Benedictine Sisters of FL

Holy Name Monastery
Founded 1889

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Lent – God’s Call

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In the liturgical cycle of readings, this Gospel from Mark was originally only two verses – later the church added two more – but it is still one of the shortest Sunday readings.  It tells us only that, immediately after His baptism, Jesus was led into the desert by the Spirit to be tempted by the devil, for 40 days.  You’ll notice that Mark, unlike Luke and Matthew, does not outline for us the three temptations of Jesus.  He simply lets us know that the conflict between Jesus and Satan only begins in the desert.  The ultimate test will be in Jesus’ final hours on the cross.

We are now four days into our Lenten journey of 40 days.  We are reminded of Elijah who journeyed in a desert 40 days and nights, making his way to Mount Horeb as well as the Israelites who wandered in a desert for 40 years.  Benedict knew that deserts are an unavoidable part of life.  We have to pass through them – not get stuck in them. In the desert, we soon find out we are too weak to go it alone.  According to St. John Chrysostom: “The Spirit drags Jesus into the desert, since he wanted to draw the devil there – and Jesus gave occasion to him not only on account of his hunger but also on account of the place: for then most especially does the devil attack when he sees people isolated and by themselves.”  No wonder Benedict urges us not to be isolated in our Lenten journey: “the entire community during these days of Lent (together strives) to keep the manner of life most pure.”

We’ve heard the expression “practice makes perfect” so often that the meaning may have lost its impact on us.  Each year at the beginning of Lent we may feel like that skater or a musician who’s been laid up for a year without practice.  As Benedict says in Chapter 49 of the Rule, during Lent we are called to be the kind of person we should be every day.  Lent gives us a jump-start of courage to pick up the practices that will support the values we profess and hold dear.  The biggest temptation most of us have to face it to “give up” because we stumble.  What would you think if you dialed a wrong number and got this recording: I’m not available right now, but I do thank you for caring enough to call me.”  (How sweet!)  But, it continues: “I am making some changes in my life.  Please leave a message after the beep.  If I do not return your call, you are one of the changes.”

Thomas à Kempis, in the IMITATION OF CHRIST, says, “Often we do not know what we can stand, but temptation shows us what we are.  Above all, we must be especially alert against the beginnings of temptation, for the enemy is more easily conquered if refused admittance to the mind and is met beyond the threshold when it knocks…. A person, indeed, is not worthy of the sublime contemplation of God who has not been tried by some tribulation for the sake of God.  For temptation is usually the sign preceding the consolation that is to follow.”

Lent is God’s call to us to make God and Godly values the center of our life.  It is a time for honesty and stability.  A time for us to be close to God.  The desert of life, of Lent – like any desert – can be a vast expanse of sand and rock, punctuated by ragged hills, blistered by a relentless sun, a barren land in which little grows.  But, depending on our outlook, the space can be filled with mysterious unexpected experiences.  It can be a place not only of testing but of beauty where faith can grow.  Mirages give us false hope.  A welcome pool of water or a dripping cactus can reveal to us, in the blink of an eye, a reflection of what we really look like.  During Lent we are simply being asked to dare to be convinced that this is a wonderful opportunity to rediscover our true self-worth and the wonder of being the child of a loving God.  We are challenged not to focus on the storm clouds of COVID restrictions, chronic health conditions, what we DON’T have.  We do well to focus on all that we DO have: our faithful supporters, the friends who DO make contact, the companions who DO treat us gently, our God who, even with all the concerns and pleas that are raised for attention, remembers ME and loves ME with unfailing love.

Personal deserts are unavoidable, they’re part of life.  We need Christ and we need the ministry of others.  If for nothing else than to teach lessons of dependence.  We’ll never be as strong or wise as we’d like.  We need the grace of God in Christ.  We need the ministry of each other and all of God’s people to strengthen us by their prayerful support and good example that we, too, might take up our crosses and follow Jesus.  We pray that like that voice message said (I mentioned earlier), we do take the opportunity of Lent to make changes on our lives.  But unlike that voice message, may we never hear God’s voice and choose not to return the call.

