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WE TRAVEL TWO BY TWO
Luke and Matthew relate the same story heard in this gospel from Mark. With Luke, you do realize, it was hearsay … he was not there to give an eye-witness account. It’s interesting to see the minor, but specific differences in the three accounts. For example, here where Mark says, “take no money,” Matthew lays out the details, saying “take no silver, gold or copper coins.” With his usual specificity he covers all the bases, not just the coinage in current use. Matthew begins his account of Jesus’ reminder to his disciple-missionaries: “You received without paying, so now give without being paid.” Where we read in Mark “whatever house you enter,” Matthew is more direct: “Look for someone to welcome you.” And, if when you wish them peace it is not returned, “take back your greeting.” Unlike today’s account by Mark, both Luke and Matthew quote Jesus telling the disciples what not to take on their missionary journey: “take no beggar’s bag.” [An interesting side note: St. Benedict tells his followers when they go on a journey to take clean underwear, launder and return it when they return from their journey.]
Jesus instructs his disciples to live dependent on the hospitality of the community, just as Jesus depended on others to provide for his needs. Remember what he told one of his potential followers – “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” Jesus expected his disciples to “eat what is served, be satisfied with the bedding provided, follow their schedule, and don’t try to go it alone.” Remind you of the Benedict’s norms?
So let’s from all Jesus’ DON’T cautions, look at what Jesus says IS appropriate for our journey in order to carry on the mission of Jesus.
The first thing Jesus recommends is that we travel two by two. He is reminding us that we don’t have to go it alone. We need a good support system as we experience life’s ups and downs; sunrises and sunsets; pandemics and family times of togetherness. Sharing the good times is as important as sharing the not so great times.
Reminds me of an event years ago at the Special Olympics 100-meter dash. Shortly after the start of the race one of the participants fell. His sobs caught the attention of the other eight runners. With little hesitation, they turned back, lifted up their fallen friend, locked arms and all crossed the finish line together. The crowd rose to their feet and CHEERED for a long time. These young people were all winners! They understood that what really matters is supporting one another even if it means slowing down and changing the course to your intended goal.
Jesus continues: He recommends sandals for our feet and a tunic, but not a second of anything. (How does your closet hold up to this mirror?) Jesus asks us not to carry so much in our gunny sacks. Stuffing our sacks full does nothing to change the situation – just adds wrinkles to our brow and sours our spirit. Do what Jesus says: “shake the dust off your feet” and move on.
Jesus gives his approval to our carrying and using a walking stick. That way we can keep moving when we encounter
ruts and pebbles and unexpected sharp turns in our path. Add support when you became worn out, tired and weary or wander off the edge of the road. (Listen for the sound of those rumble strips – they are not just for decoration. They call us to “stay alert”.) A good walking stick helps us stay upright and get past mistakes which could hinder our spiritual growth and practice of conversio. And, beyond that, it’s a fact that in order to do what we say in our community Corporate Commitment. If we hope to “alleviate the hungers of the people of God with the compassion of Christ,” we must first be compassionate with ourselves. (Corporate Commitment Statement)
Today Jesus sends us out once again, with authority over unclean spirits … over the rancor, the violence, the rudeness, the degrading language and actions, the insensitivity. The list could go on and on. We can conquer the darkness with a refusal to lower our behavior, language and standards. We can “shake that dust from our feet” and support actions on behalf of justice and peace because we are traveling “two by two,” with the sturdy walking stick of community and prayer, and wearing the sandals of our vows. Like the disciples, we heed Jesus’ admonition to stay put in the house where they took us in, we can anoint others with inclusivity, affirmation and peace. Pray God we stay the course…
~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB
First Reading : Amos 7:12-15 Second Reading: Ephesians 1:3-14
Gospel: Mark 6:7-13
Continue Reading“There can be no preaching in the wrong atmosphere.”
“There can be no preaching in the wrong atmosphere.”
