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Ps.34:18

Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ, Year B

1 juin 2018
Nicole Gregoire
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Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: Christ's presence, Emmanuel God-with-us, Mt.18:20-22, Mt.28:16-20, promises, Ps.34:18, sacrament, Sign, Trinity

Last week, on the Feast of the Holy Trinity, we reflected on ‘promises’
especially those from… God himself.
We focused on the one of Jesus in the last verse of the gospel of the day (Mt.28:16-20)
a promise assuring us:

”I am with you always; yes, to the end of time.”

Today, on the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ we see this promise being realized.
Jesus has found a way – an extraordinary means – to be with us, and to remain with us, always.
He has made his presence REAL in this sign –
the sacrament of himself truly and unfailingly present to all that we live and experience.

We must say that his presence is not restricted to this single mode of the sacrament.
Jesus has said that he is with us when two or three of us are gathered in his name (Mt.18:20-22).
Long ago, the Psalmist has said that God is near the broken-hearted (Ps.34:18),
in other words: God is with us in our pain and suffering.
The words of Scripture also translate his presence to us.

When he came into our world, his name was already expressing this reality:
Emmanuel: God-with-us.
He can – and he does – remain with each one of us in the different situations of our lives
and the happenings in our world.

Today is a special occasion to remember it and to celebrate his promised realized.

Source : Images : Dreamstime.com

30th Sunday of the Year, C

20 octobre 2016
Nicole Gregoire
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Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: Lk.18:9-14, Pharisee, prayer, Ps.34:18, publican, the Law

Praying is known to be an activity essentially directed to… God. It seems obvious that when someone comes to God in prayer, praises, thanks, blessings, will be addressed to him.
It could be said that prayer is simply acknowledging who God is and… who we are.

Amazingly, the gospel text of this Sunday (30th, Year C – Lk.18:9-14) presents us with someone who had not understood this most basic lesson about prayer.pharisee-pub
He is surely as convinced of the fact that he is praying as he is of being… the most deserving of God’s worshippers.

Jesus’ story is well known to us under the familiar title of: The parable of the Pharisee and the publican.
We know it well in its most colourful details, we even enjoy the caricatured description of the two personages.
The first one, a Pharisee, well respected in the Jewish community, comes before God to list – as if God had failed to notice – his many worthy actions that should win him God’s blessings. He does not fail to mention also how he carefully avoids any transgression of the Law.

Worse is to come. At this point in his prayer, the Pharisee starts looking down at the other man behind whom he despises for his last of respect for the Law. That publican has been judged and found wanting in the mind of the observant Pharisee.

The traditional roles of each of the two men are painted accurately. So far, Jesus’ listeners must follow him without difficulty while perhaps wondering where he is going with that story. It soon becomes very clear when Jesus concludes and says about the publican: “This man, I tell you, went home again at rights with God; the other did not.”

The Pharisee full of himself and boastful of all his qualities has not recognised God’s love and mercy who have brought him where he is. He thought he already had all he needed to have.

We may sometimes fail to understand that whatever we are and whatever we have managed to become is pure gift from God. We may be oblivious to all that we still need to be given so as to please God.
The publican stood before God – bowed before him – ready to be given, happy to receive God’s forgiveness and all the other gifts that God is eager to give to people like him.

For the Psalm assures us (Ps.34:18): “The Lord is near to the broken-hearted, he helps those whose spirit is crushed.” Happy are we if we remember this whenever we approach God in prayer…

Source: Image: www.pravoslavie.ru

11th Sunday of the Year, C

9 juin 2016
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: compassion, Jesus, Lc. 7:36-50, Mary Magdalene, Pharisee, Ps.34:18, Ps.51:17, Simon the Pharisee, the Man of Nazareth

The scene is well-known, the story it depicts as well, and the woman character in it is no less famous, could we say. So many works of art, works of fiction and of theological reflection are centred on the subject: Mary Magdalene, the women of Magdala.

The gospel text of this Sunday (11th Sunday of the Year, C – Lk.7:36-50) brings again this scene to our minds and hearts. Much has been said and much more could be said about the woman and about her encounter with the Man of Nazareth, that Teacher so different from all others.

For me, the story could be summarizwoman-anointing Im-international.used in two verses of the Psalms:
“My sacrifice is this broken spirit, you will not scorn this broken heart.”   (Ps.51:17)
“The Lord is near to the broken of heart, he helps those whose spirit is crushed.”   (Ps.34:18)

More than the broken jar of her perfume, Mary Magdalene brought to Jesus her broken heart – her sorrow for what she had been and… for what she had not been!
Her crushed spirit was filled with regrets, sincere repentance for what her life had been so far; this is what she brings silently before the Man of God.

Her broken heart shows the scars of what the contempt, the arrogance, the selfishness of people have inflicted on her.
All this added to the bitterness of being conscious of her failings – this is what she can place near the feet that she washes and dries with her hair.

She speaks no word, no confession is heard, no self-accusation or even promise of doing better – all is expressed in her silent offering.
Jesus receives it as it is offered, and he is indeed near the woman with a broken heart.
His nearness makes of him her defender against the silent accusation of the self-righteous Pharisee.

Amazingly, Jesus condemns nobody, not even Simon – he, himself, is the one giving the correct answer which condemns him.
It seems that, like some people still today, he has all the answers but… so little compassion!
And, it seems also that our God is a God of compassion… the very compassion that the Man of Nazareth is showing to the woman at his feet.

Source: Image: Im-international.us