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Feast of the Holy Trinity, Year A – 2020

4 juin 2020
Nicole Gregoire
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Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: concepts, Ex.34:4-6, Ex.34:8-9, goodness, graciousness, ideas, Mercy, truth

 

 

 

 

 

There is an activity that some of us enjoy doing from time to time.
It is that of clearing out things –
we look at them, sort them out, discard some, and push others into another place.
We may get busy with that in the house, the garage, the garden shed, or simply an old cupboard.
It can be with items of clothing, utensils, tools, or the toys of the children.

But could we do the same with… our minds?
Would we be ready to do it also about…GOD?

Today’s feast of the Holy Trinity is perhaps the appropriate moment to do this:
Removing from our minds and hearts…
our false ideas, our incorrect concepts, our mistaken beliefs, about God –
all that is not according to what he, HIMSELF, says about who he is.

We hear him tell us in today’s 1st reading (Ex.34:4-6,8-9):

“The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious,
longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth.”

This is what he is, what he wants to be, for each one of us.
If we could only understand this… and delight in his mercy and graciousness!

 
Note: Another reflection is available on a different theme in French at: https://image-i-nations.com/fete-de-la-sainte-trinite-annee-a-2020/

 

Source: Images: Unsplash

 

 

Ash Wednesday, Year A

28 février 2017
Nicole Gregoire
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Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: acceptance, compassion, forgiveness, God's character, God's image, graciousness, heart, Joel 2:12-18, love, painting, tenderness

Last Sunday (8th Sunday of the Year, A) we were reflecting on the idea of ‘painting’- painting with colours and paintbrushes.
Throughout history people have tried to paint even… GOD – at least, what they thought God was like!
Still today, artists try to do the same.

But we said that we also ‘paint’ with words.
Describing things, situations and people and thus creating an image of them.
We said that we do this also with… GOD.
Saints, spiritual writers, religious leaders, all of them try to give us a picture of God.

At the beginning of this period of Lent, the same theme comes again.
The prophet Joel, in the 1st reading (Joel 2:12-18), is the one who gives us an idea – a picture – of… God’s personality!

The text says:
“Your God is all tenderness and compassion,
slow to anger, rich in graciousness,
and ready to relent…
Who knows if he will not leave a blessing as he passes.”
 
Simple words, a clear message, a description in human terms, with concepts familiar to us, telling us who God is. God’s character, if we can speak in these terms, is one of tenderness, of compassion, of graciousness, of readiness to forgive and forget our failings and failures.

Who would not want to experience personally such acceptance, such mercy, such love?
Only one thing is required for this experience to be ours:

“It is the Lord who speaks,
‘Come back to me with all your heart’…”

 

Source: Images: www.pinterest.com;  stedward.com