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Pope Francis visits Irak

6 mars 2021
Nicole Gregoire
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Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: Irak, peace, poor, Pope Francis, pray

Pope Francis arrives in Iraq as ‘penitent pilgrim’ begging for peace

Pope Francis arrived in Iraq March 5 for a three-day visit aimed at encouraging the nation’s historic but diminishing Christian community. ..

The pontiff made impassioned and repeated pleas that the country might avert further conflict.  « May the clash of arms be silenced! » exhorted Francis. « May their spread be curbed, here and everywhere! « May the voice of builders and peacemakers find a hearing! » said the pope. « The voice of the humble, the poor, the ordinary men and women who want to live, work and pray in peace.”

Source: Text (excerpts): Joshua J. McElwee March 5, 2021  Image: People.com

 

6th Sunday of Year B – 2021

12 février 2021
Nicole Gregoire
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Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: 45-46, approach God, compassion, doubt, fear, hésitation, Lv.13:1-2, Mk.1:40-45, pray, shame

We are often told that we should turn to God.
We should come to him in all kinds of situations and pray to him for all our needs.
And, of course, many writers and preachers tell us HOW we should do this.

Today, I choose to reflect on HOW NOT to do so.
I personally believe that we should NOT turn to God with fear, hesitation, shame or doubt.

We should NOT be afraid that he is too far above or too far away to listen to us.
We should NOT hesitate to turn to him thinking that he is not concerned about our problems.
We should NOT be ashamed of our failings and failures of all kinds – they will not bother him.
We should NOT doubt that he is compassionate and merciful.

What confirms me in this conviction is the gospel text of this Sunday (Mk.1:40-45).
Here comes a man afflicted by a shameful disease – that man is a leper.
The rule in his society is that he should keep away from everyone,
as we see in the 1st reading (Lv.13:1-2,45-46).

Jesus is a respected religious leader and he is an outcast.
Yet, this leper is not afraid or ashamed, he does not hesitate or doubt.
He asks Jesus to cure him, and Jesus does so without delay!

Why do we not do the same with our difficulties, problems and, possibly, even our shameful situation?!

 

Note: Another reflection on a different theme is available in French at: https://image-i-nations.com/6e-dimanche-de-lannee-b-2021/

  

Source: Images: sharesonofgod.com

20th Sunday of Year A – 2020

14 août 2020
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: advice, help, learn, methods, Mt.15:21-28, Mt.6:8, pray, words

Praying… an activity which always finds us in need to learn –
to learn how to approach God and, of course, what to say when we are in his presence.

Bookshops and libraries are full of material published precisely to guide us with methods and advice about praying.
Many spiritual authors suggest what they consider the best way to pray; their thoughts and suggestions cover many pages.

The Syrophoenician woman we meet in today’s gospel (Mt.15:21-28) may not have known how to read, but…
she knew how to pray, and how to pray well:

“Lord, have mercy on me.
Lord, help me.”
 
Few words – short words – simple words –
but words that touched Jesus to the point that he did for that woman precisely what she was asking for.

Why do we sometimes think that God needs long explanations of our needs and detailed requests for his assistance?
Jesus has assured us: “Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” (Mt.6:8)
 
The Syrophoenician woman was right after all!
“Lord, have mercy on me. Lord, help me” – this could be enough… could it not?

 

Note: This gospel scene is also offered in video format at: https://youtu.be/M-KMEFoxhSE

And another reflection on a similar theme in French can be found at: https://image-i-nations.com/20e-dimanche-de-lannee-a-2020/

 

Source: Image: theministryofezra.com

 

 

 

Ash Wednesday – Year B

14 février 2018
Nicole Gregoire
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Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: close the door, clutter, focusing, Lent, meeting God, mess, Mt.6:6, need of help, open the door, pray

Did you notice how often, in a single day, we close a door?
We go out of different places and, every time, we must close a door.
We leave some premises and, again, the same gesture is done: closing the door behind us.

In fact, this is the very action we are reminded of on this Ash Wednesday.
We are called to close the door – the door of our room, a personal, private area.
We are told:
“Go to your private room and, when you have shut the door,
pray to your Father who is in that secret place” (Mt.6:6).

This time, shutting the door is for a specific purpose: to PRAY!

Ash Wednesday opens up – literally – into Lent, this special liturgical season when we are invited to ‘go inside’ having left out what is not essential.
A lot of ‘things’ may be included in ‘what is not essential’.
This may vary for different people but for each one it may include a lot of superfluous items!
It is up to every one to make his or her list…

There are objects, situations, people that COULD be left out of our lives, others that SHOULD be taken out of our lives.
Not for the sole purpose of taking out but with the aim of FOCUSING!
FOCUSING and MEETING the one who is ever waiting for us: our Father.

Our houses are sometimes disappearing under the ‘clutter’ that we have slowly accumulated.
Under this untidy mess, some important objects and some helpful items may be hidden…

And the same ‘untidy mess’ may be also part of our “private room” – this special place, inward, where we are to meet God…
Some precious elements of life may be hidden, believed to have disappeared…
So, Lent may be the ideal time for… clearing the mess, freeing ourselves from the clutter!
And, rediscovering the most important, the essential!