Next Sunday we will be commemorating the 132nd anniversary of the founding of Holy Name Convent from Pittsburgh, PA.  You can look for a snippet of our history as the reflection.  God bless our founding Sisters!  Their first home was “on loan”  space in a family home in San Antonio which is the township adjacent to Saint Leo, home of the current monastery.  The weather bureau archives reveal that it was 80 degrees in San Antonio, FL on the day of their arrive, February 28, 1889.  Stay tuned for the “rest of the story” next week.  

~Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB

Genesis 9:8-15   1 Peter 3:18-22   Mark 1:12-15

 

 

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Made Whole…

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We each have our own variant of leprosy, don’t we?  With some it’s visible on the outside; for others it thrives on the inside.  Our faults: scaly, obvious by our actions, our facial expressions.  And, there are those who harbor their leprosy – deep in their feelings and heart – a gut ache or pain caused by stressed nerves.  Whether or not we raise our voice to be heard above the crowd: “If you wish, you can make me clean.”  Or, it may be, that someone pushes us forward, “now’s a good time; ask him now – He can do it!”  Do you believe in intercessory prayer?  Do the General Intercessions make any difference in the lives of those we name?  In God-time, yesterday, today, years ago all blend into the eternal NOW.

Yes, even when our leprosy is old and scarred and has been in our gunny sack for more years than we can to count.  You know the kinds of wounds that we take out every once in a while to nurse and keep alive.  We rehash their story privately or in unrelated situations when some word or sound, or maybe a smell relights the fuse.  The ember that springs to flame that we didn’t even realize was there all along.  But Jesus has been watching it.  And, He’s waiting for us to reach out and plead: “If you wish, you can make me clean.”

When we do, what is Jesus’ instruction?  “Go, show yourself to the priest.”  (Here he’s not talking about the Sacrament of Reconciliation.)  This was Jesus’ way of asking us to bring our faults into the light of day.  To expose them so they can be zapped with the Divine Presence.  St. Benedict, in the very first sentence (following the Prologue of His Rule) calls his followers, who’ve chosen what he considers “the better way” – the cenobitical (the monastic) way of life under a Rule and a superior.  Here and other places in the Rule, he speaks of submission to the will of another, humility, confession of faults and public admission of mistakes.  He quotes the psalmist – as he often does – when he says: “I will report my faults to the Lord.” (PS 31).  He speaks of taking the last place at table, what we used to term “kneeling out”’ or being set apart from the rest of the community.  Isn’t that all a pretty “public” admission of fault.  Benedict actually says: “that they may be seen by all until they do penance by public satisfaction.”

Benedict encourages the members to admit their fault “of their own accord and make satisfaction.”  But he’s not naïve – he knows there will be occasions when this doesn’t happen.  You know what he says: “be subjected to a more severe correction.”  Now that may seem irrelevant to the story of Jesus and the man with leprosy.  But it seems pretty obvious that Jesus did not go looking for the man.  The man called out to Jesus: “If you wish, you can make me clean.”  Benedict, (what a wise man!) he knew there’d more sensitive souls in community.  Personalities who’d need more solicitous care, compassion and consideration.  To this one, Benedict advises: “reveal” (this hidden fault) “only to a spiritual guide who knows how to heal her own wounds as well as those of others,” (and equally important) “without exposing them and making them public.”

