Our ancestors went out with joy to serve the people of God.
And, when the time was right…our time…… we are on the move again.
The opening lines of this Gospel selection seem to me to be a good description of what we did. Many years ago our predecessors recognized a treasure across the street – a piece of land with a stunning view and a perpetual breeze; awesome sunrises and sunsets. They buried it with a citrus grove – went out with joy to serve the people of God in many places. And, when the time was right, our time (2014), we sold what we had and set out with joy to reclaim our treasured “pearl.”
Twelve years later we are on the move again, this time to an assisted living facility: American House on Pretty Pond Road in Zephyrhills, Florida. This will be a gradual move as spaces become available. For the time being four of us have made the move. The transition has been a smooth welcome. The residents have received “the Sisters” with helpful hints and are thrilled that Fr. John McEvoy will be offering Mass there on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursdays.
Let’s move on to our Gospel reflection. Jesus asks us: “Do you understand all these things?” Like the disciples we without hesitation answer, “Yes.” But, maybe our voices quiver and there’s a question mark in our expression. T is however a conviction in our hearts that we will extend God’s kingdom wherever we live, whatever the restrictions we encounter, and with whatever the resources we have at hand.
The Gospel reading concludes with a curious statement about the scribe who understands the kingdom of heaven. How do we identify and describe God’s Kingdom here on earth? One way that immediately comes to mind is the outpouring of love and concern evident in the “Christmas in July” celebration provided by the Columbiettes from St. Mark’s Parish in Tampa. God bless them!
The words of a Quaker hymn come to mind: “We bend and we bow and shan’t be ashamed”. Our mission remains the same – it just takes on a new shape. Why did our Sisters come from Pennsylvania to settle in this area? Was it not to feed the educational hunger of the local children? Long before we wrote formalized philosophy statements and directional goals, our Sisters “fed hungers” in a variety of roles at all levels in the education field. They worked in internal ministries and as nurses and home healthcare workers, seamstresses, coif makers, packing house workers, and gardeners. You name it, as long as it was legal and moral, someone probably tried it. Our aim is, and has always been, to foster life in community – to BE community for each other: to pray and work; to interact with the care and respect St. Benedict describes in his Rule, particularly in RB chapter 72. It reads “be the first to show respect to the other”. In our community’s Core Commitment we express Benedict’s mandate by writing we are to be the first “to respond with the compassion of Christ to the hungers of our world.”
~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB
Sorry this is a little late coming…
The four of us who have moved have had a smooth transition into life at American House. The staff and residence alike have welcomed us and are happy that Fr John McEvoy will be offering 10 a.m. Mass (all welcome) on Tuesday, Thursday and Sundays.
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