Look for Joy!
Traditionally the third Sunday of Advent is known as Gaudete Sunday – the Latin word for “Rejoice” – the first word of the Entrance antiphon. We mark this Sunday on the Advent wreath by lighting a pink candle instead of a purple one.
There is an African proverb that reads: “If the beat of the drum changes, so changes the dance of the feet.” This is what we are called to do during Advent: listen to the beat of “Jesus’ drum” and set our pace to the rhythm of the Master drummer. “Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice! … The Lord is near.”
Yes, the Lord IS near and we should make haste to prepare for Him, leveling the hills in our lives that create barriers, making straight the roads in our lives rather than maneuvering others around for our advantage, Filling in the valleys, so that it will be easier for others to cross over to us and thereby to a spirit of joy in the Child who brightens all of our days. Instead of asking what others can do for me, we should make haste to prepare for Our Lord and ask Him, “Jesus, Master, tell me what I should do?” How do we become the joyful people called for in our Scriptural readings? Re-joice: have joy again – be joyful … full of joy! Not simply “happy” but “joyful.”
Is there a difference between happiness and joy? What’s the difference? By definition they are both emotions but the one (joy) is an interior contentment, an inner peace; the other is initiated from external events (happenings, happenstance). The former is long-lasting, the latter can be momentary. If circumstances are favorable, you are happy; if not, you’re unhappy. Christian joy, however, is directly related to God and is the firm confidence that all is well, regardless of your circumstances. Joy may show less in outward expression while happiness can unexpectedly bubble up from within and bring a smile to your lips. Joy is related to happiness but joy, because it does not depend on external stimuli, gets us out of ourselves and in contact with others. Some find when they give up the self-centered search for happiness, they actually find joy. It may even be intermingled with suffering and pain but there is an overwhelming sense of peace and joy.
So, how can we bring joy into our lives if we’re not in the mood for it? Can you have joy on demand?” Too often we may take for granted the issue of joy. We find people who are just naturally joyous, who have a kind of laid-back attitude – it’s just good to be in their presence. Then there are others who always bring us down. Could they develop joy?
I ask you: is joy genetic or acquired? If joy can be acquired, then a very strong argument can be made that once you’ve lost a reason to be happy, or you’ve suffered grief, there’s no way of reconnecting. However, if joy is a natural state of feeling, a certain sense of belonging, a feeling within that you are important and you have a value, then it’s just a question of reclaiming that right, not creating something new. You can re-joice – being joyful AGAIN is possible.
Joy is God’s gift to every believer. It is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Meditation, lectio with the Word of God increases joy. It is a gift – it must be handled with care or it becomes torn around the edges. Like any treasured gift it cannot be put in cold storage, stashed on a back shelf, put under the hankies in a drawer or stuffed beneath old mail in your mailbox. Like a snow globe that is never turned over, joy that has lain inert can be shaken to life with the tiniest twist of a wrist … or crinkled smile.
Rejoice, again I say: rejoice!
~by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB
Rejoice! The Lord is coming, bounding over the hills to come to Earth this Christmas. Again, I say, Rejoice!
First Reading: Zephaniah 3:14-18a Second Reading: Philippians 4:4-6
Gospel Reading: Luke 3:10-18
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Caution. Construction Ahead!
Luke’s Gospel quotes the prophet Isaiah, describing the road we must travel throughout Advent (and in our lives) in order to see the signs of the times and reach the One foretold: our Emmanuel.
Like Mary and Joseph, we must travel through valleys, between hills and over mountains to reach the place where the census is being taken. We have to weather life’s troubles, storms of despair and disappointment. WE must also look out at the horizon from the joyful mountain peaks of our lives to view the beauty God has laid out for us.
And, then there’s the Magi. They traveled to see the new-born child bringing with them a sack-full of Christmas presents. With our families spread across the nation and world, and now with the pandemic, the ritual of travel toward togetherness is threatened by fear of contagion rather than anticipation of pleasure. But we journey onward each Advent season. We journey toward Bethlehem to witness the miracle of Jesus’ birth. We journey toward the end of all time, when Christ Jesus will come again.
If you took long road trips as a kid, you may have played travel games to help pass the time (and reduce the number of back-seat squabbles). When you saw the sign “Exit Ahead” did you wish and wonder: “Are we there yet?” Like those trips, we continue down the road to Bethlehem where we see some signs along our way. Last week, Jesus warned us to be alert, watching for God’s unexpected activity in our lives and in our world. Today, the sign we see is one that most of us dread seeing while traveling along our highways: “Road Construction Ahead”.