William Barclay (1907-1978)
This reading from Mark’s Gospel reminds us that God sends prophets into our midst for our benefit. The question is: Are we open-minded enough to listen to new ideas and insights, to allow our attention to be re-directed to things we have ignored or taken for granted? For instance: how have we listened to, implemented Pope Francis’ invitation to care for all of creation, human and non-human? Normally, papal documents are addressed to the bishops of the Church to disseminate and promote through their diocese. But, Pope Francis addresses his message directly to us, his friends, the people of God.
You’ve heard the expression: “You can’t tell a book by its cover.” All too often we judge the “cover.” We get so bogged down in appearances, in the humanity of the proclaimer that we refuse to listen to the proclamation. Who does she/he think she/he is?
You may have seen episodes of “America’s Got Talent” when you knew by the judges’ interaction with the performers that they were writing off this act before the contestant got started. Like the time when the three fellows looking like they’d just rolled out of bed came on stage. When they opened their mouths, spell-binding tenor music poured forth into the auditorium where hundreds, along with the judges, sat in stunned silence, open-mouthed, on the edges of their seats realizing what a terrible presumptive judgment they’d made.
Perhaps what is even worse is when we view ourselves in such a negative way that we say: “Who am I to tell anyone what to do or not do, when I know that often I do things far worse?” The reality is that every one of us, simply because of our baptism, has been called to be a prophet. There are some things over which we cannot compromise. There are times when silence is the best response we can muster; when words would not improve the silence. But there are many times when we cannot keep silent. We cannot be dissuaded by our own shortcomings. God will stand by us and give us what we need when we need it. Relax, draw a deep breath, and remind yourself: “I don’t have to act today with yesterday’s grace.” But we do need to remember if we fail to share the prophetic message of the Gospel, other louder voices will be happy to impose their godless vision on all of us. It never has been easy to be a prophet and it never will be. The message of the Gospel is challenging and sometimes controversial, but it’s a message that people (we) need to hear whether or not we want to hear it. And God promises a prophet’s reward for fidelity to our mission. On the other hand, if we prefer not to rock the boat, as Aristotle said “To avoid criticism…say nothing, do nothing, and be nothing.”
This story of one day in the life of Jesus we learn that his trip to Nazareth was not a private family visit. He came for public ministry. Usually when the people heard Jesus speak, they were amazed. But, a lot of what he said confused his enemies. They couldn’t explain Him, so they rejected His message. They thought they knew everything about Him. They knew Him as a “just” common craftsman, just another boy from Nazareth. They voiced their thoughts: “You are no better than we are! Why should we listen to you?”
These people did what most people do when they cannot understand someone. They resorted to rejection, ridicule and the last refuge of a small mind: a tie-breaking put down! They did what was never done in that society! They insulted his mother calling him “Son of Mary.” A male was always referred to as the son of his father, even if his father was dead. To call a boy the son of his mother was to imply that His mother had been a harlot. Jesus was amazed that these people lacked faith. They had heard the truth, seen the truth and they still turned a deaf ear and a blind eye. As a result, He left Nazareth, and there is no record that He ever returned there.
We may sum up this lesson in the words of William Barclay: “There can be no preaching in the wrong atmosphere. The listeners are responsible for at least half of every sermon. In an atmosphere of expectancy, the least effort will catch fire. In an atmosphere of coldness or indifference, the most spirit-filled of sermons will fall flat.”
~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB
Please pray for those in the path of the hurricane.
Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB
First Reading Ezekiel 2:2-5 Second Reading 2 Corinthians 12:7-10
Gospel Mark 6:1-6
Continue ReadingIf I But Touch His Garment, I Will Be Cured
In this Sunday’s Gospel we have one of Jesus’ healing miracles. It’s REAL, it’s not one of Jesus parables. It concludes with Jesus insisting that the on-lookers tell no one. But, doesn’t it seem to you that it would be impossible to obey? To hide what some refer to as “a messianic secret”?
