{"id":5486,"date":"2017-04-02T05:54:41","date_gmt":"2017-04-02T02:54:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ajan.africa\/life-in-the-spirit\/"},"modified":"2017-04-02T05:54:41","modified_gmt":"2017-04-02T02:54:41","slug":"life-in-the-spirit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ajan.africa\/fr\/life-in-the-spirit\/","title":{"rendered":"Life in the spirit"},"content":{"rendered":"

For the fifth week of Lent, our reflection is written by Fr Harris Cleaver Tombi SJ, project manager at the Good Samaritan University Hospital in Walia, N\u2019Djam\u00e9na, Chad<\/em>. (SEE BELOW FOR FRENCH VERSION)<\/span><\/p>\n

We are now in the fifth Sunday of Lent. Easter is looming on the horizon, and our heart is full of hope \u2013 hope in Jesus Christ who died and was raised from the dead so that we may have life to the full. But how should we be living these weeks in the lead-up to Easter? Are we men and women who are loyal to Christ during this long journey of Lent? Has life in the spirit taken the upper hand over life in the flesh?<\/span><\/p>\n

Today\u2019s texts for meditation call to mind our relationship with God, the trust we place in His Word, the way we live our daily life, and the fidelity and faith we have in Him.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In the passage of Ezekiel (37:12-14), God reveals Himself to man, who died because of his sins and who is closed in his tomb in darkness, solitude, and misery. In his imprisonment, in the shadows, man can no longer see the goodness and the beauty of the Lord. Nonetheless God, in His mercy, promises freedom, life, and repose to man on the earth destined for him. God tells man: <\/span>\u201cI will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil.\u201d\u00a0With these words, God recreates man. He restores to life man\u2019s mortal body, makes it incorruptible, and promises to lead it to life. God will reassemble all the elements that constitute the body. As God gave Adam, the first man, the breath of life, so He will do for this body that lay buried, lifeless, in the tomb. Not only does He give new breath of life but especially His Holy Spirit. God will fulfil His promise because He is faithful.<\/p>\n

At the end of this text from the prophet Ezekiel, God says: \u201c<\/span>I, the\u00a0Lord, have spoken and will act.\u201d God always implements His promises and we are sure that some day He will comfort us in our sufferings and in our illnesses. This appeal to hope is a message we share with our brothers and sisters who are living with HIV in their flesh and who sometimes desperately search for a sign from God to bring them consolation.<\/p>\n

Following the prophet Ezekiel, St Paul, in the first verse of his letter to the Romans (8:8-11) makes a strong declaration: \u201c<\/span>Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.\u201d If we take this passage from the Scripture to the letter, some may think this is just about killing or leaving one\u2019s body, or purely and simply killing oneself to please God. It is nothing like this. The apostle wants above all to draw the attention of men and women to this earthly life, which has been diluted by all sorts of debauchery, and has transformed the entire man into flesh. The flesh that Paul is talking about is attached to worldly pleasures and hence distances man from God.<\/p>\n

In my apostolate to raise awareness among youth about STDs, HIV and AIDS, I find in this passage an appeal to youth as well as adults who live in poor and overcrowded neighbourhoods and who are often submitted to all kinds of promiscuity.<\/p>\n

In the Gospel of John, Jesus, Son of God, shows us the passage from illness to death to resurrection. The image of Lazarus coming out of the tomb is the image of the soul that detaches itself from the pleasures of the flesh. However, while we may renounce the passions of the flesh and submit our spirit to the law of God, we cannot be entirely exempt from the inconveniences of the flesh, because they live in our body. <\/span><\/p>\n

The cloth that covered the face of the dead man means that we cannot have perfect knowledge in this life. When Jesus invites those with Him to remove the bandages from the body of Lazarus and to let him go, he wanted each of us to understand that after this life, all the veils will be torn, and we will be able to see face to face. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Just as God brought Lazarus out of the tomb, back from the dead, from the abyss, from total obscurity, He will do the same for us. He exhorts us to believe with all our heart in Him who is the resurrection and the life. This hope should also animate our brothers and sisters living with HIV. They often pass through difficult moments and sometimes they die in silence. Although marked by a virus and disease that threatens to destroy them and sometimes takes away their zest for living, these men, women, and children have chosen to put their faith, joy, and hope in Jesus Christ who died and was raised from the dead. By putting our faith and confidence in Him, we will be able to overcome the obstacles that stand in our life\u2019s way.<\/span><\/p>\n