We don’t know how long this man with the leprosy had been following Jesus.  How many miracles had he witnessed before he felt compelled to step forward and let the words escape his lips: “If you wish, you can make me clean”?  Had he seen Jesus’ interaction with the woman caught in adultery or heard the story of the good Samaritan or good Shepherd?  Was it desperation that made him cry out: “If you wish, you can make me clean”?  Was he burdened with feelings of guilt for having leprosy and causing the estrangement of his family and friends since he was bound by law to “make his abode outside the camp”?  (Leviticus1:46)  Did the rest of the crowd step back when he moved forward to be heard?  This was a “gutsy” young man … stepping into the light, drawing attention to himself and his leprosy.  Admitting publicly, he was not clean.  He risked being shunned AGAIN!  But faith won out: “If YOU wish, YOU can make ME clean.”

As we enter the Lenten season (this week), we pray: “Jesus, if you choose, you can make me clean.”  I do want to be clean.  I’m ready to be made whole.  Don’t look only at the faults I am aware of.  I trust that you can make the whole of me clean in your eyes.  But, Lord, to tell no one?  That’s hard.  I beg you, don’t expect me to keep my lips closed against the sentiment in the Responsorial Psalm and the Gospel Acclamation: “I turn to you, Lord, in time of trouble, and you fill me with the joy of salvation. … for, a great prophet has arisen in our midst: God has visited his people.”

 

May you have a blessed Lenten experience beginning with Ash Wednesday….  Could be you’ll have to sport “imaginary” ashes if you’re parish has limited attendance at services … plan your own family service with a blessing or ashes you prepare using a previous year’s blessed Palm …  I trust you hearts will be in the “right place” to enter this holy season. 

 

~Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB

 

1st Reading Leviticus 13:1-2, 44-46         2nd Reading  1 Corinthians 30:31-11:1             Gospel mark 1:40-45
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132 years

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132 Years

Have you ever really given thought about the magnitude of giving that a woman of God vows.  Her entire life is committed to Him and bringing people to His Kingdom.  It is difficult to imagine what faith and love that it takes.  It could never be measured except by God.

 

The Benedictine Sisters of Florida are such women living their lives in faithful service to God and His people.  February 28, 2021 represents their 132nd anniversary of commitment to the message of Jesus –  peace, love, forgiveness and giving.  The five founding Sisters of the Benedictine Sisters of Florida came in 1889 from Pennsylvania to San Antonio, Florida to answer the call to educate the children of poor German immigrants.  Touching lives through their prayer

s and service, they and the Sisters who followed have brought light, love and hope to countless students whom they have taught and to a multitude of individuals in need of guidance.  To this very day, their role in the Church has never faltered.

In remembering the strong shoulders upon whom they stand, the Sisters invite you to celebrate in spirit and prayer the Feast Day of Saint Scholastica, February 10, 2021.  You may recall, she is the twin sister of Saint Benedict and the patron saint of Benedictine nuns.  Born in Norcia, Italy on March 2, 480 AD into a wealthy family, she chose to establish a religious community only a few miles from Saint Benedict’s.  Like her brother, Saint Scholastica walked with God throughout her life.  Please keep her and all her followers in your thoughts and prayers tomorrow.

Prayers for you and the world continue daily at Holy Name Monastery by the Sisters for peace and unity.

 

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“Will You Come and Follow Me if I but Call Your Name?”

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“Will You Come and Follow Me if I but Call Your Name?”

                                     (The Summons hymn by John Bell, GIA Publications)

 

This Gospel reading from Mark is only a glimpse into a single day that the church wisely spreads over a few weeks of readings.  It gives us the opportunity to study each event of the day more closely.  We get the impression that it would have been a challenge for the people following Jesus to keep up with Him.  You may have noticed one of Mark’s favorite words is “immediately.”  He uses it over and again – twelve times in the first chapter alone.  So far in the story, Jesus has called four fishermen to leave their nets and their boats and follow him which they did “immediately.”  (Later we’ll realize they did not give up fishing altogether.)  We’ve traveled with them and Jesus to a small fishing village, Capernaum, where on the Sabbath Jesus began teaching in the synagogue.  In last week’s portion from Mark, a demon-possessed man challenged Jesus and referred to him as the Holy One of God.  But Jesus told the unclean spirit to be silent and come out of the man.  The demon obeyed “immediately.”

