Prayer

Yes, I mean you – Jesus is asking you: “Who do YOU say that I am?” He’s not looking for the answer you learned at your Mama’s knee or the Catholic catechism answer; Not what the says say or the bumper stickers, or the easily accessible Internet.

Jesus made his first question easy – who do people say I am? The disciples parroted back what they’d heard others say, but Jesus pushes them to move to what they are hearing without their own being: “But you, who do you say that I am?” Like the disciples, each of us must answer the question for ourselves based on our own lived faith experience AND God’s word revealed in the privacy of your lectio-moments of intimate conversation with God.

Jesus commends Peter for his profession of faith but notice: He credits the insight coming from God. He does not say: “Finally, you get it!” No, ever the humble Son, he gives deference to his Father. There’s no display of false humility with a reaction like “You really think so?” He doesn’t deflect Peter’s words as if denying them. He models for us a loving example of understanding: “It’s not all about me.”

The answer to Jesus’ query is always within a context. Here’s what I mean –

• Who do we say Jesus is in light of the violence in our country?
• Who do we say Jesus is in the wake of the killing of police officers and smashing cares into crowds of people and the continuing unrest between nations?
• Who do we say Jesus is when a loved one dies, the doctor gives news we didn’t want to hear, when days are grey of our life seems to be falling all apart?
• Who do we say Jesus is when we are faced with decisions that have no easy answers, when the night is dark and the storms of life overwhelm us, when faithfulness means risking it all and taking a stand against a louder and seemingly more powerful voice?

Who we say Jesus is has everything to do with who we are. In some ways our answers says as much or more about us than about Jesus. It reveals how we live and what we stand for. It guides our decisions, and determines the actions we take and the words we speak. We need constantly remind ourselves: “It’s not what people look at, it’s what they see; not what we say but what they hear.” Like the TV ad for a local hospital “What they remember is the feeling.” One harsh words can undo all the holy words we said in chapel. One snub in order not to sit next to someone or refusal to give up “my seat” for a guest will not go unnoticed. One unkind deed will stick tighter in the memory than all the hugs and kisses, and smiles and compliments and good-bye blessing songs. If visitors stay long enough they may see us in our most embarrassing moments, but they also see the love and acceptance we experience in our community life. One writer puts it: the community loves us and keeps us anyway despite all our warts.

In some sense there is no once and for all, finally and forever answer to Jesus query. We are always living the questions: Who am I? Who do you say that I am? Who Jesus was when I was a child is different from who he was when I was in my 30s or who he is for me today. Hopefully, who he is for me next year will be different from who he is today. It’s not that Jesus has changed, or will change. I have, or will. We are constantly engaging his questions in so doing, we not only discover Jesus anew we discover ourselves anew.

Try holding up the mirror – turn the question around, ask Jesus: “Who do you say that I am – why do you love me so much?

Jesus’ life and presence among us calls into question everything about our lives, our world. That’s why we ought not answer his question too quickly, too glibly, or with too much certainty. It’s not a question to be figured out as much as it is a question to be lived. “You, who do you say that I am?”                                                             S. Roberta Bailey, OSB

 

First Reading Isaiah 22:19-23  *  Second Reading Romans 11:33-36

Gospel Matthew 16:13-20 

 

 

 

 

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First Reading Acts of the Apostles 2:1-11   Second Reading 1 Cor. 12:3b-7,12-13 Gospel John 20:19-23

“The following is an excerpt borrowed from Sister Joan Chittister.  And with Pentecost the Easter season comes to a close – the return to Ordinary Time came in with a lovely, light rain shower so needed by our earth… may peace also flood across the world.” AMEN.                                                                           Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB

 

Do I believe in the Holy Spirit? You bet I do. Nothing else makes sense. Either the Spirit of God who created us is with us still, either the presence of Christ who is the Way abides in us in spirit, or the God of Creation and the Redeemer of souls have never been with us at all. God’s spirit does not abandon us, cannot abandon us, if God is really God.   If we are to understand emerging consciousness as a manifestation of the Spirit of God alive in the land, then never has an age seen revelation, consciousness, and wisdom working more clearly than in this one. The signs of new awareness of the human relationship to God are everywhere, in all nations, in all peoples. The Holy Spirit has spoken through married couples and professional personnel about birth control, for instance. The Holy Spirit has spoken through women—and other eminent theologians, theological societies, and male scripture scholars as well—about the ordination of women. The Holy Spirit has spoken through laity and bishops and multiple other rites of the church about the ordination of married men. But no one listens. The Holy Spirit in people of good will is a voice crying in the wilderness, rejected, ignored, and reviled. One element of the church determines the voice of the Spirit and does so, it seems, by refusing to listen to its other manifestations.   The Spirit of God moves us to new heights of understanding, to new types of witness, to new dimensions of life needed in the here and now. The static dies under the impulse of the Spirit of a creating God. We do not live in the past. We are not blind beggars on a dark road groping our separate ways toward God. There is a magnet in each of us, a gift for God that repels deceit and impels us toward good. The gifts are mutual, mitered to fit into one another for strength and surety.   We are, in other words, in the most refreshingly trite, most obviously astounding way, all in this together—equally adult, equally full members, equally responsible for the church. Nor does any one dimension of the church, then, have a monopoly on insight, on grace, on the promptings of God in this place at this time. The Spirit of God is a wild thing, breathing where it will, moving as it pleases, settling on women and men alike.     —from Joan Chittister: Essential Writings, selected by Mary Lou Kownacki and Mary Hembrow Snyder (Orbis)

