Benedictine Sisters of FL

Holy Name Monastery
Founded 1889

apostles

Solemnity of the Ascension of Our Lord

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Jesus Promises: I will be with you always

This weekend the church once again presents a potpourri of Gospel readings depending on whether the diocese such as ours transfers the Solemnity of the Ascension to the 7th Sunday. Some continue to celebrate the Ascension story we traditionally grew up with, that is, Jesus ascended on a Thursday, Ascension Thursday, exactly 40 days after the resurrection.

Why 40? 40 is a significant number in the Scriptures. You’ll recall that when Moses went to the mountain to seek the face of God he prayed and fasted for forty days. And how long did the people of Israel wander in the desert wilderness before their entry into the promised land? For forty years!   And how many days did Elijah fast as he journeyed in the wilderness to the mountain of God?  (40) You’re right!

For forty days after his resurrection Jesus appeared numerous times to his disciples to assure them that he had risen indeed.  He took this time to prepare them for the task of carrying on the work which he had begun during his earthly ministry. Jesus’ departure and ascension were both an end and a beginning for the disciples. While they marked the end of Jesus’ physical presence on earth,  they also marked the beginning of Jesus’ presence with us in a new way. Jesus promises that he will be with us, always.

When Jesus departed physically from the apostles, He did not leave them in sorrow or grief. Instead, they were filled with joy and with great anticipation for the coming of the Holy Spirit.  Jesus’ last words to his apostles spoke of his saving mission. And this was not only HIS mission but our mission as well.

Now, we are numbered among the disciples who are empowered for the mission to proclaim the good news of salvation to all who will accept it.  We promise this on our house stationery with the by-line: “Touching lives through prayer and service.”

In this Jubilee year of HOPE, do we (each and as a community) witness the joy of the gospel and the hope of the resurrection to others?  We pray: “Lord Jesus, through the gift of your Holy Spirit, fill us with a determined, intentional spirit of praise and joy which no earthly trial can subdue. Fill me with your resurrection joy and help me to live a life of praise and thanksgiving for your glory. May I, may we, witness to those around us the joy of the gospel and the reality of your resurrection.”

~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB

 

 

First Reading:   Acts 1:1-11         Second Reading:  Ephesians 1:17-23
Gospel:   Luke 24:46-53

 

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It is a story of commitment

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The people to whom Jesus was speaking in this Gospel would have understood His references a little more clearly than we do.  The teaching is not meant to be taken literally.  It is a metaphor.   Many of the people to whom Jesus was speaking were farmers.  Injuries to hands, feet and eyes were the kinds of injuries farmers incurred frequently. So, they would not have flinched at the descriptive injury. Also, in Jesus’ time the idea of losing an offensive body part to prevent oneself from falling into sin was a common type of proverbial saying. Stories were also written with this underlying thought. The entire story of Oedipus is an example. Oedipus removes his own eyes rather than look at the children he begot with his own mother.  He did not know her to be his mother, but his lack of knowledge did not make him innocent.  Nor did he know the man he had slayed at the crossroads was his father.  Jesus’ audience would have fully understood these sayings as metaphors.  We may cry: “I didn’t know!”  That may be our reason; but it is no excuse.

So, what was Jesus saying metaphorically?  It is a story of commitment. The people to whom Jesus is talking are people who have agreed and want to follow him.   I guess one can say Jesus is asking them, “Just what do you believe? Do you believe in me as the Messiah? Do you believe in God’s way or do you believe in the ways of the world?”

How do we fare today? What do we believe about our calling to discipleship? To conversion of life? It is easy to stay committed when the times are easy. It is easy to say, “Yes, Lord, I believe,” when we are not asked to do anything out of the ordinary. But, how about when the times are tough? What do we believe when we are asked to do something we really don’t want to do? How do we respond when we are asked to take an unpopular stand?  To side with someone who is being ridiculed?  To speak our mind when we suspect it will be a minority position?  The real question for us is: Is following Jesus Christ the most important thing in my life? Or does something else take its place when being a Christian is not convenient?

Jesus calls us to a radical faith. How do we make credible the expression “radical hospitality?”  We are called to be radical not “radical” as in being crazy, but radical as different, radical as turning the world’s understanding of life upside down. Jesus is calling us to a radical expression of all aspects of our faith.  Jesus calls us to love our enemies when the world says destroy – bomb them, shoot them, destroy their reputation.  Listen to Jesus who says the greatest gift we can give is our life for the sake of another.  Life in this sense can often mean the gift of our time, our attention, our care and concern in concrete, real-time actions. These are radical ideas for this world. Alone we cannot hope to be that generous.   However, we know that with God all things are possible. Jesus has set the example.  He leads the way; He models the behaviors we are to imitate. His is an attitude of tolerance, compassion and acceptance of the gifts of others.  Jesus challenges us to be humble, inclusive and tolerant.

