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32nd Sunday of Year B

9 novembre 2018
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: God, Jn.1:48, Lk.19:1-10, Man of Nazareth, Mk.12:41-44, Mk.5:25-34, pay attention

Bible scholars and spiritual writers have much to say about Jesus in the gospel.
Their texts help us to see better the Man of Nazareth and who he was.
Their descriptions of his words and his ways lead us to understand better the kind of person he was.

There is one thing I do not recall having found and which strikes me in today’s gospel text
(32nd Sunday of Year B – Mk.12:41-44).
It is the way that Jesus noticed things – and people – while those around him seemed unconcerned.
Today, we are told:

“He (Jesus) sat down opposite the treasury and watched people putting money into the treasury…”
 
What did he noticed?
The rich and influent parading and putting in large sums to be admired?
The well-dressed and those in position of leadership bringing in their contribution in full view of all?
Jesus probably saw them – they meant to be seen –
but what he paid attention to was the offering of a poor widow.

This is one attribute, one attitude, of Jesus that I admire: 
he could notice people, each one individually.
Had he not raised his head to address Zacchaeus in his tree? (Lk.19:1-10)
Had he not asked who had touched him when, in fact, a crowd was pressing on him on all sides? (Mk.5:25-34)
And, of course, to Nathanael’s surprise, Jesus had noticed him under the fig tree. (Jn.1:48)

He looked, he noticed, he valued.
I like to believe that he is a man – a God – to whom we, each one of us, matter as individual persons.
One who notices small signs of attention to others, little gestures of kindness to people around us.
He notices, and he minds, he values what, to other people, might remained unseen and unsung.

But to God, there is no such thing!

Note: Another reflection is available on a different theme in French at: https://image-i-nations.com/32e-dimanche-de-lannee-b/

Source: Image: LDS Daily

 

 

 

24th Sunday of Year B

14 septembre 2018
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: belief, choice, faithfulness, God, image of God, insight, Is.50:7.9, Ps.116:1-8

When the word ‘GOD’ is pronounced, several images can come to the minds of different people.
Each person has, in some way, his or her own God.
Of course, everyone claims it is the ‘true’ God, yet he is perceived in many ways.

Is it a question of choosing the kind of God one believes in?
Does it come to selecting a favourite image of God and clinging to it?
Or is it not rather being touched by him in a personal way and being faithful to this revelation?

The first reading and the Psalm of this Sunday (24th Sunday of Year B) give us an insight into who God is,
what he wants to be for us personally.

“The Lord comes to my help.”   (Is.50:7,9)
“The Lord listens to my prayer,
he bends down to listen to me.
Our God is tenderhearted;
he saved me when I was brought to my knees.
The Lord has treated me kindly.
He has rescued me from death, my eyes from tears
and my feet from stumbling.” (Ps.116:1-8)
 
The prophet Isaiah and the author of this Psalm have passed on this revelation to us
for our own inspiration, today, and tomorrow, and… all the tomorrows to come!
 
Note: Another reflection is available on a different theme in French at: https://image-i-nations.com/24e-dimanche-de-lannee-b/

Source: Images: 123RF.com   crossandcrowntx.com

 

 

29th Sunday of Year A

19 octobre 2017
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: adoration, beneficiaries, Caesar, give back, God, kindness, Mt.22 :15-21, obey the law, pay taxes, respect, voting, wisdom

The last verse of this Sunday’s gospel text (29th of Year A – Mt.22 :15-21) is so well-know to us that we sometimes use it ourselves… for our own purposes!
“Give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.”

The meaning of the words is obvious and we do not question what the saying aims at as far as Caesar is concerned.
People will immediately think of such duties as: obeying the law, paying taxes, selecting just leaders by voting and… paying fines (if one is guilty of an offence involving such returns).
And what belongs to God? What are we expected to ‘render’ him?
Some will say: respect, adoration, obedience, prayer, thanksgiving, etc.
And much more…

All in all, it is plain, clear, simple, obvious!
But as I reflect on this gospel text I tell myself that, perhaps, yes perhaps… I should add something.
Not to the list of items to ‘give back’ but to the… beneficiaries!
Somehow, I feel that there are a number of people to whom I should return something for what they have done, and keep doing, for me.

My mind brings back to me the memory of:

– The good teachers who have provided me with sound knowledge.
– The skilled surgeon who operated on me and the medical staff who assisted him in bringing me back to health.
– The lawyer who wisely defended me when I had been wrongfully accused of a misdeed.
– The kind neighbour always ready to help me with this or that.
– The faithful friend always there when I need her assistance.
– The dynamic fellow coaching my children in their sport activities.
– The ever-smiling garage mechanic on whom I can safely rely.

This is my list… and you surely have yours…
I feel I should give back something to them for their kindness, their assistance, their good-humour, the wisdom they share with me, and their presence when I am in need.

Yes, I SHALL give back to Caesar, to God, and… to all those kind-hearted people who make life so much lighter and enjoyable!

