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The Alphabet of Lent – Letter Y

20 mars 2024
Nicole Gregoire
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Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: compassion, dough, empathy, generosity, good will, kingdom of God, Luke 13:20-21, readiness to help, small, yeast

Y for Yeast

Some people dream of doing great things in life.
Many want to achieve some worthwhile goal.
Others try to distinguish themselves with important achievements.

There is nothing wrong with this – on the contrary, it is important to have some ideal in life.
But this should not make us forget the importance of… small things.
Do you remember the slogan of some years ago: “Small is beautiful”?
It is even the title of a well-known book in some circles. *

What is interesting to remember is that Jesus thought along those lines!
Two sentences of what he said have been made into a parable –
only two sentences to describe God’s kingdom!

“Again he asked, “What shall I compare the kingdom of God to?
It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour
until it worked all through the dough” (Luke 13:20-21).

Women know it, and chefs do also: it takes a tiny bit of yeast to have a large amount of dough rise.
Jesus compares the kingdom of God to this process!

The kingdom of God – an amazing reality that includes so much… coming from very little, if we think of it…
God’s life-giving presence, God’s saving action… reaching people through:

– a little good-will to recognize someone’s need…
– a small amount of generosity…
– a bit of true compassion…
– a little thoughtfulness for people around…
– a small gesture of forgiveness to someone…
– a bit of readiness to give help…
– a tiny bit of self-forgetfulness…
– a small amount of empathy…

Every ounce of each one’s contribution – the personal ‘yeast’ of you and me –
this builds and spreads God’s kingdom since God himself makes use it!

 

* Note: SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL, A study of Economics as if People Mattered, E.F. Schumacher

 

Source: Image: www.pexels.com (Felicity Tai)

World Day of Peace – 1st January 2024

1 janvier 2024
Nicole Gregoire
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Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: artificial intelligence, conflicts, digital revolution, good will, peace, Pope Francis, suffering, wars

World Day of Peace, celebrated on January 1 every year, is primarily a Catholic feast day dedicated to universal peace on the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God. On this occasion, Popes generally make authoritative declarations on the Catholic Social Teachings (C.S.T.). The theme of the feast has always been about creating a culture of care. The Pope and the Vatican Church stress the need to care and share tolerance for each other, and to create a society that focuses on good moral values and does not yield to the temptation to disregard others. The benefits of a peaceful society have been the emphasis of every year’s World Day of Peace.

Source: Text: https://nationaltoday.com/world-day-of-peace/

This year, the Pope has focused his message on a very important development for humanity: artificial intelligence. He addresses all  of us with these words:

« It is my prayer at the start of the New Year that the rapid development of forms of artificial intelligence will not increase cases of inequality and injustice all too present in today’s world, but will help put an end to wars and conflicts, and alleviate many forms of suffering that afflict our human family. May Christian believers, followers of various religions and men and women of good will work together in harmony to embrace the opportunities and confront the challenges posed by the digital revolution and thus hand on to future generations a world of greater solidarity, justice and peace. »

FRANCISCUS

Source: Text:https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/messages/peace/documents/20231208    Image: Catholic Standard

 

World Day of Migrants and Refugees – 14 January

13 janvier 2018
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: disasters, good will, integrate, Jesus Christ, Lampedusa, migrants, opportunity, Pope Francis, poverty, promote, protect, refugees, responsibility, straners, welcome

MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS FOR THE  104th WORLD DAY OF MIGRANTS AND REFUGEES 2018
“Welcoming, protecting, promoting and
integrating migrants and refugees”

Dear brothers and sisters!

“You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God” (Leviticus 19:34).

Throughout the first years of my pontificate, I have repeatedly expressed my particular concern for the lamentable situation of many migrants and refugees fleeing from war, persecution, natural disasters and poverty.  This situation is undoubtedly a “sign of the times” which I have tried to interpret, with the help of the Holy Spirit, ever since my visit to Lampedusa on 8 July 2013…

Every stranger who knocks at our door is an opportunity for an encounter with Jesus Christ, who identifies with the welcomed and rejected strangers of every age (Matthew 25:35-43)…

This solidarity must be concretely expressed at every stage of the migratory experience – from departure through journey to arrival and return.  This is a great responsibility, which the Church intends to share with all believers and men and women of good will, who are called to respond to the many challenges of contemporary migration with generosity, promptness, wisdom and foresight, each according to their own abilities…

In this regard, I wish to reaffirm that “our shared response may be articulated by four verbs: to welcome, to protect, to promote and to integrate.”

Source: Text: Radio Vatican Image: The Independent

NOTE: An article in French on this topic is available at: https://image-i-nations.com/journee-mondiale-migrant-refugie-14-janvier/

and a video presents the same theme in an interview of David Minier with James Marchant at: https://image-i-nations.com/banc-james-marchant/