Monday 29 December 2014

Year B - Second Sunday of Christmas

Second Sunday of Christmas
Epiphany
Isaiah 60, 1-6
Psalm 71
Ephesians 3, 2-6
Matthew 2, 1-12




To go further

Details and questions

- Three lost wise men, guided by a capricious satnav.
- Two of them are transfixed on the device (their own security).
Not one of the three has seen the sign "open your eyes" (You don't know that one?... you have to get out a bit)
- The rabbit who is behind - place of weakness - it is he who collides with the post (the unforeseen). 
- As a result, he sees 8 stars, one of which is large (8 like le 8th day, day of the ressurection of Christ. The star is also the symbol of Christ; "Shining star of the morning") 
- In the décor, there is only the manger, we cannot miss it... and yet  they do not see what is apparent. And I, what do I refuse to see? By what am I blinded ?
- In the manger, we can only distinguish a cow and a donkey and a crib. We do not see Jesus, nor Marie or Joseph.  No, of course, God could not be in this shabby place, unworthy of Him... What do you think?
- The stars are the same colour as the crowns
The only one who sees the 8 stars is he who has lost his crown, he has become poor, and it is to he that is revealed that which we are all searching.  The two others have each their crown (their power) and their satnav (their riches and security). All that they have found us their incapacity. Maybe they are now on the right track?
- The unexpected events steer us to something where we can find God. Sometimes, a brutal shock can help us understand. Have you experienced this?

Monday 15 December 2014

Year B - Fourth Sunday of Advent

Fourth Sunday of Advent - Year B
2 Samuel 7, 1...16
Psalm 88
Romans 16, 25 - 27
Luke 1, 26 - 38


To go further
Details

- A marine blue rabbit looks through a slot in the church door. He has a partial revelation.
- Another is inside but walks against the walls very preciously. He has not yet had the total revelation either because he does not seem to know how to love and how to open up to others.
- And he who invites the other rabbit to enter, he is the one sufficiently at ease « inside » and « outside». His feet and heart are inside, his head and ears outside. He invites the one outside to enter, coming towards him. The "mystery in 3D"  is that which is sought , discovered and lived . As long as one is not anchored in ones life , it is only in 2D ...

Question

- The Revelation is accomplished in Jesus. In the Church, we speak of "mystery". The mystery is not a secret thing that we will never understand and therefore must not even try to think on it. Au contraire, the mystery is something that we will never finish to understand but can discover always more. Take the example of the universe. We discover things always more fabulous, science allows us to go further, to explore the mystery under different facets. It is the same for the mystery of man; we have never finished to go to the deepest depths of understanding. We could say "in any case, it is a mystery, we will never discover the totality, so useless to look". Or, we could say "it is extraordinary, look further still, there is always something to discover". Therein lies the mystery of God. We will never cease to discover but we can go deeper and deeper still. And I, have I given up ? Do I also say (as I have already heard) "That is the way it is, it is a mystery, don't think on it". Should reason actually resign ?

Monday 8 December 2014

Year B - Third Sunday of Advent

Third Sunday of Advent - Year B
Isaiah 61, 1 - 11
Cantics Luke 1
1 Thessalonians 5, 1- - 24
John 1, 6 - 28

To go further

Details

- It seems to me that the image speaks for itself. What we can note is that the rabbit on the right (the wet one) has seven little clouds which pour upon him. These are gifts of the spirit (I remind you of them : wisdom, intelligence, advice, force, science, pity, fear of God).
- It is possible to dry these gifts when one is no longer turned towards the giver. God had said "you shall love the Lord with all of your heart, with all of your soul, with all your spirit and all of your force, and you will love your neighbour as you love yourself." What about the love of your neighbour when we water him with concepts and ideas which extinguish life in him?
- The rabbit on the left is "well-squared", his lines are hard, highlighted, his ears and feet are angular. His eyes are closed because he is not capable of looking at that which is good in the other one. 
- His heart is protected by his barrel, behind his certitudes. He dare not look at his heart, and dare not show it either.

Questions

- Don't make me say what I don't want to say. I do not say that morale, catechism, canonical rights and dogma are there to make us sweat (and still less to extinguish the spirit !). They are there at the service of the growth of human beings. They are therefore indispensable. On the other hand, be careful in the way in which we use them. If it is to break someone, is this a service for their growth.
And I, do I consider myself as an aid? As an obstacle ? In what way ?
Never lose sight of the fact that we always need the right balance.  

Saturday 6 December 2014

Year B - Second Sunday of Advent

Second Sunday of Advent - Year B
Isaiah 40, 1 - 11
Psalm 84
2 Peter 3, 8 - 14
Mark 1, 1 - 6


To go further
Details

- The rabbit is rather pressed and wishes to speed things along. But what things? The word of the bible says "It is for you that He is patient". He is patient to give you all the time to convert. The ball is in our court, in my court. But there we are, I have time for many things, but do I "take" time to convert? Nobody "has" the time, but  to "have" some, one must "take" it, and put it to one side for this task.
- With his nostrils, he breathes (fulmination no doubt) to accelerate  the melting of the ice. He sees solutions to go quicker ; solutions for God "you must do this or that", and solutions which come from himself (heat the ice). So, he passes by the wayside concerning his conversion, which  must happen inside himself. If he knew that it was he who God waited for, he who is concerned by his conversion... maybe he would see things differently? But here, he is so pressed that he uses, at the same time, his nostrils to melt the ice and his mouth to speak... How much do I resemble him?

Questions

- We forget the proverb "He who goes steady goes further". Do I wish to go further ? If so, am I going steady and how ? Enemy number 1 in the world today is the race against time. We do everything to move around more rapidly, we complain if we miss a subway connection, when there is another arriving in 40 seconds, we order online to have products delivered to us in the shortest timescales, even if it is more expensive. What is human in this? What is not human? What of it do I endorse? And the conversion, the fact to put things into question, to change? That will happen after everything else, if we have the time...