juin 2021
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: 2 Cor.5:6-10, certainty, confidence, courage, faith, hope, trust

As we read different texts from Scripture, we are sometimes amazed at how bold some statements are.
Obviously, the writers are people of faith and they express their belief with strength and conviction.

To me, the first line of today’s 2nd reading (2 Cor.5:6-10) is a perfect example of this.
In his second letter to the first Christians of Corinth, the apostle Paul tells them:

“We are always confident…”
 
As I look at my own life, I ask myself whether I could say this in all truth…
Confidence, trust, relying on someone with the certainty that the person will not let me down nor fail me:
this can be quite risky, if not naïve, unrealistic, and immature.

It could be all of these things if the someone were not… God himself.
But it is to him that we confide our life and our very being.

Paul stresses “always confident…” 

In small things as well as in important matters.
In ordinary situations and in unusual circumstances.
On good and bad days, in joy and in sorrow, in success and in failure –
ALWAYS, at all times.

To be absolutely certain that God is and will be there.
He will give me strength, courage, hope, for whatever situation I find myself in.
He will provide all that I am in need of, whatever that may be, today, tomorrow and… all the ‘tomorrows’ to come!
 

Note: Another reflection on a different theme is available in French at: https://image-i-nations.com/11e-dimanche-de-lannee-b-2021/

 

Source: Image: Woman’s Day

World Oceans Day – 8 June 2021

8 juin 2021
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: animals, awareness, goals, plastic pollution, problems, solution, UN

« Love ocean, he will not betray you. »

On June 8, the entire world comes together for the largest water body surrounding us, which is the ocean. It is an important part of our earth as it provides us with water, the most integral element that we need in our daily lives.

However, over the years, the oceans have to bear the brunt of man-made destruction. From industrial waste to throwing unwanted litter, its degradation is destabilizing the earth’s dynamics with its natural resources that will lead to an eventual and unfortunate end.

Therefore, it becomes all the more important to save the oceans around the world.

World Ocean Day History

This was first suggested in 1992 during the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. The aim behind this was to not only celebrate the vast water body and its benefits in our lives but also to raise awareness about what can be done to make it a part of sustainable development. On December 5, 2008, a resolution was passed by the UN General Assembly to designate this day.

World Ocean Day Significance

UNESCO states that this day is observed to remind everyone that oceans are the lungs of our planet. Awareness is raised about how to conserve it and rescue it from the eventual degradation that is caused by our careless activities. Therefore, World Ocean Day is celebrated for this reason all across the world.

World Ocean Day Theme

This year, the theme of World Ocean Day is ‘The Ocean: Life and Livelihoods’. Owing to the pandemic, all the celebrations today will happen virtually.

World Ocean Day Quotes

  1. “Faith is knowing there is an ocean because you have seen a brook.” —William Arthur Ward
  2. « No water, no life. No blue, no green. »- Sylvia Plath
  3. « There is going to be no life. We are going to save our oceans. On the occasion of World Oceans Day, Let us join hands to save them. Happy World Oceans Day. »
  4. « You will love the ocean. It makes you feel small. But not in a bad way. Small because you realize you’re part of something bigger. »- Lauren Myracle
  5. Ocean is more ancient than the mountains, and freighted with the memories and the dreams of Time. – H. P. Lovecraft
  6. .Being out there in the ocean, God’s creation, it’s like a gift he has given us to enjoy. – Bethany Hamilton
  7. To me the sea is a continual miracle; The fishes that swim–the rocks–the motion of the waves–the ships, with men in them. What stranger miracles are there? – Walt Whitman

 

Source: Texte: www.timesnownews.com.    Image: latestly.com

World Environment Day – 5 June 2021

5 juin 2021
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: ecosystems, environment, green world, planet, plastic, pollution, restoration, UNEP

« On World Environment Day, the message is simple: reject single-use plastic. Refuse what you can’t re-use. Together, we can chart a path to a cleaner, greener world. » — Secretary-General, António Guterres

Humans are both creatures and moulders of their environment, which gives them physical sustenance and affords them the opportunity for intellectual, moral, social and spiritual growth. In the long and tortuous evolution of the human race on this planet a stage has been reached when, through the rapid acceleration of science and technology, humans have acquired the power to transform their environment in countless ways and on an unprecedented scale.