****<\/span><\/p>\n

Pour le 5\u00e8me dimanche du temps de Car\u00eame, notre reflexion est ecrit par<\/span> P\u00e8re Harris Cleaver Tombi SJ, chef de projets au Complexe Hospitalo-Universitaire le Bon Samaritain de Walia, N\u2019Djam\u00e9na, Tchad.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Nous sommes rendus au 5\u00e8me dimanche du temps de Car\u00eame. A l\u2019horizon la P\u00e2ques s\u2019annonce et notre c\u0153ur est rempli d\u2019esp\u00e9rance. L\u2019esp\u00e9rance en J\u00e9sus Christ qui meurt et ressuscite pour que nous ayons la vie en pl\u00e9nitude. Mais comment vivons-nous ces derni\u00e8res semaines avant la P\u00e2ques\u00a0? Avons-nous \u00e9t\u00e9s des hommes et femmes fid\u00e8les au Christ lors de cette longue marche du car\u00eame ? Est-ce que la vie dans l\u2019esprit a pris le dessus sur la vie dans la chair\u00a0?<\/span><\/p>\n

Les textes soumis \u00e0 notre m\u00e9ditation en ce jour, nous interpelle sur notre relation avec Dieu, sur la confiance que nous mettons en sa Parole, sur la mani\u00e8re dont nous menons notre vie au quotidien et sur la fid\u00e9lit\u00e9 et la foi que nous avons en Dieu.<\/span>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Dans le passage d\u2019Ez 37, 12-14 Dieu se manifeste \u00e0 l\u2019homme qui est mort \u00e0 cause de ses p\u00e8ches, enferm\u00e9 dans son tombeau, dans l\u2019obscurit\u00e9, la solitude et la mis\u00e8re de son corps charnel. Dans cet enfermement, dans ces t\u00e9n\u00e8bres, l\u2019homme n\u2019arrive plus \u00e0 percevoir la bont\u00e9 et la beaut\u00e9 du Seigneur. Malgr\u00e9 cette situation, Dieu dans sa mis\u00e9ricorde promet \u00e0 l\u2019homme la lib\u00e9ration, la vie et le repos dans la terre qui lui est destin\u00e9e. Dieu dit\u00a0: \u00ab\u00a0Je mettrai en vous mon esprit, et vous vivrez\u00a0; je vous donnerai le repos sur votre terre\u00a0\u00bb. Dieu \u00e0 travers cette parole r\u00e9cr\u00e9e l\u2019homme. Il redonne vie \u00e0 ce corps mortel. Par son dire, Il accord \u00e0 ce corps l\u2019incorruptibilit\u00e9. Il promet de le ramener \u00e0 la vie. Dieu remettra ensemble tous les \u00e9l\u00e9ments qui le constituent. Comme il avait donn\u00e9 au premier homme, Adam, le souffle de vie, ainsi en sera-t-il pour ce corps qui \u00e9tait enseveli dans la tombe sans vie. Non seulement il donnera ce nouveau souffle mais surtout son Esprit Saint. Dieu accomplira sa promesse car il est fid\u00e8le.<\/span><\/p>\n

A la fin de cet extrait du livre du proph\u00e8te Ez\u00e9chiel, Dieu dit\u00a0: \u00ab\u00a0J\u2019ai parl\u00e9 et je l\u2019ex\u00e9cuterai\u00a0\u00bb. Dieu r\u00e9alise toujours ses promesses et nous restons convaincus qu\u2019un jour, il nous soulagera de nos souffrances, de nos maladies. Cet appel \u00e0 l\u2019esp\u00e9rance est un message que nous pouvons aussi adresser \u00e0 tous nos fr\u00e8res et s\u0153urs qui souffrent chaque jour dans leur chair du VIH et qui cherchent parfois d\u00e9sesp\u00e9r\u00e9ment un signe de la part de Dieu pour leur apporter soulagement.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A la suite du proph\u00e8te Ez\u00e9chiel, saint Paul d\u00e8s le premier verset de sa lettre aux Romains (Rm 8,8-11) fait une d\u00e9claration forte\u00a0: \u00ab\u00a0Mais ceux qui sont dans la chair ne peuvent plaire \u00e0 Dieu\u00a0\u00bb (Rm 8,8). Si nous prenons ce passage de l\u2019Ecriture \u00e0 la lettre, certaines personnes pourraient penser qu\u2019il s\u2019agit ici de tuer son corps ou de sortir de son corps ou purement et simplement de se suicider pour plaire \u00e0 Dieu. Il n\u2019en est rien. Ici l\u2019ap\u00f4tre voudrait surtout attirer l\u2019attention des hommes et des femmes sur cette vie charnelle et mondaine, dilu\u00e9e dans toutes sortes de d\u00e9bauches, enlis\u00e9e dans une volupt\u00e9 sans pareil et qui transforme en chair l\u2019homme tout entier. La chair donc parle Paul est celle-l\u00e0 qui est entra\u00een\u00e9e, attach\u00e9e aux passions mondaines et qui \u00e9loigne l\u2019homme de Dieu.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dans le cadre de mon apostolat de sensibilisation aupr\u00e8s des jeunes filles et gar\u00e7ons sur les IST\/VIH et Sida, je trouve en ce passage une interpellation faite aussi bien aux jeunes qu\u2019aux adultes qui, vivant dans les quartiers populaires et pauvres sont souvent sujets \u00e0 toutes sorte<\/span>s de promiscuit\u00e9s. Aussi sont-ils facilement expos\u00e9s \u00e0 une vie de d\u00e9bauche, aux maladies et le plus souvent aux IST\/VIH et Sida. <\/span><\/p>\n

