Benedictine Sisters of FL

Holy Name Monastery
Founded 1889

Corpus Christi

Corpus Christi Sunday

by Leave a Comment

Here’s a little history about this day.  It was originally celebrated on the Thursday 10 days after Pentecost and referred to by a Latin name “Corpus Christi”.  In the 13th century, a Belgian nun named Juliana had a recurring dream of a brilliant full moon coming down to earth.  The moon however had a black spot on it. Christ interpreted the dream for her. The moon represented the calendar year of the church with all of its wonderful festivals, but the black spot showed that there was something missing. That something missing was an occasion to remember the institution by Christ at the Lord’s Supper, the institution of the Eucharist. As fortune would have it, she had a friend in the Bishop of Liege.  He believed her vision and he subsequently became Pope Urban IV. As a result, the feast of Corpus Christi was first celebrated in 1264 with hymns and prayers written by Thomas Aquinas.  Such an awesome gift deserves its own feast!

In 2018, Bishop Parkes chose this feast to disseminate Courageously Living the Gospel,  the long-awaited Vision for the Diocese of St. Petersburg.   Bishop Parkes has said: “I will always speak of the vision or our vision, not my vision.  I may be the messenger, but the vision represents what the people of our diocese believe is best for the church.”

Bishop Parkes continued: “This mutually-shared vision is an opportunity to renew our faith as we go forth to boldly proclaim the good News of Jesus Christ.”  He pointed out that the Diocese of St. Petersburg includes all the people who reside in the five counties that geographically make up the diocese, not just those who identify themselves as Catholic.  The entire  Tampa Bay area this is our “mission territory.”

The nine goals in the vision are bold initiatives that challenge our parish communities to think outside the box for opportunities of evangelization. We are to look not only inward but outward.  We are also called to allow the Holy Spirit to speak to the youth and keep them connected to their church.   Bishop Parkes urges all of us to “think big when dreaming about what the future could look like.”   “We want a vision”, he says “that is bold and goals that are high impact and even a stretch for us to achieve.”

I believe our challenge (here at Holy Name) is to remember that we are part of the diocese.   Sometimes I think that because we are an autonomous Benedictine community we forget that we are at the same time an integral entity of the diocese …  neither an island in its midst nor on its fringes.

Some of us of a certain generation can remember huge Corpus Christi processions which brought the body of Christ into the streets around our parishes. The body of Christ is still in our streets because we are there.  Today, everyday Jesus asks each of us “have you reserved a guest room in your heart for Me where I may rest, where I may eat a meal with you?   Our Corporate Commitment continues to challenge us to “respond with the compassion of Christ to the hungers of the people of God.”

We challenge ourselves to support initiatives in the diocesan vision.  Are we providing an inviting environment to the greater community? Do we encourage an increased understanding of what it means to be “Catholic”?  Of course, it goes without saying, that we pray for God’s blessing on our Bishop Gregory Parkes and the diocesan efforts to bring to reality the diocesan vision: Courageously Living the Gospel.

 

~Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB

 

First Reading: Exodus 24:3-8                    Second Reading: Hebrews 9:11-15
Gospel Reading: Mark 14:12-16, 22-26
Continue Reading

Feast of Corpus Christi

by Leave a Comment

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ – at one time called Corpus Christi and originally celebrated on the Thursday, 10 days after Pentecost.  Some of us of a certain generation may remember huge Corpus Christi processions which brought the body of Christ into the streets around our parishes.  Many of the faithful would pay visits to three different churches to attend Benediction services.  Today we still bring the body of Christ into our streets because we are there.

A little history about the feast:  In the 13th century, a Belgian nun named Juliana had a recurring dream of a brilliant full moon coming down to earth but with a black spot on it. Christ interpreted it for her in that the moon represented the calendar year of the church with all of its wonderful festivals, but the black spot showed that there was something missing, an occasion to remember the institution by Christ at the Lord’s Supper – the institution of the Eucharist. As fortune would have it, she had a friend in the Bishop of Liege.  He believed her vision and he subsequently became Pope Urban IV. As a result, the feast of Corpus Christi was first celebrated in 1264 with hymns and prayers written by Thomas Aquinas.  Such an awesome gift deserves its own feast!

