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God’s way

31st Sunday of Year B – 2024

2 novembre 2024
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: angle, Deuteronomy 6:2-6, for our good, God's commandments, God's way, obey, perspective, viewpoint

A change of… perspective – this is what we sometimes need…
Looking at something from another angle…
Taking a slightly different view of a situation…
Considering a problem from another viewpoint…
This change may lead to a completely different outlook and influence our attitude in a more positive way.

This reflection is appropriate when looking at the 1st reading of today’s celebration (Deuteronomy 6:2-6).
At first, we may think that this Scripture text is all about observing God’s commandments.
This is correct since the author says clearly:

“These are the commandments which the Lord your God has instructed me to teach you
that you may observe them”.

But it is not, we could say, the whole story!
Many people believe that obeying God’s commandments is something we MUST do –
somehow we have no choice.
But… we have missed something important which changes the whole perspective, indeed!

The writer of Deuteronomy, from which this text is taken, adds:
“Listen then, keep and observe
what will make you prosper and give you great increase,
as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has promised you,
giving you a land where milk and honey flow”.

In other words, the commands that we are given are for our own good!
God knows what is best for us and he shows us the way to follow so we may reach what will make us truly happy.

Many of us believe that WE know which direction our lives should take.
But, often, we end up experiencing problems and misfortunes that we would have escaped if only we had followed God’s way.

It is never too late to… change perspective!…

 

Note: Another reflection is available on a different theme in French at: https://image-i-nations.com/31e-dimanche-de-lannee-b-2024/

 

Source: Image: https://www.scriptureimages.com/bibleverse/kjv/deuteronomy-6-3-kjv.php

25th Sunday of Year C – 2022

16 septembre 2022
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: astuteness, children of light, crafty steward, dishonest manager, God's way, Luke 16:1-13

Looking at a scene, different people will appraise the situation in different ways.
This thought came to me after reading the gospel text of this Sunday (Luke 16:1-13).

Some comments refer to it as the parable of: ‘The Dishonest Manager’,
while others give it the title: ‘The Crafty Steward’.

The two expressions refer, in fact, to two aspects of Jesus’ story.
The text says:

“The master praised the dishonest steward for his astuteness.”

And Jesus adds:
“The children of this world are more astute… than the children of light.”

So, the message may be that of learning astuteness according to God…
This could be the way of becoming truly “Children of light… »

Thinking about it, we could say that:
Being a Christian is really this: taking on God’s ways! 

  • God’s way of thinking,
  • God’s way of seeing the world,
  • God’s way of judging situations,
  • God’s way of speaking,
  • God’s way of interacting among ourselves
  • God’s way of responding to the needs of people,
  • God’s way in reacting to the different situations we find ourselves in…

GOD’S WAY… the secret!

 

Note: Another reflection is available on a different theme in French at: https://image-i-nations.com/25e-dimanche-de-lannee-c-2022/

 

Source: Image: Dust Off the Bible

22nd Sunday of Year A – 2020

29 août 2020
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: adjustment, death, God's way, Mt.16:21-27, obstacles, suffering

Last Sunday, the gospel text showed us Peter being praised by Jesus –
praised for recognizing him as he is, the Christ.
But in today’s text, far from being congratulated, Peter is reprimanded in no uncertain terms! (Mt.16:21-27)
 
“Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me;
you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”
 
Peter wants the best for Jesus, his friend and Master, and he thinks that… he (Peter) knows best!
According to him, it is certainly not suffering and death at the hands of the leaders of the Jews.

Jesus sees in Peter a tempter – the meaning of the word ‘Satan’,
someone who puts obstacles on the path of Jesus carrying out his mission.

Peter has yet to learn to see life’s situations in the light of “the concerns of God,”
he is focused on “merely human concerns.”
In other words, Peter has to get adjusted to God’s ways of thinking – a life-long adjustment!

Looking at our own ways of seeing situations and people, it would seem that we need to make the same adjustment –

We are constantly in danger of thinking that we know best!
We like to believe that we know what is good and appropriate for ourselves and for others!
We would not admit it – possibly not even to ourselves – but we tend to think that God’s way should follow ours!