The United Nations, aware that the protection and improvement of the human environment is a major issue, which affects the well-being of peoples and economic development throughout the world, designated 5 June as World Environment Day. The celebration of this day provides us with an opportunity to broaden the basis for an enlightened opinion and responsible conduct by individuals, enterprises and communities in preserving and enhancing the environment. Since it began in 1974, it has grown to become a global platform for public outreach that is widely celebrated in more than 143 countries.

“Beat Plastic Pollution”
Each World Environment Day is organized around a theme that focuses attention on a particularly pressing environmental concern. The theme for 2018, “Beat Plastic Pollution,” is a call to action for all of us to come together to combat one of the great environmental challenges of our time. The theme invites us all to consider how we can make changes in our everyday lives to reduce the heavy burden of plastic pollution on our natural places, our wildlife – and our own health. While plastic has many valuable uses, we have become over-reliant on single-use or disposable plastic – with severe environmental consequences.

Annually, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) organises various events but this year, the day is being hosted by Pakistan. The UN General Assembly had established World Environment Day on the first day of the Stockholm Conference on Human Environment.

The theme for year`s World Environment Day is ‘Ecosystem Restoration.’ This year will also mark the formal launch of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030.

Source: Text: UN   Image: uniquenewsonline.com

Feast of the Body and blood of Christ, Year B – 2021

4 juin 2021
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: Body and Blood of Christ, dream, gift, Jn.6:51, Mk.14:12-16, Mk.14:22-26, promise, real presence

“A dream come true!”
We often hear this expression from someone who had been hoping for something and this very thing happens, or is given to the person.
The words are spoken spontaneously with jubilation.

This phrase came to me as I read today’s gospel text (Mk.14:12-16,22-26)
following the Alleluia verse (Jn.6:51) which says:

“I am the living bread that came down from heaven. 
Whoever eats this bread will live forever.” 
 
Jesus had spoken these words some years before on the day after he had fed the crowd having multiplied the   loaves.
Of course, the people had come back the next day… for more!
But, the ‘more’ which they received what Jesus’ promise of another kind of bread –
the one he was now providing during this Last Supper.

We could say, in our usual way of speaking, that it was for Jesus ‘a dream come true’.
He wanted to share with us his love and his life, a life that would endure for ever.
He found the way to do precisely this in giving us the Eucharist
which is known as the sacrament of his real presence.

This is what we remember and what we celebrate today on this Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ.
We do so as well every time we take part in his offering of himself in the Eucharist.

A dream come true.
A promise realized.
A life enduring for ever.
A gift beyond what we could have imagined or hoped for!

 

Note: Another reflection on a different theme is available in French at:

 

Source: Images: Catholic Current   The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Feast of the Holy Trinity, Year B – 2021

28 mai 2021
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: Christians, followers of Christ, God's children, God's Spirit, identity, Rom.8:14-17

There are things and situations which somehow leave us… uncertain.
We look at the different angles of a reality and we are perplexed…
We wonder whether we are right in our appraisal of a given situation.

Our identity could be one of them, who we really are.
Of course, we know who we are as human beings –
our personality, our qualities, our past experiences, our strengths and weaknesses,
our desires and hopes, our successes and failures, etc.

But what about our identity as… Christians?
Are we truly aware of what this means?
Are we conscious of what it entails, all the richness of this condition?
We recognize ourselves as followers of Christ, yes, members of the Church, yes.
And?…

Todays’ celebration, the feast of the Holy Trinity, tells us of the identity of… God.
But it also the reminds us of a wonderful aspect of our own identity as Christians.

Writing to the first Christians of Rome, the apostle Paul tells them (2nd reading: Rom.8:14-17):

“The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.”
 
Not only does our spirit tells us but God’s Spirit himself confirms this truth.
This text removes any doubt which we may have about who we are –
nothing less than God’s own children.

We have been “adopted” says Paul and he adds that we are:

“heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ.”
 
It is truly wonderful, it is absolutely astonishing!
Why do we not dare to believe in this God
and in the divinely transformed people that he has made us to be?!
 
Note: Another reflection on a different theme is available in French at: https://image-i-nations.com/fete-de-la-sainte-trinite-annee-b-2021/

 

Source: Image: pinterest.com