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Feast of Epiphany, year A

5 janvier 2017
Nicole Gregoire
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Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: 'God-with-us', comfort, encouragement, Epiphany, foreighners, invitation, Is.60:1-6, light, Magi, outsiders, reproach, strangers

Day after day, week after week, the Bible texts call to us in different ways.
We believe that this is God’s message addressed to us.
We are convinced that the words we hear are not simply human words but God’s own words.

They may be words of invitation, or words of comfort;
words of reproach, or words of encouragement.

 God’s messengers speaking to us in his name sometimes ask us to do something.
In the first reading, this is what Isaiah does today (Is.60:1-6). He tells us:
“Lift up your eyes and look around.”
 
Did you notice how many people go about doing… exactly the opposite?!
Many walk around head bent down, with stooped shoulders…
Their steps are heavy… and, possibly, their hearts as well.
 
Through Isaiah, God invites us to lift up our eyes to see what?
He wants his people to realize:
“The nations come to your light… all are assembling.”
 
This is the meaning of today’s celebration on this feast of Epiphany.
It is a celebration for all nations, all peoples are called to recognize God in our midst, “God-with-us”.
The Magi – those Wise Men from the East –are the symbol of all the many we may see as strangers, foreigners, outsiders.
They are all called to be God’s people.
 
They, from afar, who come close to this new-born Child, represent already the Samaritan woman, the Roman soldier, the Syro-Phoenician woman, to whom He will make himself close to.
This will be… Epiphany continued!…
God’s revelation to each and everyone, notwithstanding their nation or language, their origin or belief.
 
God is the GOD OF ALL – by His own choice!

Source: Images: Daily Record; The Well Community Church

 
 

1st Sunday of Advent, A

24 novembre 2016
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: Advent, awake, dark, invitation, Let us, light, ready

Some people are… shall we say: ‘bossy’ by nature. It seems that their preferred mode of relationship is ordering others around – telling them to do things, or not to do them. To have their way, they often resort to coercion. Domination is what they know best.

Other people are of a different nature altogether. Theirs is the gentle approach. They will entice you, suggest things to you, invite you, tempt you to join them, encourage you to follow a suggestion. Amazingly, such people seem to achieve much more and in a manner that is so much more pleasant for everyone. The reason may be that those people side with us when they put a request to us. They include themselves in their appeal, saying: “Let us…”

The readings of this 1st Sunday of Advent, Year A, are an excellent example of this gentle coaxing, the kind of inspiring invitation that, somehow, we feel we should listen to. It is best expressed in these very words: “Let us…” The two short words keep coming back from one reading to the next (Is.2:1-5; Rom.13:11-14; Mt.24:37-44).

“Let us go to the Lord.let-us
Let us walk in the light of the Lord…”     (Isaiah)

Let us give up the things we do in the dark;
Let us appear in the light;
Let us live decently.”       (Paul to the Romans)

The gospel while not using the very words is also an invitation to us:
Let us stay awake.
Let us stand ready.

Is this not a good… ‘programme’ as we start this special season of ADVENT?
So, let us indeed open our hearts and let us heed the message addressed to us!…

 Source: Image: Victory Greenhills

 

 

 

                                                                                         

16th Sunday of the Year, C

14 juillet 2016
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: Abram, Bethany, Gn.18:1-10, guest, invitation, Jesus, Luke 10:38-42, Martha and Mary, Sarah

Martha, againComparisons, contrasts – they are part of our daily life and in all kinds of situations.
From them, a judgement arises deciding that things are different, equivalent, or plainly opposite!

The texts of the liturgy of this Sunday (16th, year C) present us with situations that reflect this.
In the 1st reading (Gn.18:1-10), we hear Abram telling his wife Sarah to hurry and prepare some food for the visitors who have come to their house.

The gospel scene (Lk.10:38-42) shows us a woman, Martha, doing exactly that for the special visitor who has come to their home.
But the visitor, Jesus, is the one now inviting his host NOT to hurry, not to fret about preparing food for him.

Jesus wants Martha to attend to him, yes, but attend to him by simply being there!
He insists that only one thing is necessary – that of sitting at his feet and listening to him, as her sister Mary is doing.

The comparison made between her and her sister must be somehow unwelcome to Martha.
She must find it unpleasant to be told to do what Mary does when Martha wanted the opposite: that Mary does a bit of the work that she, Martha, has been busy with.

It is somehow as if Jesus turns things around.
Last week, the gospel message was that we should not ask who is our neighbour but rather of whom we should make ourselves the neighbour.
This week, Jesus received as a guest in Bethany is the one inviting Martha to be his guest – a guest to whom he offers the most precious food: a sharing in his message about who he is, who the Father is.

No need to worry and to fret – that food is always ready, always available, and sufficient to satisfy all our needs!

Source: Image: blog.sina.com.cn

Les étoiles…

18 février 2016
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: À bien y penser... blogue
Mots-clés: 2è dimanche Carême, Abraham, Bible, espoir, étoiles, Gn.15:5-12, Guy Consolmano, invitation, météorites, pop stars, Vatican

images-26As-tu compté les étoiles?
Un jésuite américain, Guy Consolmagno, est directeur de l’Observatoire du Vatican. Il fait partie de ce groupe de savants qui étudient les étoiles, les planètes et tous les ‘habitants’ de ‘l’au-delà’. Il est spécialiste en météorites. Les textes qu’il publie attirent toujours mon attention. Pourquoi? Parce que cet auteur sait faire de la théologie en… regardant les étoiles!

Son nom me vient à l’esprit aujourd’hui alors que je lis la 1ère lecture de ce 2è dimanche du Carême (Gn.15 :5-12,17-18). De toutes les invitations de Dieu dans la Bible – et il y en a plusieurs, il faut en convenir – celle mentionnée dans cette lecture est assez spéciale : Dieu invite Abraham à… compter les étoiles, rien de moins!

Des étoiles, nous nous en créons et de toutes sortes. Il y a les artistes qu’on a précisément surnommés les ‘pop stars’. Il y a es personnalités du monde des sports qui nous donnent d’assister justement au ‘Match des étoiles’! Et nous avons tous et toutes des héros et héroïnes qui remplissent ce rôle : ils/elles éveillent en nous admiration et inspiration.

Mais pourquoi Dieu demande-t-il à Abraham de compter les étoiles? Pour lui redonner… ESPOIR! Abraham avançait en âge et il n’avait pas d’enfant – une situation considérée chez les Juifs de ce temps comme une honte sinon une malédiction. Alors Dieu promet à Abraham que ses descendants seront aussi nombreux que les étoiles du ciel que le pauvre homme n’arrive évidemment pas à compter! Et choses absolument étonnante, Abraham y a cru à un tel point que Dieu s’est réjouit de sa foi – dans le langage biblique : « Dieu le lui compta comme justice » (v.6).

Alors quand je suis en manque… en manque d’espoir, je compte les étoiles – les étoiles des multiples interventions de Dieu dans ma vie – en ‘comptant’ aussi que ma foi, à son tour, réjouira Dieu!

Source: Image: absfreepic.com