Benedictine Sisters of FL

Holy Name Monastery
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The Mercy of Unanswered Prayer

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We never know quite where people are going to go in life, or where we ourselves will end up, do we?  These two brothers, James and John, have aspirations for greatness.  Or did they?  In another version of this Gospel, it is Mama Zebedee that speaks up asking that her sons be Jesus’ closest assistants when He comes into his kingdom.  For her, it was a matter of family pride.  “Jesus, look at my boys here – they left me to follow you, so I depend on you to see that they don’t get left behind.”  It sounds to me like either Mama pushed her sons forward (you know how moms can be) or was the boys’ dream, too?  We can learn from the exchange between the mother and Jesus and Jesus and the boys.  For one thing, we don’t always know the full impact of what we are asking for.  Had James and John, or their mother, realized the full weight of what they had asked … they may have been the ones crucified next to Jesus on the cross.

Mama’s request is not that much different from some of our prayers, is it?  We remember that Jesus has told us, “Whatever you ask for in my name, I will do it.”  The catch is that when we ask in the name of Jesus, we are asking that His will prevail over ours.  Have you prayed and asked for something that you didn’t get and then later on realized that it was a real blessing that God didn’t answer your prayer in the way you wanted?  Maybe you prayed you make good time on the highway and later learned you might have been involved in a horrific accident had you been just a few miles down the road.  You were the recipient of what some refer to as “The Mercy of Unanswered Prayer.”  There’s an answer, and a gracious one – just not the one you were hoping for.  The gracious response comes for a merciful, loving Savior who knows what we really need.

This Gospel reminds us that like James and John we are still in “servant training.”  Jesus said to them, “Can you drink the cup that I drink?  Can you share in my fate?”  James and John are not ready yet for the responsibility their mother seeks for them.  At this point they need more training in life lessons.

James and John learned a lesson all believers learn.  We may receive some recognition from others, but we should not seek it.  Rather, the words of Jesus ring in our ears, “First things first.  Whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be the slave of all.”

We hear many stories of kindness, heroism and servanthood.  One such story is about a woman who found a stack of checks and a deposit slip all in the name of “Stacy.”  Rather than looking for “Stacy,” the lady took the checks to the bank and deposited them in Stacy’s account.  She shared with the teller that the owner would likely come in soon all upset about losing the checks.  Tell her the money was found and deposited.  Then tell her to read this note which said, “Hi, Stacy, I found your deposit and brought it to the bank.  I don’t know if you take the train to work in the morning, but there is a homeless man who sits by the station nearby here every morning.  If you would like to pass on the good deed, he could use a cup of coffee and a bagel tomorrow morning.  Have a great day.”  That was a Monday.  The man was seen having a bagel and coffee every day the rest of the week.  It seems Stacy was very happy about having the lost money deposited in her account.

This weekend, Catholic parishes throughout the world are celebrating WORLD MISSION SUNDAY.  Collections are taken for the Society of the Propagation of the Faith in order to support the work and witness of the mission of the Church.  The liturgy speaks of the power of our witnessing to the difference Jesus makes in our lives.  Hopefully, our servant attitude will demonstrate and inspire others with a caring heart and justice in action for the poor and vulnerable. We trust in the power of prayer, don’t we?  We know that prayer is not magic.  God is not a Genie in a bottle.  We don’t say a prayer with the expectation that we will come out on the other end of our Lectio time fully grown in the Spirit, perfectly new, totally finished.  As St. Teresa Avila, (whom we celebrated on yesterday) says: “Prayer is not just spending time with God…if it ends there, it is fruitless.  Prayer is dynamic.  Authentic prayer changes us.”  And we know that it takes consistent effort to effect the words of a familiar hymn: “Make us true servants to all those in need, filled with compassion in thought, word and deed.” 

~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB, Prioress

 

October is DOMESTIC AWARENESS month.  You are invited to participate in a Virtual Prayer Service on October 26th, 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.  The service is sponsored by the East Pasco Ministerial Association.  Prayers will be of offered by the various NEPMA members including the Benedictine Sisters of Florida.  We all offer a prayer for our neighbors, the residents of Pasco county and people throughout our world.                   

To connect go to.

https://www.facebook.com/NorthEastPascoMinisterialAssociation

 

First Reading: Isaiah 53:10-11                   Second Reading: Hebrews 4:4-16
Gospel Reading: Mark 10:35-45
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Two Lines

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Two Lines

 

Two lines jump out at me in this reading:

  1. What Jesus said to the young man – “You are lacking one thing.”
  2. The question the disciples ask Jesus – “Who can be saved?”

