Benedictine Sisters of FL

Holy Name Monastery
Founded 1889

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Pilgrimage Year of Hope

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Pilgrimage Year of Hope 2025

a short refection by Father John McEvoy

 

The way we live our lives gives witness to our faith by proclaiming God’s truth, goodness, beauty, love and hope. Easter Season helps us enter into the Pilgrimage Year of Hope as pilgrims of hope.

Saint John entered the tomb that first Easter morning proclaiming ” I saw and I believed.”  This comes after the dark day of Good Friday with Judas betraying Jesus then despairing, the opposite of hope, leading to ending his life.

Peter also betraying but trusting in Jesus’ loving mercy, not losing hope, had the will to say “I have sinned”, proclaiming “Lord, you know all things. You know that I love you.”

In this Pilgrimage Year of Hope, we can proclaim the prayer of the children of Fatima:

I believe. I adore. I love. I hope.

I pray for those

who not believe, do not adore

do not love , do not hope

 

Father John McEvoy

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Fourth Sunday of Lent

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Recall last Sunday’s parable about a barren fig tree that was given a year’s reprieve to prove its worth or be cut down.  This week, for one day the church gives each of us a reprieve from the rigors of Lent with the gentling of the liturgical color in the priest’s vestments from intense purple to a cheery rose pink.  Flowers that had been forbidden until Easter can come forward for Mass and Vespers.  Then, back they will go, hidden in the cooler until Holy Thursday.

Some of us will remember when this 4th Sunday in Lent was referred to as Laetare Sunday.   It was a common name for this Fourth Sunday in Lent because the entrance antiphon begins “Laetare, Jerusalem” (“Rejoice, O Jerusalem”).   A little known synonym for Laetare Sunday is Mothering Sunday.  But it is not a celebration of mothers (although many countries fix their Mother’s Day celebration on this day).   In the 16th Century it was common practice on the 4th Sunday of Lent for people to go “a-mothering” – to pay a visit to their “mother church” – the church of their baptism.  Lenten fasting was relaxed and cakes were distributed to family members, giving rise to the name Refreshment Sunday.

The invisibility of women, their low level of access to, and participation in leadership, decision making, availability of resources, education and information, all mean that the adverse impact of globalized economic systems affects women and children disproportionately and often leads to greater violence against women and children.

Raising the veil of invisibility surrounding partner and child abuse, revealing a growing reality, is an on-going challenge.  But, every success in this endeavor is one more step toward understanding and with understanding comes empathy, justice and support for the cause of women as partners in spreading the Kingdom of their Creator.

I kept this editorial but lost track of the author.  It reads: “Now, I know this hope of mine is the longest of long shots. I have great faith in the Holy Spirit to move papal conclaves, but I would concede that I may be running ahead of the Spirit on this one.   Handing leadership of the Catholic Church to a woman, a nun would (to my mind) vastly strengthen Catholicism, help the church solve some of its immediate problems and inspire many who have left the church to look at it with new eyes.  There are certainly bishops and cardinals who have done godly work and many more who have supported it.   Imagine the message the cardinals would send about the church’s priorities if they elected a woman pope.”

I find “Lost and Found” boxes interesting.  At the very same time the things inside of it are both lost and found.  Suppose someone spots a cell phone in a parking lot, in the crack of a shopping cart.  The friendly shopper retrieves it and turns it in at the courtesy desk.  In one and the same moment it was completely lost, but it was found…  It is strangely both lost and found.

If there were an eternal “Lost and Found” box, we sure would be in it.  Our lives are filled with wayward actions that take us far from each other and our God. But, rejoice because we’ve been found!  Jesus made payment for our waywardness.  Thanks to His generous self-giving – and the unfathomable love of the Trinity, God is ready, with wild abandonment to welcome us back again and again.

