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1st Sunday of Lent, Year A – 2020

28 février 2020
Nicole Gregoire
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Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: desire, escape, Gn.2:7-9; 3:1-7, knowledge, naked, Révélation, Temptation, to see

To see in order to know – this is a very human desire, a normal aspiration for human beings.
The 1st reading (Gn.2:7-9; 3:1-7) speaks about it and reveals the outcome of this natural inclination.

The result is shown in a two-fold tableau, could we say.

“The serpent said to the woman, 
‘For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened,
and you will be like God, knowing good and evil’.”
 
“They ate… the eyes of both of them were opened,
and they realized they were naked.”
 
They acquired knowledge, yes, but not the one they were hoping for.
What they learnt was that they were not what they thought they were.
They were faced with their nakedness, that is: their emptiness, their powerlessness.
They saw so clearly all that is missing in a human being… without God.

The human being trying to do things by himself, going his way,
searching for meaning where there is none, aiming at greatness where there is only absurdity.
It is a futile attempt, that of trying to… escape God –
or to venture to know him without listening to the revelation of himself…

But it remains an ever-present temptation.

Note: Another reflection is available on a different theme in French at: https://image-i-nations.com/1er-dimanche-du-careme-annee-a-2020/

 

Source: Image: Free Bible Images

6th Sunday of Year A – 2020

14 février 2020
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: achieve, choice, duty, Ecclesiasticus 15:15-20, escape, God's Spirit, Rom.8:24

I can’t do do this.
I’m not able to do that.
It’s too much for me.
I just can’t…

Children sometimes reply in this way to parents who tell them to do something.
The young people may want to avoid an unpleasant task.
They may try to escape a challenging duty and… they pretend…
Pretend that what is asked of them is beyond their capacity.

Surprisingly – or not – we, supposedly more… mature, may have the same attitude towards… God !
And today, he answers our ‘pretending’ in the words of the wise man, Ben Sira,
(1st reading – Ecclesiastius 15:15-20) telling us :

“If you choose, you can keep the commandments,
and to act faithfully is a matter of your own choice.” 
 
In other words : « If you wish, you can… »
 
We may think that following God’s way is too difficult,
in fact, we may judge it to be beyond what we can achieve.
We feel we do not have the strength to fulfil what God is asking of us.

This may be true, it surely is, if we try on our own.
But, this is the point : we are NOT expected to be faithful to God on our own.
God’s own Spirit has been given to us precisely to neable us to do what we cannot do ourselves.

The apostle Paul was assuring the first Christians :
“The Spirit helps us in our weakness.” (Rom.8:24)

This remains true and valid for us!
Some remind themselves with a tattoo, others write it on their in/out tray!

   

 

 

 

 

 

Note: Another reflection is available on a different theme in French at: https://image-i-nations.com/6e-dimanche-de-lannee-a-2020/

Source: Images: American Threads hogartherapia.com
 

 

4th Sunday of Lent, Year A

23 mars 2017
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: advice, afraid, attitude, drive away, escape, incompetent, information, insight, Jesus, Jn.9:1-41, man born-blind, memory, Pharisees, pray, reaction, remark, see, truth, waarning

Strange things happen among us, people.
Something good can be done for someone and the person who benefits from the good deed is penalized for it!
 
It should not surprise us – this is what happened already in the time of Jesus.
We see it in today’s gospel on this 4th Sunday of Lent, Year A (Jn.9:1-41).

Jesus has cured a man who had been born blind and the religious leaders give this fortunate man – (or, unfortunate?) –
a hard time indeed.
Questions upon questions to him, to his parents, back to him again – evidently trying to find Jesus somehow guilty.
Unable to have the man say anything that would enable them to reach such a verdict, “They drove him away…”

They cannot SEE the good.
They cannot accept the evidence.
They push aside what is plain and clear.
They cannot face the truth.
They blind themselves in the most obvious way.

Why? Why such an attitude? What this kind of reaction?
But the next question is… Can this not be found in… us?
 
We may ‘drive away’ a memory… too painful to face.
We may ‘drive away’ a remark… unpleasant to acknowledge.
We may ‘drive away’ a warning… that would call for a decision.
We may ‘drive away’ a piece of advice… that would ask for a change of attitude.
We may ‘drive away’ some information… that invites me to do something.
So, we do as if the truth were not the truth!

We may fell afraid, ashamed, incompetent, powerful, not equal to a situation.
So, we hide, we pretend, we escape.
We literally ‘drive away’ what is plain to SEE but which threatens us.

LENT may be precisely that: the time to make special efforts to SEE.
And to pray for, yes, vision AND insight!

See also:  http://image-i-nations.com/the-man-born-blind/
Source: Image: request.org.uk