Have you ever experienced the desperate feeling of the hemorrhagic woman – or known someone who did, or does? The feeling like the bucket of life has a hole in it? That it leaks faster than you (or the person you are thinking of) can fill it? No matter what you do, how hard you work, where you go, what you try, you just can’t fill it up. Work, leisure activities, friends, family, community and even prayer somehow leave you feeling empty, restless, and searching. You can’t seem to collect enough in your bucket. The outpouring is greater than the inflow. You are left drained – tired and weak, frustrated and hopeless, angry and resentful, sorrowful and grieving, full of fear that you will never be as fulfilled as you figured you would be by the age you are now. If you know what that’s like, perhaps you know how the hemorrhaging woman felt.
In the Gospel, we don’t know her name. We don’t know where she came from. She’s just another face in the crowd. What we do know is that she is sick, desperate, and in need. She has been bleeding for 12 years. That’s 4,380 days. In all that time no one has been able to help her. She’s spent all she had – energy as well as money. She’s only gotten worse. Day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year it’s been the same.
This woman’s condition is more than physical. She’s losing more than blood. She’s losing her life: its warmth, vitality, and fruitfulness. That is more than a physical condition – it’s a spiritual matter, too.
At one level this is a story of just one woman. Looked at from another level, it’s our human story. Her story is our story. It’s not only about women. It is as much about men. Drained of life, we go through the motions. We’re alive but not really living. Such people feel disconnected, isolated, and alone.
I suspect the bleeding women spent many of the last 4,380 days thinking, “As soon as.…” This particular day, however, something is different. Something in her has changed, it’s shifted. She has heard about Jesus. She’s heard about his miracles. How he’s cast out demons, healed the sick, calmed the sea.
We don’t know what it is she’s heard about Jesus but it was enough to make her believe in him. She was desperate. She can’t wait any longer for others to fix her life. Today she would not allow fear to discourage her. She’d risk the crowd’s ridicule. She’d literally take matters into her own hands. In her heart she knows, “If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well.”
Instantly a connection is made and a relationship recognized. Life no longer leaked out of her. No, not now. Life was flowing into her, filling her with confidence and the warm touch of a love recognized. And, Jesus knew that power had flowed out of Him. “Who touched my clothes?” For us, we may need professional help, or a spiritual director, or a close friend to help us through the maze, but Jesus does offer each of us “life without hemorrhaging.” We don’t have to live drained of life. We, too, can walk the path of peace fully alive if we but risk reaching beyond the circumstances of our lives.
As Penelope Wilcock has Jesus saying in her book Into the Heart of Advent: “Someone coming close to me, and touching me, can happen in a church undeniably. But it might not, and it can equally happen anywhere else. If you’re looking for me, sooner or later you’ll find me, because I’ll be looking for you too. We’ll find each other wherever you happen to be” (page 64). These very attributes and characteristics of his life are the garment he wears. And, the garment is gently blown by the breeze of love, flowing out, wavering right in front of us. We just have to reach out to touch. The woman said: “If I but touch his garment, I will be cured.”
When you feel you are living a drained life, call upon this woman in the crowd to intercede for courage to reach out and touch the clothes of Christ. Do whatever it takes to let Jesus transfuse you with his life, love, and power. Touch and be healed and go in peace. [Taken from THIS DAY, 13th Sunday 2015.] I have a plaque in my office that’s a good reminder for moments of uncertainty; moments when our last, and best, choice is to “reach out and touch His garment.” It reads: “Sometimes, you just have to take the leap, and build your wings on the way down.”
~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB, Prioress
First Reading Wisdom 1:13-15; 2:23-24 Second Reading 2 Cor 8:7,9,13-15
Gospel Reading Mark 5:21-43 ( shorter form, Mark 5:21-24,35b-43)
Continue Reading“They Took Jesus Just As He Was”
I’m sometimes curious about the details that evangelists choose to include. There are two details that intrigue and amuse me a bit in this reading. The evangelist says, “They took Jesus with them in the boat JUST AS HE WAS.” What is being left unsaid? Was Jesus half-asleep, half dressed, still talking to the crowd? They took him JUST AS HE WAS. If only we could be that accepting of others? Take them just as they are. Not merely tolerating them, their behaviors and their attitudes – their differences – but really, full-heartedly accepting them and their individuality.
