Saturday, July 21, 2012
Pour lire l'Evangile (How to read the Gospels)
77 pages for a short introduction to the Gospels. Written in 1949, this book summarizes Madeleine's beliefs in the power of the Gospels as well as the importance of the bible.
"Pour lire l'Evangile" means how to read and why read the Gospels. We should approach the Gospels not as philosophers or scientists but rather with the mind and heart of children. Jesus simply wants to chat with us.
Before starting our reading, it is important to suspend all disbelief. You should have faith, perhaps force yourself gently to believe in the Gospels because the gospel writers also believed in what they were writing. Faith will be strengthened by reading the Gospels. Faith will act as a lever for action.
Again and again, Jesus cures the soul before the body. A strong faith moves mountains. The corollary of faith is trust. In our modern age, do we understand what trusting God means?
Reading the Gospels teaches us how to pray and also how to meditate: Read slowly and when a word or a sentence "catches" you, memorize it and during the day, think about it.
"Nothing great and lasting can be done without prayer". Jesus spent a "long night" in prayer before choosing his disciples.
Madeleine also describes the background of the Gospels, the geography of Palestine, the peoples living there and their customs. It is important to put everything in its historical context. She introduces the gospel writers and how they shaped their messages. Recalling that Jesus refers very often to the Old Testament, Madeleine insists that one cannot truly appreciate the Gospels without a good knowledge of the bible.
The third part of the book is devoted to the "Mystery of Christ". Why is he man and God? What is the Plan of God? What essential part does Jesus play in history? And when will he come back?
Friday, August 28, 2009
Why is the work of Madeleine Chasles so important to us
The thirties are a time of extreme stress (on the social and international scene) that led to WWII. The rise of communism and fascism and the social disturbances in the western countries, also the lasting impact of the great depression, the multiple wars abroad that preceded the world war and also colonialism, this is a picture of a violent world, no catholic thinker could remain indifferent. Let us look at our world today, the economic crisis, the sufferings of the developing countries, the stress between developed countries, are we getting close to another deflagration, the questions tackled by Madeleine Chasles are permanent, and they come not from a scholar but from a person like you and me, we are tired of scholars, they speak a difficult language, we should not be afraid of dealing with those issue by ourselves, we have the intellectual tools. And our main instrument is the Bible. But reading the bible, attending the daily mass, reciting all the prayers, all this will be for nought if we do not show love to our brothers and sisters, love and charity, the foundation of Christian faith. Obviously the reading of the bible is important. Why the bible talks to each of us, and will talk differently to each of us because we are all different. Therefore read without preconception, let God talk to you through the reading of the bible.
Anecdotes on Madeleine Chasles
Her father’s two sisters became nuns of the sacred heart
Memories of Madeleine accompanying her father in mountain hikes. Father was silent. Both walking one behind the other. Madeleine enjoying the hikes and praying.
Madeleine had previously studied to be a nurse and therefore volunteers to work as a nurse in the military hospital of the Val-de -Grace. Among her duties (as described briefly in “Le reigne de la Terreur”) she comforted severely wounded soldiers. One who had lost all limbs and the eyesight displayed extraordinary courage as Madeleine was helping him smoke a cigarette.
At the end of 1915, physical and perhaps mental exhaustion forced her to give up her duties.
She turns to Art History attending courses at the Sorbonne, the Ecole des Chartres and the Ecole du Louvre and also attends religious courses Rue de Varenne
Since 1917 Madeleine organized study groups (Cercle d’Etudes) and lib raries for the benefit of the young women catholic workers of the railway maintenance personel and the Postal workers, starts in 1918 eight study groups. Madeleine includes studies of the Old and New Testament, in very clear and simple terms putting both texts in parallel and accompanies the presentations with examples of various religious art. After three years, she got sick and had to stop.
In the early twenties meets Pierre Nicolet, one of her faithful readers who happens to be completely paralysed with only the ability to speak, his sister Jeanne is his caregiver. She writes a book about his faith.
In 1928, trip to Palestine, must have been in a group at one point are in a convoy of more than twenty cars. Visits all of Palestine. Both Raymond and her are supporters of Israel as a nation, well before the start of the war and the news of the holocaust which she refers to in latter books
Memories of Madeleine accompanying her father in mountain hikes. Father was silent. Both walking one behind the other. Madeleine enjoying the hikes and praying.
Madeleine had previously studied to be a nurse and therefore volunteers to work as a nurse in the military hospital of the Val-de -Grace. Among her duties (as described briefly in “Le reigne de la Terreur”) she comforted severely wounded soldiers. One who had lost all limbs and the eyesight displayed extraordinary courage as Madeleine was helping him smoke a cigarette.
