Tuesday 29 December 2015

Year C - Epiphany


Epiphany - Year C

Isaiah 60.1-6
Psalm 71
Ephesians 3.2…6
Matthew 2.1-12



To go further

Details

- As ever, upon first view, it is quite funny, yet there is something deeper beyond first glance...
- The kings are looking for the star. One has a map with a hole in it, the other doubts somewhat.
- Yet if we follow the stare of the first king, he sees much further than the map. With his right eye, he looks at you, and with his left eye, he seem to look further still, to the sky. You decide...
- The star which he seeks has six points, just as the star of David.
- In the cartoon, all the stars have 5 points, except for two. One has 8 and we can easily find it.
- If you are still looking for the star with 6 points, read on and I will tell you where it is.
We find it above God, represented in the cartoon (no really). He is represented by the question mark found in the bible verse, right up top. We cannot imagine God, so I have represented Him in this way.
- Last point, in the hole in the map, behind the rabbits head, there are no stars to be seen, because the brightest star here is the illuminated face of the rabbit who has found God.

Questions

- When you have found the star in the cartoon, can you now find the star in your life?
- How is it that the rabbit points his finger towards the star, even though the star is behind him ? I will leave that question open to you.



Monday 19 October 2015

Year B - Thirtieth Sunday of Ordinary Time

Thirtieth Sunday of Ordinary Time – Year B

Jeremiah 31,.-9
Psalm 125
Hebrew 5.1-6 
Mark 10.46-52



To go further

Details

- The rabbit who makes his praise echo is behind (in an orchestra the percussion section is in the last line).
- The cymbals are red, and the "DZIM" too.
- The trumpet player, although on a lower step, now finds himself higher than he who plays the cymbal. The praise of the other has awaken him.
- The blue rabbit finds himself at his place of praise and he holds it loyally. Just look at his face.
- It is his instrument which speaks, his mouth is closed.

Questions

Do not confuse praise (or thanks to God for what He is) and that action of grace (where we thank Him for what He has done). It is easy to give grace then to praise. Yet mankind was created to praise God.
- Do I stick to my role of Christian in my praises ?
- How ?

Monday 12 October 2015

Year B - Twenty-Ninth Sunday of Ordinary Time

Twenty-Ninth Sunday of ordinary time – Year B

Isaiah 53.10-11
Psalm 32
Hebrews 4.14-16 
Marc 10.35-45



To go further

Details

- Imagine somebody who is truly brilliant, who has all diplomas in all domains. Somebody who knows everything, and knows how to do everything. This person would have nothing missing on their CV, and when (if they manage to) they are recruited in a company they take the broomstick to clean the floor. 
We could interpret this in saying "What a waste, we are not using the qualities of this person !"
Yet the logic of man is not that of God.
This truly brilliant person, it is Jesus. He is so brilliant that he is the light of the world (He, par whom the world is created don't forget !...) He puts himself in last place.
Is He timid, introverted ?No, He is God, and God does not make a noise. He tames men by hiding among them.

Questions

- And I , how am I placed ? What speaks to me in what I have just read ?
- In all of my diplomas and talents, which have I placed at the service of God and humanity ?
- How can I use them, in my place, in daily life?

Thursday 8 October 2015

Year B - Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time (2)

28th Sunday of ordinary time – Year B

Wisdom 7.7-11
Psalm 89
Hebrews 4.12-13
Mark 10.17-30



To go further

Details

-This rabbit as infinite patience. He is passive. He knows that he will manage to untie the knots, it is only a question of time.
 -If we look at his right hand we can see quite a level of dexterity.
-He works with all of his being (hands, feet, ears)

Questions

-If all is possible to God, that doesn't mean that he will give me anything and everything. Sometimes, we have very specific demands in our prayers, and despite our faith, God does not give us what we have asked of Him. In this case, how should I react ?
-If God does not give me my Ferrari or my castle, do I ask Him why, or do I conclude that God simply does not listen to me ?
-I ask for what I wish, et God gives me what I need (knowing that my gift is not in the immediate but in the eternal life). That which he gives to me, is to prepare me for that life.
-Knowing this, does it stop me from asking the impossible from God ?

Monday 5 October 2015

Year B - Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

28th Sunday of ordinary time - Year B

Wisdom 7.7-11
Psalm 89
Hebrews 4.12-13
Mark 10.17-30


To go further

Details

The word of God is alive, we see this thanks to several points:
-1. The letters "a l i v e" are very warm and sporting an array of colours.
-2. The Bible has yellow pages inside, and a more modern fiery cover, with a light cross design. This signifies that its pages, although ancient, are still relevant now.
-3. The Bible bounces. I had thought about drawing it flying, but when it touches the ground, it gives more of an impression that it is down to earth, easy to reach.
-4. The Bible speaks. Jesus is the creator of words. Each of his words has logic. Jesus goes towards those who do no know them.
The blue rabbit who runs after the words, it is he who wishes to master them, to tame them and dress them up. Yet the word of God is not something one can chain up, it escapes from him. Nobody has a monopoly on the word of God, nobody has the one unique interpretation. 

Questions

-Do I have a real example of whereby the word of God is alive ?
-When did His word touch my heart profoundly ?
-When did it set me moving, to give my life direction ?

Monday 28 September 2015

Year B - Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

27ème Dimanche du Temps Ordinaire – Année B

Genesis 2.18 - 24
Psalm 127
Hebrews 2.9-11
Mark 10.2-16



To go further

Details

-This Rabbit has cold feet for two reasons:
-He's afraid of getting hurt from falling, so he doesn't have much confidence in God ...
-He puts a quilt in front of him, as for protection from God.
It would have been better to put it behind him.

Questions

 -The Torpor, "the mysterious sleep" in the book of Genesis is used by God when he does something very important, as if he plunges a man into a trance so that he can stand it. There is another passage in which Abraham is plunged into this torpor (Gen 15:12) when God undertakes in alliance with him when God passes between the shared animals (why share animals between two people and then pass through the middle when an alliance is made with someone? It was a sign of the word given, and it was final. If I broke the alliance, if I retracted my word, the same could happen to me as these animals). To quickly summarize, it is man who broke the covenant with God, and God (Jesus) who sacrificed himself in the place of man)
-Do I trust the intervention of God to heal me, to save me? Or do I prefer to heal and save myself ?
-According to my answer, how do I experience this each day?

Monday 21 September 2015

Year B - Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

26th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year B

Numbers 11.25-29
Psalm 18
James 5.1-6
Mark 9.38-43, 45, 47-49



To go further

Details

-A grey rabbit, proud of his wallet, becayse he has not built this car, he has just acquired it.
-The other rabbit has only one tool in his hand, but without this tool the car is only good for placing in the garage.
-The specialists know how to play with words for the Lamborghini because there is a model called "Diablo", whereas this one is called "Divino"..
-I amused myself by placing an on/off switch under the rear door, close to the back wheel, to show the fragility of an object. Sometimes we hardly need anything for something to break down.

Questions

-Riches and gold ruin us unless they are shared.
-Such riches are poison when they distance us from God, when they make us believe that money removes all risk and we make it the number one goal
-Does money save us ? From who, from what ? To what point ?
-Which are my material riches ? Are they rusted or shared ?