Recherche

image-i-nations trésor

child

Feast of the Epiphany, Year B – 2021

2 janvier 2021
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: child, doubfaith, Epiphany, guide, joy, king, manifestation, recognition, Sign, star

The text of the gospel of the Feast of Epiphany is well known to us.
We could repeat with much detail the story of the Magi searching for the new-born king and their visit to him.

Yet, every year, there seems to be in the text something that speaks in a new way.
This year I stopped at the following words:

   “We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
 
 “After they had heard the king, they went on their way, the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 
When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.”

A star appears and guides people on their way…
But these people want to be sure… so they go and consult a king – a king should know, they suppose…

Is it that they no longer see the star?
Has this mysterious sign in the sky disappear?
Or, is it that the travelers no longer trust the sign?
Or is it that they do not rely on the faith they had at first that the star is a reliable guide?

I see there, a pattern, a pattern often recurring in our daily lives.
At first, we trust a message received, a sign given to us –
it seems clear, yes, like a star.
But after a while it is no longer so clear, in fact, at times it seems to have vanished completely.
We doubt the sign, and often we doubt ourselves.

Or, is it that we do not recognize the one who gave the sign?
On this feast of Epiphany – the word means ‘manifestation’ – it could be an ideal occasion to…
contemplate anew the One who has come to us.

A contemplation that leads to the recognition of Him and…
of the signs he gives us on our way, from day to day.

Note: Another reflection on a different theme is available in French at: https://image-i-nations.com/fete-de-lepiphanie-annee-b-2021/

Source: Images: depositphotos.com   Art & Life Notes – WordPress.com   depositphotos.com  

Feast of Christmas, Year B – 2020

24 décembre 2020
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: 'God-with-us', child, Christmas, Isaiah 9:1-6, son

Did you notice how, when surprised or caught unawares, some people will explain:
“My God!”
The words come not as a prayer but as a spontaneous exclamation.

And yet, it could be a prayer… and it could be more than a prayer –
it could be the sign that the words of Isaiah in the 1st reading of the Christmas night mass (Isaiah 9:1-6)
have been really understood.

Because this is the true meaning of CHRISTMAS:
“To us a child is born,
to us a son is given.”

If only, this time – this Christmas – we could discover, understand, and appropriate this reality.
Appropriate, yes, make it our own – God is OUR God, God is God-with-us – this is his name.

How is it that we have come to imagine a distant God, remote from our human experience?
How did we miss what he has been trying to make us understand for so long?
Why do we find it so hard to accept that his idea of what God should be is the right one?!

Why do we constantly go back to the gods of the past, the gods known before Jesus was born a small child –
Born from a human mother, a woman of our race – that he could in truth claim us as his own.

He has claimed us as his own so that we may claim him as ours – indeed OUR God.
A child born to us, a son given to us.
 
This is Christmas – “MY God!” how amazingly wonderful!

Note: Another reflection on a different theme is available in French at: https://image-i-nations.com/fete-de-noel-annee-b-2020/

 

Source: Image: Knowing Jesus

Feast of the Holy Family, Year A – 2019

28 décembre 2019
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: child, clothing, Col.3:12-21, mother, pleasing to God, qualities

The text of the 2nd reading of today’s Feast of the Holy Family (Col.3:12-21)
could possibly provoke a verbal reaction: IMPOSSIBLE!

To the Colossians – and to us – Paul says:
“Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience…”
And to this list, forgiveness and love are added for good measure!

All those qualities that Paul, the apostle, tells us to put on like clothing –
how can we live according to them?
It is really impossible, that is, if we are left to ourselves!

At this point, the picture comes to my mind of a mother gently clothing a child.
Dressing the little one with a shirt, or a skirt, a sweater or a coat, shoes or boots.
Each item is fitted to the child’s body.

Then, why not ask God… to do the same?
To clothe us himself with all these qualities pleasing to him that he would like to find in us!
It is surely NOT impossible to him!

Note: Another reflection is available on a different theme in French at: https://image-i-nations.com/fete-de-la-sainte-famille-annee-a-2019/

 

Source : Image : tumblr.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Feast of the Body and blood of Christ, Year C – 2019

21 juin 2019
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: child, contribution, dynamics, help, Lk.9:11-17, problem-solving, results

One could be tempted to give this Sunday’s gospel text (Lk.9:11-17) the following title:

“The dynamics of problem solving: People’s way and… Jesus’ way.” 

The way of people, very often, is exemplified by the apostles’ attitude:
First, to tell Jesus what to do! “Send the people away…”
And second, to throw the responsibility on someone else to solve a problem:
“They can go to villages and farms round about to find lodging and food…”

Jesus turns the situation right around in a short statement.
His words turn the responsibility the other way around:
“Give them something to eat yourselves.”
 
But, Jesus will help them to do so, himself being ‘helped’ by the contribution of a child!
Fascinating dynamics indeed, and… what wonderful outcome results of it!

Note: Another reflections is available on a different theme in French at: https://image-i-nations.com/fete-du-corps-et-du-sang-du-christ-annee-c-2019/

 

Source: Images: cccmurphysboro.wordpress.com   gruposdeJesus.com

25th Sunday of Year B

22 septembre 2018
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: child, competition, important, Is.43:4, lesson, Mk.9:31-37, parables, precious, servant

Many of the gospel texts are well known to us – we know the stories; we know the people and the facts.
We remember the parables and their message.
The words of Jesus, at least many of them, echo in our memories.
Yet, I wonder if, at times, some important detail does not escape our notice.
This question came to me after reading the text of this Sunday’s gospel (25th Sunday of Year B – Mk.9:31-37).

This scene shows us the apostles who need to be corrected and Jesus is intent on doing so –
He will correct their misguided attitude of competing with one another, showing off,
trying to be seen as more important than the other next to them.

A lesson on being the servant of one another is what they need, obviously.
Jesus will not fail to teach them this in his own typical manner.
He does so in a surprising way.

“If anyone wants to be first he must make himself last of all and servant of all.
He then took a little child, set him in front of them, put his arms round him…”
 
Another translation says: “He embraced the child…”
This is the detail: the child is important to Jesus, he matters!

There are current social movements with precisely this title:

  • ‘BLACK LIVES MATTER’
  • the corresponding counter current: ‘WHITE LIVES MATTER’.
  • the #metoo = #MoiAussi movement

are all expressions of this deep need within us : we want to matter to other people,
we NEED to be important to other people.

And the good news is that we do matter, we are important to God!
He said it in so many words long ago by his prophet Isaiah:
“You are precious in my eyes… I love you.” (Is.43:4)
 
Perhaps we had forgotten…

Note: Another reflection is available on a different theme in French at: https://image-i-nations.com/25e-dimanche-de-lannee-b/

Source: Image: YouTube