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John the Baptist

3rd Sunday of Advent, Year C – 2024-2025

13 décembre 2024
Nicole Gregoire
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Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: Advent, challenging question, generosity, honesty, John the Baptist, Luke 3:10-18, the way we treat people, truth, What God wants

The text of today’s gospel presents us with people who have come to John the Baptist with the desire to be baptized by him (Luke 3:10-18). 
We are told that they are asking themselves questions.

“The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts…”

What they were wondering about was something most important – they were asking themselves…
“if John might possibly be the Messiah”…

So, they wanted to prepare themselves, first by being purified through this rite of purification which was the baptism John administered.
But they realized that more was needed to make themselves acceptable to God when his messenger – “the Messiah”, God’s messenger – would come.

Each group of people asks a question which they know is essential.
Tax collectors, soldiers, the crowd as a whole, they are all questioning John.
They ask him: “What must we do?”

Is it not a question that remains with us, a question that even challenges us, in many situations?
How can we please God?
What should we do, how should we behave?
What does he expect from us in our daily life?

John replies to each of them precisely referring to their life-situation.
The answer he gives them is something practical, concrete, adapted to who they are.

His answers focus on generosity, honesty, truth.
Attitudes that are meant to acknowledge the needs of the people they are in contact with from day to day.
This is something interesting to realize: to please God we must treat his people – everyone we meet – with generosity, honesty, truth.

Rituals, bows and prostrations, repeated formulas of worship, are not what God himself asks for.
What he wants – what he demands, indeed – is that we treat people around us as we would… treat him!

This period of Advent gives us this timely reminder!

 

Note: Another reflection is available on a different theme in French at: https://image-i-nations.com/3e-dimanche-de-lavent-annee-c-2024-2025/

Source: Images: https://jesusfootprints.wordpress.com/2012/02/28/johns-baptism/
                               https://www.scripture-images.com/bible-verse/kjv/luke-3-10-kjv.php

Pentecost Sunday, Year B – 2024

18 mai 2024
Nicole Gregoire
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Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: Acts 2:1-11, dove, fire, Genesis 1:2, God's Spirit, Jesus baptism, John 3:8, John the Baptist, Matthew 3:16, présence, wind

How can we speak of the immaterial, yet very personal?
How can we approach the invisible, yet very close to us?
How can we relate to the divine, creative Spirit?

Human words and usual expressions are weak and poor to establish… a relation!
But symbols may come to our help facilitating the comprehension.
They can possibly assist us as we celebrate today’s Feast of Pentecost.
As we remember the coming of the Holy Spirit on human beings like us, we can look at the symbols used to describe God’s Spirit.

The 1st reading describes the appearance of the Spirit in “what seemed to be tongues of fire” (Acts 2:1-11).
The fire – warmth, light, purifying – exemplifies God’s action for us, in us.

As he started his work as God’s special messenger, Jesus went to be baptized by John the Baptist.
We are told that:
“He (John) saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on Jesus” (Matthew 3:16).

The dove – visible to the people present – stands for the invisible but real presence of God’s Spirit.

Already at the very beginning of the Bible, the narrative of the creation tells us:
“God’s spirit hovered over the water” (Genesis 1:2).
The text does not mention precisely the dove, but some spiritual writers have interpreted the scene as such.

The wind is also seen as a manifestation of God’s Spirit.
Before speaking of the tongues of fire, (referred to above) the text of Acts mentions:
“Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven”.

Jesus himself had spoken in this way to Nicodemus who had come to see him.
“The wind blows wherever it pleases.
You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going.
So it is with everyone born of the Spirit” (John 3:8).

A presence surrounding us, inspiring us, guiding us…
Invisible but so very near and gentle…
Always and ever remaining with us, we who are “born of the Spirit”…

 

Note: Another text is available on a different theme, in French, at: https://image-i-nations.com/fete-de-la-pentecote-annee-b-2024/

 

Source: Images: Aleteia

3rd Sunday of Advent, Year B – 2020

11 décembre 2020
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: Advent, awareness, benefit, invitation, Jn.1:19-28, Jn.1:6-8, John the Baptist, Presence of God, Prophets

“You did not see this!” or “Did you not hear that?”
“You have not done this?” or “You have not been there!”