At the end of 1915, physical and perhaps mental exhaustion forced her to give up her duties.
She turns to Art History attending courses at the Sorbonne, the Ecole des Chartres and the Ecole du Louvre and also attends religious courses Rue de Varenne
Since 1917 Madeleine organized study groups (Cercle d’Etudes) and lib raries for the benefit of the young women catholic workers of the railway maintenance personel and the Postal workers, starts in 1918 eight study groups. Madeleine includes studies of the Old and New Testament, in very clear and simple terms putting both texts in parallel and accompanies the presentations with examples of various religious art. After three years, she got sick and had to stop.
In the early twenties meets Pierre Nicolet, one of her faithful readers who happens to be completely paralysed with only the ability to speak, his sister Jeanne is his caregiver. She writes a book about his faith.
In 1928, trip to Palestine, must have been in a group at one point are in a convoy of more than twenty cars. Visits all of Palestine. Both Raymond and her are supporters of Israel as a nation, well before the start of the war and the news of the holocaust which she refers to in latter books
De la bête a Dieu, from animal to God, written with Raymond Chasles
De la bête a Dieu, from animal to God, written with Raymond Chasles
Animals are “beggars of love”, united to mankind through shared suffering, in the bible used as sacrifices, as an offering to God, instead of human sacrifices, as scapegoats to shoulder the burden of human sins, shared in the original sin, shared history of suffering,
According to Madeleine Chasles precursor, announcer of Jesus Christ.
Animals as intermediaries between God and mankind
Mystery of animal suffering
Suffering inflicted on animals
Gratuitous suffering for sport or cosmetic reasons- this is a sin.
Madeleine Chasles denounces the sufferings inflicted to animals.
Also on farms how animals are mistreated.
While we need to kill for our sustenance we should not inflict gratuitous suffering on animals
Showing love to our animals brings us closer to the Kingdom of God
Showing love to all creation enables us to spread the peace and love of God.
Animals love to be talked to. M.C. documented how rabbits and chicken love being talked to. Animals are eager to contact humans.
Animals have souls
Animals have a third sense, anticipate earthquakes
Animals will share in the resurrection
Also Madeleine Chasles reads the bible literally when she notes that in several instances the bible talks about an ideal age where the lamb will graze with the wolf and the lion share the pastures with the gazelle, there will be peace among all animal species.
M.C. forces us to think of the economy of the creation, why animals were created, the role they play in the Christian vision of History.
Be kind to animals. Such kindness will hasten the day of the Parousie
A general conclusion of the book that is also present in other books: There is a way to force God’s hand in accelerating history, by spreading Love among the creation, specifically between mankind and animals.
Animals are “beggars of love”, united to mankind through shared suffering, in the bible used as sacrifices, as an offering to God, instead of human sacrifices, as scapegoats to shoulder the burden of human sins, shared in the original sin, shared history of suffering,
According to Madeleine Chasles precursor, announcer of Jesus Christ.
Animals as intermediaries between God and mankind
Mystery of animal suffering
Suffering inflicted on animals
Gratuitous suffering for sport or cosmetic reasons- this is a sin.
Madeleine Chasles denounces the sufferings inflicted to animals.
Also on farms how animals are mistreated.
While we need to kill for our sustenance we should not inflict gratuitous suffering on animals
Showing love to our animals brings us closer to the Kingdom of God
Showing love to all creation enables us to spread the peace and love of God.
Animals love to be talked to. M.C. documented how rabbits and chicken love being talked to. Animals are eager to contact humans.
Animals have souls
Animals have a third sense, anticipate earthquakes
Animals will share in the resurrection
Also Madeleine Chasles reads the bible literally when she notes that in several instances the bible talks about an ideal age where the lamb will graze with the wolf and the lion share the pastures with the gazelle, there will be peace among all animal species.
M.C. forces us to think of the economy of the creation, why animals were created, the role they play in the Christian vision of History.
Be kind to animals. Such kindness will hasten the day of the Parousie
A general conclusion of the book that is also present in other books: There is a way to force God’s hand in accelerating history, by spreading Love among the creation, specifically between mankind and animals.
A Catholic woman and the Bible ( Une catholique devant la bible)
A Catholic woman and the Bible ( Une catholique devant la bible)
This book is a religious biography where M.C. attempts to understand the evolution of her faith and how she came to be associated to the crusade for Bible reading for Catholics.
Her early years of religious formation with the Benedictine nuns near Grenoble:
Daily reading and meditation
Saturday reading and explanations of the Sunday mass readings. Also learn the gospel by heart.
