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11th Sunday of Year B – 2024

14 juin 2024
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: explanations, friend, Holy Spirit, homily, Jesus' presence, John 14:26, Mark 4:26-34, neighbor, parables

The readings of our celebrations are many and they are rich in what they offer us.
The third reading – the gospel – brings us to Jesus himself, what he said and what he did.
Today’s last verse of the gospel has a message for us.
It tells us that Jesus spoke to his listeners in parables meant to make his words understood by them (Mark 4:26-34).

But this verse adds:
“When he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything to them”.

We may be tempted to envy them!
They lived daily in the presence of the Master.
He was there, always ready to explain his message to them and answer their questions.
When they failed to understand something that he had taught, they could ask him to speak about this again.

Yet… he is also with us…
Oh, not visible, of course, and his voice cannot be heard as yours and mine can be.
But his presence is no less real.
And we also have been given his promise –
the promise that his Spirit will remind us of what he said and make us understand his message (John 14:26).

Perhaps, what is needed is for us to take the time –
the time to sit quietly and listen again…

Listen to his words in the Bible…
Go for a walk in nature and listen to what he will silently inspire us…
Sit in our favorite corner of the garden where we can be by ourselves and remember what he told us already…

The remark of a neighbor…
A conversation with a friend…
The text of a book…
A priest’s homily…

All of these can be the way the Spirit will reach us today, and tomorrow, and…
And, suddenly, Christ’s message will take on a new meaning… an inspiration… for now, and later!

 

Note: Another text is available on a different theme, in French, at: https://image-i-nations.com/11e-dimanche-de-lannee-b-2024/https://image-i-nations.com/11e-dimanche-de-lannee-b-2024/

 

Source: Images: Scripture Images One Walk / With Jesus

25th Sunday of Year B

22 septembre 2018
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: child, competition, important, Is.43:4, lesson, Mk.9:31-37, parables, precious, servant

Many of the gospel texts are well known to us – we know the stories; we know the people and the facts.
We remember the parables and their message.
The words of Jesus, at least many of them, echo in our memories.
Yet, I wonder if, at times, some important detail does not escape our notice.
This question came to me after reading the text of this Sunday’s gospel (25th Sunday of Year B – Mk.9:31-37).

This scene shows us the apostles who need to be corrected and Jesus is intent on doing so –
He will correct their misguided attitude of competing with one another, showing off,
trying to be seen as more important than the other next to them.

A lesson on being the servant of one another is what they need, obviously.
Jesus will not fail to teach them this in his own typical manner.
He does so in a surprising way.

“If anyone wants to be first he must make himself last of all and servant of all.
He then took a little child, set him in front of them, put his arms round him…”
 
Another translation says: “He embraced the child…”
This is the detail: the child is important to Jesus, he matters!

There are current social movements with precisely this title:

  • ‘BLACK LIVES MATTER’
  • the corresponding counter current: ‘WHITE LIVES MATTER’.
  • the #metoo = #MoiAussi movement

are all expressions of this deep need within us : we want to matter to other people,
we NEED to be important to other people.

And the good news is that we do matter, we are important to God!
He said it in so many words long ago by his prophet Isaiah:
“You are precious in my eyes… I love you.” (Is.43:4)
 
Perhaps we had forgotten…

Note: Another reflection is available on a different theme in French at: https://image-i-nations.com/25e-dimanche-de-lannee-b/

Source: Image: YouTube

 

11th Sunday of the Year, B

15 juin 2018
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: goals, God's will, growth, inspiration, kingdom of God, Mk.4:26-34, occupations, parables, plans, Presence of God, projects, relationship with God

The gospel accounts, especially that of Matthew, offers us many texts on the kingdom of God.
The specialists on those gospel texts discuss among themselves about the meaning of this term:
“the kingdom of God”.
They generally agree that it refers to God’s special relationship with human beings,
his presence and action among us – a presence and action accepted by people to guide their lives.

One of the parables of this Sunday (11th Sunday of Year B – Mk.4:26-34) speaks in this way:

“This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man throws seed on the land.
Night and day, while he sleeps, when he is awake,
The seed is sprouting and growing; how, he does not know.
Of its own accord, the land produces, first the shoot, then the ear;
Then the full grain in the ear.”

A few words struck me in the text: “Of its own accord…”
As if the seed had a will of its own!
Yet, mysteriously, it follows the laws of nature ‘rooted’ – literally – in the depths of itself.

The seed has no will of its own but… we do!
And our will should be … ‘in accord’ with God!
The expression is unusual, perhaps, but it is theologically true!

Our daily life and actions,
our plans and occupations,
our projects and our goals should be according to God’s will.
His presence should be the inspiration of our lives.
And pleasing him should be what we aim at from day to day… of our own accord!
Simple? Yes.
Easy? Perhaps not…
But God’s Spirit in us – the vital energy enabling us to grow – can also enable us to live in this way

Note: Another reflection is available in French on a different theme at: https://image-i-nations.com/11e-dimanche-de-lannee-b/

Source: Images: inkfish.fieldsofscience.com   VideoBlocks