 

~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB

 

 

 

First Reading:   Joshua 5:9a, 10-12      Second Reading:  2 Corinthians 5:17-21
Gospel:   Luke 15:1-3, 11-32
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Third Sunday of Lent

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The Choice is Ours

 

One day, a week or so after the “big storm,” I saw the Master Gardener in our gardens.  Have you met Him?  This day He seemed to be assessing the damage Milton had reeked on our plant life.  Like the fig tree in Luke’s story, our plants, our Laudato Si Aquaponic Gardens and the “hobby gardens” were about to get a reprieve.  Insurance money gifted us with the wherewithal to rebuild the Hydro/aquaponic operation. And if you look closely, you can see plants that appeared to have been cut off at the root, are beginning to sprout ever so tiny green leaves peeking through the churned up soil.

Did you know Jesus was quite a gardener Himself?  Artists often depict Him with His foster father Joseph in a carpenter’s workshop.  But He also spent time with Mary, His mother, learning the art of cultivation of plants.  What cultivation skills did we learn under our mother’s watchful eye?  It may not have been working in a garden, but someone in our life showed us how to coax maturity to signs of new life.

The Gospel is asking us to take a good look at ourselves.  The tree in the parable is showing signs of life but it bears no fruit.  We ask ourselves: Is that me?  Am I barely managing to “hang in there?”   Am I being called to more than that? Yes, God has higher hopes for each of us, if we will but give grace a chance.

For instance, we can ask ourselves:

  • How do I relate with those I reside with? With outsiders?  Is my presence a positive element or do I fall into the negativity trap?  Do I pass judgment without giving God credit for knowing the whole story?
  • Am I a good or sour influence within my community (or my family circle)?
  • What is my attitude towards people I do not know or who aren’t “useful” to me?
  • What kind of contribution (including being physically present) do I make to the life of this community?
  • In general, what kind of contribution do I make to our community and beyond?  What COULD I be doing?

Pope Francis has reminded us more than once of something we know deep down – but sometimes, especially in the midst of trouble, we tend to forget.  He says: “There are no situations we cannot get out of.  We are not condemned to sink into quicksand where the more we move the deeper we sink.  Jesus is always there, his hand extended, ready to reach out to us and pull us up out of the mud, out of sin, out of the abyss into which we have stumbled.

The barren fig tree in Jesus’ story is given a reprieve.  It is allowed another chance to respond favorably and to produce fruit.  Every Lenten season offers us a chance to fertilize our tree, the tree which is our life, and to see how it can be more fruitful.

We need to realize love is only fully completed in us when we become a genuinely loving and caring person; one who loves both God and others in word and action.  We have the choice to open ourselves and come closer to God, to experience the gift of LOVE personified in Jesus. The choice is up to us. God’s love is there for the taking.  What are you, what are we waiting for?

~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB

 

 

 

First Reading:   Exodus 3:1-8a, 13-15       Second Reading:  1 Corinthians 10:1-6, 10-12
Gospel:   Luke 13:1-8
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Second Sunday of Lent

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“Jesus took Peter, James and his brother John off by themselves and led hem up a high mountain.”  This transfiguration account appears just after Jesus has reminded the disciples, “Whoever loses your life for My sake, and the gospel – will save your life. Jesus lets these remarks soak in and take root for six days before he sets off up the mountain with Peter, James and John in tow.

The story (I believe) calls each one of us to examine what mountains we have yet to climb to see God’s glory.  We could apply the story to death or a near-death experience, but if we do that, we miss the everyday mountains that we must scale.  Call those mountains what you will, we must climb them to witness God’s glory: hurdles, challenges, enticing temptations, near occasions of sin, quirks of personality, Lenten resolutions, pet peeves…   They can be like a grain of sand inside your shoe.  Other times, they may feel like huge boulders that we need a backhoe to lever inch by inch.  Everyone’s mountain is different. To witness God’s glory, we must each climb our own “mountains”.

As we become aware that we are nearing a mountaintop, we must relax take a breather, yes, but with our spirit-eyes open to see God’s glory.  Stay alert, careful not to misread the signs; have the insight to know that we are at the top.  Gaze on the God of the Revelation.  In awe we may wonder: Why did God choose me?  Why does God love me so much?