Now, in this reading it’s still the Sabbath Day.  Jesus and his disciples have just left the synagogue after the encounter with the demon.  The next part of the story happens over the next few hours of the same day.

Maybe the band of men went to Simon’s house because it was closest to the synagogue or maybe just because they followed Simon’s lead.  Perhaps they went because his mother-in-law had the reputation of quickly putting a nice spread on the table.  But today she is down with a fever.  Simon doesn’t miss a beat.  He tells Jesus this “immediately.”  Perhaps by way of apologizing for the woman not greeting them at the door.  Or maybe, remember the laws concerning uncleanness?  Maybe it was to warn that there was illness in the house.  Or maybe, do you think, because Simon has a hunch that Jesus, who has just shown authority over an unclean spirit, might also have the authority to drive out a fever???

Jesus doesn’t say a word.  He simply takes the woman by the hand and brings her to her feet.  The fever is gone “immediately.”  As Jesus brings her to her feet, the verb Mark uses is identical to the one he uses later in the Gospel to describe Jesus’ resurrection from the dead: He lifts her up.   And the mother-in-law “immediately” responds by getting busy on dinner preparation.  For her, and for Jesus, it is not a menial, slave-like serving.  In a sense, Simon’s mother-in-law is the first deacon.  Elsewhere we read “Whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you, must be slave of all.  For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve.”  Well into the night, Jesus attended to the ill and the possessed among the crowd who gathered at the door, curing many who were sick.  He must have been drained as “power went out from him.”

Then, in the early hours of the morning before sunrise while it was still dark as night, it sounds like Jesus tiptoed out of the house.  Scripture tells us He went to a deserted place to pray (not a desert – there was no desert nearby).  This was the only place on this night, with many others to follow, where he could talk one-on-one with his Father, without interruption.  But it didn’t last long.  Our English translation says Peter and the others PURSURED him.  Think of a mother having escaped to the bathroom for a few minutes of aloneness.  “Mom are you in there?”  Or a prioress who leaves her office for a few minutes.  “You’re never in the office!”  Peter tells Jesus “EVERYONE is looking for you.”  Jesus’ response probably was not what they were expecting to hear.  “Let’s go to the neighboring towns so I can preach there, too. That’s my job.”  The disciples were at a crossroads, at one of those “bend in the road” moments.  Do we stick with this follow who can never say NO to any request?  Do we keep following?

That’s a choice we must make many times over in our lives.  It begins each and every day with “shall I hit the snooze button and roll over, or turn off the alarm and get to chapel to join in communal prayer?”  It’s a choice we make in multiple ways, probably more times than we realize, throughout each day and into the evening.  What word of kindness can I share?  Can I tear myself from what I’m doing to get to chapel with some breathing space before prayer begins?  At night, will I force myself to stay awake to finish this chapter or TV program, or do I go to bed so I’ll be rested for the morrow with all its new challenges and choices?

The people of Capernaum missed the point.  They showed up for the miracles, but they failed to hear and absorb Jesus’ message.  It’s the same news Jesus wants to share with you, with us.  Repent, turn away from your old ways, and believe the Good News that God is with you in the NOW.   Are you willing to be changed?  Will you be transformed?  Will you keep following?  Will you get up, as Simon’s mother-in-law did, and join the laborers to feed God’s people and further the Kingdom?”

Remember us, and all Benedictine women (including Oblates and those who received their education with Benedictine Sisters) on Wednesday, St. Scholastica Day …   This week our special intention is Benedictine Prioresses who are leading their communities thru COVID times …  many of the monasteries are dealing directly with the virus among their members – God bless them all.

~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB, Prioress

 

First Reading Job 7:1-4, 6-7                       Corinthians 9:16-19, 22-23
Gospel Mark 1:29-39
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Quiet! Come Out!

