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11th Sunday of Year B – 2024

14 juin 2024
Nicole Gregoire
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Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: explanations, friend, Holy Spirit, homily, Jesus' presence, John 14:26, Mark 4:26-34, neighbor, parables

The readings of our celebrations are many and they are rich in what they offer us.
The third reading – the gospel – brings us to Jesus himself, what he said and what he did.
Today’s last verse of the gospel has a message for us.
It tells us that Jesus spoke to his listeners in parables meant to make his words understood by them (Mark 4:26-34).

But this verse adds:
“When he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything to them”.

We may be tempted to envy them!
They lived daily in the presence of the Master.
He was there, always ready to explain his message to them and answer their questions.
When they failed to understand something that he had taught, they could ask him to speak about this again.

Yet… he is also with us…
Oh, not visible, of course, and his voice cannot be heard as yours and mine can be.
But his presence is no less real.
And we also have been given his promise –
the promise that his Spirit will remind us of what he said and make us understand his message (John 14:26).

Perhaps, what is needed is for us to take the time –
the time to sit quietly and listen again…

Listen to his words in the Bible…
Go for a walk in nature and listen to what he will silently inspire us…
Sit in our favorite corner of the garden where we can be by ourselves and remember what he told us already…

The remark of a neighbor…
A conversation with a friend…
The text of a book…
A priest’s homily…

All of these can be the way the Spirit will reach us today, and tomorrow, and…
And, suddenly, Christ’s message will take on a new meaning… an inspiration… for now, and later!

 

Note: Another text is available on a different theme, in French, at: https://image-i-nations.com/11e-dimanche-de-lannee-b-2024/https://image-i-nations.com/11e-dimanche-de-lannee-b-2024/

 

Source: Images: Scripture Images One Walk / With Jesus

3rd Sunday of Easter, Year B – 2021

16 avril 2021
Nicole Gregoire
2 Comments
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: adult, childhood, friend, know someone, Lk.24:35-48, Man of Nazareth, recognize, transform, Youth

If asked about someone – whether we know the person or not – we may reply that we know of him, or her.
On the other hand, we may answer that we know him, or her – and there is a difference.
In the first instance, we may have heard about someone, or read some of his/her writings, or seen photos of them.
But we would not claim to know that person.

We are all aware that there are degrees of knowing.
We are conscious that claiming to know someone involves a relationship –
someone may be an acquaintance, a distant relative, or a close friend.

This reflection came to me as I read the gospel text of this 3rd Sunday of Easter (Lk.24:35-48).
Jesus appeared to the group of his apostles and…

“They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost.”

The apostles knew Jesus – they had lived with him for three years, or so.
They could have claimed to know him… quite well.
Yet, they would have probably admitted that, very often, they did not understand him.
And, on that night, they simply failed to recognize him.

Their knowledge of him had to grow and somehow be transformed.
They knew him as Jesus, the former carpenter, or Jesus, the Man of Nazareth.
Now, they had to recognize in him more than that… they had to know him as the Risen Lord.
 
“Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.”

I believe that such a growth must be part of my own relationship with God.
God may have been the God of my childhood, and the God of my youth.
He may have remained my God when I became an adult, but… did he remain the same?
And, if I have reached the ‘golden age’, is he still the same for me, as he was before?

Some may hasten to reply that, of course, God is the same, they will claim that God does not change.
This may be correct in some way.
But I have changed, and I believe that my understanding of God should somehow grow with me…

For me too, God must open my mind so that I may understand who he truly is… now…
And he may reveal himself in other ways – surprising and wonderful – as I walk with him from day to day.

 

Note: Another reflection on a different theme is available in French at: https://image-i-nations.com/3e-dimanche-de-paques-annee-b-2021/

 

 

Source: Images: Bearing the Cross – Altervista

25th Sunday of Year A

22 septembre 2017
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: Asking, assistance, blessings, expectations, friend, giving, help, hope, image of God, Mt.20 :1-16, neighbour, relative, The Father

EXPECTATIONS – we all have them and plenty of them, do we not ?
And they fill our lives with more than a touch of hope and anticipation!

Expectations of…
– recovery after sickness,
– success in a coming exam
– a promotion at work,
– the partner we dream of to start a new life!

When we are in need, some expectation may arise of receiving help from a relative, a friend, or a neighbour.
Just recall for a moment the last time you went to someone with a request for his or her assistance.
You may have been hoping for help, or… fearing that help would not be forthcoming.
But did you expect that you would be given much more than what you asked for?

Among us, people, this is not usually the case.
But, with God, it is!
In fact, this is a characteristic of God : He gives more than we would ask for.
He is a generous God who delights in showering on us his gifts and blessings.

This is what today’s gospel text (25th Sunday of Year A – Mt.20 :1-16) is meant to remind us of.
In the parable that Jesus tells the people around him, he gives us a wonderful and true picture of what his Father – and our Father – is :

  • a bounteous God,
  • a God who enjoys giving lavishly,
  • a God who does not know how to measure what he wants to bless us with.

I wonder how many people treasure this image of God…
Perhaps many of us think that we have to ask, and beg, and repeat our requests for help, never too sure that we will be heard.

This Sunday may be the ideal moment to correct our image of God !

Source: Image: Youtube

World Suicide Prevention Day – 10 September

10 septembre 2017
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: advocates, family member, friend, inspiration, prévention, stories, stranger, suicide attempts, support, value of life, vulnerable people

Every year, more than 800,000 people die by suicide and up to 25 times as many make a suicide attempt. Behind these statistics are the individual stories of those who have, for many different reasons, questioned the value of their own lives.

Each one of these individuals is part of a community. Some may be well linked in to this community, and have a network of family, friends and work colleagues or school mates. Others may be less well connected, and some may be quite isolated. Regardless of the circumstances, communities have an important role to play in supporting those who are vulnerable.

This sentiment is reflected in the theme of the 2017 World Suicide Prevention Day: As members of communities, it is our responsibility to look out for those who may be struggling, check in with them, and encourage them to tell their story in their own way and at their own pace. Offering a gentle word of support and listening in a non-judgemental way can make all the difference.

Taking a minute can change a life
People who have lived through a suicide attempt have much to teach us about how the words and actions of others are important. They often talk movingly about reaching the point where they could see no alternative but to take their own life, and about the days, hours and minutes leading up to this. They often describe realising that they did not want to die but instead wanted someone to intervene and stop them. Many say that they actively sought someone who would sense their despair and ask them whether they were okay.

Sometimes they say that they made a pact with themselves that if someone did ask if they were okay, they would tell them everything and allow them to intervene. Sadly, they often reflect that no one asked.

The individuals telling these stories are inspirational. Many of them recount reaching the point where they did try to take their own lives, and tell about coming through it. Many of them are now working as advocates for suicide prevention. Almost universally, they say that if someone had taken a minute, the trajectory that they were on could have been interrupted.

Life is precious and sometimes precarious. Taking a minute to reach out to someone – a complete stranger or close family member or friend – can change the course of their life.

Source: Text: IASP  Image: ZME Science