image-i-nations trésor

14th Sunday of Year B

 An author of spiritual books (Gerard W. Hughes) has published one under the title: The God of surprises.
His reflections are pertinent and helpful.

After reading it, I was thinking to myself: ‘Were I to write a book of spiritual reflections,
I would give it the title: The God of… paradoxes’.
This is one aspect of God that I find fascinating and sometimes… more than a little disturbing!…

He is a God who has decided to… become a human being – He took on our flesh (Jn.1:14).
He who knows all things had to learn how to speak.
He who is all-powerful had to depend on a woman of our race to answer his needs as a child.
He who created the world and all it contains had nowhere to lay his head (Lc.9:58).

What triggered this reflection of mine is the text of the 2nd reading of this Sunday
(14th Sunday, Year B – 2 Cor.12:7-10) where God tells the apostle Paul:
“My power is made perfect in weakness.”
 
It is Paul who tells us again:
“The foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom,
and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.” (1 Cor.1:25)

This is the God who enabled Paul to say from experience:
“That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses…
For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
 
Paradoxes… but then, is Christian living not a life of paradoxes?

  • Hoping against hope (Rom.4:18).
  • Walking as if one saw the invisible (He.11.27).
  • Finding life in death (Jn.11:25).

The God of PARADOXES… my God… your God?   

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

Source : Images : Goodreads   covervault.com  YouTube

 

Easter Sunday, C

time-is-god-coming-back-to-life_friedrich-nietzscheTime-is-god-dead-Friedrich_Nietzsche, redone“God is dead” – the idea has been proclaimed already in 1882 by the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche.

In fact, this statement could have been voiced – in all truth – on the first ‘Good Friday’, on that day when Jesus was crucified and died on the cross. In Jesus, God-made-man, had died as all human beings do.
And some 40 hours or so later, someone could have proclaimed – again in all truth: GOD IS ALIVE – for this is what Jesus’ resurrection is about!

The simple, astonishing, amazing, staggering truth that GOD IS ALIVE in our midst – this is what we celebrate at Easter.
Who can believe this? Precisely, only those who have… faith.

No miracle is convincing enough for anyone who is not ready to accept this.crosswalk.com
No sign is obvious enough for anyone who does not want to see.
No proof is satisfactory for anyone who wants to entertain doubts.
No argument is conclusive enough for anyone who is not ready to make the leap… of faith!

You ask: Is it not irrational? The Corinthians thought so and were told: “God’s foolishness is wiser that human wisdom” (1 Cor.1:25).
You wonder: Is it not childish? Long ago, we have been reminded: “Unless you become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Mt.18:3).

The texts telling us of the resurrection of Jesus can remain stories relating some event that happened in the past and… belongs there!
Or, they can provide us with the moment that becomes ‘a point of no return’ – the decision of committing ourselves to Him who opens up to us a life beyond all we could dream of, or hope for…

Source: Images: www.age-of-the-sage.org         crosswalk.com