Sunday, December 31, 2000

A New Year’s Day First Nations Blessing

In the "New Covenant" made by our Creator God with humanity, as reported in Jeremiah 31:31-34, every human being can know God from within - because the Holy Spirit is revealing our Creator to all who are willing to know the Lord and trust in Him. We can still help each other along the way; so may you be pleased to find here a variety of helps to the life of faith in God through Jesus Christ. G.S.

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A New Year’s Day First Nations Blessing


A poem of the First Nations (Native Indians)

 
May the Lord bless your sight:
that it will always be as clear as the full moon.
 
May the Lord bless your thoughts:
that they may be pure and fresh as ice on a lake.
 
May the Lord bless the work of your hands:
that it may be as fruitful as corn that ripens in the fields.
 
May the Lord bless your family:
that they may be as carefree as otters
and as industrious as bees.
 
May the Lord bless your days on earth:
that they may flow calmly as a river after the rapids.
 
May the Lord bless your tears:
that they may be soft as maple trees
when the birds return to their nests.
 
May the Lord bless your life and your death:
that you may spend your days
protected by His powerful and generous hands.
 
 
HAPPY, HEALTHY,  AND  HOLY  NEW  YEAR !



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In the "New Covenant" made by our Creator God with humanity, as reported in Jeremiah 31:31-34, every human being can know God from within - because the Holy Spirit is revealing our Creator to all who are willing to know the Lord and trust in Him. We can still help each other along the way; so may you be pleased to find here a variety of helps to the life of faith in God through Jesus Christ. G.S.

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© 2006-2021 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal  QC
© 2006-2021 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC
 

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Monday, December 25, 2000

JESUS' CHRISTMAS GREETING - "Merry Christmas!"

In the "New Covenant" made by our Creator God with humanity, as reported in Jeremiah 31:31-34, every human being can know God from within - because the Holy Spirit is revealing our Creator to all who are willing to know the Lord and trust in Him. We can still help each other along the way; so may you be pleased to find here a variety of helps to the life of faith in God through Jesus Christ. G.S.

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JESUS' CHRISTMAS GREETING 

"Merry Christmas!"

Dear loved ones,
 
As you well know, we are getting closer to my birthday. Every year there is a celebration in my honour and I think that this year the celebration will be repeated. During this time there are many people shopping for gifts, there are many radio announcements, TV commercials, and in every part of the world everyone is talking that my birthday is getting closer and closer.

 
It is really very nice to know, that at least once a year, some people think of me. As you know, the celebration of my birthday began many years ago. At first people seemed to understand and be thankful of all that I did for them, but in these times, no one seems to know the reason for the celebration.  Family and friends get together and have a lot of fun, but they don't know the meaning of the celebration.
 
Remember that last year there was a great feast in my honour. The dinner table was full of delicious foods, pastries, fruits, assorted nuts and chocolates. The decorations were exquisite and there were many, many beautifully wrapped gifts. But, do you want to know something?  I wasn't invited. I was the guest of honour and they didn't remember to send me an invitation. The party was for me,  but when that great day came, I was left outside, they closed the door in my face .... and I wanted to be with them and share their table.
 
In truth, that didn't surprise me because in the last few years all close their doors to me. Since I wasn't invited, I decided to enter the party without making any noise. I went in and stood in a corner. They were all drinking; there were some who were drunk and telling jokes and laughing at everything.  They were having a grand time. To top it all, this big fat man all dressed in red wearing a long white beard entered the room yelling Ho-Ho-Ho! He seemed drunk. He sat on the sofa and all the children ran t o him, saying: "Santa Claus, Santa Claus" .. as if the party were in his honour!
 
At 12 Midnight all the people began to hug each other; I extended my arms waiting for someone to hug me and ... do you know ... no one hugged me. Suddenly they all began to share gifts. They opened them one by one with great expectation. When all had been opened, I looked to see if, maybe, there was one for me.
 