Whether in the form of a question, or an exclamation, many people do not like to be addressed in this way.
Somehow, they perceive such words as an accusation, an indication that they have missed something.
And… perhaps they have indeed missed something…
They may have missed out on something they would have greatly benefitted from!

In today’s gospel (Jn.1:6-8,19-28), we meet John the Baptist with the people sent to question him on his true identity.
Having denied that he is any of the prophets or God’s special messenger, he tells them:

“There stands One among you whom you do not know.”

Enigmatic? Perhaps.
Prophetic? Certainly
It is an invitation to become aware of a presence – the presence of one as yet unrecognized.

This is the very invitation addressed to us in this period of Advent.
No matter how long we have been Christians, there is a permanent need to become more aware of this presence.
A permanent need to discover anew who is this God who constantly comes to us… at times, in some unlikely disguises!
A need, an invitation to know him more deeply from day to day… among us…
 
Note: Another reflection on a different theme is available in French at: https://image-i-nations.com/3e-dimanche-de-lavent-annee-b-2020/

Source: Images: BibleAsk    Free Bible Images

Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, Year A – 2020

10 janvier 2020
Nicole Gregoire
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Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: giving in, ideas, insights, John the Baptist, let go, meet God, Mt.3:13-17, Our Father, plan of God, plans, reporter

The gospel text of today (Mt.3:13-17) is rich in insights, perhaps not obvious at first sight
but looking into and beyond the words we discover the deeper meaning of what we see and hear.

A modern reporter could give this scene of Jesus baptized by John the striking title of:
Doing what one would rather not do and… meet God!

The words can provoke a smile but this is exactly what happened to John the Baptist
as Jesus presented himself to him to be baptized.
We are told:

“John tried to dissuade him…
But Jesus replied: ‘Leave it like this for the time being…’
John gave in to him. »

Give in to God!
One day, I saw a poster with the caption:
LET GO – LET GOD!

Let go of my ideas – God may have better ideas…
Let go of my plans – God may have a better plan…
Let go of what I want – so that his “will may be done”…
 
Our lips repeat it so often praying the ‘Our Father’, but… somehow…
Today is a good day to start… giving in to him.

Note: Another reflection is available on a different theme in French at: https://image-i-nations.com/fete-du-bapteme-du-seigneur-annee-a-2020/

 

Source: Images: thechurchofjesuschrist.org   fineartamerica.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2nd Sunday of Year A – 2019

6 décembre 2019
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: adjustment, conversion, correction, follower of Christ, Is.11:1-10, John the Baptist, Mt.3:1-12, repent

When keying in a text on the computer, it happens that we write a word incorrectly.
A red line appears under the faulty text and we know that a correction is required.

Practising a sport of any kind, we know from experience that we must sometimes change our technique.
A type of movement – a shot, a stretch or a sprint – may need to be corrected also.

As we travel to a certain place, we may suddenly realise that we have lost our way.
We need to turn back and take another direction.

We do it constantly and in all kinds of situations: correct, adjust, redress.
Why would we not do it with… our lives as Christians?

In a forceful manner, this is what John the Baptist calls us to do in today’s gospel (Mt.3:1-12).
He repeats that we need to REPENT.
The word may not sound appealing and what it asks of us may not appear promising.
Yet, we know that it happens that our lives need some correction and adjustment.

Another translation speaks of CONVERSION – literally this means a change of direction.
A turning back to find and take a new orientation.
It is as simple as that!
Simple? Yes. Easy? No.

But we are not expected to do this on our own.
God’s Spirit will enable us to take the direction leading us on the way of Christ.
In the 1st reading, Isaiah speaks of this “Spirit of wisdom, insight and power” (Is.11:1-10).
He is always ready to help us if only we ask him to do so…

This is what it means to be a ‘follower of Christ’: walking as he walked in the direction he took.

