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Jn.20:1-9

Easter Sunday, Year A – 2020

11 avril 2020
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: Jn.20:1-9, perception, Risen Lord, Seeing, understanding, undrstanding, vision

What we see… what we do not see…
 
It is always like this in life, is it not?
We see certain things and we miss others.
We perceive certain realities while we cannot distinguish others.

The gospel text of this Easter Sunday made me realize this anew (Jn.20:1-9).
Peter and John come to the tomb where Jesus had been laid and…
they see the pieces of linen neatly folded and the cloth that had been around Jesus’ head also laid on the side.
But the person for whom these items had been used, they do not see.
 
Jesus’ body – this is what they were looking for – his body was not there.
The two apostles could not fathom that he, himself, could have been there.
They were looking for a corpse… they had to meet a living person!
They were looking for something, they were to encounter SOMEONE.

Their perception had to be transformed,
their vision had to be enlarged,
their understanding had to be deepened.

Is it not what EASTER is all about?
Seeing with eyes that go beyond appearances.
Perceiving with a mind that stretches beyond the obvious.
Understanding with a heart that is attuned to the depths of reality.

The Risen Lord can give all of this… from day to day…

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

 

Source: Image: Unsplash

 

 

 

 

 

Easter Sunday, Year C – 2019

20 avril 2019
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: believe, creed, dogma, Jn.20:1-9, Lk.24:11, Lk.24:25, psychology, science, understand

We have to admit it:
the world is full of things that puzzle us,
daily life is rife with events that baffle us,
situations abound when we cannot make sense of what is happening.
Science and psychology give some clues but they are unhelpful in so many cases…

We study, and we search, and we analyze, but…
our minds fail to understand many aspects of our human existence.
and our hearts remain dissatisfied, so very often…
 
And today, celebrating the Feast of the Resurrection of Christ, where are we at?…
The last verse of the gospel text (Jn.20:1-9) tells us:
 
« Till this moment, the disciples had failed to understand the teaching of scripture
that he must rise from the dead. »
 
Amazing, is it not?
They had been living with him for three years, or so.
They had walked with him from day to day.
They had listened to hours of his teaching.
They had witnessed countless ‘signs’ of who he was – God’s special messenger.
Yet, “they had failed to understand…”
 
As they run to what they have been told is an empty tomb, Peter and John do not understand.  
They are convinced the women have lost their minds as they think Jesus’ body has been removed. (Lk.24:11)
The disciples of Emmaus will be told they are “foolish men, slow to believe…” (Lk.24:25)
 
Believing – not seeing, not understanding, not being able to explain, or justify,
But BELIEVING, plainly and simply.

Not only admitting some articles of a creed that one recites with devotion…
Not solely repeating the explanations one has received long ago about ‘the truths of our religion’…
Not being satisfied with accepting the contents of dogmas passed on to us…

But BELIEVING in deed and in truth.
Trusting Someone to the utmost, unconditionally.
Relying on that Someone even in the midst of the most trying situations.
Surrendering to that Someone all that I am and hope to become…

Some may think: ‘It is stupid, absurd, it is pointless any way.
Only people who are naive and gullible can believe.’

Yet, all things considered, perhaps it is foolish… NOT to believe!…

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

  

Source: Image: Wikipedia

Easter Sunday, Year B

31 mars 2018
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: apostles Peter and John, comfort, Easter, Jesus' absence, Jesus' presence, Jn.20:1-9, Mary of Magdala, running, rushing, situations, stop running

It may have happened to you :
In a moment of candid admission, someone will say:
‘I rush all the time; my life is a non-stop running here and there. I can hardly breathe any more…’
Life can be hectic and the demands placed on us often fill our days.
Speed is of the essence if we are to carry out all the tasks we have taken on.

Many of those in such a situation will probably feel some comfort from today’s gospel text
(Easter, Year B – Jn.20:1-9) where people are also running:

“Mary of Magdala… came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved.”
“Peter set out with the other disciple to go to the tomb. They ran together.”
 
