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Fête de la Pentecôte, année A – 2023

Nous, les humains, sommes des créatures étranges et plutôt compliquées!
Tant d’éléments contribuent à former notre personnalité!
Des facteurs multiples forgent notre identité respective.

Cette réflexion m’est venue à l’esprit en lisant la 1ère lecture de ce dimanche. (Actes 2:1-11)
Le texte présente la scène de la venue de l’Esprit-Saint chez les apôtres réunis.
On y retrouve ces paroles qui décrivent l’attitude de ceux qui en sont témoins:

« Ils étaient en pleine confusion…
Dans la stupéfaction et l’émerveillement, ils disaient:
« Comment se fait-il…? »

C’est ainsi que réagissent ceux qui deviendront les premiers chrétiens.
Ils perçoivent un bruit insolite,
ils voient des langues de feux se placer au-dessus des apôtres,
ils les entendent prêcher dans un langage que chacun reconnaît comme le sien…
« Comment se fait-il…? »

Se pourrait-il que leur réaction soit la nôtre en présence de Dieu?
Leurs émotions ne sont-elles pas ce que nous éprouvons nous-mêmes en rencontrant Dieu?

Il est tout autre que ce que nous avions envisagé.
Sa présence défie nos concepts et déjoue notre imagination.
Sa proximité nous étonne et provoque peut-être confusion, stupéfaction…
Mais elle éveille aussi… notre émerveillement!

Dieu à la fois si grand et si proche!
Si puissant et si compatissant!
Dieu si autre et pourtant l’un de nous!

La fête de Noël nous l’avait révélé.
La fête de la Pentecôte nous le manifeste d’une manière éclatante!

Seul l’Esprit de Dieu peut faire de nous des « adorateurs en esprit et en vérité »
ceux-là/celles-là mêmes que Dieu désire (Jean 4:23).

 

Une autre réflexion, sur un thème différent, est disponible en anglais à: https://image-i-nations.com/feast-of-pentecost-year-a-2023/

 

Source: Images: pexels.com (Engin Akyurt)   pexels.com (Meruyet Gonullu) 

3rd Sunday of Advent, Year A – 2019

Periods of questioning… 
Situations when one wonders…
Events that cause bewilderment…
Happenings that leave us perplexed…

We all know this from experience, repeated experience, we could say.
John the Baptist has gone through this as well – his cousin, Jesus, somehow brings confusion to him.
So, he sends some of his disciples to inquire from Jesus himself if he is truly God’s special messenger…

Jesus’ answer will be meaningful to John as it is the realisation of a prophecy of Isaiah (Is.35:5-6).
But what can bring questions to OUR minds is the last sentence of Jesus’ reply:
 
“Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.” (Mt.11:6)
 
Translators are also puzzled by the words and come up with different texts:
“Blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”
“Happy is the man who does not lose faith in me.”
 
Is this beatitude ours? Or…
Are we put off by Jesus words, his attitude, the message he speaks, the values he proposes?…
Are we offended by his ways, the options he suggests, the commitment he expects?

This period of Advent may be a good period to ask ourselves questions…

Note: Another reflections is available on a different theme in French at: https://image-i-nations.com/3e-dimanche-de-lavent-annee-a-2019/

 

Source: Image: Free Doodle Illustrations   graspinggod.com

Good Friday, Year C – 2019

When things get mixed up… there is chaos, confusion, people get… lost.
This was what we were up to and our condition was rather… desperate – we needed help.

Someone came – Someone with a capital S…
But… things got mixed up for him as well.
He had come as a servant but they made him a king! 
A case of… ‘mistaken identity’?
Pilate stood his ground: “What is written is written” (Jn.19:22).

Worse still: He was the Word,
but the religious leaders of his people used the word of God – their Torah – to condemn him!
They had tried more than once:
“The Law of Moses commanded us, what do you say?” (Jn.8:5)

Finally they had come up with: 
“You don’t seem to have grasped the situation at all!
You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people
than that the whole nation perish.” (Jn.11:50)

And the text goes on:
“He did not speak in his own person, it was as high priest that he made this prophecy.”
They were afraid to lose to the Romans their ‘’Holy Place’ so… they were ready to kill the Holy One…
And they did, they obtained from the Roman procurator what he did not really want to grant them:
the condemnation of an innocent…

Today, as we look at the Crucified one, we remember his Seven Last Words.
For many years, Christians have meditated on them.
But… do we remember with the same faithfulness all the other words he spoke during his life on this earth?

Do we recall especially the ONE word he left us as his testament?
“Love one another as I have loved you.” (Jn.13:35)

It is perhaps more challenging, more demanding, more directly addressed to each one of us
than the seven others we have chosen to list and remember with devotion?…

 

Note: Another reflection is available on a different theme in French at: https://image-i-nations.com/vendredi-saint-annee-c-2019/

 

Source: Images: wikipedia   ecosia.org   youchepcatholic.org