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26th Sunday of Year C – 2022

23 septembre 2022
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: blind, handicaped person, Luke 16:19-31, parable, poor, refugee, reversal of situation

 

 

 

 

 

Today’s gospel text probably appears to many of us as somehow strange, awkward even (Luke 16:19-31).
We may feel uncomfortable at the wording, and more still at the scenes described.
It all seems rather remote from our own experience.

Really?
What about ‘translating’ this parable of Jesus into a panorama familiar to us.

A poor man near the church begs for money,
       – a hurried parishioner enters the building without looking at him…
A distressed woman has lost her way and asks for help,
       – the rich passer-by hurries to the waiting car…
A refugee recently arrived in the country looks for the social center,
      – the family on holiday, unconcerned, runs to catch the bus…
A handicapped person is unable to move up the sidewalk,
      – the person behind makes a detour not bothering…
A blind is waiting, afraid to cross the street,
      – those around do not bother to offer assistance…

If, no, when there is a reversal of those situations, what will happen?
When those in need become rewarded and blessed, what will become of the others –
The others who…

  • did not pay attention,
  • did not bother,
  • did not get involved,
  • did not give help?…

Perhaps… yes, perhaps Jesus’ parable should make us feel uncomfortable…

 

Note: Another reflection is available on a different theme in French at: https://image-i-nations.com/26e-dimanche-de-lannee-c-2022/

 

Source: Image: unsplash.com   depositphotos.com

27th Sunday of Year A

5 octobre 2017
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: bad faith, behaviour, compassion, exclusion, Jesus, Mt.21:33-46, obstinacy, parable, Pharisees, pride, rejection, scorn, scribes, truth

The gospel narratives give us many parables of Jesus.
All of them are inspiring, some are challenging, others rather disturbing.
I think that the one in this Sunday’s gospel (27th Sunday, Year A – Mt.21:33-43) must have appeared very shocking to Jesus’ listeners.
And it was!

For us, 21 centuries later, the meaning is obvious and the words leave no doubt as to what Jesus wanted to say.
But I believe that the scribes, the Pharisees and the leaders of the people who heard the words of Jesus also had a rather clear picture of what he meant.
It was aimed at them – at their obstinacy in refusing to recognize him as God’s messenger.
In the verse following the parable we are told: “The chief priests and the scribes realised he was speaking about them” (v.45).

From the start they had challenged him, they opposed him, and they tried to trap him in all kinds of ways.
They saw all too clearly how his miraculous powers had a great influence on the crowds of people coming to hear him from all over the country.
They noted how his compassion for those whom they themselves despised was bringing more and more people to him.
“The crowd looked on him as a prophet but they would have liked to arrest him” (v.46).
A hard text, directed at people precisely hardened in their thoughts and settled in their ways – thoughts of pride and arrogance and ways of contempt and rejection.

Has the story, well-known as it is, anything to tell us in this day and age?
We like to believe that we would never have followed the ways of the Pharisees.
We would never have adopted such a behaviour as theirs.

Yet, one can wonder: are self-conceit, obstinacy, scorn, disdain, bad faith, exclusion, rejection,
are all these absent from our own attitudes in this or that situation?…
One can only wonder . . . and . . . possibly face an unpleasant truth never acknowledged until now.

Source: Image: LDS

26th Sunday of Year A

28 septembre 2017
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: attitude, behaviour, believing, change one's mind, events, Jesus, judging, Mt.21:28-32, opportunity, parable, relationships, situations, thinking

« What is your opinion? » 

These are not my words but those of Jesus himself in the gospel of this Sunday (26th of Year A – Mt.21:28-32).
He was speaking to the people who had come to hear him, but he is now addressing also each one of us today.

I imagine that when Jesus started speaking to the crowds in this way, they must have been wondering what was to follow.
They might have guessed – as we do – that, in fact, Jesus did not only want to know what they thought.
What he wanted them to be aware of was how they, themselves, would act in a given situation.

This is the case with this gospel text.
He uses strong language to reproach them their attitude.

What is it exactly that Jesus condemns?

  • They saw, but they did not believe.
  • They heard, but they did not change their way.

“You refused to think better of it,” says Jesus.
In other words: You did not change your mind… and your behaviour.
An indictment that many would deserve nowadays as well.
Perhaps even some of us, at some time… in some circumstances…

Changing, accepting to correct, to amend, to improve our ways – our ways

  • of thinking,
  • of judging situations,
  • of reacting to events,
  • of relating to people.

A time to change our minds… and our ways – this is God’s gift today.
An opportunity to identify with the first son of Jesus’ parable.

Source: Image: viewsfromthetreehouse.com

 

 

15th Sunday of the Year, C

7 juillet 2016
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: Good Samaritan, Jesus, Lk.10:25-37, neighbour, parable, Pr.6:2, question, walk the talk

Things we know too well, situations too familiar to us, or texts we know ‘by heart’, are in danger of no longer having an impact on us. The message has been heard long ago and ‘registered’ – it is G.Samaritanthere, at the back of our minds but with little bearing on how we live from day to day…

This may be the case for the parable of this Sunday (15th Sunday, Year C, Lk.10:25-37): The parable of the Good Samaritan. We know it so well, we could tell it with all its colourful details. But knowing it ‘by heart’ and knowing if ‘from the heart’ is quite different!

We could say that this text presents a typical case of someone being caught in his own trap. The lawyer was trying to catch Jesus by asking what he thought was a clever question. But his cleverness turns out to bring him shame. He may then have recalled a text of Holy Scripture: “You have been trapped by what you said, ensnared by the words of your mouth” (Pr.6:2).

Most interesting – and inspiring – in Jesus’ reply is how he turns the question asked by the lawyer into another question with a completely different focus. In other words: what is at stake is NOT: “Who is my neighbour?” but in Jesus’ words: “Who proved himself a neighbour?”

The reluctant answer of the lawyer is followed by Jesus’ injunction:  The modern colloquial equivalent of WALK THE TALK!

Source: Image: www.youtube.com