Reading this text, it is good to pause – yes, to stop running – and ask ourselves what our running is for, and where it is taking us to…

We are told that Mary of Magdala set out very early, it was still dark…
Why? She was looking for Jesus. At least, for Jesus’ body as she did not expect to see him alive.
The same can be said of the two apostles who made for the tomb after Mary’s report that Jesus’ body was no longer there.

The Easter celebration is, in fact, all about this: Jesus’ absence and Jesus’ presence.
A new mode of presence to which the disciples – and we – must adjust to.
And this, more than anything else perhaps, demands that… we stop running a little –
long enough to realize that he is always with us and often in the most unexpected situation!

Note: another reflection is available in French on a different theme at: https://image-i-nations.com/dimanche-de-paques-annee-b/

Source: Images: children’s chapel.org   padredelisle.blogspot.com

Dimanche de Pâques, année B

31 mars 2018
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Trésor ancien et nouveau
Mots-clés: compréhension, croire, de l'intérieur, experiences, foi, Jn.20:1-9, L'Esprit, les Écritures, quotidien, resurrection, révéler, Voir

 « Il vit et il crut. »  

Cela semble si facile, si clair, si simple, si évident!                                                                                          
Non? Euh… pas exactement.

Parce que, en fait, Jean n’a PAS cru ce qu’il a vu mais… ce qu’il n’a pas vu!
Jean n’a pas vu Jésus ressuscité – tout ce que lui et Pierre ont pu voir c’était des linges :
« les linges, posés à plat,
ainsi que le suaire qui avait entouré la tête de Jésus,
non pas posé avec les linges, mais roulé à part à sa place ».
 
C’est ce que nous dit l’évangile de ce dimanche de Pâques (année B – Jn.20:1-9).
Il est intéressant de noter comment ce passage est détaillé – comme si les détails pouvaient conduire à… la foi !

Non, la foi a été suscitée, elle a surgit avec force de l’intérieur.
Et ce jaillissement a entraîné la compréhension qui avait manqué jusqu’à ce moment.
« Jusque-là, en effet, les disciples n’avaient pas compris que, selon l’Écriture,
il fallait que Jésus ressuscite d’entre les morts. »

Je trouve ce passage intéressant, oui, mais surtout encourageant –
encourageant parce que, d’une certaine façon, nous sommes dans une situation semblable.
Il nous faut précisément croire ce que nous ne voyons pas !

Et pour nous, comme pour eux, la foi jaillira de l’intérieur.
Si seulement nous permettons à l’Esprit de nous révéler le sens des Écritures…
Ce sens dont nous sommes toujours à la recherche au fil des jours et des expériences de notre quotidien.

Note: Une autre réflection est offerte en anglais sur un thème différent à: https://image-i-nations.com/easter-sunday-year-b/

Source : Image : Jesus Christ Wallpaper

 

Easter, Year A

15 avril 2017
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: believe, events, folded linen in the tomb, happenings, Jesus' miracles, Jesus' teaching, Jn.20:1-9, John and Peter, not understand, personal experience, rise from the dead

« The disciples had failed to understand… that he must rise from the dead. » (Jn.20:1-9)

They had been with him for three years.
They had heard him teach day in, day out.
They had seen him cure so many people, even bringing dead people back to life.
And yet… “They had failed to understand…”

Amazingly, what triggered their faith was… some linen!
Yes, linen folded lying where he had been laid in the tomb.

I find these two short mentions encouraging.
Encouraging because, somehow, they describe what is often our personal experience.
In spite of all that the Lord has already done for us, often we fail to understand…
We cannot make sense of some happenings in our lives, some events in the world.
We simply do not see why things ‘MUST’ take place as they do.
To us, it really does not make sense!

Then, suddenly, we come upon a small thing, insignificant, very ordinary – like folded linen – and surprisingly, some meaning appears that had remained hidden till then.
The tiny piece of the big jigsaw puzzle of life fits into the many awkward ‘holes’ all around!

Life – Death – Resurrection – yes, it is true: “He must rise from the dead. »

Source: Images: padredelisle.blogspot;  TurnbackToGod.com