It is obvious that as often as we close doors, as often too we open them.
So, yes, opening the door to God, and to those in need of our help, is very much part of Lent –
the other side of the coin, one could say.

Source: Images: YouTube;  rhayssadanielle.blogspot.com

2nd Sunday of Year B

11 janvier 2018
Nicole Gregoire
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Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: 1 Cor.6:19, 1 Sam.3:3-10, answer, Holy Spirit, pray, Rom.8:26-27

Whenever I come across the text of the 1st reading of this Sunday(2nd Sunday of Year B – 1 Sam.3:3-10,19), I am tempted to envy the young Samuel.
He was very fortunate in being told how to speak to God, what to tell him, in other words: How to pray!

I believe that most of us often ask ourselves what is the best way to go about this most important activity.
Our constant reference, Google, in less than a second gave me 9 billions, yes this is what I got: 9 billion possible articles when I simply keyed in: HOW TO…
The first one was entitled: How to do anything !

I am NOT inclined to ask Google the question HOW TO PRAY.
I expect that I would find many texts on the topic – how, and when, and with what words, and for whom, I should address God.

I can say that I have found my own answer… and I am ready to share it with you.
I take it from the apostle Paul in his letter to the early Christians of Rome, as he tells them:

“When we cannot choose words in order to pray properly,
the Spirit himself expresses our plea
in a way that could never be put into words,
and God who knows everything in our heart
knows perfectly well what he means.”   (Rom.8:26-27)

And this same Paul assures us in the 2nd reading today:
“The Holy Spirit is in you since you received him from God.”   (1 Cor.6:19)

So, I need only repeat Samuel’s words:
“Speak, Lord, your servant is listening”,
and the rest will follow… of itself… nay, of Himself

Source: Images: unsplash.com  psychologytoday.com

Note: Another text for reflection is available in French at: https://image-i-nations.com/2e-dimanche-de-lannee-b/

19th Sunday of the Year A

10 août 2017
Nicole Gregoire
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Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: alone, answer, Apostle Peter, apostles, faith, fear, Jesus test, pray, rely on, request, storm, struggle, trust

The theme of last Sunday (Feast of the Transfiguration, Year A) is back again: “Do not be afraid…”

Yet, the situation described in today’s gospel (19th Sunday of Year A – Mt.14:22-33) is quite frightening!
A storm on the lake and the apparition of… a mysterious being walking on the water – this is most unusual and rather scary, even for grown-up fishermen like the Apostles.

After the multiplication of the loaves, Jesus had stayed behind to send back the people.
He had remained on his own to pray.
An unexpected storm is raging and the apostles are alone.
They feel insecure and they struggle to face a situation which they seem unable to control.

The strange being moving in the distance does not reassure them in any way.
Then, they hear the voice they know well: that of Jesus himself telling them, yes, not to be afraid!
As usual, the first to react is Peter who utters a request typically true-to-character:
“Lord, if it is you, tell me to come to you across the water.”
 
We know the rest!
Peter has somehow put Jesus to the test and… Jesus took him to his word.
But the test was, in fact, one of Peter’s faith!

The struggle on the lake was between the strength of the fishermen and that of the waves, of course,
But it was also a struggle between doubt and faith…
A struggle between fear and trust…
A struggle between relying on oneself and… on someone else – the one who calls to us.

And the answer needs to be repeated day in day out, on a stormy day as well as when the sun shines bright!

Source: Image: lds.org

4th Sunday of Lent, Year A

23 mars 2017
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: advice, afraid, attitude, drive away, escape, incompetent, information, insight, Jesus, Jn.9:1-41, man born-blind, memory, Pharisees, pray, reaction, remark, see, truth, waarning

Strange things happen among us, people.
Something good can be done for someone and the person who benefits from the good deed is penalized for it!
 
It should not surprise us – this is what happened already in the time of Jesus.
We see it in today’s gospel on this 4th Sunday of Lent, Year A (Jn.9:1-41).

Jesus has cured a man who had been born blind and the religious leaders give this fortunate man – (or, unfortunate?) –
a hard time indeed.
Questions upon questions to him, to his parents, back to him again – evidently trying to find Jesus somehow guilty.
Unable to have the man say anything that would enable them to reach such a verdict, “They drove him away…”

They cannot SEE the good.
They cannot accept the evidence.
They push aside what is plain and clear.
They cannot face the truth.
They blind themselves in the most obvious way.

Why? Why such an attitude? What this kind of reaction?
But the next question is… Can this not be found in… us?
 
We may ‘drive away’ a memory… too painful to face.
We may ‘drive away’ a remark… unpleasant to acknowledge.
We may ‘drive away’ a warning… that would call for a decision.
We may ‘drive away’ a piece of advice… that would ask for a change of attitude.
We may ‘drive away’ some information… that invites me to do something.
So, we do as if the truth were not the truth!

We may fell afraid, ashamed, incompetent, powerful, not equal to a situation.
So, we hide, we pretend, we escape.
We literally ‘drive away’ what is plain to SEE but which threatens us.

LENT may be precisely that: the time to make special efforts to SEE.
And to pray for, yes, vision AND insight!

See also:  http://image-i-nations.com/the-man-born-blind/
Source: Image: request.org.uk