Why is it that we tend to get upset when we see a sign for road construction? That’s a sign that in the not-too-distant future (though probably more distant than we’d like) the roadwork will be complete. But still, when we see that sign ROAD CONSTRUCTION TO BEGIN NEXT WEEK or see orange barrels or the concrete barricades, we begin to get uptight and look for an alternate route. Road construction signs signal: “inconvenience, hassles, delays.” Is that what we feel when we see today’s signs in the Scriptures? Road Construction. Two more weeks until we get to sing Christmas carols outside of choir practice. How long until we can hang the decorations on the tree?
If you’ve observed road construction, you know it is labor-intensive. It’s not like a Lego project. How’s God’s construction company doing with you? Are you making new inroads to acknowledge the need for improvement? This Advent, have you been working to smooth rocky relationships? What about making repairs on your approach to people? Are you consciously striving to be direct: saying what you mean and meaning what you say? Are you bolstering up the pillars of your prayer life? Are you repairing older sections of your highway to God? Are you blasting out the bad habits and fortifying your daily schedule so there is a new, wider, safer path to settle into the spirit of Lectio?
Maybe God is opening up for you a new area of possibility – a new awakening to how you can expand your life of service and hospitality. What new road is God building in your life? No matter how we might like to think that we’ve got it all together, sooner or later we all need to make a little heavenly highway repair. Our God promises to help us fix what’s broken in our lives; to come to our rescue and strengthen those areas of weakness that plague us so. Jesus can remove those piles of junk, fill in the potholes, and strengthen the sagging places if we but stop trying to “do it my way” and allow God to be the one to put up the sign: “Caution. Construction Ahead!” And, then we must allow God to be the boss, the foreman, the project manager.
~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB
First Reading: Baruch 5:1-9Jeremiah 33:14-16 Second Reading: Philippians 1:4-6,8-11
Gospel: Luke 3:1-6
Continue ReadingHelp Us Rebuild Our Aquaponics Facility!
Help Rebuild Our Aquaponics Facility!
After significant tornado damage from Hurricane Milton to the greenhouse aquaculture system at Holy Name Monastery in St. Leo, Florida, a decision was reached by the Benedictine Sisters and Phil Reasons of Aquasol International to dismantle the ruined structure and rebuild anew. Damage includes broken pipes, twisted metal beams, splintered wooden sideboards, and shredded plastic coverings. The 60+ large tilapia suffered trauma, would not eat and so had to be harvested and shared with various organizations.
The plan to rebuild took considerable assessment of many factors and we believe this is God’s work that needs to continue. We will eliminate the aquaponic component which is the tilapia rearing tanks and focus on hydroponically grown plants in the new greenhouse. The outside portions of the farm and fruit tree section are intact so will continue to produce as before the storm.
Months before the hurricanes, the second-hand golf cart which was used to carry supplies around the area gave up the ghost. In addition to the greenhouse construction, a golf cart would be a substantial contribution (approx. $3000) to the monastery and greatly appreciated.
To all who have supported us during these past 10 years, we gratefully accept any contributions you are able to make to this rebuild so we can sustain ourselves and customers with nutritious vegetables.
Below is the breakdown of materials, labor, total by Aquasol International.
Dismantle existing greenhouse $2,500
Install new greenhouse bows and purlins $20,000
Remove aquaculture system $1,000
Repair damaged equipment $1,500
Golf Cart Needed $3,000
Total $28,000
Please make checks payable to: Benedictine Sisters of Florida for greenhouse rebuild
Continue ReadingWait and Watch!
You’ve probably guessed it: You’re going to hear that theme again. It’s all about waiting! But first: welcome to Year C, the year of Luke. We’ve been waiting for so long (actually for most of our lives) that the darkness may feel like home. Maybe we’ve become comfortable in our incompleteness. Now to leave home is downright scary! Change my ways of interacting with God and God’s people? Whew! Allow my rough edges to be smoothed – mmmm, sounds irritating. We are gifted with this Advent-time to do personal “Isaiah work” of filling in every valley; leveling every mountain so the hills will become a plain, and the rough ways made smooth. As the familiar banner asks: If not now, when?
And if there is an answer, are we really waiting? No! You see, Advent is not a sit-on-your-hands-to-see-what-will-happen kind of waiting. Nor is it waiting for someone else who is talking to God to hang up. Saying that brings to my mind a memory of a home visit of my 3-year-old niece who was patiently waiting through what her mom had told her was my private time with God. She had lasted through her first lectio experience with her books for 40 minutes. She moved from the mat on her bedroom floor to sit just outside my doorway. Laurie heaved a heavy sigh and said: “OK, what do I do now God; she’s still talking to You!”