Cet extrait de saint Paul est un appel \u00e0 une plus grande prise de conscience par rapport \u00e0 une vie encr\u00e9e dans les plaisirs de la chair. Si saint Paul nous interpelle sur notre vie charnelle, il ne manque pas d\u2019ajouter que\u00a0: \u00ab\u00a0Pour vous, vous n\u2019\u00eates point dans la chair, mais dans l\u2019esprit\u00a0\u00bb (Rm 8,9). Pour l\u2019ap\u00f4tre, l\u2019homme spirituel non seulement n\u2019est pas dans le p\u00e9ch\u00e9, mais pas m\u00eame dans la chair, et de ce fait, il est devenu un ange, s\u2019\u00e9levant vers le ciel et portant, simplement une enveloppe de chair. L\u2019homme qui vit dans l\u2019esprit, l\u2019Esprit de Dieu habite en lui et Dieu par la r\u00e9surrection de son Fils d\u2019entre les morts pr\u00e9pare pour lui d\u00e8s \u00e0 pr\u00e9sent une vie pour l\u2019\u00e9ternit\u00e9 dans son Royaume c\u00e9leste.<\/p>\n

Dans l\u2019Evangile de saint Jean, J\u00e9sus le Fils de Dieu nous montre le passage de la maladie \u00e0 la mort et de la mort \u00e0 la r\u00e9surrection. La sortie de Lazare du tombeau est l\u2019image de l\u2019\u00e2me se d\u00e9tachant des vices de la chair. Si Lazare est li\u00e9, c’est que tout en renon\u00e7ant aux passions charnelles et en ob\u00e9issant par l’esprit \u00e0 la loi de Dieu, nous ne pouvons cependant \u00eatre exempts des inconv\u00e9nients de la chair, tant que nous habiterons dans notre corps. Le suaire qui enveloppait le visage du mort, signifie que nous ne pouvons avoir en cette vie de connaissance parfaite. Quand J\u00e9sus invite ce qui l\u2019assistait \u00e0 d\u00e9lier Lazare et \u00e0 le laisser aller, c\u2019est qu\u2019il voulait faire compre<\/span>ndre \u00e0 chacun de nous qu’apr\u00e8s cette vie, tous les voiles seront \u00e9cart\u00e9s, afin que nous le voyions face \u00e0 face. De la m\u00eame mani\u00e8re que Dieu a sorti Lazare du tombeau, du s\u00e9jour des morts, de l\u2019ab\u00eeme, de l\u2019obscurit\u00e9 totale, il le fera pour nous. Il nous exhorte \u00e0 croire de tout c\u0153ur en Lui qui est la r\u00e9surrection et la vie.<\/span><\/p>\n

Cet espoir est aussi celui qui devr<\/span>ait animer nos fr\u00e8res et s\u0153urs vivant avec le VIH et Sida. Ils traversent des moments souvent difficiles et parfois se meurent dans le silence. Bien que marqu\u00e9s par ce virus et cette maladie qui les d\u00e9truits et parfois leur fait perdre l\u2019envie de vivre, ces hommes, femmes et enfants ont choisi de mettre leur foi, esp\u00e9rance et joie en J\u00e9sus Christ mort et ressuscit\u00e9. En mettant tous notre foi et confiance en Lui, nous pourrons surmonter les obstacles qui jonchent notre vie. \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For the fifth week of Lent, our reflection is written by Fr Harris Cleaver Tombi SJ, project manager at the Good Samaritan University Hospital in Walia, N\u2019Djam\u00e9na, Chad. (SEE BELOW FOR FRENCH VERSION) We are now in the fifth Sunday of Lent. Easter is looming on the horizon, and our<\/p>\n

Lire la suite<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":155,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[66],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5486","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ajan-campaign-articles"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ajan.africa\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5486","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ajan.africa\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ajan.africa\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ajan.africa\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/155"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ajan.africa\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5486"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ajan.africa\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5486\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ajan.africa\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5486"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ajan.africa\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5486"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ajan.africa\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5486"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}