First Friday of Lent

- I will write or learn this verse.

-I will repeat this verse several times a day and I will listen to what the Lord tells me therein.

-I can put this verse into practice, if I feel it is right to do so.

-I will fill out the blank thought bubble.

-I can share my experiences (or how I tried to put this word of God into place and what benefits I then received).

A little help to understand this verse: Ezekiel was a priest who was deported to Babylon in 598 BC. In 587 he was a prophet of hope. He denounces the conduct of princes and priests and announces the coming of a good shepherd. The verse of the day is taken from an Ezekiel speech on personal responsibility. Basically, it is not the sons who have to pay for the crimes of their fathers. Everyone is responsible for their own conduct. Not only does man not bear the fault of his ancestors, but he can still be freed from the weight of his own past (by converting). The judgement of God will depend upon the disposition of the sinner's soul.

Year A - 6th Sunday of Ordinary Time

6^th Sunday of Ordinary Time – Year A

1^st Reading : Sirac the wise 15.15-20

Psalm 118

2^nd Reading : 1 Corinthians 2.6-10 

Gospel: Matthew 5.17-37

 

 

 

To go further

 

Details

 

-This indecisive rabbit is perched on a tree stump with a few leaves, as if it were stopped from developing any further.

-He alone will make the decision

-In his body language, everything is contradictory:

-His body is turned towards the left and his head to the right

-He has one arm in front and the other behind.

-One ear turned up, the other down (he hears two different pieces of advice).

 

Questions

 

-The ability to say "Yes" or "No" is the most beautiful gift that God has given to each of us. It means that we each have the capacity to think for ourselves, and to become ourselves.

-Do I use this gift to effect power over others?

-Am I eternally indecisive?

-Do I wait for the response to come from outside?

-To say yes or non allows others to position themselves regarding me because they know what I think. Without these words from me, can the relationship really exist?

Year A - Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time

1^st Reading Isaiah 58.7-10

Psalm 111

 2^nd Reading: 1 Corinthians 2.1-5 

Gospel: Matthew 5.13-16

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Details

-This rabbit goes from a neutral landscape (there is nothing behind him) to the outskirts of a menacing and ever-darkening forest. There are 13 pairs of eyes fixed on him.

 -The attitude of the rabbit is hesitant. His ears all crumpled, his body folded backwards, as if everything in him was resisting. His eyes look elsewhere.

 -The sky becomes grey, the road becomes darker.

-Only one thing seems firm and solid, the sign “MISSION”, upright and colourful, planted in the middle of the road (usually they are placed at the edge).

 Questions

-When we read the letters of Saint Paul, we are mostly taken by their vivacity, their solidity, their directness and incisiveness. And there, he tells us that he is timid and trembling. It is at this moment that God can take place. That which we consider as a weakness is, in reality, a great force in the eyes of God, He who has passed this road. The force of the rabbit comes from the fact that he is sent (The “mission” sign). If he is sent, it is by someone. If that someone is God, obviously he is in the right place. Why would He send him to the middle of nowhere for no benefit?

 -Do I realise that my weakness is an occasion to let God pass in front of me, across me?

 -If I do, how do I live such a situation in my daily life?

Year A - 4th Sunday of Ordinary Time

1^st Reading: Zephaniah 2.3 ; 3.12-13

                   Psalm 145                

2^nd Reading: 1 Corinthians 1.26-31 

Gospel: Matthieu 5.1-12

To go further

Details

-The poor of heart, or spirit, is he who is aside, he who we leave alone. The poor man is he whom we do not listen to. He who has nothing for us to learn. Here, he is shown in a cave at the centre of the earth, with a microscopic gallery leading to the surface.

-He seems sad, timid, even stuck, and fearful in his regard. He has no possessions in his cave. God will come to him.

-Above the surface of the earth there are three scenes:

1. On the left, he who is rich, with his limousine, cash and safe.

2. In the middle, he who is strong, according to the world. He seduces and brings all success concerning romance.

3. To the right, he who is most powerful. He is on his throne and with his sceptre. He shouts orders, people bow before him and he is presented live-streaming on the TV.

These three people are rich, according to the criteria of our world. We would like to be like them. At new year, these are the kind of things that we wish for: Fortune, love and glory… and we think it is the real happiness.

-Jesus turned things on their head and said that the Kingdom belonged to those who were meek of heart. The gallery holds truffles, rare and highly sought mushrooms, veritable treasures which sprout around oak trees. It is the nose of a dog or pig which helps find these, thanks to the odours that these truffles leak out from the gallery and up to the surface of the earth.

-The meek heart is a sweet-smelling sacrifice for God. It is with God that the meek heart lives. He who manages to detect the odour of God in the meek of heart must have a refined and well-worked sense of smell. He must also be close to the ground, so therefore humble (which comes from the Latin for “earth”, “humus”)

Questions

-And I, what do I take from all that?

Year A - 3rd Sunday of Ordinary Time

1^st Reading : Isaiah 8.23 – 9.3

Psalm 26

2^nd Reading : 1 Corinthians 1.10-13. 17

Gospel: Matthieu 4.12-23

To go further

Details

 

-Jesus takes his disciples off to "fish for men". To fish for men is to join with them to help them discover how much God loves them and is committed to them.

But there we are, to fish for men, what will trap them? What can we use as bait?

-Modernity? The last technological advancement? (here represented by the mobile phone).

-What might entice the senses, to give pleasure? (depicted here by the foie gras)

-Something which demands no effort? (represented here by the word "free" so we owe nothing to nobody)

-For Jesus, there is another type of bait ; begin by loving the person before proposing anything to him. This is the model proposed by Jesus.

Questions

 

-If we look well at the image, the disciples look elsewhere than Jésus. They are fixed on the men to be fished, moreover on the hook and bait. They are so focussed that they look very serious and preoccupied, quite in contrast with the serenity of Jesus, who begings by loving them.

-Finally, what most attracts men, when one wishes to speak to them of God?

-In my life, what pulls me towards God and gives me the desire to discover more?

Christmas Time - Year A

Year A - 4th Sunday of Advent

4^th Sunday of Advent – Year A

1^st Reading: Isaiah 7.10-14

Psalm 23

2^nd Reading: Romans 1.1-7   

Gospel: Matthieu 1.18-24

To go further

Details

-The rabbit is alone. There is no hill, no bottom of a valley. He does not think that God could send him a sign.

-A little explanation of the Biblical text from which this is inspired. Ahaz is a young king, pulled every which way. He turns away from God to adore his idols. He even goes as far as to offer his own son in sacrifice to the god Moloch. Isaiah, the prophet, finds the king and reprimands him in the name of the Lord. He says this to him "Ask the Lord your God for a sign… " God is everywhere ( in the deepest depths and in the highest heights). Ahaz asks God for nothing.

In the cartoon, we see 6 ears. Six being the number of imperfection. The rabbit has "deaf ears". These ears are turned in all directions. He has not finished "paddling".

Questions

-Some of us look for signs from God as if they would be lights that clear the way ahead. Then, as soon as there is no more light, we stop and wait for the next light. It is not what we should be looking for. When the sign is there, we take it. When it is not we follow the previous sign.

-Some of us simply don't dare look for the signs, because it could have serious implications in our lives, and we would have to change something.

Am I looking more for signs than for God?

Do I prefer to not look for signs? Why?