What would you feel if on your birthday everybody shared gifts and you did not get one? I then understood that I was unwanted at that party and quietly left.
 
Every year it gets worse. People only remember to eat and drink, the gifts, the parties and nobody remembers me. I would like this Christmas that you allow me to enter into your life. I would like that you recognize the fact that almost two thousand years ago I came to this world to give my life for you, on the cross, to save you. Today, I only want that you believe this with all your heart.
 
I want to share something with you. As many didn't invite me to their party, I will have my own celebration, a grandiose party that no one has ever imagined, a spectacular party.
 
I'm still making the final arrangements. Today I am sending out many invitations and there is an invitation for you. I want to know if you wish to attend and I will make a reservation for you and write your name with golden letters in my great guest book. Only those on the guest list will be invited to the party. Those who don't answer the invite, will be left outside.
 
Be prepared because when all is ready you will be part of my great party.
 
See you soon.  I Love you! 

Jesus



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In the "New Covenant" made by our Creator God with humanity, as reported in Jeremiah 31:31-34, every human being can know God from within - because the Holy Spirit is revealing our Creator to all who are willing to know the Lord and trust in Him. We can still help each other along the way; so may you be pleased to find here a variety of helps to the life of faith in God through Jesus Christ. G.S.

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© 2006-2021 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal  QC
© 2006-2021 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC
 

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Sunday, May 14, 2000

THE TABLECLOTH

In the "New Covenant" made by our Creator God with humanity, as reported in Jeremiah 31:31-34, every human being can know God from within - because the Holy Spirit is revealing our Creator to all who are willing to know the Lord and trust in Him. We can still help each other along the way; so may you be pleased to find here a variety of helps to the life of faith in God through Jesus Christ. G.S.

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THE TABLECLOTH


The brand new pastor and his wife, newly assigned to their first ministry, to open a church in suburban Brooklyn, arrived in early October excited about their opportunities.  When they saw their church, it was very run down and needed much work.  They set a goal to have everything done in time to have their first service on Christmas Eve.  They worked hard, repairing pews, plastering walls, painting, etc., and on Dec 18 were ahead of schedule and just about finished.  On Dec 19 a terrible tempest - a driving rainstorm - hit the area and lasted for two days.  On the 21st, the pastor went over to the church. 

His heart sank when he saw that the roof had leaked, causing a large area of plaster about 20 feet by 8 feet to fall off the front wall of the sanctuary just behind the pulpit, beginning about head high. The pastor cleaned up the mess on the floor, and not knowing what else to do but postpone the Christmas Eve service, headed home.  On the way he noticed that a local business was having a flea market type sale for charity so he stopped in.  One of the items was a beautiful, handmade, ivory colored, crocheted tablecloth with exquisite work, fine colors and a Cross embroidered right in the center.  It was just the right size to cover up the hole in the front wall.   He bought it and headed back to the church. 

By this time it had started to snow.  An older woman running from the opposite direction was trying to catch the bus.  She missed it.  The pastor invited her to wait in the warm church for the next bus 45 minutes later.  She sat in a pew and paid no attention to the pastor while he got a ladder, hangers, etc., to put up the tablecloth as a wall tapestry.  The pastor could hardly believe how beautiful it looked and it covered up the entire problem area.  Then he noticed the woman walking down the center aisle.  Her face was like a sheet.  

"Pastor," she asked, "where did you get that tablecloth?"  The pastor explained.  The woman asked him to check the lower right corner to see if the initials, EBG were crocheted into it there.  They were. These were the initials of the woman, and she had made this tablecloth 35 years before, in Austria.  The woman could hardly believe it as the pastor told how he had just gotten the tablecloth.  The woman explained that before the war she and her husband were well-to-do people in Austria.  When the Nazis came, she was forced to leave.  Her husband was going to follow her the next week.  She was captured, sent to prison and never saw her husband or her home again. 