What causes us to miss the “small miracles”, the “everyday transfigurations”?  The “Emmaus” moments along the path to Life? Gently remind yourself, that Jesus and the disciples also went back down the mountain.  Thank God when you get to top and do not be distracted with worry over “what’s going to happen next?”

Jesus did not become “more God” that day on the mountain.  It seems to me the change was not so much in Jesus, as it was in the disciples.  They were ready.  They had climbed the mountain.   And their eyes were open to witness the miracle of the moment.   What are those moments in your life?  Maybe it happens at the Consecration of the Mass or when you look across the dining table or at confreres across the aisle in chapel.

God is already there; is right here NOW.   Jesus invites us to go up the mountain with Him.  He leads the way.  We must open our awareness to witness the transfiguration. God reveals the Son little by little to those who take the time and interest to stay with him.  When we follow His lead, stay with the experience, do what it takes to build our relationship, foster life with the Other; in essence we live out our vow of stability; our promise of “stick-to-tive-ness.

 

~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB

 

 

 

First Reading:   Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18        Second Reading:  Philippians 3:17-4:1
Gospel:   Luke 9:28b-36

 

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First Sunday of Lent

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We all think we understand what temptation is.  Imagine this: there’s a little boy in a grocery store who walks by an open pack of chocolate-peanut butter cookies. A clerk notices him eye the cookies.  “Son, what are you doing there?” “Nothing,” replied the boy. “It looks to me like you’re trying to steal a cookie.” “No,” said the boy, “I’m trying not to.”  That’s temptation!

We understand that temptation leads to trouble.  Such was the plight of the man that I read about in Reader’s Digest. The man told this on himself.  He was shopping with his wife in the mall when a shapely young woman in a short, form-fitting dress walked by.  He followed her with his eyes.  Without looking up from the item she was examining his wife asked, “Was it worth the trouble you are in?”  That’s the trouble with temptation!

How many of us have shrugged and said, “The devil made me do it!” and used that as an excuse when caught doing something we weren’t supposed to?  It’s a convenient defense.  But there’s one problem: the devil can’t MAKE us do anything.  He may be clever, but he’s not all powerful.  It may feel that way, however, when we’re dangling on temptation’s hook, because the devil has a tried and true strategy for luring us into his net.  First, he lays out the bait like a skilled fisherman.  The devil has been following our clues and noting our habits and social media hangouts.  Then  a custom-made lure appears right in front of our noses.

Now comes the appeal.  We can’t be made to bite, but you know what happens when we catch a glimpse of the tantalizing bait like (maybe a snapshot promo on TV).  We’re drawn in, we linger over it. We toy with the idea and roll it over in our minds until it consumes our imagination.  We just HAVE to know what the gossip tidbit was we overheard.  Now the struggle really begins.  Our conscience jabs us in the ribs, the red flags go up, the warning sirens go off but that invitation looks so delightful.  What do we do?

Notice how Luke ends his report – the devil departed for a time. We know what happened to Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. The depth of Jesus’ trust in God is shown most fully when He rejects the temptation to turn away from his God-given mission.  Christ let Satan make us of all his evil conniving forces and defeated him at every angle until the devil got discouraged and left “for a time.”

Benedict knew this dynamic, didn’t he?  Remember in chapter 43 where he warns if the monastic comes late for chapel?!  Even though ashamed, she should still come inside lest she be tempted to return to bed and sleep, or worse, settle down outside and engage in idle talk, thereby giving occasion to the Evil One.  Latecomers should come inside so that they will not lose everything and may amend in the future.  Either we will resist or yield. We will swim away or swallow the temptation whole.  When you give in you know the feeling of emptiness and the pain that sticks in your throat or gut.  But, be alert when you do resist – be ready for the temptation to come from a different direction.  However, when you do resist you will know a feeling of blessed freedom.