She keeps her bible by herself, becomes very familiar with the Bible, reads it constantly, reaches a familiarity with the scriptures that open themselves to a fuller understanding.
Later when she starts her Bible readings,
First step, reading of the psalms
Then the Old Testament in conjunction with the New Testament
This book is a religious biography where M.C. attempts to understand the evolution of her faith and how she came to be associated to the crusade for Bible reading for Catholics.
Her early years of religious formation with the Benedictine nuns near Grenoble:
Daily reading and meditation
Saturday reading and explanations of the Sunday mass readings. Also learn the gospel by heart.
She keeps her bible by herself, becomes very familiar with the Bible, reads it constantly, reaches a familiarity with the scriptures that open themselves to a fuller understanding.
Later when she starts her Bible readings,
First step, reading of the psalms
Then the Old Testament in conjunction with the New Testament
The Reign of Fear (Le regne de la peur)
The Reign of Fear (Le regne de la peur).
This book was published in 1936. The social and political context of the time is the cause of widespread fears. There was the civil war in Spain and the Italian conquests of Ethiopia and Lybia and all kind of tensions in the Far East. On the home front, the social turmoil.
Fear is linked to hatred.
For Madeleine Chasles, Satan exists and is at work.
Satan foments wars and hatred between social classed and nations.
This book was published in 1936. The social and political context of the time is the cause of widespread fears. There was the civil war in Spain and the Italian conquests of Ethiopia and Lybia and all kind of tensions in the Far East. On the home front, the social turmoil.
Fear is linked to hatred.
For Madeleine Chasles, Satan exists and is at work.
Satan foments wars and hatred between social classed and nations.
War and the Bible (La Guerre et la Bible)
War and the Bible (La guerre et la bible)
This book was written during the phoney war(the “joke of a war”) before Germany invasion’s of France in May 1940.
Madeleine Chasles replaces wars in their eschatological context. The first war started with the fight between God and the fallen angels and the last war wil Harmageddon after which war will be abolished.
Mankind is condemned to levy wars.
Wars are the logical consequence of a devious mind, of no love, of hatred, of seeking monetary rewards only.
Wars always have existed, only a few years of peace in the last 3000 years, and it will continue to plague the world. She notes that Jesus Christ was born at a time of relative peace under Roman occupation. God does not will war and the Bible is not a war book. The Bible is a book of Peace.
Learn to read the bible as an incentive to strengthen peace.
God uses wars to punish and educate.
M.C. reviews the main wars described in the bible
They are proofs that God is actively involved in human history.
M.C. tackles the difficult question of the brutalities committed in the name of God, specifically the killing of women and children once the Canaanites cities had been conquered and it always ended with a massacre. M.C. kind of justify the massacre because of the horrors committed in those cities, child sacrifices etc… it was important to cleanse the area and ensure the new religion’s survival.
There are constant references to the international context, the brutal invasion of Poland and Finland, the civil war in Spain and the occupation of Erythrea. No less than 35 wars in the previous 25 years.
She mentions the names of Hitler and Staline as the two dangerous great men of the time.
She draws parallels with the Apocalypse and its description of the battles.
This book was written during the phoney war(the “joke of a war”) before Germany invasion’s of France in May 1940.
Madeleine Chasles replaces wars in their eschatological context. The first war started with the fight between God and the fallen angels and the last war wil Harmageddon after which war will be abolished.
Mankind is condemned to levy wars.
Wars are the logical consequence of a devious mind, of no love, of hatred, of seeking monetary rewards only.
Wars always have existed, only a few years of peace in the last 3000 years, and it will continue to plague the world. She notes that Jesus Christ was born at a time of relative peace under Roman occupation. God does not will war and the Bible is not a war book. The Bible is a book of Peace.
Learn to read the bible as an incentive to strengthen peace.
God uses wars to punish and educate.
M.C. reviews the main wars described in the bible
They are proofs that God is actively involved in human history.
M.C. tackles the difficult question of the brutalities committed in the name of God, specifically the killing of women and children once the Canaanites cities had been conquered and it always ended with a massacre. M.C. kind of justify the massacre because of the horrors committed in those cities, child sacrifices etc… it was important to cleanse the area and ensure the new religion’s survival.
There are constant references to the international context, the brutal invasion of Poland and Finland, the civil war in Spain and the occupation of Erythrea. No less than 35 wars in the previous 25 years.
She mentions the names of Hitler and Staline as the two dangerous great men of the time.
She draws parallels with the Apocalypse and its description of the battles.
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