The pastor wanted to give her the tablecloth; but she made the pastor keep it for the church.  The pastor insisted on driving her home; that was the least he could do.  She lived on the other side of Staten Island and was only in Brooklyn for the day for a housecleaning job.  What a wonderful service they had on Christmas Eve.  The church was almost full.  The music and the spirit were great.  At the end of the service, the pastor and his wife greeted everyone at the door and many said that they would return. 

One older man, whom the pastor recognized from the neighborhood, continued to sit in one of the pews and stare, and the pastor wondered why he wasn't leaving.  The man asked him where he got the tablecloth on the front wall because it was identical to one that his wife had made years ago when they lived in Austria before the war and how could there be two tablecloths so much alike?  He told the pastor how the Nazis came, how he forced his wife to flee for her safety, and he was supposed to follow her, but he was arrested and put in a prison.  He never saw his wife or his home again all the 35 years in between. 

The pastor asked him if he would allow him to take him for a little ride.  They drove to Staten Island and to the same house where the pastor had taken the woman three days earlier.  He helped the man climb the three flights of stairs to the woman's apartment, knocked on the door and he saw the greatest Christmas reunion he could ever imagine. 

(Caution: See Postscript below) True Story - submitted by Pastor Rob Reid

Who says God does not work in mysterious ways?  I asked the Lord to bless you as I prayed for you today.  To guide you and protect you as you go along your way, His love is always with you, His promises are true.   And when we give Him all our cares you know He will see us through.  So when the road you're traveling on seems difficult at best; just remember I'm here praying, and God will do the rest.  Pass this on to those you want God to bless, and don't forget to send it back to the one who asked God to bless you first.

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POSTSCRIPT - from SNOPES: 

The Gold and Ivory Tablecloth - A war-separated couple is reunited by a tablecloth.
Snopes Research By David Mikkelson - There have been different versions of this story, but it has been impossible to verify the truth and origin of the drama told and retold. Later versions added more details not contained in the older version. 



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In the "New Covenant" made by our Creator God with humanity, as reported in Jeremiah 31:31-34, every human being can know God from within - because the Holy Spirit is revealing our Creator to all who are willing to know the Lord and trust in Him. We can still help each other along the way; so may you be pleased to find here a variety of helps to the life of faith in God through Jesus Christ. G.S.

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© 2006-2021 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal  QC
© 2006-2021 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC
 

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The Stranger

In the "New Covenant" made by our Creator God with humanity, as reported in Jeremiah 31:31-34, every human being can know God from within - because the Holy Spirit is revealing our Creator to all who are willing to know the Lord and trust in Him. We can still help each other along the way; so may you be pleased to find here a variety of helps to the life of faith in God through Jesus Christ. G.S.

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The Stranger
 

A few years after I was born, my Dad met a stranger who was new to our small Texas town. From the beginning, Dad was fascinated with this enchanting newcomer and soon invited him to live with our family. The stranger was quickly accepted and was around from then on.

As I grew up, I never questioned his place in my family. In my young mind, he had a special niche. My parents were complementary instructors: Mom taught me good from evil, and Dad taught me to obey. But the stranger... he was our storyteller. He would keep us spellbound for hours on end with adventures, mysteries and comedies.

If I wanted to know anything about politics, history or science, he always knew the answers about the past, understood the present and even seemed able to predict the future! He took my family to the first major league ball game. He made me laugh, and he made me cry. The stranger never stopped talking, but Dad didn't seem to mind.

Sometimes, Mom would get up quietly while the rest of us were shushing each other to listen to what he had to say, and she would go to the kitchen for peace and quiet. (I wonder now if she ever prayed for the stranger to leave.)

Dad ruled our household with certain moral convictions, but the stranger never felt obligated to honor them.  Profanity, for example, was not allowed in our home... Not from us, our friends or any visitors. Our long-time visitor, however, got away with four-letter words that burned my ears and made my dad squirm and my mother blush.