You may have learned this little ditty of a prayer as a child.  It’s still a good one for nightly protection. I liken it to a child’s compline (evening prayer).

“Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John,
Bless this bed that I lie on.
Before I close my eyes in sleep,
I give my soul to Christ to keep.

Four corners to my bed,
Four angels ’round my head,
One to watch, one to pray,
And two to bear my soul away.

I go by sea, I go by land,
The Lord made me with his right hand,
If any danger come to me,
Sweet Jesus Christ, deliver me.

You are the branch, I am the flower,
I pray God send me a happy hour,

And if I die before I wake,
I pray the Lord my soul to take.

~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB

 

 

May you each have a spirituality enriching LENT 2025 experience! 

 

 

First Reading:   Deuteronomy 26:4-10         Second Reading:  Romans 10:8-13
Gospel:   Luke 4:1-13

 

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Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

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This Sunday can fall either before Lent or after the Easter season, so it is not often celebrated.

THE GOSPEL IS A STRONG CHALLENGE to the lifestyle that prevails in most of our cities in the so-called developed world.  Jesus puts it bluntly: “You cannot at the same time be the slave of God and “mammon.” What Matthew is pointing out is that since human beings are not self-sufficient, we are dependent on something outside ourselves. It should be God, not the material goods we own.  Matthew concludes by reminding us to use our “one day at a time” confidence and remember that we are in God’s loving care. The graces we need will be there when we need them.  We can’t stock-pile graces for a rainy day.

What is in question is our attitude towards “things.”  Lent is a good time to review  the contents of our closets and other possessions.  Jesus is teaching us that our only real security is total trust in God.  We have to make a choice between God’s vision of life and a preoccupation with possessions. That involves different goals and visions of what is most important in life.  We can wear a veneer of Christian practice, but it won’t penetrate below the surface of our skin.

Jesus preaches something akin to “holy indifference” toward material goods. It should be obvious that some material things — like food and clothing and shelter — are necessary for daily living and everyone has a right to have these things.  The attitude of ‘holy indifference’ is not to be confused with an attitude of not caring about anyone or anything.   On the contrary, a person who practices holy indifference cares much and deeply and says ‘yes’ only to what is needed.

In the ordinary run of things, worry is a waste of time and psychic energy because it’s all about being uneasy about what might happen and will probably never happen. (Father) Tony de Mello quotes the Buddhist axiom: “Why worry?  If you don’t worry, you die; if you do worry, you die.  So, why worry?”    Fr. Tony continues: “Be yourself.  Be here.  Be now.”  God has provided you with everything you need right now to be happy.”  Our lives would be transformed if only we could really take Jesus’ advice: “Do not worry about tomorrow: tomorrow will take care of itself.”

If you tend to be a worrywart, Jesus has a remedy for you.  He says, look at the birds of the air and the flowers in the field.  They do nothing except be themselves and God takes care of them.  People are often so busy regretting the past or fretting about what MIGHT BE in the future that they can’t enjoy life.

Sounds so logical but you and I both know that everyone here worries about something. Some of us probably only worry every now and then. Some of us could win the prize for the world’s “expert worrier”. If we find ourselves with nothing to worry about, we worry that there’s nothing to worry about… so we worry until we figure out what that “nothing” is.  Right?

You know, worry is almost always about assuming control over things.  That’s a control that God never meant for us to have. Assuming control for the future is just not part of what we’re designed to do. Jesus says, “Can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life?”   We don’t have that kind of power.   But we can come into the peace of “the birds of the air and the flowers of the fields” when we are content with just being a human being and stop trying to be God.  “Let go, let God!”  This Gospel lesson reminds us that we are called to trust in God who knows what we need and when we need it.  We are called to believe that God will give it to us, when we need it.

~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB

 

Prepare ye that way for the good Lenten experience.

God bless!

 

 

First Reading:   Isaiah 49:14-15         Second Reading:  1 Corinthians 4:1-5
Gospel:   Matthew 6:24-34
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