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.

 

Pentecost, Year A

1 juin 2017
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: afraid, anxieties, ask for the Spirit, Easter, fear, God's Spirit, Jn.20:22, joy, security, transformation, worries

“The doors were closed (‘locked’, says another translation) in the room where the disciples were for fear of the Jews.”      

Have you ever been really afraid?
If so, you surely remember the experience!
In a threatening situation, it seems we can’t think straight!
We try to figure out the best course of action but it eludes us.
We may sweat profusely while debating whether fight or flight is the best option.

Fear can be a very powerful inhibiting element.
It can paralyze us in a strange way.
It can prevent us from doing or saying what we would want to do or say.

While the disciples were hiding behind closed doors, Jesus comes to them and we are told:
“The disciples were filled with joy when they saw the Lord.”
The situation is completely transformed: fear has given place to joy – the joy of feeling secure.
This security is given by the presence of the Lord now with them.

Then, Jesus breathing over them says: “Receive the Holy Spirit…” (Jn.20:22).

On today’s feast of Pentecost we, too, are meant to welcome God’s own Spirit. 
He is the one who will enable us to overcome our fears of all kinds.
He is the one who will free us from paralyzing anxieties and crippling worries.

The security and peace we long for, he is the one who can give them to us.
We need only ask, as Jesus has told us repeatedly in the texts of the Easter season.
Indeed, we need only ask… it is that simple!

Source: Image: Discerning Hearts

World Communications Day – 28 May

28 mai 2017
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: 'good news', Ascension, evil, Is.43:5, journalists, Pope Francis, responsible approach, Saint Francis de Sales, solutions, writers

The Holy See on 24 January 2017, the liturgical memorial of Saint Francis de Sales, patron saint of writers and journalists, released the Holy Father’s Message for the 51st World Communications Day.

The Message of Pope Francis is entitled « Fear not, for I am with you (Isaiah 43:5): Communicating Hope and Trust in our Time ».

In 2017, World Communications Day will be celebrated on 28 May, which in Canada is the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord. In his Message, the Pope expresses his desire « to contribute to the search for an open and creative style of communication that never seeks to glamourize evil, but instead to concentrate on solutions and to inspire a positive and responsible approach on the part of its recipients. I ask everyone to offer the people of our time storylines that are at heart ‘good news’. »

Source: Text: CCCB,  Image: catholicbishops.ie

 

International Missing Children’s Day – 25 May

25 mai 2017
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: abandoned swing, anniversary, child abductions, disappearance, exploited children, forget-me-not flower, media attention

Background

National Missing Children’s Day was first observed in 1983, following a proclamation by U.S. president Ronald Reagan. In the years 1979 to 1981, a series of child abductions shocked the American public. 

Ethan Patz was six years old when he disappeared on his way to school on May 25, 1979. Although he was never found, the boy was legally declared dead in 2001. His case received a large amount of media attention and ultimately lead to the formation of the missing children’s movement. National Missing Children’s Day falls on the anniversary of his disappearance.

Abandoned swing as a symbol of the missing child.             The forget-me-not flower is the symbol of International Missing Children’s Day.

Source: Text: timeanddate.com   Image: cute calendar, heyevent,   Source: Text & Image: International Centre for missing and exploited children
 
 

 

Ascension of the Lord, Year A

25 mai 2017
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: affirmation, Bible Texts, consolation, conviction, healing, Mt.28:16-20, Presence of God, promise, strength, truth, wisdom

In the Bible, there are many texts which are truly beautiful.
They are inspiring, encouraging, consoling.
They give light, they provide strength, they bring healing.
They can lead to the truth, instill wisdom, and enrich our daily life in so many ways.

When I ask different people what their favourite verse is, they come up with different answers which express what, for them, is most important and helpful.

For me, one verse which I find especially meaningful is the last sentence of today’s gospel (Ascension, Year A – Mt.28:16-20):

“I am with you always, yes, until the end of time. »

A clear affirmation.
More still: a promise, simple and straightforward.
No condition, no restriction.
No limitation, no reservation.

It is expressed in the present –a present that is continuous, on-going, permanent.
If only… we accept it with an unshakable conviction and allow it to be realised in our lives, day after day…

Source: Image: Pinterest

World Day of Biodiversity – 22 April

22 mai 2017
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: awareness, business, community engagement, contribution, devlopment, ecosystems, habitat restoration, integration, mobilization, resource, sustainability, sustainable tourism, targets, threats, values, wildlife

Biodiversity and Sustainable Tourism
This theme has been chosen to coincide with the observance of 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development as proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in its Resolution 70/193 and for which the United Nations World Tourism Organization is providing leadership.