My Dad didn't permit the liberal use of alcohol. But the stranger encouraged us to try it on a regular basis. He made cigarettes look cool, cigars manly and pipes distinguished. He talked freely (much too freely!) about sex. His comments were sometimes blatant, sometimes suggestive, and generally embarrassing.

I now know that my early concepts about relationships were influenced strongly by the stranger. Time after time, he opposed the values of my parents, yet he was seldom rebuked... And NEVER asked to leave.

More than fifty years have passed since the stranger moved in with our family. He has blended right in and is not nearly as fascinating as he was at first. Still, if you could walk into my parents' den today, you would still find him sitting over in his corner, waiting for someone to listen to him talk and watch him draw his pictures. His name? ...
         . . .

We just call him, "TV".  In addition, he has a wife now.... We call her "Computer".

Note: This should be required reading for every household in the World!  



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In the "New Covenant" made by our Creator God with humanity, as reported in Jeremiah 31:31-34, every human being can know God from within - because the Holy Spirit is revealing our Creator to all who are willing to know the Lord and trust in Him. We can still help each other along the way; so may you be pleased to find here a variety of helps to the life of faith in God through Jesus Christ. G.S.

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© 2006-2021 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal  QC
© 2006-2021 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC
 

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THE SPIRIT AND A DIME

In the "New Covenant" made by our Creator God with humanity, as reported in Jeremiah 31:31-34, every human being can know God from within - because the Holy Spirit is revealing our Creator to all who are willing to know the Lord and trust in Him. We can still help each other along the way; so may you be pleased to find here a variety of helps to the life of faith in God through Jesus Christ. G.S.

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THE SPIRIT AND A DIME


Several years ago a pastor friend of mine moved to Houston, Texas.
  Some weeks after he arrived, he had occasion to ride the bus from his home to the downtown area. When he sat down, he discovered that the driver had given him ten cents too much change. 

As he considered what to do, he alternately heard two sets of instructions whispered into his ears.  One said, "You better give the dime back.  It would be wrong to keep it."

The other voice said, "Oh forget it.  It's just ten cents.  Who would worry about a dime? The bus company already gets too much as a fare.  With their millions every day, they will never miss it.   Accept it as a gift from God and keep quiet." 

When his stop came he paused momentarily at the front door, and handing the driver the dime he said, "Here.  You handed me too much change."  The driver replied, "Aren't you the new pastor in town?  I have been thinking lately about going to church somewhere.  I just wanted to see what you would do if I gave you ten cents too much change."  When my friend stepped off the bus he literally grabbed the nearest light pole and held on.  He thought, "O God, I almost sold your Son for ten cents." 


Author unknown


Friends, we must remember that as Christians we are under CONSTANT scrutiny by those around us - even though they may look down on us for our beliefs, they hold us to a higher standard.   Some are looking for a reason to seek what we have through the blood of Christ, and others are looking for any opportunity to catch us "selling Jesus for any cost".  

Jesus is our standard - and He never sinned - and although we will sin from time to time, we must learn from those mistakes, and not repeat them.... even if it seems "penny-ante" to us, because it could be one of the most costly mistakes we ever make if it keeps someone from coming to Christ!  So give the dime back.... for the treasure stored up for you in heaven will be immeasurable! 



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In the "New Covenant" made by our Creator God with humanity, as reported in Jeremiah 31:31-34, every human being can know God from within - because the Holy Spirit is revealing our Creator to all who are willing to know the Lord and trust in Him. We can still help each other along the way; so may you be pleased to find here a variety of helps to the life of faith in God through Jesus Christ. G.S.

