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Ash Wednesday, Year A – 2023

22 février 2023
Nicole Gregoire
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Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: Children, giving alms, God's presence, lovers, Matthew 6:1-6, Matthew 6:16-18, praying fasting, secrets, spies, teenagers

Children like to exchange secrets as they whisper to one another.
Teenagers will hide their secrets in a very private diary.
Spies, of course, are masters of the secret world.
Lovers, it is said, thrive on well-guarded secrets of their own.

Could it be that even… God enjoys secrets?
Today’s gospel text would lead us to believe so (Matthew 6:1-6,16-18).
Three times, Jesus repeats:

“Your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

The gospel message could be summarized in these words:
When we want to please God, we should not be acting a part in public.
Praying, fasting, giving alms – these special actions that we are advised to do in this period of Lent –
should be done only and purely “in secret” – with the sole intention of coming closer to God.

The temptation can arise to impress others with our self-denial, or our generosity.
Pretending to be holy is not the genuine holiness, but make-believe.
Showing off under the guise of religious observance is something fictitious.

Jesus’ message is clear and direct:
“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. 
If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.”

Intimacy with God – which is what Lent invites us to – is best achieved “in secret”.
This is THE way to God’s presence experienced in deed and in truth…

 

Note: Another text is available on a different theme, in French at: https://image-i-nations.com/mercredi-des-cendres-annee-a-2023/

 

Source: Image: God’s Kingdom Come – She Reads Truth

 

International Day against the Use of Child soldiers – 12 February

12 février 2018
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: armed conflicts, Children, international treaty, poverty, sexual slavery, soldiers, spies, survival, violence, wars

Thousands of children are serving as soldiers in armed conflicts around the world. These boys and girls, some as young as 8 years old, serve in government forces and armed opposition groups. They may fight on the front lines, participate in suicide missions, and act as spies, messengers, or lookouts. Girls may be forced into sexual slavery. Many are abducted or recruited by force, while others join out of desperation, believing that armed groups offer their best chance for survival. We are working to prevent the use of child soldiers and to hold accountable the people who send children to fight.

Source: Text: www.hrw.org

About child soldiers
In many countries around the world – from Democratic Republic of Congo to Myanmar to Syria – children are being recruited by adults to fight their wars for them. Some child soldiers are used for fighting – they’re forced to take part in wars and conflicts, forced to kill, and commit other acts of violence. Some join ‘voluntarily’, driven by poverty, sense of duty, or circumstance. Children are also used as cooks, porters, messengers, informants or spies.

The law is meant to protect children from this abuse. There is even an international treaty devoted to ending the use of child soldiers. But not all countries in the world have signed on to it – and even those that have don’t always follow its rules. In February 2018, it will have been 18 years since this treaty was adopted. We are going to be marking this 18th anniversary with a big event in New York. In the lead-up to this event, we are asking for students all around the world to show that they stand with us in saying ‘children should be children, not soldiers’.

Source: Text Child-soldiers.org  Image: 123RF Stock Photos