Benedictine Sisters of FL

Holy Name Monastery
Founded 1889

Church

Trinity Sunday

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On this, the Solemnity of the Holy Trinity, we celebrate the Church’s understanding of who God is: three unique, equal, divine persons in one God.  It is a celebration of our lived faith experience that we attempt to put into words.  We turn to the Scripture writers for a fuller understanding of this experience and for the ability to share the experience of God in our own lives.  I like Bishop Barron’s description, “The love that God the Father and the Son breathe back and forth is the Holy Spirit, the life of the church.”

But, nowhere in Scripture will you find a specific teaching of the Trinity.  However, we do find many places where the biblical experience of God is so rich that it cannot be encapsulated in a single word.  Jesus is the visible icon (as it were) of the invisible God, making the mystery of God tangible to us.  It is important that we believers have a welcoming attitude to the triune presence of God, so we are ready whenever, and through whomever, God chooses to continue to be revealed.  In this way we will be ready to listen to  and become involved in that dialogue.  Without the continued experience of Father, Son, and Spirit (or some may choose to say: Creator, Savior and Spirit) the doctrine ceases to be a lived experience.  But, if we expect today’s readings to give a clear presentation of the doctrine of the Blessed Trinity, that simply will not be the case.  Ours is a God so generous… who loves us so much, that this whole world was created for us and continues to gift to us the gift of Self through the appearance of bread and wine.  Here is a God, generosity personified, who loves us beyond our wildest imaginings.

God wants us to discover this Love and celebrate it.  The fact is: God wants to be found and is constantly calling out to us – but not necessarily with words. He gives us so many opportunities – so many times when we travel through even the darkest tunnels of our lives and then come out the other side to encounter, unexpectedly, something surprisingly, great beauty and holiness.  As I came through the connector this past week, I found myself surprised and confounded by a glimpse of an awesome glorious dawn!  The words of Sirach spring to mind: “As the rising sun is clear to all!  How beautiful are all God’s works!  Even to the spark of a fleeting vision.”

As long as we have our feet planted on “this side of the grass” it makes sense that we might not be able to completely understand how something can be “one” and “three” at the same time.  We need symbols to help us delve deeper and deeper into the mystery of the Trinity e.g. St. Patrick’s shamrock or three-leafed clover … three leaves, one stem.  Or consider the egg you might have for breakfast: yolk, white and shell – three parts, one egg.  Or we might’ve heard the Trinity compared to an Apple….  ONE apple, three different parts: skin, flesh, and seed.

This is a feast, a solemnity beyond words.  The Holy Trinity is a privilege and not merely a commemoration of a doctrine.  Through the celebration the Trinity we enter into a communion of Persons who has loved us into being and continues to call us each day to a fuller experience, a deeper lived knowledge, of our Triune God.

~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB

 

 

 

First Reading: Deuteronomy 4:32-34. 30-40             Second Reading: Roman 8:14-17
Gospel:  Matthew 28:16-20
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Because you were faithful in small matters … come, share your Master’s joy.

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Have you noticed that, as you seek to probe a parable it can be as exciting and intriguing as the challenge of a Father Brown, James Patterson or Jessica Fletcher fictionalized mystery story.  Ah, there’s one big difference – a mystery may seem pretty far-fetched while Jesus’ parables deal with real-life issues.  They are alike in this: both are filled with clues – though some may be quite subtle.  Lectio helps us probe Jesus’ parables – like in a game of Clue – bit by bit gaining us information that will enrich our lives.

These past few weeks, we move ever closer to the end of the church year, the liturgy has been offering us clues about the meaning of the “last days.”  In this parable, Jesus uses the “root of all evil” metaphor.  It’s about more than our monthly pocket money.  This is about life and our allotment of gifts, talents, and responsibilities.  We can’t be reminded too often that our gifts, our talents, our donors’ contributions are given to us primarily for service to others.  And, there is a promise coming:  If we make the intended use of these gifts, we will be rewarded and entrusted with even more responsibilities.  Sadly, some people deliberately fail at a job or chore they don’t like so they won’t get asked to do it again.  What about us and our talents?  Do we let dislike of a job, or a personality conflict with a co-worker or the threat of failure, or someone else’s critical eye hold us back from using a God-given talent?  Or how about a more mundane question: We get an allowance each month – do we bury it, hoard it, save it for vacation or a rainy day?  On the other hand, do we tithe a portion for the good of others so it keeps moving forward, good upon good?