Jesus has already told them in this reading, four things they should NOT do: don’t commit adultery, don’t steal, don’t bear false witness, don’t defraud.  I smile when I read how He sums up His list, it’s what my dad would say: “Do what your mother tells you.”  The only time I remember him raising his voice to me was one day when my mother asked, “Do you want to do some ironing now?”  I had said, “No, not now.”  Wrong answer!  Jesus offered the same directive to the wine servers at the wedding where he and his mother were guests – “Do whatever she tells you.”  And when dying on the Cross, what did he say to John (and all of us) – “Behold your mother.”

Jesus told the young man, “You are lacking one thing.”  That’s his challenge to us this week, figure out what’s the one thing we are lacking.  Benedict’s Tools of Good Works (RB 4) is a good examination of conscience or you might use Joan Chittister’s listing of Benedict’s counsels:

            • Don’t pamper yourself
            • Be transparent
            • Be gentle with each other
            • Don’t expect too much or consume too much
            • Live in the moment of God’s grace
            • Be willing to be formed
            • Have a holy attitude toward persons and all of creation, and
            • Remember the tools of the spiritual life are the work of a lifetime. …

Jesus said, “Do what your parents tell you.”  Benedict says the same thing in several places in the Rule, do what the superior tells you.  He gives a little wiggle room when he speaks of impossible tasks but in the end, he says obedience will save us.  I’ve saved my mother’s message to me when I wrote to tell her that we now had the option of using our baptismal names and were shortening our skirts.  In her own way she said, “I’ve tried to teach you the value of obedience.  Do what your superiors are telling you.”   RB 7 places tremendous responsibility on each of us to give good example when our founder says, “The eighth degree in humility is that a monk do nothing but what the common rule of the monastery and the example of the seniors suggest.”

Like many people, the young man in the Gospel knew something was missing in his life. There’s some of the young man in all of us … we know something is lacking. We are surrounded with media that tries to convince us what that the one thing is that will bring us joy and well-being.  Although we know full well that wealth is not a guarantee for happiness in this life, that spirit can slip through the walls, even through convent walls.  We can sense it when we doubt that the common goods available are not sufficient for us.  We can act like children who don’t want the crayons put into a pile in the middle of the table.  We each want our own box of crayons because we don’t like the broken ones or the ones that have the paper peeled off or the ones you can tell have touched another color or are just not the brand we prefer.  Like the young man we want our own possessions and we want them NOW, today.  And, we find it hard to part with any of them graciously even when we hear Benedict say (in RB 54) that the members should not presume to accept gifts sent by parents or friends without previously telling the superior who has the power to give the gift to whomever and the one for whom it was originally given will not be distressed.

Maybe instead of asking “What am I lacking?” we need to ask ourselves, “What do I have too much of?”  Jesus says, “Amen, I say to you, no one who has given up house, brother, sisters or mother and father or children or lands for the sake of the Gospel will not receive 100 times more in the age to come.”  We may tick off all the items on that list one by one but the challenge keeps coming back to haunt us, “One thing is lacking.”

Jesus counsels us: “How hard it is, it’s easier to enter the kingdom of God than for a camel to pass through the needle gate.”  It’s hard, he says but not impossible, “For with God, all things are possible.”

Just don’t get caught in Peter’s trap – quickly retorting, “I’ve given up EVERYTHING, Lord!”  You’ll hear the echo, “One thing is lacking.  Go, give what you have to the poor, and THEN come follow Me.”

~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB

 

First Reading:   Wisdom 7:7-11            Second Reading:  Hebrews 4:12-13
Gospel:   Mark 10:17-30 (shorter form Mark 10:17-27)
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Salt to the World

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I don’t mean to make light of the Scripture designated for this weekend.  However, I would like to call to your attention the lines between last Sunday’s proclamation and the verses skipped coming into today’s Gospel.  They are too rich, I believe, to let them slip from our attention.

“Everyone will be purified by fire, as a sacrifice is purified by salt.  Salt is good, but if salt becomes insipid, how can you make it salty again?”  “Insipid” – that’s a rich descriptive word, isn’t it?  If one becomes “insipid” can her/his ‘tang’ ever be restored?