Jesus offered his life for us and He taught the twelve how to do the same. They scattered and hid at first, but eventually they got it right. They were not perfect, but they believed. Jesus is calling us to do the same. We may not always get it right; sometimes we falter.  There will be those times when we do get it right. At those times we humbly say, “Thank you, Lord – to You be the praise – that in all things God may be glorified!”  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.”

~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB

 

Our chaplain will be in Lourdes and Ireland from October 4-18.   There will be no Mass at the monastery during that time.  The Sisters and our faith community will attend Sunday Mass (October 6 and 13) in one of the parishes.     May God bless Fr. John on pilgrimage and his family visit to his homeland. 

 

 

 

First Reading:   Numbers 11:25-29         Second Reading:  James 5:1-6
Gospel:   Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48
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“Have the People Recline”

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All four of the evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, tell the story of this day when Jesus fed five thousand with five loaves of bread and two fish.  Each embellishes his version with his own details and emphases. Mark and Matthew tell us Jesus commanded the people out there in the wilderness to sit down on the green grass. I‘ll not probe the question, but why, I wonder, is there this reference to the color of the grass?  John’s version of the event reminds me of words in Psalm 23: “He beckons me to lie down in green pastures.”

We can relate to the generosity of the young boy who shared his five barley loaves and two fish.  We’re not told how it happened that the boy had the fish and the loaves.  Perhaps most people at that time would not dream of going out into the wilderness without at least a little something to eat and drink.

So, the story, it seems to me, (in today’s lingo) was a “pay forward” moment; you know, similar to the Dairy Queen drive-thru customer who paid the tab for the car coming up behind her. That started a chain reaction that lasted for 3 days and 200 thankful Dairy Queen customers!  The generosity of the young boy on the green grass at Jesus’ feet started a “pay-forward” reaction that enabled Jesus to feed the hungry crowd.  Some evangelists say it was 5000 people.  Others recalled “5000 not counting the women and children”.  I find it interesting that in John’s version Jesus tells the apostles to have the people recline and John says the men reclined.  What were the women doing?  I would venture a guess they were doing “women’s work” i.e. rounding up the kids, wondering if there’d be enough bread and what they were going to give the men to drink.

What trust!  What faith in Jesus the apostles showed in telling the people to relax! Be patient.  Sit down!  Surely, they could not fathom how all these people could be fed. Even when pooling all their supplies, they certainly did not have the resources to feed this crowd.  What were they to do now that they had people seated and waiting to see what would happen next?   That’s what you call FAITH! That’s obedience – trusting the wisdom of God to do the impossible!  We just need to take the first step: Listen and obey the prompting of the Spirit: “Tell the people to be seated”.

No doubt Jesus could have multiplied the available supplies if he wanted to.  But, as John asks, to what end?   The very next day the people would be hungry.  They’d likely not be clamoring “Speech! Speech! Share a good word! Let’s hear it!”  They’d be waiting for the apostles to open Jesus’ food distribution center.

On this day, out in the wilderness, John tells us that the people ate and were satisfied. Which would be more satisfying to you, a full belly for a single afternoon, or a glimpse, a vision of what life looks like when lived in the company of generous people under the reign of God?  What would our world be like if people acknowledged that they are called to be transformed?   What would happen if we were truly as open-handed with our possessions as the young boy on the hillside was with his? What would have been the status of the pandemic if everyone followed CDC advice: got vaccinated, wore a mask, washed their hands?  What would the stats be today if people continued to practice those sanitation protocols?  Hospital visits are on the rise while at the same time admissions remain relatively low.

And, what would happen if we really believed that Jesus still has the power to take the gifts we offer and to create from our generosity widespread outbreaks of sharing? As I watched the Olympics opening ceremony I was thinking “This is lovely – a testament to the ingenuity of computer whizzes!  Soon I wondered:  With the millions donated by sponsors and spent on the production to awe the crowds, much good could have been done. With the millions rolling in to support political campaigns, I daresay that the world could be transformed.  Over 3.1 million children a year (one child every 10 seconds) would not die of hunger.   Let us strive to reflect the attitude and directive of the apostles that long-ago day on that lush green hillside: “Tell the people to be seated.”

 

 ~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB

 

Let us pray together for safety and enjoyment for the crowds in France for the Olympics, and protection for thousands enduring the effects of inclement weather: Floods and too much rain, drought, low water table, loss of profitable crops, and high irrigating costs, and terror as fires approach homes, businesses and forests …  and pray for peace amid unsettling times over political issues and factions …… 

   God bless us all!