We hear and read studies on generational differences and expectations. Our community’s median age hovers around 75. Candidates will come to community with their own, well-defined personalities. Most often they will come having been raised or worked in a society far different from the environment most of us were raised in. For the first time in our country, four generations are working side by side. I heard the comment on TV the other day that today’s young adults are not interested in perfecting existing athletic records. They want to try new – even risky – endeavors. Always striving to set new records. The 18-year-old who won first place on the U.S. Women’s Swim Team exceeded the previously set speed record for the 100-meter race. This desire to try something new does not necessarily condemn the past nor belittle its achievements although sometimes the drive to make “my mark” can give that impression.
Different values, experiences, styles, and activities can create misunderstandings and frustrations, tis true. Or, it can serve to enrich our lives. The interpretation of key elements of our life may differ … Consider, for example: balance of life, work ethic, fair share division of chores. It doesn’t mean the living out of values will fight with each other. There need not be a right-wrong conflict – there are shades of gray and more than one way to be “right.” The bottom line is: it’s up to each and all of us whether we accept, fight, deny or, as they say: “roll with the punches.” By the event of the past week (we lost two family members of S. Elizabeth to drowning), we’ve been made keenly aware of the power of rip tide currents. You can’t right it, you must lean into it, let it toss you about until it calms down and release its hold on you. Change is in the air!
Generational change does require awareness, sensitivity and a genuine effort to develop mutual trust and respect. Awareness is the first step. A true attitude of open-handed and open-heartedness is needed not simply to bridge the generations but rather to blend the generations. Goodwill can cover a multitude of situations but it takes education and a sincere personal effort to make us ONE community in mind, heart and spirit. Remember what the evangelist says: “They took Jesus just as he was.”
The other detail in his Gospel that I find curious is the passing remark that Jesus was asleep on a cushion. Why was it so important to point out He had a cushion? Makes it sound like not everyone had a cushion – cushions must not have lined the hull of the boat like water-proof safety floats might be seen today. Having a cushion implies comfort, doesn’t it? Jesus was sleeping like a baby unaware of the turmoil around him. Or was He? Was he peeking at them through a half-open eye? Was his ear attentive to the murmuring about him and his seemingly uncaring attitude?
I assume they were all guys … women would have grabbed anything nearby to cover and protect Jesus from the sloshing waves. When the storm increased and the boat rocked, Jesus’ friends roused him, with telling words. They are familiar enough to dare to wake him with words of reproach, questioning his care for them. They are hurt by His non-responsiveness to their needs. Reminds me of the Martha – Mary incident … and maybe sometimes ours “Why doesn’t she get up off her duff and help me … can’t she see I could use some help?!”
We are in the boat, the storms of life are raging around us, and like the disciples, we may believe that Jesus is unconcerned, or “sleeping.” We hope that we will be as familiar with Jesus as his disciples. If we feel that Jesus is sleeping, are we comfortable, are we as familiar with Jesus as the disciples, to rouse him and present him our needs? Jesus did not chide his disciples for waking him. Rather he chided them for their lack of faith. Storms don’t worry Jesus. He’s right there in the boat with us, perfectly calm, not impatient, in no hurry for a solution or relief. He has one ready to hand us but how often do we tell God how to do things and then fret that God is doing nothing because it isn’t happening as we proposed?
Our lived experience should teach us that we need to relax and take heart, remain strong in faith that believes that Jesus isn’t scared of the storm, he isn’t depressed. He might be asleep, or he might not be, but either way, like the song says, “He’s got the whole world in his hands.” In the words of the Responsorial psalm: “He hushes the storm to a gentle breeze, and stills the billows of the sea.” Even if Jesus doesn’t wake up at our first call, we are safe with Him. He’s going to wake up and say what you heard in the Gospel to us: “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?”