I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who doesn’t like at least a hint of salt.  We may use it sparingly but we use it, or a salt substitute, to make our food tastier.  Some, even when the doctor dictates against it, experience a craving for salt.  How quickly the potato chips and Fritos disappear!

Other spices are different – many people are picky about them.  Some think food is distasteful unless it’s peppery-hot.  The mere thought of hot spicy foods ties my stomach in a huge knot.  I marvel at people who devour a whole chili or ghost pepper.

But salt, you know, has many more uses than only bringing out flavor in foods.  I found a list of 60 everyday uses. Here is a sampling: it can be used to end an ant parade, deodorize your shoes, to gargle a sore throat, clean flower residue from a vase, freshen up artificial flowers, remove water rings from furniture, extinguish a grease fire, or a cloth soaked in salt water will prevent cheese from getting moldy.  Some of you will remember Sister Bernadette’s big dye pot!  Well, salt is used to fix the dye in fabric.  Without salt, the bright colors that we wear today would quickly fade.  It’s used in the production of over 14,000 different products.  Each year, food companies use an amount that is every bit as staggering as it sounds – 5 billion pounds of salt.

Let me not stray too far afield from Scripture, but it helps us understand why Jesus or the evangelist would use the image of salt in a lesson with us.  The usefulness of salt was a well-known fact long before Jesus walked this earth.  At one time, salt was so important and valuable that people were paid with salt.  Thus came the expression “are you worth your salt?”  Is it any wonder that Jesus told us that we were to be like salt to the earth?  Listen again to the words of Jesus.  “Salt is good, but if it becomes insipid, how can you restore its saltiness?  Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other.”  I think that he was saying that we should “salt” that is, flavor our world with love.  And that likewise we should allow God to use us, and our saltiness, in making the world a better place.

You may remember this Indian folk tale about salt.  The story goes thus: Once there was a king who was trying to decide which of his daughters should inherit the kingdom.  So he asked each one, “How do you love me?  The first three daughters each answered: “I love you as sugar or honey.”  The youngest said, “Father, I love you as salt.”  The king frowned, but she persisted in repeating it, to the point that the king waved her away.

Sometime later she prepared a meal for her father but she didn’t add any salt to it.  When the king sat down to eat, the first course included only sweets which he picked at with displeasure.  Next, he was served meat, which he usually enjoyed but this was AWFUL.  By now he was very hungry, longing for something which he could eat.  The princess offered him a dish of common spinach, seasoned with salt.  The king signified his pleasure by finishing off the dish with relish.  She stepped cautiously forward saying, “Oh my father, I do love you so.  I love you as salt.  My love may be homely, but it is true, genuine and lasting.  Thus, as the saying goes, were the Scriptures fulfilled: let us “Have the salt of friendship among yourselves, and live in peace with one another.”

How about you?  Are you allowing Jesus to use you to be salt to the world?  How are you flavoring the world?  Are you an irritant rubbing salt in the wound?  Or are you a soothing poultice held lovingly to a tender hurt?  Are you worth your salt?  Are we drying the salt of tears for the abused?  Salt seasons soup in order to fulfill its purpose.  Remember salt is no good by itself – it takes companionship to bring out its flavor.  In whose life are you bringing out the flavor?  Who is salt in your life?

~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB, Prioress

Please join us in prayer for Congress that the members may come to one mind for the betterment of the people whose lives are impacted by their decisions.

 

First Reading:   Genesis 2:18-24             Second Reading:  Hebrews 2:9-11
Gospel:   Mark 10:2-16

 

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“Your way of acting should be different from the world’s way.”

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Last week we heard Jesus chastise his disciples for their arguing about who should be next in the line of succession.  Today they take offense because they perceive a stranger as a direct threat to their exclusive calling.  Their attitude is clear: “You have no right; He gave us that job.”  Envy and jealousy raises its ugly head.

We are witnessing how Jesus deals with this ages-old human condition.  We saw it first in the story of Cain and Abel.  In our own lives we may have been victim or culprit of it with our siblings, classmates, spouses or friends.  St. Benedict guards against inroads of it in describing the “Qualities of the Abbot” in the “Tools of Good Works” and the “Steps of Humility,” the distribution of labor and his directives about property and gifts.  The psalmist applies the trait to God, and St. Paul says he experiences “a godly jealousy.”  We sing of in it the hymnody: “Our God is a jealous God.”  And, here in this Gospel we hear the disciples grousing (Benedict calls it “murmuring”) – “How come they are trying to use the gift you gave to us?”