This crowd that Jesus is speaking to in the Gospel had made a pilgrimage to see him instead of going to Jerusalem for the celebration of Passover.   It would have been easier to go to the nearby city, but something was drawing them to the great teacher.  Walking was their mode of transportation, and the distances were often across rough terrain or long detours around lakes.  Jesus and his apostles may have rowed across the lake but not all his followers found a ferry.  And in case you’re intrigued with numbers, someone has calculated that Jesus in his 3-year public ministry could have walked over 900 miles.

Meanwhile, the crowd wanted to take Jesus by force and make him their king.  In other words, Jesus is speaking to a crowd that has felt the pangs of deep longing for something much more than physical hunger.  They had glimpsed the possibilities of true satisfaction in Jesus. But they have misplaced the object of their yearning on “king,” when Jesus wants them to see that their true longing is for “living bread”. Today, our Gospel writer, John, wants us to see that our real longing is not for things that pass away but for things that endure, for an imperishable Light.  But, remember when Jesus is speaking it is before the Last Supper, the Crucifixion and the Resurrection.   Not even His closest apostles could have realized the full significance of His words.   Abbot Primate Notker Wolf has written “In times of individualism we need new ways to build a modern consciousness of community which revolves around the Eucharist as the central celebration of faith.”

The bottom line is that people are scrambling like crazy to find a diet that is right for them. And there is a such diet we hear too little about.  It’s the diet presented in today’s gospel.  Jesus says, “I am the bread of life.” And He gives us His word that people on His program “will never hunger or thirst again!” This is an extravagant claim!  But Jesus can deliver on what he promises!

~Sister Roberta Basiley, OSB

 

First Reading: Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 14-16    Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 10:16-18
Gospel Reading: John 6:51-58
Continue Reading

Corpus Christi

by Leave a Comment

Feast of  Corpus Christi

Corpus Christi is a Christian festival that is celebrated annually on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday, on June 16 this year. On this day, devout Christians gather together to honor the sacred body of Jesus Christ. The day is also known as Corpus Domini, which literally translates to ‘body and blood of Christ,’ while some also call it the Feast of Corpus Christi. Unlike other Christian festivals, Corpus Christi is celebrated uniquely in different cultures of the world. The most common way of celebrating the day is by consuming bread and wine — the symbols of the body and blood of Christ.

HISTORY OF CORPUS CHRISTI

Corpus Christi or the Feast of Corpus Christi is also known as the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. This festival of the Roman Catholic Church honors the body of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. The day is observed either on a Thursday or a Sunday following Trinity Sunday. It is a public holiday in many countries.

The holiday is more likely to be implemented by the Catholic Church rather than government bodies. However, the day, sometimes also known as Holy Thursday, is widely accepted as a day of celebration. Every region in the world has its own way of celebrating Corpus Christi but consumption of wine and bread is mandatory. It was only in the 15th century that Corpus Christi became one of the principal feasts of the church. In Catholic regions, the festival is observed with a street procession and pageant, usually organized near the parish. The chief priests lead the mass and devotees gather in churches to pray and sing hymns.

Contrary to popular belief, Corpus Christi is not just a Catholic festival but also celebrated in some Anglican and Lutheran Churches. These churches have a very different way of celebrating as compared to their Catholic counterparts. Anglican and Lutheran Churches do not have street processions and the celebrations are mostly restricted to church events. Protestants don’t typically celebrate the day. In most cultures, the Holy Communion is also an important part of the festival.