Yes, a life-long adjustment is needed!…

 

Note: Another reflection on a similar theme in French can be found at: https://image-i-nations.com/22e-dimanche-de-lannee-a-2020/

 

Source: Images: www.this-mormon-life.com.  reasonforjesus.com

 

13th Sunday of Year C – 2019

28 juin 2019
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: 21st century, disciple of Jesus, fascination, freedom, God's call, God's invitations, God's way, Lk.9:51-62

There are things we are so used to that, somehow, we take them for granted.
This is the case, I think, for the Apostles of Jesus – we know very well that there were 12 of them.
And it is as if this number were, in a way, ‘sacred’ –
we can only imagine the group of them counting 12 men, no more, no less!

But today’s gospel text (Lk.9:51-62) could lead us to think otherwise.
It seems rather obvious that there was someone who wanted to be a disciple of Jesus 
but the Master did not seem to welcome him readily.
While it is also very clear that he, Jesus, called some people who were hesitant,
if not reluctant, to follow him.

God’s call is not something having results ‘as a matter of fact’, we could say.
His invitations are not obligations… they belong more to the realm of… fascination, I would say!
Fascination for who he is and what he asks us to be and to become. 

God has created us free beings and allows us to remain so ‘for ever after’!
He invites us to live in close friendship with him but leaves it to us to accept, or refuse, his offer.
He wants us to share in Jesus’ mission of telling of his love and of what he has in store for us,
but here again his plan can fail, as far as we are concerned…

It does not mean that everyone must leave family, relatives, and all his/her possessions.
But leaving attitudes that are not compatible with the lifestyle of a follower of Christ.
Leaving some plans that go against God’s way for us.
Leaving some decisions based on pseudo-values and not gospel values –
all this is definitely part and parcel of answering God’s call in today’s world.

We can be mistaken in thinking that the 12 men called by Jesus ended the process of God calling people.
It is rather an on-going adventure – for us and… for God.
And we definitely have a place in the unfolding of his plan in this 21st century!

Note: Another reflection is available on a different theme in French at: https://image-i-nations.com/13e-dimanche-de-lannee-c-2019/

 

Source: Images: YouTube   Intersect

17th Sunday of Year B

29 juillet 2018
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: 2 Kings 4:42-44, generosity, God's way, happiness, healing, John 6:1-15, prayer, sharing, strength, success, working with God

Let us say that you go to borrow from your neighbour some cooking oil to cook a dish. Does it happen often that instead of giving you the small amount you ask for, the neighbour gives you a much larger quantity? Or, if a man goes to a colleague to borrow some special glue to repair something, does he expect to be given an extra tube on top of the one already started? This is rare among us people. We hope for help but not often do we meet with outstanding generosity.

I said it is like this “among us people”, but with God things are different. Today the 1st reading and the gospel are similar in giving us a good example of how generous God is with us. Through Elisha God says: “They will eat and have some left over.” And the same thing happened at the time of Jesus. We see Jesus concerned about people having nothing to eat.

He asks one of the apostles where to buy bread but he is testing Philip who replies: “Five loaves and two fishes, what is that between so many?” Jesus took them, said the blessing and “gave them out to all who were sitting ready, giving out as much as was wanted.” With this huge crowd, we would think it enough if each got a piece of bread. But God’s way is the generous way. They all ate as much as they wanted!

Look at God’s generosity in nature: we sow a few seeds and get bags of cereals. Look at the fruit trees heavily-laden with juicy and sweet fruits. God does not know how to count! God does not know how to measure. Or rather, he counts and he measures according to his love which is without measure. God gives and gives, always beyond our hopes and above our expectations. He gives us more health, more healing, more strength and more help. He blesses us with more joy and happiness, more success and good fortune. He grants us more peace and more security. All those good things we long for, he gives them “as much as is wanted.” 

As you read this, you may have doubts thinking of the prayers you made in the past and you say: ‘I asked God for that and he did not give me more of it, in fact he did not give it to me at all!’ This is possible, God does not give us always what we ask for. But have you found out what other gift – perhaps much greater – he gave you instead? A gift more precious than you could have dared to ask for. Think about it…

We heard in the gospel: “Jesus knew exactly what he was going to do.”He could have worked the miracle without asking for anything but he wanted to use the loaves and fishes from the small boy. God wants us to do our share, he wants us to work with him. At times, we ask God for this and that but we, ourselves, do nothing to make our desires come about. He is still ready to work miracles but he wants our efforts at pleasing him and turning to him in prayer. He needs that little something that comes from us.

Source: Image: Free Bible Images