~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB, Prioress
First Reading: Job 38:1,8-11 Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:14-17
Gospel Reading: Mark 4:35-41
Continue ReadingGrowing Within US
Mark’s Gospel is full of stories, parables about the Kingdom of God. The fourth chapter alone has three stories and all three are about seeds. In one story Jesus tells of a farmer who planted seed in both good and not so good soil. That’s the story Jesus elaborates on making it easy to understand. But the second, (which was the first parable that was just read) is a little more mysterious. It describes how the seed grows without the farmer knowing how. The third marvels at how large beautiful plants can grow from such tiny seeds.
Literally, the word parable means “a riddle.” Jesus told more than 40 riddles or parables during his ministry. Usually when a person tells you a riddle, they eventually tell you the answer. But Jesus only explained one parable to the crowds – the parable of the Sower and the Seed. Mark lets us know that Jesus did explain everything to his disciples in private. Then, Jesus ascended into heaven and took the answers with him! So that leaves us, with a lot of figuring out to do.
I’m told that one of the most amazing seeds in the world is Chinese bamboo. It lies buried in the soil for five years before above-ground sprouts begin to appear leading one to believe it has died, is dormant, or stunted or defective seed. During those long five-years it is important to cultivate, water and fertilize it regularly. When the seedlings finally emerge from the ground, you can almost watch them grow before your very eyes – growing at an astonishing rate, ninety feet into the air in just six weeks. That’s
fifteen feet a week, more than two feet a day, two inches every hour. Why does it take so long to emerge, and then grow so fast once it does? Plant experts say that during its first five years, the seed is busy building it’s elaborate root system underground that enables it to grow ninety feet in six weeks.
We can be tempted to want parables to unfold in neat little, decodable life-lessons. But that’s not Jesus way. He simply floats the parable out there, to rise or fall on ears of those who hear more than is said. Those who have learned to really listen and read between the lines.
I am reminded of a short film that was popular in the 1970s – produced by a Canadian film maker: “The Parable.” It was described by critics as “a very subtle Christian worldview.” It raised eyebrows and questions about the prophetic role of the artist. There were teachers’ guides galore explaining the symbolism in the story. However, the film maker said he did not see Christ in the story. It was not his intention to do anything other than tell a good short story and maybe win an award.
Parables are like dreams. I can learn about universal symbolism but only the dreamer herself can discern the deep and hidden meaning of her dream. We may both have dreams about rocks falling on us but each of us must interpret what the rocks represent. You cannot explain for me what my dream about floating like a manatee down the Peace River means for me. You may guess what it might mean for you if you had a similar dream. If I am deathly afraid of water it may terrorize me while it may mean calm and serenity for you.
Remember the Chinese bamboo: God’s Kingdom grows within us in a similar way. It takes a long time to emerge. Sometimes it takes so long we wonder, “Did the seed of God’s kingdom planted in me at Baptism ever take root? Maybe it fell on a rock in my heart and died. Maybe it got choked by the thorns of my sins.” More often than not, the seed of God’s Kingdom is building an elaborate root system inside. Its growth may not be visible for a long time, but eventually something wonderful and beautiful will emerge.
This means that we need to trust God who in the first place planted the seed of the Kingdom in us. He understands what’s happening inside us because he sees into the heart, even though we don’t. We also need to be patient with ourselves and with each other. Even though the Kingdom may not seem to have taken root in you, and you don’t seem to be getting any holier, there’s no need to be discouraged. Keep on cultivating the seed with private and communal prayer, Eucharist and Lectio. And, trust that others are making similar efforts to cultivate the seeds in their lives. Hold in your mind the image of that bamboo … so much happening beneath the surface that the God of surprises patiently cultivates to bring to blossom in our lives!
~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB, Prioress
In your prayers, kindly remember S. Elizabeth and her family … Sister’s nephew Janosh and his 3-year-old son, Daniel drowned over the week-end in a rip tide tragedy at Apollo Beach, FL.
May they rest in peace! And may the family be sustained in faith and the comfort of friends who mourn with them. Sister is with the family in Riverview … some information can be found on BayNews 9 and Facebook.
Elizabeth Mathai (srelizabeth@ymail.com)
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