Like the Master in this Gospel, St. Benedict teaches us “journey lessons.”  He speaks most directly to and about those who are sent on the journey… He doesn’t say that the Prioress, upon her return, will ask for an accounting – She knows “when the Prioress is away, the mice will play.”  And in all likelihood she will not (like the Master in this parable) distribute money to the members who well-tended the vineyard in her absence.  [But Benedict’s instruction does not preclude the Prioress from bringing home trinkets / mementos for everyone.]

We can sense the journey motif from the opening words of Benedict’s Rule when he bids us: “Listen!  The labor of obedience will bring you back (“coming back” requires a journey, doesn’t it?).  “Let us get up then, at long last,” for the Scriptures rouse us when they say: “It is high time for us to arise from sleep…” (come from the land of your dreams) “while you have the light… go out to seek workers in the multitude of the people ….”  Listen to Benedict: “Moving on in your journey of faith,” (and life in the monastery) “you will say, Here I am Lord.”  And, then he tells us how to prepare for our journey: “Clothed with faith and the performance of good works, let us set out on this way, with the Gospel for our guide….  Be just in all your dealings, speak the truth from the heart and do not practice deceit or listen to slander.”

By the time Benedict wrote chapter 67 one can tell he’s had some experience with monks who journeyed afar from the home monastery.  We know that Benedict, in his youth, had escaped “big city life.”  So he wanted to protect his monks from the evils and temptations of the prevailing society.  Those at home are to remember the absent ones in prayer … which means the gathered community may have “counted” noses,” not for the sake of taking roll call, but to pray for their confreres safety and protection from temptation.

I have to smile when I read what Benedict cautions next.  He certainly knew human nature: “no one should presume to relate what was seen or heard outside the monastery.”  Sounds to me like he’s familiar with the saying from Ecclesiastes: “Everything is wearisome beyond description.”  In plain English this can be interpreted: “No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied.  No matter how much we hear, we are not content.”  We need to be on guard to not be hungry/eager for a morsel of gossip to savor.  Benedict didn’t want stories of the world to creep in and cause dissension or dissatisfaction to rankle or upset his community.  Times haven’t changed much over the passing years – we still need to be on guard that we balance chartable interest in each other versus the drive to know every intimate detail about what was seen or heard by the other.

In line with his admonition to pray always, Benedict reminds his monks that on a journey to keep an eye on the sun … listen for the bells from neighboring abbeys announcing prayer times.  … so, (Benedict reminds them) though at a distance too far to join the community, they should “observe the prescribed hours” as best they can.  Thus, probably began the custom of the Angelus … the dialogue between Angel Gabriel and Mother Mary, a modified version of Sext (or Noon Prayer) that could be memorized so as not to neglect their “measure of service.”

The Rule closes with this journey-question: “Are you hastening toward your heavenly home?  Then keep this little rule … as you set out for loftier summits of the teaching and virtues we’ve mentioned.”  Benedict, in his own unique way, shares Paul’s message to the Philippians that we heard in Wednesday’s evening reading: “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice.  And the God of peace will be with you.”  Benedict adds this promise: “under God’s protection” (together) “we will reach our heavenly home.”  That’s the same promise Jesus makes to his trustworthy followers: Because “You were faithful in small matters … come, share your Master’s joy.”

~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB, Prioress

 

This Year’s Thanksgiving Outreach

This year, obviously, we will not be hosting our traditional Thanksgiving dinner.  We plan to collaborate with Pastor Cheryl Duke and the people at Dade City Presbyterian Church to provide food baskets for the needy.  We will be contributing any monetary donations, along with supermarket gift cards, to extend our mission to “feed the hungers of the people of God.”  The Knights from nearby St. Mark’s Parish have donated $1520 in gifts cards and $1305 was contributed by the Benedictine Sisters’ from their monthly personal allowances. 

We are grateful for all the years that Saint Anthony Women’s Club and parish staff have allowed – and assisted us – in providing a free meal to the local community on Thanksgiving Day.    