 

First Reading:   2 Kings 4:42-44         Second Reading:  Ephesians 4:1-6
Gospel:   John 6:1-15

 

 

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16th Sunday of Ordinary Time

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These last few weeks seems like the church is singing the message of a Willie Nelson ballad, On the Road Again. “I just can’t wait to get on the road again.  Goin’ places that I’ve never been; seein’ things that I may never see again. The life I love is makin’ music with my friends.  Just can’t wait to get on the road again.”

This weekend the Evangelist Mark gives us an example of the kind of tension that exists in our own lives and in the life of every committed Christian.  On the one hand, we feel drawn away to a quiet place.  At the same time, we feel the almost constant demands on our commitment “to respond to the needs of God’s people.” We want to respond generously where there is a real need.  But, how do we know what is a ‘real need’ and what is just our own desire be needed, to “play savior”?  There are times when, no matter how weary we feel, we know we should say ‘Yes’. Other times, in spite of any criticism it may generate, we feel we are inclined to say ‘No’.  At times in the life of Jesus, we see him leaving the people, in spite of their demands, and going away to pray.  This kind of rest is not laziness or irresponsibility.  This is the Sabbath rest Fr. John recommends: mercy and compassion over sacrifice.

Last weekend the apostles were sent out two-by-two. Today, they are re-gathering two-by-two.  They are exhilarated, but exhausted. They are on their own for the first time without Jesus.  They had preached, cast out demons, anointed the sick, and called people to respond to Jesus’ message.   Now Jesus invites them (and us) to “come away to a deserted place, all by yourselves and rest a while.”  Notice there are four parts to Jesus’ invitation: “Come away – to a deserted place – all by yourself – and rest a while.”  Each phrase means something on its own, but no single phrase stands alone.  We have to accept the whole package.

We must be on guard that we don’t wear busy-ness as if it were a badge of honor.  Wearing a button that goes “blink, blink” and proclaims an implicit message:  “I’m worthwhile because I’m so busy and I’m always tired” equals “I’m important”.  But busy-ness is not a badge of honor!  On the contrary, it is the mark of a life way out of balance.  It is NOT Benedictine!

Jesus said: “Come away.”  He did not say “Go away.”  His is an invitation to a communal experience.   It’s “coming away” to be with Jesus.  What a beautiful invitation!  If we don’t rest, we won’t be able to take care of the self.  Without self-care we will be of no use to anyone, especially God.

As Jesus listened to each of the two-by-two teams give their reports, he was moved by their tender stories of healing children, inspiring people, and boldly witnessing to Jesus’ words.  At the same time, He must have seen fatigue in their faces and so, in a gracious moment of concern, Jesus said to them: “Come away for a while and rest.” Jesus made no suggestion that their ministry of witness and compassion was over, but he offered them a respite. They got into a boat and headed off for the first Christian retreat.

And you know what greeted them!  Over 5,000 figured out where the boat was going and got there ahead of them.  Imagine how the disciples must have felt!  They had had visions of having a little quiet time with Jesus.  But like Jesus, the disciples’ hearts were moved to pity. They set personal wishes aside in deference to the needs of others as Benedict says in RB 72, “No one is to pursue what she judges better for herself, but instead, what she judges better for someone else.”

We know for sure, that there is weariness in ministry.  And we know as well that weariness is no excuse to quit and let others pick up the slack. Somehow, we must discover Jesus’ compassion for the crowd within our own heart.  It’s just not as easy as it sounds.

Several years ago a health study determined there are three main reasons people can’t cope with the demands in their lives:   1. they live in the past,  2. they have a low self-esteem and 3. they can’t laugh at themselves.   The study indicated that we need approximately 12 laughs a day to stay healthy! Yes, life throws us curve balls just when we least expect it (like being paged just when we finally got a chance to zone out for a few minutes).  To stay sane, we need to sit back and enjoy a good laugh.  So, here’s your laugh-vacation for today.  Not long ago a lady I know sent flowers to her friend who had opened a new restaurant. When she arrived at the grand opening, she looked for the flowers. Imagine her consternation when she found them, and saw that, in her haste in placing the order, she had sent a white wreath with a card that said, “May you rest in peace.” She panicked, of course, and called the florist who said, “Honey, I’m not worried about you because as we speak, there’s a lady being buried across town who got a dozen roses with a note that read, ‘Good luck in your new location!”

~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB

 

 

 

First Reading:   Jeremiah 23:1-6         Second Reading:  Ephesians 2:13-18
Gospel:   Mark 6:30-34
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Pentecost Sunday

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A few minutes ago, we concluded this year’s Novena to the Holy Spirit, the Church’s first novena.  For Mary and the eleven Apostles it was nine days of waiting (they did not know how long).  For us, it is nine days of anticipation leading to the feast of Pentecost.  At various times Jesus has greeted his disciples with the gift of peace and commissioned them to continue the work that he has begun: “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”  Heads up! Listen intently because the “you” Jesus speaks of includes each one of us.  Where does Jesus send us?  And to do what?  Where is anywhere we can be an agent of peace and harmony.  And what is to be a reconciling presence in the world amidst situations of conflict in our own homes or our workplaces.