The wonderful part of waiting and talking with God is that it’s more like a glorious party line. You can pick up (or click ON the chat box) at any time, whenever you’re ready. It is wonderful! We do not have to take turns – we don’t have to wait to be in touch! At the heart of Advent is ACTIVE waiting. Even when we don’t know that we are waiting, or what we are waiting for, we’re waiting. Even when we can’t find words for what we are waiting for, we’re waiting.
If the liturgical readings these last couple of weeks did not shake you up enough, the Advent gospels will make you perk up your ears and pay attention: “It is high time for us to arise from sleep.” Take heed! Be on guard! Watch! Be alert, stay awake, and don’t grow careless. Don’t give up! And St. Benedict admonishes us: “Never swerve from God’s instruction but faithfully observe God’s teaching in the monastery until death.”
Advent offers us a new opportunity to awaken to the signs of the times. In the words of John the Baptist, we hear the voice of Isaiah warning us to be alert for “the voice of one crying in the desert: Prepare the way of the Lord.” The last Gospel we heard as the liturgical year ended (this morning) and the first Gospel for the new liturgical year impress upon us the same warning: Be vigilant! Pray always! Beware that your heart does not become drowsy!
Remember Jesus berated the crowd for knowing how to interpret the signs in nature, but not the present time, the already. This is where we too may fall short. This kind of waiting requires a common-sense alertness to natural signs. But the kind of waiting Jesus is talking about requires a deeper discernment and alertness to the signs of His appearance – the signs of the times, our times. It’s that kind of waiting that Paul is talking about in the second reading: May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another … to strengthen your heart. I earnestly exhort you in the Name of Jesus to conduct yourselves to please God and be blameless in holiness before our God. Amen!
~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB
Happy St. Nicholas Day on December 6th.
First Reading: Jeremiah 33:14-16 Second Reading: 1 Thesssalonians 3:12-4:2
Gospel: Luke 21:2528,34-36
Continue ReadingEvery Ending Holds the Seeds of a New Beginning
The readings this weekend continue the theme (as Father John has been reminding us) of endings that signal a beginning. Every “good night” holds the promise of a “good morning!” The sunset kisses the earth good-bye for a brief moment in time and surprises us with its rising on what seems to be the other side of the earth. Every death is a hand-off to new life. St. Augustine echoes this concept when he calls to God: “O Beauty, so ancient, so new.” Every “good-bye” uncovers a “hello” and every ending is a step to a new adventure. When does the “NEW” become “NOW”? When does “tomorrow” turn to “today”? When we let go of yesterday, where does it go? The character Tevya in Fiddler on the Roof sings about this phenomenon: “Sunrise, sunset; Swiftly flow the days; Seedlings turn overnight to sunflowers, blossoming even as we gaze. Sunrise, sunset; swiftly fly the years, one season following another.”
In our Gospel Pilate asks: “What is truth?” Jesus answers: “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” A few evenings ago I was half-watching TV when out of my distraction I heard: “So, what is truth?” I’d started this reflection earlier in the day so the question seemed like part of another reality. A World War II veteran was sharing that upon retirement from active service, he’s been “down in the dumps”, experiencing a lack of appreciation for his years in service to our country in defense of freedom and truth. Then he’d recalled Jesus’ words: “The truth shall make you free.” He turned his bitterness into working with youth when he came to the realization that “The truth that makes you free, is the truth that stirs you to action.”
This weekend we observe the Solemnity of Christ the King which was first proclaimed universally as a feast in 1925 by Pope Pius IX. In 2015, the prescribed date was moved from October to the last Sunday in the church year and raised to a solemnity. At that time Pope Francis added a phrase to the title of the day: “Christ the King, the living face of the Father’s mercy.”
In tomorrow’s responsorial psalm we will proclaim: “The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.” We often raise a hand in benediction as we sing: “May the blessing of the Lord be upon you.” If we believe it’s true that Jesus is Lord, why do we sometimes scramble to find a substitute to replace the word “Lord?” That raises the question: Is Jesus my King? Do I know him on my own or is my relationship with Jesus based on borrowed thoughts from books I’ve read or homilies and retreat talks that I’ve heard? Do I sing with conviction the sentiments of the kingly hymns that spring to mind: “Come, Christians, Join to Sing”, “Rejoice, the Lord Is King”, “Praise to our victorious King”? And let’s not overlook the triumphant echoing of a favorite Christmas carol: “Joy to the world! Let earth receive her king!”
At the other end of this week, we will be “jump-started” into the season of Advent, an experience of an “ending” that is a “beginning” – a time of waiting for the One who will come. He is the One who is promised to us in the second Mass reading from book of Revelation: “Behold, he is coming and everyone will see him; the Alpha and the Omega, the one who is and who was and who is to come.”
~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB