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How do you think it would have been to spend a day with Jesus?  What might it have been like to be one of His closest followers; in his company 24/7?  This first chapter in Mark’s gospel we get a little taste of the flavor of one such day.  It’s a day in which Jesus’ power and authority are on full display.

Many times we tend to settle into the company of the humble, calm, peaceful Jesus.  We shy away from the power and authority of Jesus.  Except maybe when we’ve had a day of defeat and been at cross-purposes with the world.  Then we take great hope and comfort in the power of Jesus.  We identify with the sentiments of the “cursing” Psalms.  We call on Jesus, on God, the Father, the Spirit whoever will listen to our pitiful story.  We ask God to raise a hand and make the world stand still until we catch our breath.

Maybe you’ve seen the Advent Health Care cardiac ad or heard their slogan: “Your heart is the only muscle that never rests.”  St. Augustine said: “Our hearts are restless until they find their rest in God.”  So we try praying, we try quieting ourselves, slow breathing.  But nothing’s working.  Until we recall what Jesus said to the demon: “Be quiet!”  “Come out!”  Twice now this week we’ve heard Jesus issue this command: “Be quiet.”  In the Gospel this morning (Saturday) it was “Quiet, be still!” in order to calm a storm.  Now, here in this story from Mark, it’s “Quiet, come out!” to chase an unclean spirit and cure a young man besieged by demons that today might be labeled PSTD, Schizophrenia, Bipolar illness.

So who is this man with an unclean spirit who shows up in the synagogue today?  He’s the one who opens the exchange with Jesus.  He’s loud.  He interrupts.  He draws attention to himself.  He seems to ask Jesus: “Are you trying to pick a fight?”  There is an element of shock in the story.  At the same time, it’s fascinating!

Like at a tennis match – attention pings back and forth from this outspoken fellow to Jesus.  It’s like nothing these people have heard before.  This Jesus has authority.  His words make a difference.  Even the man with an unclean spirit is shocked and intrigued by Jesus.  “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?  Have you come to destroy us?”

Apparently no one in town suspected that the young man had an evil spirit.  Otherwise, they would have been shunning him.  They wouldn’t have allowed him in their company, in the temple or anywhere near Jesus.  And here he is in the synagogue – the place where Jews gathered each Sabbath day (Saturday) for worship and to hear the Word of God.  As one who was known as a teacher, Jesus was given the chance to speak.  It was quickly apparent He was no ordinary teacher.  He proclaimed the kingdom of God, yes.  He also called people to repent and believe.  But Mark doesn’t mention that here.  What captures our attention is the manner of Jesus’ teaching.

On this day, as Jesus begins speaking, a man with an unclean spirit (a demon) stands up and initiates a confrontation with Jesus.  There are a couple of things to note about what this demon says and what that reveals.  Those gathered around may have known Jesus as an inspiring teacher.  But this wily demon knows His true identity.  Do we know Jesus as intimately as this demon?

The demon recognizes and identifies Jesus as God in flesh (Holy One of God).  Listen closely – it’s also clear that the demon recognizes Jesus as a threat – as the One who has the power to destroy the forces of evil.  When Jesus speaks, the demon can only respond in one way – complete obedience.

When we are tempted, overwhelmed we must remember, God is in control.  In the end God will make all things right.  Those who were attentive that day in the synagogue saw Jesus’ power over the demon.  Like the disciples in the storm, they heard the commanding voice of Jesus say: “Be Quiet!”  And they were AMAZED.  If they’d known the hymn, they’d have sung: “Amazing grace, how sweet the song…. ‘Twas grace that taught my heart; and grace my fears relieved.  The Lord has promised good to me…. He will my portion be, as long as life endures.”

In your prayers kindly remember all those who suffer with COVID 19; those who have had family members  died from this dread disease and the thousands of persons who are waiting anxiously for the opportunity to be vaccinated – a special prayer for those who do not the capacity to understand the reasons for restrictions (the intellectually limited, the mentally ill and folks who battle with dementia …  ) AND soften the hearts of those who do not grasp the seriousness of the pandemic and the necessity for restrictions …  and patience for all of us …  As the Gospel reminds us: “God has the power” and rest assured God loves us and wants only our good.

 

~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB, Prioress

First Reading  Deuteronomy 18:15-20                        Second Reading  1 Corinthians 7:32-35
Gospel Reading  Mark 1:21-28
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The Hill We Climb

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WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 20: Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman speaks at the inauguration of U.S. President Joe Biden on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol on January 20, 2021 in Washington, DC. During today’s inauguration ceremony Joe Biden becomes the 46th president of the United States. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)

 

The Hill We Climb

Inaugural Poem by Amanda Gorman

When day comes we ask ourselves,
where can we find light in this never-ending shade?
The loss we carry, a sea we must wade
We’ve braved the belly of the beast
We’ve learned that quiet isn’t always peace
And the norms and notions
of what just is Isn’t always just-ice
And yet the dawn is ours
before we knew it Somehow we do it
Somehow we’ve weathered and witnessed
a nation that isn’t broken but simply unfinished
We the successors of a country and a time
Where a skinny Black girl
descended from slaves and raised by a single mother
can dream of becoming president
only to find herself reciting for one
And yes we are far from polished
far from pristine but that doesn’t mean we are
striving to form a union that is perfect
We are striving to forge a union with purpose
To compose a country committed to all cultures, colors, characters and
conditions of man
And so we lift our gazes not to what stands between us
but what stands before us
We close the divide because we know, to put our future first,
we must first put our differences aside
We lay down our arms so we can reach out our arms
to one another
We seek harm to none and harmony for all
Let the globe, if nothing else, say this is true:
That even as we grieved, we grew

That even as we hurt, we hoped
That even as we tired, we tried
That we’ll forever be tied together, victorious
Not because we will never again know defeat
but because we will never again sow division
Scripture tells us to envision
that everyone shall sit under their own vine and fig tree
And no one shall make them afraid
If we’re to live up to our own time Then victory won’t lie in the blade
But in all the bridges we’ve made
That is the promised glade The hill we climb If only we dare
It’s because being American is more than a pride we inherit,
it’s the past we step into and how we repair it
We’ve seen a force that would shatter our nation
rather than share it
Would destroy our country if it meant delaying democracy
And this effort very nearly succeeded
But while democracy can be periodically delayed
it can never be permanently defeated
In this truth in this faith we trust
For while we have our eyes on the future
history has its eyes on us
This is the era of just redemption
We feared at its inception
We did not feel prepared to be the heirs
of such a terrifying hour but within it we found the power
to author a new chapter To offer hope and laughter to ourselves
So while once we asked,
how could we possibly prevail over catastrophe?
Now we assert How could catastrophe possibly prevail over us?
We will not march back to what was
but move to what shall be A country that is bruised but whole,
benevolent but bold, fierce and free
We will not be turned around or interrupted by intimidation
because we know our inaction and inertia
will be the inheritance of the next generation
Our blunders become their burdens
But one thing is certain: If we merge mercy with might,
and might with right, then love becomes our legacy
and change our children’s birthright
So let us leave behind a country
better than the one we were left with
Every breath from my bronze-pounded chest,
we will raise this wounded world into a wondrous one
We will rise from the gold-limbed hills of the west,
we will rise from the windswept northeast
where our forefathers first realized revolution
We will rise from the lake-rimmed cities of the midwestern states,
we will rise from the sunbaked south
We will rebuild, reconcile and recover
and every known nook of our nation and
every corner called our country,
our people diverse and beautiful will emerge, battered and beautiful
When day comes we step out of the shade,
aflame and unafraid The new dawn blooms as we free it
For there is always light,
if only we’re brave enough to see it

If only we’re brave enough to be it

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