If we believe Jesus’ words when He said “where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I” then we know that people have only to come to us, to our community, to find the power and peace of the Spirit.   What a truly breathtaking gift that is!  We can make God present!   Wherever, whenever we pray, whenever “two or three gather” Jesus is there.   What an awesome responsibility rests with us!  And consider this: what form of the gift of the Spirit has God imparted to you?  Look back through the years.  What have family, coworkers, community members, friends reflected back to you?  Has it been your gift of discernment, your kindness, your optimistic, joyful outlook?  Or was it maybe your serenity, calmness and peace, your simplicity, or your awareness of God’s presence everywhere?

If we are to be true to our commission, we need to nourish our ability to call upon this Spirit and to stay close to Jesus because others are depending on us.  We need to proclaim the Good News to them with our words and our lives. We may be the only image of God they’ve come to know. Peace must be for us more than just a wish; more than a handshake or a hug. It is a GIFT – a deep confidence that can withstand even the most tragic experiences.

When we live in a positive and loving way, we are fulfilling the mission of Jesus in our world. We may seem to be warming and redeeming only the small, chilly space that we happen to occupy in life. Our kindness radiates, in fact, in wonderful ways like the ripples in a pond ruffling the surface of the water far beyond where we stand. What may begin with a simple, unpretentious act in our dining room, chapel or community room vibrates the air full-circle and comes back to us in a new, life-giving form. Like the game of GOSSIP you whisper a message that gets repeated and distorted many times over.  By the time it comes back to you, there is little left of the sentence that you spoke.

There are seven gifts of the Holy Spirit from which spring twelve fruits of the Spirit.  The fullness of the Spirit can comfort and challenge us doing lectio with the titles of the Spirit found in our Novena: Comforter, Peacemaker, Root of Virtues, Bestower of Gifts, Bond of Unity, Fountain of Faith, Cause of Holiness, Soul of Ministry, Source of Love.  We can BE these gifts to each other only through the Power of the One who commissions us to affirm the mysteries of the universe, to see the lasting value of justice and mercy, to fill our lives with wonder and awe in God’s creative omnipotent presence.

Light years ago, in the first catechism class I taught as a postulant in Dade City, there was a child who, in those days, was labeled “retarded.”  The pastor, Father Benedict, Sister Rosaria and I deliberated and prayed for insight to determine whether the child was able to understand the mystery to be received.  At the First Communion Mass all doubts were erased.  At the elevation of the sacred host, his childish, high-pitched pronouncement could be heard throughout the church: “Here He comes!”

Jesus prayed: “I wish that where I am they also may be with me.”  And, so we pray: “Come, Holy Spirit, fill our hearts with your presence.  May our lives be rooted in your love and wisdom.”  The words of that excited child are worth inwardly proclaiming whenever any person or situation approaches us: “Here He comes!”

~S. Roberta Bailey, OSB

 

 

First Reading: Acts 2:1-1              Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13
Gospel Reading:  John 20:19-23
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Life Journey = Process

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Father, not My will but yours, be done
Lk. 22:42b

It’s Palm Sunday. We’re invited to be part of the parade and celebrate. It is the start of the journey that will lead the teacher and servant leader, Jesus, an example of humility, to death on the cross and then to New Risen Life.

Life is a journey; we share this journey. It is a process; we choose to walk with Jesus and follow His Way, then we forget and have to start over again.

In the Passion we hear the long story of those last days of Jesus in Holy Week. There are many characters there.  As we prayerfully reflect, we need ask ourselves, “Who am I?”

  • the Apostles who sleep while Jesus prays
  • Peter who follows,  but says, “I don’t know Him”
  • Pilate or Herod who want to see a sign and also please the crowd
  • the Cyrenian forced to carry the cross
  • mourning women who followed, faithfully with Mary, to the ends

The truth is we’ve been all these persons in the Passion.

We share in Jesus’ Passion–pain, in body/mind, and illness;  we’ve been hurt, forgotten, suffered loss, and feel condemned.  We’ve sinned and failed to love, to practice our faith, forgive, care for others, and build the kingdom.

I invite you to take some time to reflect on how Jesus is yet condemned to suffering/death among us and then act for justice.

Who am I in the Passion narrative today?

Jesus, Loving, suffering Savior, may  I ever companion You. May Your life journey always give me direction and help me to grow more able to share  Your love, and life.  Amen.

~by Sitser Mary David Hydro

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