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© 2006-2021 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal  QC
© 2006-2021 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC
 

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The Special Angel - Mom

In the "New Covenant" made by our Creator God with humanity, as reported in Jeremiah 31:31-34, every human being can know God from within - because the Holy Spirit is revealing our Creator to all who are willing to know the Lord and trust in Him. We can still help each other along the way; so may you be pleased to find here a variety of helps to the life of faith in God through Jesus Christ. G.S.

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The Special Angel - Mom

 

Happy Mother's Day !

 

The child asked God, "They tell me you are sending me to earth tomorrow, but how am I going to live there being so small and helpless?"  God replied, "Your angel will be waiting for you and will take care of you."  The child further inquired, "But tell me, here in heaven I don't have to do anything but sing and smile to be happy."  God said, "Your angel will sing for you and will also smile for you and you will feel your angel's love and be very happy."

Again the child asked, "And how am I going to be able to understand when people talk to me if I don't know the language?"  God said,  "Your angel will tell you the most beautiful and sweet words you will ever hear, and with much patience and care, your angel will teach you how to speak."  "And what am I going to do when I want to talk with You?"  God responded, "Your angel will place your hands together and will teach you how to pray."  "Who will protect me?"  God said, "Your angel will defend you even if it means risking their life."  

"But I will always be sad because I will not see You anymore." God instructed, "Your angel will always talk to you about Me and will teach you the way to come back to Me, even though I will always be next to you."  At that moment there was much peace in heaven, but voices from Earth could be heard, and the child hurriedly asked, "God, if I am to leave You now, please tell me my angel's name."   "You will simply call her MOM."

Child’s Prayer on Mother’s Day 

"God our Father, today we thank You for one of your special gifts to us, our Mother.  Thank You for the love she shares with us in so many ways.  We thank her for the warmth she gives our home, for the cuts and bruises she makes well, for the ideas she gives us when we don’t have anything to do, for the ways she makes peace when we are mean to each other.  We thank her for seeing good in us that we don’t see ourselves.  Help us to love her as she loves us.  And keep her close to You always.  We ask this in the Name of Jesus your Beloved Son.  Amen!"


Reprinted with permission from “Prayer After Nine Rainy Days and Other Family Prayers”, by Pat Corrick Hinton, Winston Press, Inc., Minneapolis, MN.



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In the "New Covenant" made by our Creator God with humanity, as reported in Jeremiah 31:31-34, every human being can know God from within - because the Holy Spirit is revealing our Creator to all who are willing to know the Lord and trust in Him. We can still help each other along the way; so may you be pleased to find here a variety of helps to the life of faith in God through Jesus Christ. G.S.

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© 2006-2021 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal  QC
© 2006-2021 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC
 

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THE SNEEZE

In the "New Covenant" made by our Creator God with humanity, as reported in Jeremiah 31:31-34, every human being can know God from within - because the Holy Spirit is revealing our Creator to all who are willing to know the Lord and trust in Him. We can still help each other along the way; so may you be pleased to find here a variety of helps to the life of faith in God through Jesus Christ. G.S.

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THE SNEEZE


They walked in tandem, each of the ninety-two students filing into the already crowded auditorium. With their rich maroon gowns flowing, and the traditional caps, they looked almost ... as grown up as they felt.

Dads swallowed hard behind broad smiles, and Moms freely brushed away tears.

This class would NOT pray during the commencements----not by choice, but because of a recent court ruling prohibiting it.

The principal and several students were careful to stay within the guidelines allowed by the ruling. They gave inspirational and challenging speeches, but no one mentioned divine guidance and no one asked for blessings on the graduates or their families.

The speeches were nice, but they were routine... ...until the final speech received a standing ovation.

A solitary student walked proudly to the microphone. He stood still and silent for just a moment, and then, it happened... 

All 92 students, every single one of them, suddenly SNEEZED!!!!

The student on stage... simply looked at the audience and said, 'GOD BLESS YOU, each and every one of you!' And he walked off stage... The audience exploded into applause. This graduating class had found a unique way to invoke God's blessing on their future with or without the court's approval.