Biodiversity, at the level of species and ecosystems, provides an important foundation for many aspects of tourism. Recognition of the great importance to tourism economies of attractive landscapes and a rich biodiversity underpins the political and economic case for biodiversity conservation. Many issues addressed under the Convention on Biological Diversity directly affect the tourism sector. A well-managed tourist sector can contribute significantly to reducing threats to, and maintain or increase, key wildlife populations and biodiversity values through tourism revenue.

Tourism relates to many of the 20 Aichi Biodiversity Targets. For some Targets (for example 5, 8, 9, 10 and 12) this is primarily about ensuring greater control and management to reduce damage to biodiversity from tourism. For others (1, 11, 15, 18, and 20) this is about pursuing the positive contribution of tourism to biodiversity awareness, protected areas, habitat restoration, community engagement, and resource mobilization. A further dimension is the better integration of biodiversity and sustainability into development policies and business models that include tourism, thereby supporting Aichi Biodiversity Targets 2 and 4.

Source: Text & Image: Convention on Biodiversity 2017, Ottawa

6th Sunday of Easter, Year A

18 mai 2017
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: apostles, Gn.1:2, Holy Spirit, Jn. 14:15-21, Presence of God, Spirit of truth, the Advocate, The Father, Wis.1:6

During the years he spent with his apostles, Jesus had spoken very often of THE Father, HIS Father.
I imagine that they had, somehow, got an idea of who he was… God, the God of their ancestors, and Jesus was his special messenger.

But the HOLY SPIRIT…?…
I ask myself what the apostles understood when Jesus mentioned him.

Of course, there is a mention of the spirit hovering over the waters in the creation narrative (Gn.1:2).
The book of Wisdom also speaks of God’s Spirit (Wis.1:6).

But in today’s gospel (6th Sunday of Easter, Year A – Jn. 14:15-21), Jesus describes THE Spirit – the one the Father will send in his name – as a living being that will interact with the apostles.

“I shall ask the Father,
and he will give you another Advocate,
to be with you for ever, the Spirit of truth…
He is with you, he is in you.”

The apostles discovered the deep meaning of this reality – the reality of this special Presence of God – throughout their lives.

The same is to take place in our own lives… from day to day.

Source: Image: www.pinterest.com

World Telecommunications Day – 17 May

17 mai 2017
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: awareness, évolution, goal, information, internet, invention, satellite, telephone

World Telecommunications Day celebrates the constant evolution of one of the most important factors of our lives: communication. The main goal of World Telecommunications Day (WTD) is to highlight the importance of communication and how information travels across the world. It also aims to increase awareness of how crucial communication is in our lives, and stimulate the development of technologies in the field.

The World Telecommunications Day is in tight connections with the International Telegraph Union (ITU), the committee formed in 1865 to support the emerging communication methods of the time. ITU was present throughout all the great breakthroughs in communication – the invention of the telephone in 1876, the launch of the first satellite in 1957 and, ultimately, the birth of the Internet in the 60s. Even though The International Telegraph Union has since changed its name to International Telecommunications Union, it still remains the most important entity in the field of communications, thus remaining in the spotlight at World Telecommunications Day.

Source: Text & Image: DAYS of the YEAR   TESSCO parabolic antenna

 

Fair Trade Day – 13 May 2023

13 mai 2017
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: achievements, bananas, campaigns, Climate change, coffee, contribution, decent wages, economic crisis, exploitation, impact, jeans, objectives, poverty, vulnerable populations, working conditions

We here in the first world take our coffee, bananas, jeans and sneakers for granted, but there are many people in other countries that are not so lucky. Every day, tens of thousands of people in various Asian, African and South American countries – men, women and even children – work themselves to the bone in nearly unbearable conditions for pennies so we can continue to enjoy those things. However, there are many people in this world who feel that everyone deserves decent wages and working conditions, regardless of where they live, and these people have created Fair Trade Day.

