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4th Sunday of Easter, Year B – 2024

19 avril 2024
Nicole Gregoire
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Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: believe, give one's life, Isaiah 43:40, John 10:11-18, love, precious, shepherd

Nowadays, some people speak of our ways as those of a ‘throw away culture’.
It seems that people buy a lot of objects, and they soon throw them away.
They acquire many items and discard them readily.
Not much is precious to them, it looks as if nothing is of real value.

Sad to say, this mentality sometimes spreads to the way we relate to people.
We do not value who they are, and what they can contribute to society.
Short-term relationships are prevailing, and enduring commitment are not the norm.

This is what has led me to notice a section of today’s gospel text (John 10:11-18).
It speaks of the hired man who acts as a shepherd.
Seeing a wolf coming to attack the sheep, that man runs away, and Jesus explains the reason for this attitude:
“The man does not care for the sheep”. (Another translation says: “He has no concern for the sheep”).

Jesus repeats and insists, saying:
“I am the good shepherd… I lay down my life for my sheep”.

Someone ready to give his/her life for another, surely that person is precious to him/her.
The life of the other person is of great value.
It means so much that one is ready to sacrifice his/her own existence to save another.

This is how precious we are to God.
This is really amazing, so amazing that we find it difficult to believe…

Long ago, God had given this very message to his prophet Isaiah who was to say in God’s name:
“You are precious in my eyes…
You are honored and I love you” (Isaiah 43:40).

This is GOD speaking to each one of us!
We are precious to him, and he loves us –
a message spoken long ago but always valid, permanent and unconditional.

Why do we hesitate to accept this tremendous reality?

 

Note: Another text is available on a different theme, in French, at: 4è dimanche de Pâques, année B -2024

 

Source: Image: https://quotesgram.com/the-good-shepherd-jesus-quotes/

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

 

Holy Thursday, Year A

13 avril 2017
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: commémoration, freedom, libération, Lk.22:19, Memories, memory, peace, precious, Remember, Remembrance Day, shared, special events, think of me

Memory… Memories…
Personal… Shared… Cherished… Sometimes surprising… Precious…

Our memory is an important part of ourselves.
It can bring back to us forgotten experiences.
It can recapture the sights and sounds of long-past events.
It can place before our mind’s eye the faces of loved ones.

At times, some people will tell us: “Remember me tomorrow; I have an appointment with the doctor…”
Others will ask: “Think of me, remember I have a job interview next week…”
They may not openly request that we pray for them –
nowadays they will speak more in terms of ‘good vibes’, or ‘positive thoughts’.
What they want, in fact, is that we remain ‘connected’ with them!

Today, Jesus asks us for this: “Do this in memory of me = Remember me…” (Lk.22:19)

People create special days of ‘commemoration’ for special events.
The one that first comes to mind is November 11th called precisely: Remembrance Day.
On that day, we remember those who have given their lives for the freedom of their country
and peace in the world.

We could say that today is indeed: Remembrance Day par excellence –
we remember what God himself, yes, God-made-man, has done for us,
for our liberation, for our lasting peace.

Source: Image: www.lds.org