Continue Reading

“Don’t simply seek to find a place for Jesus in your life; live your whole life in Jesus.”

by Leave a Comment

With the singing of the Vigil this past Saturday evening, we begin our celebration of the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ – once called Corpus Christi (but that only refers to the Body of Christ).  I suspect many of us can recall when this was an all-day in-church occasion with processions and Benediction in three locations?  I can remember that but I recall most vividly enduring curlers in my hair.  I had stringy, VERY straight hair and my mother did not consider braids or a ponytail appropriate for church.  So I slept with toilet paper twists in my hair to make curls that barely lasted until the end of Mass.  Before lunch my hair was secured in bobby pin twists to get me through the afternoon processions.  Not a very holy memory but one that certainly marks this day as special.

In the Gospel account just read, Mark describes for us only those elements of the Passover that he believes to be most essential: Jesus took bread, blessed it and broke it and shared it with his disciples.  Similar words and actions follow as Jesus shares the chalice with his disciples.  And don’t you love the part about where the Passover will be celebrated!  Go to town.  You will see a man with a jug on his shoulder.  (Another evangelist says, “you’ll see a man with a donkey.”)  Ask him “Where is your guest room, where we may eat the Passover meal.”  Isn’t that what Jesus says to us when He appears in the person of the guest, the stranger: “Where is your guest room, where may I eat?”

I think back to 1959-60 when our original wood-frame convent-home building was condemned by the fire department.  The local community responded with generous hearts when we asked, “May our Sisters and academy girls live with your family and on the third floor of Saint Anthony School until we can build a new house.”  We certainly felt “welcomed as Christ” – the people saw it as a privilege to meet our need.  Over the course of this year we will have our turn to return the favor.  Gradually we will begin to open our doors wider.

Today, each and every day Jesus asks each of us … “have you reserved a guest room for Me in your heart?  Where I may rest, where I may eat a meal with you?  Our corporate commitment continues to challenge us to “respond with the compassion of Christ to the hungers of God’s people.”  I envision Jesus, his cloak open wide, to envelope all creation – no space between peoples – ALL persons gathered with, and into, Christ.

Pondering the significance of this feast (other than curlers in my hair), it strikes me that with Christmas we are touched with joy and awe at the birth of Christ.  At Easter we explode with ALLELUIA at the resurrection of our Savior.  The Ascension leaves us quietly looking upward, waiting in expectation for “what’s next?”  Then, comes the solemnity of the Trinity – the mystery that baffles us … that God is so great, so awesome that only in three persons can all the divine manifestations be expressed.  And today; the solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ – this touches, awakens in us feelings we can hardly express – that our God, our Jesus, our Savior would choose to gift us in such a personal, intimate way.  The Psalmist knew a close relationship with God.  Sometimes on a 1:1, face-to-face basis.  In Psalm 103 we pray, “The Holy One enfolds us in tenderness, fills our life with richness, renewing our youth like an eagle’s.”  We, who live since Jesus’ coming on earth … how privileged we are!  Our God and Savior chooses to be assimilated within the body of the creature.  His body and blood become, over and over, absorbed into my body – His blood courses in my veins.  Did you ever wonder how an aspirin knows where you ache?  Or an antibiotic knows what to attack?  Is it heresy to say: Jesus attaches himself to every fiber of my being?  When the Eucharistic minister and I look each other in the eye, the minister says: “Body of Christ.”  Note the minister does not say “This is the Body of Christ.”  No, it is greeting that the minister and communicant exchange.  The one greets us: “Body of Christ” – it’s a greeting not an announcement.  Our one-word response, AMEN, acknowledges, “You, too, are the are the Body of Christ. AMEN!”

Some of you have heard this story from my first year as a CCD teacher.  Sister Rosaria, the pastor and I were unsure if Jimmy had sufficient reasoning to make First Communion.  (How little we understood!)  On First Communion Sunday, following the Consecration, when the priest elevated the Host, the child’s voice could be heard by everyone in the church.  With awe in his voice he said aloud: “Here He comes!”  A lesson to us all.  Yes, here He comes!  He is only depending on us to make room in our hearts, in our lives to respond generously and unhesitantly to his query: “Where is your guest room?  Where may I rest; where may I eat a meal with you?”

~ Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB, Prioress

 

First Reading:  Exodus 24:1-6
Second Reading:  Hebrews 9:11-15       Gospel:  Mark 14:14:12-16; 22-26
Continue Reading

Body of Christ; Blood of Christ

by Leave a Comment

euch1With the singing of Vespers this evening we begin our celebration of the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ – once called Corpus Christi (but that only refers to the Body of Christ).

This one of my favorite feasts … it celebrates the ultimate in self-giving… not only to lay down one’s life for another but, further, to freely give its essence to another.

This particular version of the story of the feeding of the 5,000 is the only one of Jesus’ miracles to appear in all four Gospels. Luke places it between Herod’s question, “Who is this about whom I hear such things?” and Peter’s response to Jesus’ question about who he thought Jesus was.  In Luke’s version of the feeding of the crowd it is not the result of Jesus’ compassion for the crowd but is an incentive to the disciples to do something about the problem they perceive.  When they want Jesus to send the crowd away to so they (the crowd and themselves) can get something to eat, Jesus tells them to give the people some food on their own.

When we come to the Eucharistic table, hungry for the Word of God and the Body of Christ, what does the Jesus, in the person of the priest say?  “Take, you all, and eat of this.  Take, you all, and drink.”  How contradictory, then it is, a few minutes later to hear the same person say to the worshiping community:  “If you are not Catholic, fold your arms across your heart for a blessing.”

I recall in 1959-60 when our wood-frame convent was condemned by the fire department.  The local community responded with open hearts to us when they were asked: “May we live with you until we can build a new house?”  We certainly felt “welcomed as Christ” – the people viewed it a privilege to house the sisters and some of our boarding school students. They did not ask “are you Catholic” nor did we pick and choose a dwelling place based on a host’s church membership.

Today, everyday Jesus asks each of us … have you reserved a guest room in your heart for Me where I may rest, where I may eat a meal with you?   We think about Benedict’s words “guests are always present, wash their feet, acknowledge them with a greeting or a nod, set a special place at the table for them, reverence Christ in the person of the guest.  Our corporate commitment statement continues to challenge us to “respond with the compassion of Christ” to the variety of hungers of the human heart.

I agree with the author who says: “… Admittedly, hospitality won’t cure all of our ills.  It won’t erase underlying problems that promote a climate of division or create a magical panacea for human suffering.  But hospitality can help.  It can assist and guide us in the way we deal with, and the ultimately solve our problems.  It can allow us to function with grace and dignity.  Hospitality is a seed planted deep within us that awaits our attention and care.  Nurtured by willingness, watered by prayer, hospitality reflects the face of a loving, accepting, compassionate God.  Wherever we go, whatever we do, we can pray that a spirit of hospitality will permeate our thoughts and animate our actions.  (Everyday Hospitality by Thea Jarvis)

Pondering the significance of this feast, it strikes me that with Christmas we are touched with joy and awe at the birth of Christ.  At Easter we explode with ALLELUIA at the resurrection of our Savior.  The Ascension leaves us quietly looking upward, outward waiting in expectation for “what’s next?”  Then comes the Solemnity of the Trinity – the mystery that baffles us … that God is so great, so awesome that only in three persons can all the divine manifestations be expressed.  And, today; the solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ – this touches, awakens in us feelings we can hardly express – that our God, our Jesus, our Savior would choose to gift us in such a personal, so intimate a way … the Creator chooses to be assimilated within the body of the creature.  His body and blood become, over and over, absorbed into my body – His blood courses in my veins.  Did you ever wonder how an aspirin knows where you ache is?  Or an antibiotic knows what to attack?  Is it heresy to say: Jesus attaches himself to every fiber of my being?  When the minister looks us in the eye and greets us: “Body of Christ; Blood of Christ”, we are stunned speechless except to respond as we’ve been taught: “AMEN!”

~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB, Prioress
Continue Reading