Fair Trade Day is a global event that aims to draw attention to the objectives and achievements of the Fair Trade movement. The Fair Trade movement campaigns to improve the lives of workers and small producers, especially those within developing economies, by asserting their rights and raising their visibility within international trade. The movement invites consumers to participate in its campaign by choosing Fair Trade alternatives to existing products.

The History of Fair Trade Day
World Fair Trade Day was created by the the World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO) in 2004, though the WFTO itself came into existence 15 years earlier, in 1989. WFTO is a global association of 324 organizations in over 70 countries, and Fair Trade Day takes place on the second Saturday of May of each year, and it is an inclusive worldwide festival of events celebrating Fair Trade as a tangible contribution to the fight against poverty and exploitation, climate change and the economic crisis that has the greatest impact on the world’s most vulnerable populations.

Source: Text & Image: DAYS of the YEAR

5th Sunday of Easter, Year A

12 mai 2017
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: being disciple, going to the Father, gospel, Jn.14:7-14, Life, message of Jesus, reach God, truth, way

There are some who say: “It is a pity we do not know enough the message of Jesus…”
I sometimes think to myself: “It is a pity we know too much the words of Jesus…”

This may sound surprising but I believe there is some truth in the second statement.
What I mean is that, so often, when the text of a given gospel is being read to us, from the start we may think:
“Oh, I know that story of Jesus…” and we switch to… other thoughts!
The text is so familiar that we think we know it… enough to pass on to something else which may be of more concern to us at the moment.

This reflection came to me as I read the text of this Sunday (5th Sunday of Easter, Year A – Jn.14:7-14).
Jesus says clearly: “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.
                                   No one can come to the Father except through me.”

After the first words, you could have completed the sentence yourself – you probably know the text very well.
But have the words not surprised you?
Have they not raised some questions in your mind?

Did you notice that Jesus did NOT say: “I know a way to reach God, I will show you the way to the Father.”
NO, he said: “I am THE Way.”

He did NOT say either: “I know the truth; I know all truth, I can teach you whatever is true.
NO, he said: “I am THE Truth.”

Again, he did not say: “I can give you life, life to the full, a life that will go on for ever.”
NO, he said: “I am THE Life.”
 
If you know from experience the feeling of being lost… of not knowing what is real and true in life… of not living really but only… well, existing, as some will admit – then, these words of Jesus will have a special meaning for you.

So, it seems obvious, does it not?
Following him we will have found THE Way, we will have discovered THE Truth, we will indeed be living THE Life he meant for us.

It is all a matter of following him… some do so at a distance, sometimes wandering far away for a while.
Others keep him in sight but follow their own paths…
And there are those who follow him closely, placing their steps in his own…
I would say: this is the meaning of being a disciple of his, would you not?

Source: Image: Dreamstime.com

 

 

 

World Lupus Day – 1 May

10 mai 2017
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: antibodies, autoimmune disease, awareness, body, cure, fatigue, inflammation, kidney problems, pain, rash

Imagine being bothered by sunlight, being covered in a rash, suffering fatigue, mouth sores, kidney and joint problems, as well as experiencing substantial hair loss and the swelling of lymph nodes. Sounds awful, doesn’t it?

World Lupus Day was created to help us understand that this seemingly random grab bag of symptoms is actually a debilitating, chronic autoimmune disease suffered by approximately 5 million people worldwide, with 1.5 million of them living in the United States alone. In short, lupus causes the immune system to become overactive, creating antibodies that attack healthy tissue causing pain, inflammation and damage in a given part of the body.

Although lupus can be fatal, there is currently no known cure. Sadly, a large majority of people have little to no idea about lupus, often confusing it with arthritis, a much less serious disease. Many people have no idea lupus even exists until they themselves or somebody they know is diagnosed with it. This is the problem World Lupus Day was created to combat.

The History of World Lupus Day

World Lupus Day was created by Lupus Canada in 2004 to raise awareness of this little-known disease that can have devastating effects on sufferers and their families. It was organised by lupus organisations from thirteen countries, who called for their governments to increase funding for research, provide better patient services, increase epidemiological data and raise awareness.

Ever since then, the day has been observed in an increasing amount of countries all over the world. A high profile supporter of World Lupus Day is musician and philanthropist Julian Lennon, who is a Global Ambassador. Other celebrities who have made sizable contributions to the Lupus Association of America are Daniel Radcliffe, Lady Gaga and Ian Harding.

Source: Text: DAYS of the YEAR  Images: Journée Mondiale, Dreamstime.com