Isn't this a wonderful story? Pass it on to all your friends...and GOD BLESS YOU!


(Caution - see Postscript below) This is a true story? It happened at the University of Maryland.

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"The facts of the story are these: The incident the e-mail is based upon took place on 20 May 2001 during the commencement exercises at Washington Community High School in Washington, Illinois. With the help of the ACLU, the family of Natasha Appenheimer, that year’s valedictorian, brought suit to prevent the inclusion of the invocation and benediction traditionally given at the school’s commencement ceremony. The suit was decided in the favor of the Appenheimers when, three days before the ceremony, the court handed down a temporary injunction barring the inclusion of the prayers on the basis of their having been deemed “school sponsored” (and thereby an unconstitutional violation of the first amendment’s “establishment clause”). Though the school had said it would contest the ruling that barred it from sponsoring prayer at its graduation ceremonies, it dropped such plans in July 2001 once it came to some appreciation of how much such a legal battle might cost. 

People were angered by the decision, which overturned a tradition of 80 years’ standing at Washington Community High. Many found unique ways of protesting the judge’s ruling. Before the ceremony, students organized a prayer vigil around the school’s flagpole. Some 50 seniors clasped hands in a circle while about 150 underclassmen and members of the community encircled them. Several students festooned their mortarboards with religious slogans: “I’m praying now,” “Amen,” “1 nation under God,” “I will still pray 2 day,” and “Let’s Pray 01.” One parent distributed 120 homemade wood-and-nail crosses among the students.

Yet it was the act of Ryan Brown, a member of the graduating class who was scheduled to give a speech during the event, that is now celebrated in the e-mail forward. As his form of protest, he had worked it out with a handful of friends that when he faked a sneeze at the podium, they were to cry out “God bless you.” The plan was carried out as envisioned, with everyone who had been in on it playing their assigned parts. (Mr. Brown also made another protest on his way to the podium: he stopped to bow in silent prayer, an act that prompted the audience to stand and applaud. He replied to the crowd, “Don’t applaud for me, applaud for God.”)

A month after the commencement, the online account that is the meat of this article began to circulate. In that embellished version, the speaker’s sneeze was cast as being accidental, and the response it provoked spontaneously and unthinkingly issued from each of the graduating students almost as if they had spoken with one voice. This marked a tremendous departure from the truth, as the actual sneeze had been faked and the benediction (which was pronounced by only those few of the graduating seniors who were in on the plan) had been scripted. There was no spontaneity to the act, no unwilled inescapable “at-choo!” that prompted the unpremeditated yet socially-obligated reply of “Bless you!” — that repositioning of the event was authorial embroidery. (As to why we routinely salute in such fashion those who sneeze, our article about the origin of this tradition tells all.)

That June 2001 fictionalization presented the sneeze and response as fortuitous accidents and asserted that the whole graduating class imparted the blessing, which represented two major strayings from the truth. However, even with those meanderings off the path of veracity, this earlier account stayed far closer to the facts than did a 2004 version which switched the roles the students had played to make for better storytelling. In that version, 92 students all sneezed at once, and the one lone speaker blessed them."

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In the "New Covenant" made by our Creator God with humanity, as reported in Jeremiah 31:31-34, every human being can know God from within - because the Holy Spirit is revealing our Creator to all who are willing to know the Lord and trust in Him. We can still help each other along the way; so may you be pleased to find here a variety of helps to the life of faith in God through Jesus Christ. G.S.

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© 2006-2021 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal  QC
© 2006-2021 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC
 

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Seminar / Workshop on God - "Introduction to Prayer" - Marriage Preparation Course "From This Day Forward" - Saturday, November 2nd, 2024 at St. John Fisher Parish - Marriage is a great adventure for LIFE! Workshop Seminar 08.3

In the "New Covenant" made by our Creator God with humanity, as reported in Jeremiah 31:31-34, every human being can know God from...