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January 1

COME TO ME with a teachable spirit, eager to be changed.

Do not cling to old ways as you step into a new year.

Instead, seek My Face with an open mind, knowing that your journey

With Me involves being transformed by the renewing of your mind.

                                                            Romans 12: 2

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18th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Sunday, July 31, 2016

First Reading – Ecclesiastes 1:2; 2:21-23          Second Reading – Colossians 3:1-5, 9-11          Gospel Reading – Luke 12:13-21

This rich man’s world is small, just him and his possessions, and now he learns that he is to lose his life. What good are his possessions now? Jesus sums it up in two words:  You fool?”  And, continues with the reason – “This very night your life will be taken away. To whom will everything belong then?!”

The man is rankled over a continuing disagreement with his brother. He figures he can follow the customary practice of taking his dispute to the rabbi, the teacher he has heard everyone talking about. Of course, he expects a settlement in his favor. But Jesus refuses to take the case and instead gives the squabbling brothers a parable to “mull over.”  What is the point of Jesus’ story about a wealthy landowner and why does he call him a fool?

Jesus’ lesson holds a warning against covetousness – a wish to get wrongfully what another possesses or to begrudge others what God has give them. Jesus restates the commandment. The commandments are not a multiple-choice list of good ideas – they are to be applied to all. In this little parable Jesus probes the listener’s heart – where is your treasure? The thing we most set our heart on is our highest treasure.

In interpreting this parable to discover what it is we treasure most, it’s critical to assess carefully what the farmer’s error is. He is not portrayed as wicked – that is, he had not gained his wealth illegally or by taking advantage of others. He’s not portrayed as particularly greedy. Indeed, he seems to be somewhat surprised by his good fortune. So, what’s wrong we might ask with building larger barns, renting a storage unit, getting a POD in the back yard to store away some of today’s bounty for a leaner tomorrow?  Hanging on to clothing we’ve outgrown, rarely ever wear, haven’t seen since we moved in two years ago and persons who have less than we do would appreciate having it; or stockpiling furniture that serves only as a “catch all” because it’s just too nice to give away…Requesting more allowance than we actually need and giving none to charity – or accepting money gifts from lay people giving them the impression that our community does not take care of our needs. We might answer that none of this sounds so terribly wrong compared to the horrors of violence…except for two things.

First, notice what the farmer’s consistent focus is throughout the conversation – it’s all about himself. “What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?” Then he said, “I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.”

The relentless use of the first person pronouns “I” and “my” betray a preoccupation with self. There is no thought to using the abundance to help others, no expression of gratitude for his good fortune, no recognition of God at all. The farmer has fallen prey to worshiping the most popular of gods: the Unholy Trinity of “me, myself and I.”

This leads to, and is most likely caused, by a second mistake. This farmer is not foolish because he makes provision for the future; he is foolish because he believes that by his wealth he can secure his future.

There is danger in thinking this parable applies only to “those rich people.” To put the matter more pointedly, thinking of those rich fools enables me NOT to think of myself as a “rich fool.”

We cannot separate the warnings from the words of Jesus that follow. What’s his transition word? He begins with “therefore,” indicating that what He is saying is based upon what He has already said. Note, too, that in the text Jesus warned against “all kinds of greed” which suggests that greed has a variety of forms, some of which may tempt the rich and others that may tempt the less affluent.

Jesus’ response indicates that the man’s request was his error. But, what this man wants is a judge, not a teacher. Other teachers might be tempted to pronounce on such cases, but Jesus knew that this was not within the realm to get in the middle of a family squabble. This young man, itching for a flight, may have gotten the floor, but he did not get his request. What he got was far more than he asked for, but certainly what he deserved.

Jesus used the opportunity as a “teachable moment.” The whole exchange and the lesson stresses that life does not consist in things. It does not even consist in many things. The parable tells of a rich man, who is not rich enough. Jesus, the teacher, did not judge, but He did teach. In this parable He was not primarily teaching teachers how to teach, but rather teaching all of us how to live. To borrow the paraphrases Joe Biden’s words in his speech at the Democratic convention, referring to his wife who was a teacher: “teaching is not what Jesus did; it’s who He was.”