Twenty-six years ago the Sisters began small, in their monastery dining room, to provide a holiday meal for a handful of Saint Leo College International Students.  Within three years, the Sisters moved the event to Marmion Cafeteria and extended an invitation to the public to join them for dinner.  They gathered a crew of volunteers that grew over the years.  In 1998, the Sisters sold Marmion Cafeteria to Saint Leo and the Saint Anthony Women’s club jumped on the bandwagon and have continued for the intervening years to provide all the desserts for the dinner.  Saint Anthony School children got involved in making table centerpieces and place mats.  We will greatly miss the gathering this year and look forward to a future when we can once again welcome our guests to bow their heads over a holiday meal to give thanks to God for all the gifts He provides.  

 

First Reading  Selected verses Proverbs31       Second Reading  1 Thessalonians 5:1-6
Gospel Reading  Matthew 25:14-30
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A New Balance

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When Jesus’ disciples cry out for an increase in faith Jesus offers them two related teachings.  The first is the familiar reminder that faith, even just a little, will enable the followers of Jesus to do wondrous things.  But this uplifting and inspiring teaching is quickly followed by the second teaching, a caution about knowing one’s place in God’s plans.  Even when God works wonders through us, with our mustard seed-sized faith, we must not seek praise.  Our participation in God’s plans is God’s grace to us—nothing more, nothing less.

Yesterday we celebrated St. Francis day so I want to tell you a St. Francis story – maybe only part truth.  This is not the story of how his father disowned him and he stripped naked in court and walked away.  It’s not the story of how he received the stigmata.  Nor is it the story of the Wolf of Gubbio.  This is a story you may not have heard; this is the story of St. Francis and the Sultan Al-Kamil.  It takes place during the Fifth Crusade – when Francis’ pilgrimage took him across the battle lines in ancient Egypt.  He was immediately captured and brought before Sultan.  According to some versions of the story, he challenged the Muslim clerics to a trial by fire: both he and they would preach from the heart of a bonfire and whoever was not burned alive would be the one preaching the true God.  The Muslim clerics declined the challenge.  Francis then offered to go into the fire by himself, with the proviso that if he was not burned up the Sultan and all his followers would have to convert to Christianity.  The Sultan did not take Francis up on this offer.

Whether or not that’s true, it is known that Francis preached to the Sultan and his household, who were so impressed by Francis that the Sultan offered him numerous gifts — which Francis refused — and gave him safe conduct back to the Crusader camp.  When in time the Crusader Kingdoms fell, the Muslim rulers granted permission for Christians to tend the Christian holy sites in the Holy Land, but that permission was not given to the Church as a whole, it was given specifically to the Franciscans.  In fact this arrangement persists to this day — there is a Catholic office called “Custodian of the Holy Land,” and it is always held by a Franciscan; and in places where custody is shared by different Christian denominations — like the Church of the Holy Sepulcher — it is Franciscans who represent the Roman Catholic church.  All because of that one visit between St. Francis and the Sultan.

Jesus says, “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.”  St. Francis acted out of this spirit of courage and faith when he crossed the battle lines in Egypt.  He had no idea what would happen to him; he had every reason to expect to be taken prisoner at the very least.  Afterward, he doubtless thought his mission had failed.  But — he had made a connection — a moment of authentic human connection, two people meeting each other face to face — that has had consequences to this very day – over 800 years!

The world is full of people who are divided from us, even opposed to us — because of religion, or nationality, or ethnicity, or political views, or any of a thousand things.  God calls us to reach out to these people in a spirit of courage and love, unashamed of our testimony about our Lord and our mission, our way of life.  We may not convince them — we may not bring them around to our point of view.  We may not even make peace.  The world being what it is, the odds are against it.

The big problems in the world — hunger, war, religious conflict, and so on — often seem too big for us.  Maybe they are. But we have to have faith that if we can move the pebble — then God will move the mountain.

In an interview shortly after his election, Pope Francis advises us: “Instead of being just a church that welcomes and receives by keeping the doors open, let us try also to be a church that finds new roads, that is able to step outside itself…”  Sounding like his patron Francis, he says: “We need to proclaim the Gospel on every street corner, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing…   focusing on the essentials… We have to find a new balance; otherwise we will lose the freshness and fragrance of the Gospel.”

~ Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB, Prioress

 

First Reading   Habakkuk 1:2-3; 2:2-4        Second Reading 2 Timothy 1:6-8,13-14
Gospel Reading  Luke 17:5-10                   Intention  The Jewish people
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