Note: Another reflection is available on a different theme in French at: https://image-i-nations.com/2e-dimanche-de-lavent-annee-a-2019/

 

Source: Images: Free Bible Images   Resources for Catholic Education

 

 

 

 

 

John, the beloved disciple

27 décembre 2017
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: crucified, forgave his executioners, Jesus risen, John the Baptist, multiplication of the loaves, serving one another, the bread - his body, The Father, the wine - his blood, washing the feet of the disciples
Yes, he was the special friend of the Master.
He listened to him, learned from him.
He followed him, faithfully till the end.
He tells us about his special relationship
with Jesus of Nazareth.

2nd Sunday of the Year, A

12 janvier 2017
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: 1 Cor.1:1-3, expérience, Is.49:3-6, Isaiah, Jn.1:29-34, John the Baptist, Paul the apostle, the Spirit, truth, witness

Being a witness can be a duty and it sometimes becomes an obligation that cannot be avoided.
It can be a pleasant task as it is to act as witnesses to the commitment of two people getting married.
It can be a painful experience to retell the details of an accident which one has witnessed.
And it can be very stressful to appear in court and, under oath, to say what one knows and sees as true.

In all these circumstances, a person is called to say clearly what he, or she, has seen, heard, and knows of a given situation.
In other words, the personal experience of the witness is what is required.

On this 2nd Sunday of the Year (A) the three scripture readings somehow refer to this aspect of human responsibility: witnessing.

Isaiah claims: “The Lord formed me in the womb to be his servant” (Is.49:3,5-6) and this service will be that of proclaiming God’s message to his people, speaking as a witness of what God has revealed to him.

In his turn, Paul affirms that he has been “appointed by God to be an apostle” (1 Cor.1:1-3), in other words he, too, will be asked to tell what he has experienced of the God of Jesus.

However, it is John the Baptist who speaks more clearly as he says of himself: “I have seen and I am the witness” (Jn.1:29-34).

Our times need witnesses no less than the past. It is easy to dismiss the fact that each Christian is called to be precisely that. Speaking for God, sharing Christ’s message, allowing the Spirit to lead me to speak when I should so that the truth may be known. The truth of who God is and what he calls us to be.

We need not be theologians, teachers, or specialists in explaining Bible texts. What is expected of us is simply letting our experience of God speak for itself… speak for Him!

Source: Images: wisconsinvows.com; 123RF.com;  www.diminishedvalue.com;  spiritualityhealth.com

 

3rd Sunday of Advent, A

8 décembre 2016
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: Is.35:1-6, Is.35:10, John the Baptist, Lord's coming, Mt.11:2-11, questions, the Nazarene

Things that are well known to us may tend to be so familiar that we forget about them, or we take them for granted. Either way, they do not have much impact on our lives. Could this be the case for the bible texts offered to our reflection during this Season of Advent?

We have heard the words so often: “The Lord is coming”. “The Lord will come again”. The message is so familiar, we have heard it repeated to us year after year and… life goes on as it has for a long time, a very long time…

Do we truly believe this? Is this really REAL for us? Has it any impact on what we live from Monday to Saturday? Even on Sundays, when the message is proclaimed again, does it reach us in the depth of our selves? Or is it simply one more item among so many others that come to our hearing?         

On this 3rd Sunday of Advent, Year A, Isaiah will say it again: “Your God is coming” (Is.35:1-6,10). But his words may give rise to some questions and those questions may linger somehow in our minds: When? Where? How?

Even John the Baptist in his prison had his own doubts: that man, Jesus of Nazareth, is he really THE one? The disciples he sent to the Nazarene asked plainly: “Have we got to wait for someone else?” (Mt.11:2-11).

And today this question softly arises within each one of us: ‘Is he really THE one… for me?’ I can only answer for myself…

Source: Image: www.photocase.com