So far the disciples have missed the point of Jesus teaching.  It’s about true discipleship; how we relate to each other.  Jesus warns us that true followers are not to “cause little ones to stumble.”  He’s been saying all along that who will be included in the Kingdom is not within our authority, it’s not even within our concern!  Jesus makes it quite clear – whoever is not against us, is for us.

In this instance, Jesus immediately turns the tables on the disciples.  He warns them that they are the ones in danger of doing harm.  It’s as though Jesus says, “The problem is not those folks, guys.  Don’t worry about them; they are not the problem.  Rather, look at yourselves.  Are you a stumbling block?”  His message is clear – finger-pointing will get us nowhere with Jesus.  Jesus couldn’t be more clear with his vivid example of drowning to get his point across.  “Better to be thrown into the sea with a millstone around your neck than to do harm to “these little ones.”

Jesus warns us that scrupulosity about others’ behavior, or a judgment about their motivation (especially without all the facts) can cause us to stumble.  He is trying to help us understand that no one is an exception to His teaching.  We can’t say: “That doesn’t apply to me; I don’t have to listen to what He is saying.  And, anyway, I’ll be forgiven.”  The old axiom holds true, “What’s sauce for the goose, is good for the gander.”

Our Creator knows we have been endowed with the capacity to make comparisons, weigh pros and cons, and draw conclusions that seem to just “pop into our heads.”  Jesus is warning us to be on guard about being “judgmental” – milking and waxing self-assigned motivations to others.  We can spread faulty conclusions built on our limited perceptions.  Jesus cautions us to turn the focus back to our own behavior.  Jesus challenges us to a self-examination.  How authentic is our way of thinking and acting?  Do we spend more time judging another’s behavior and spreading ill-will than we do in Lectio looking at our part in the cultivation of evil in the world?  What are the stumbling-blocks, the mind-fields we scatter that unwittingly impedes the spread of the Good News?  This gospel incident is a story of commitment.  The people to whom Jesus is talking are his own disciples – people who have agreed and want to follow him.  The metaphor explains just how serious sin really is.  Jesus is asking, “Just who do you believe?  Do you believe in me?  Whose ways do you imitate?”

We were created so that God can pour out blessings upon us, and through us.  In gratitude, we owe it to God, and to others, to pass on the good news of the great inheritance that is ours.

So how goes it with you?  Does your practice of faith, your living of Benedict’s Rule challenge others?  Ages ago Isaiah said, and St. Paul repeated, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways.”  [Isaiah 55:8; Ephesians 3:20]  Benedict offers the same life guideline in RB Chapter 4:20, the Tools of Good Words: “Your way of acting should be different from the world’s way.”

This week we do well to ask ourselves (refraining from pointing a finger at anyone else – exposing three fingers pointing smack dab back at self, right where the blame belongs): Do my ways invite others to join the church, the community?  Does my attitude give others the benefit of the doubt; the attitude that I wish others’ granted me?  What do I do or say that may cause seekers or guests or volunteers to step away, give up on the idea of ever coming again or supporting the community, put off joining RCIA or considering a call to religious life?  What could I, what could we, do differently?   Ponder the closing sentences of the first reading, words attributed to Moses: “Would that all people of the Lord were prophets!  Would that the Lord might bestow his spirit on them all.”  [Numbers 11:29]

~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB, Prioress

Let us join in prayer for a swift, peaceful, and just resolve for persons fleeing their home countries.  So many levels of conflict and confusion may make us feel helpless … but we believe firmly that for God ALL THINGS are possible.  And we learned that God is depending upon His creatures to do their part.   This morning in his homily our chaplain noted: “Each of us is one of us.”    Helen Keller is quoted: “I am only one; but still I am one.  I cannot do everything, but still I can do something.  I will not refuse to do the something I can do.” (Helen Keller)    Something to think about – what IS my part?

  Heartful gratitude to those who contributed to our collection for the people of Haiti devastated by earthquake damage.  With your generosity, and the Sisters contributions from their personal monthly allowances, plus a “round-it-up” donation from our community funds, we will be sending $2000 to the St. Luke Foundation – a direct services agency headquartered in Miami, FL

God bless!

 

First Reading:   Numbers 11:25-29             Second Reading:  James 5:1-6
Gospel:   Mark 9:38-43,45,47-48
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