Image: stjohspr.org

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16th Sunday of Year A

20 juillet 2017
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: advice, enemy, evil, God, good, harvest, injustice, lenient, Mt.13:24-43, poor, powerful, présence, real, rich, right, seed, selfish, separate, situation, sort out, suffering, wait, way of God, weak, weeds, wisdom, wrong

There is so much that is wrong in our world today, is it not so?
The powerful bring suffering to the weak.
The selfish – legions of them – grab all they can.
The rich keep adding to their share while the poor have to manage on what they can scrape together.

It seems that evil spreads far and wide, and goodness has a hard time existing at all.
Examples we see every day are only too many and too easy to find.

Poverty, sickness, injustice, suffering – evil under all its forms – everywhere we turn it seems that we see only more of that!
Some people mutter to themselves: “Not much sign of God in a world like this…”
Others get really angry, and yes, angry with God: Why does he not do something to right all that is wrong?
They whisper under their breath: “If I were God, things would be different!”

We have to admit it: we are troubled by the presence of evil in our world, in people…
Perhaps today’s gospel (16th Sunday of Year A – Mt.13:24-43) can bring light to this situation.
At first sight, some would think: ‘More of the same!’
Good seed has been planted and there comes an enemy who spoils the whole thing as the weeds in plenty show.
The workers question the owner of the field about it and they are ready to put things right.

The owner shows wisdom: removing the weeds may destroy the good plants as well.
So, his advice is… to wait.
WAIT – waiting… till the harvest, waiting till all has grown and then… then will be the time to sort out and to separate.

For many of us, this is not our preferred mode of operating.
Yet, surprisingly perhaps, this is the way… of God!
He waits, and waits… for us!
He waits that we change…

The 1st reading (Wis.12:13,16-19) says it beautifully:
“Your sovereignty makes you lenient to all…
You are mild in judgement,
You govern us with great leniency.”

He waits that we recognize him, accept his ways, see him as REAL – really present in our lives.
How much longer will he have to wait for this to happen?…

Source: Images: Wikipedia, Experimental Theology – blogger

 

 

Feast of the Holy Trinity, Year A

8 juin 2017
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: Advocate, Bible, compassion, Ex.34:8-9, exegetes, faith, faithfulness, Father, Father-Son-Spirit, fourth century, God, John ch.14-17, kindness, New Testament, reality, Révélation, Saviour, Scripture scholars, tenderness, theologians, Trinity

If you mention the word ‘TRINITY’ to a group of theologians, or to some Scripture scholars, they will probably give you some lengthy explanations.
Exegetes, theology professors, spiritual authors will probably do the same.
Definitions and explanations, are their domain.
Expounding on concepts and themes is very much part of their expertise. 

Strangely enough, if you look for the word ‘TRINITY’ in the Bible, you will NOT find it!
You may think that it is amazing but it is true.
This word came to be used in the Christian language only late in the fourth century.
It was at that time that this term was used to express the faith of Christian believers.

But, you will find, yes, you will discover in the New Testament, the expression of this REALITY of a God who is one and who manifests Itself (this pronoun is not masculine or feminine) in three Persons.

It is in the chapters 14 to 17 of the gospel of John that we can perceive this most clearly.
There, we hear Jesus repeatedly speaking of the FATHER and of the SPIRIT as being one and himself being one with them.

The first reading of this feast of the Holy Trinity (Ex.34:4-6,8-9) tells us that God is “a God of tenderness and compassion, rich in kindness and faithfulness.”
So, what we celebrate on Trinity Sunday is this tenderness and compassion reaching us in a fatherly way, in the brotherly way of a Saviour, in the way of One who is our Advocate – for this is what they are to us and for us: the Father, the Son and the Spirit.

What more could be said?

Source: Image: Pinterest

17th Sunday of the Year, C

21 juillet 2016
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: Abraham, bargaining with God, boldness, friend with God, Gn.18:2-32, God, God's mercy

Boldness is not usually appreciated – it is sometimes judged as a display of arrogance, the attitude of someone aggressive. But boldness is also recognised in someone courageous, daring, fearless.

In the first reading of this Sunday (17th Sunday, Year C – Gn.18:2-32), we meet someone surprisingly bold!
This text shows us Abraham being bold not with a fellow human being but with God!abraham-believed-god-and-was-strong-in-faith
He acknowledges this himself, saying: “I am bold indeed to speak like this.”

Abraham having heard of God’s plan to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, he does not hesitate to advise God: “Do not think of doing such a thing!” And he repeats: “Do not think of it!”

Yet, far from correcting himself, he keeps on literally bargaining with God! And, amazingly, God goes along with this! Not once, not twice but six times, Abraham will repeat his plea and make God lower the number of people needed for the cities to be spared the destruction intended by God.

The most astonishing in the narrative is the way God interacts with Abraham – it is obvious that he appreciates the boldness of his human ‘partner’. Who would imagine a god sharing with human beings his plan about a divine intervention?! This implies that Abraham is God’s friend and he relates to him with complete trust as close friends can do – a trust that is daring, audacious in its boldness.

It is as if Abraham had found God’s ‘weakness’, and God’s ‘weakness’ is his mercy! He is indeed a merciful God – a God who delights in the boldness of his friends.

Source: Image: mudpreacher.org