S. Roberta Bailey, OSB, Prioress

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Last weekend’s Gospel of the Good Samaritan was an example of how a disciple should observe their surroundings and act compassionately.  In this week’s story, Mary is an example of how a disciple should listen.  Like the Samaritan, Mary is a marginalized person in society.  And, both do what would not be expected of them. As a woman, Mary would be expected, like Martha, to do the “grunt” work of all that would be necessary to provide hospitality for a guest.  But, here once again Jesus breaks with the social conventions of his time. Just as a Samaritan would not ordinarily be a model for neighborliness, so a woman would not sit with the men around the feet of a Master Teacher.

The brief story (it’s only 5 verses) of Mary and Martha has become something of a Rorschach Test. Interpreters down through the ages have taken sides with one or the other. Some see Mary as a model of the contemplative life. She was taking the role of a male disciple, so she is the darling of Feminist interpreters today. She has become the role model for women in seminaries pursuing a theological education.

Like Martha, we sometimes get caught up into warped thinking.  We forget that the important thing is not in DO-ing but in BE-ing.  Jesus teaches us to sit – to listen – to learn – to love. Martha welcomed Jesus into her house, and then went to the kitchen to fix dinner. Mary, Martha’s sister, did NOT go to the kitchen to help, but instead “sat at Jesus’ feet and heard his word. That seems OK and typical, doesn’t it?  You can’t just seat the guest and then everyone abandon them to do all work in the kitchen. But it wasn’t OK with Martha. Luke says that Martha “was distracted with much serving.”  Have you had her experience?   Feeling like you are alone “in over your head” with the details of hospitality, or setting up for the workshop, or a concert gathering?

Martha needed help, but she didn’t know how to handle it.  Because, honestly she (and maybe you) did like to work, and you usually pitch in and do your part.  And, sometimes you end up working while others sit around chatting. So, you know how Martha felt.  Can’t you see it: Martha, angry at being abandoned in the kitchen, came to Jesus and said, “Lord!” Now don’t miss that little word – “Lord.” The first word out of Martha’s mouth acknowledges Jesus as Lord. Good job, Martha!

But then Martha, who has just acknowledged Jesus as Lord, rebukes Him. First, she asks if Jesus doesn’t care that Mary isn’t helping. Then she gives Jesus an order: “Tell my lazy sister to get into the kitchen to help me.” Well, those aren’t the exact words that Luke uses to report this incident, but that’s what Martha meant! Now that kind of outburst has a tendency to make everyone angry. If you are Mary, you wonder why Martha didn’t just say – to you, rather than to Jesus – “Mary, I need some help.”  And if you are the guest – like Jesus – it’s embarrassing to have your hostess blow up like that.

Now, we would not have handled the situation like Martha did.  We might have muttered and murmured but we’ve had all the communication workshops.  We could have coached Martha how to do it differently. She could have instead of stomping into the living room and chewing out Jesus and Mary, she could have taken a quiet minute in the kitchen and. prayed: “God, I’m so angry. Something is tempting me to go out there to spew my anger all over Jesus and Mary – but I know that’s wrong. Help me to feel love for Jesus, my guest, and Mary, my sister. And then help me to ask Mary nicely for help.”

We know that Mary’s focus on her relationship with Jesus was so right.  At the same time we recognize Martha’s anger was so disruptive. Jesus said as much. He said: “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good part, which will not be taken away from her.”

We can be such busy people, and we live in such a busy world. It’s easy to miss the important things.  In light of all the violence in our world we may feel helpless… we can pray, yes and we can join the prayer crusade that stops one minute at 9 p.m. to pray for world peace but what else can we do?  We’ve heard, and truly believe, peace begins at home.  It begins with each one of us starting with our interactions with each other… in gentle direct communication.  Hopefully we don’t engage in fist fights but we need to be on guard that we don’t “slap” another in the face with our voice tone, volume or hurtful words?   We can quiet TV violence and noise pollution with the click of a remote button but once rude words escape our lips they reverberate in the atmosphere for all eternity.

The story of Martha and Mary reinforces our belief that there is value in sitting – in listening – in learning – in loving.  When we are tempted, like Martha, to think the important thing is doing – remember Jesus’ teaching to sit – to listen – to learn – to love.  Sit at God’s company to be quiet and listen – don’t fill every second with chatter.  Treasure the moment. We may live in a Martha-world, but we don’t need to let it invade our walls.  We need to take time to be Mary.  Time to commune with the One we profess to love about all others … time for personal lectio, spiritual reading … time to BE and ask ourselves, “Do I really put God first in my life?   Would my actions prove it?  Jesus says that that’s the one thing that’s needed. He says that’s the good part that won’t be taken from us.

~Reflection by Sister Roberta Baily, OSB, Prioress

 

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