Benedictine Sisters of FL

Holy Name Monastery
Founded 1889

Easter

Believing Can Bring Sight

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Each day since Easter we’ve heard post-Resurrection stories of personal encounters. The resurrected Christ has visited the disciples and his mother Mary in the Upper Room to breathe peace upon them.  We’ve heard the story of how Jesus slips in and out of the company of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus.   In John’s narrative Peter’s head is whirling at all that was going on.  It appears his message to the others is: “This is too much for me; I’m going to clear my head. I’ll be back later. I’m going fishing!” A few of the others jumped aboard.  At daybreak a very human Jesus appears to these disciples who’ve spent a night of non-productive fishing.  We know that Jesus must have known this but still he calls to them: “Children, have you caught anything to eat?”  Then he suggests to them that they toss the nets on the other side of the boat.  Lo and behold, the nets encircle 153 large fish!”  No one dares ask him: “Who are you?”  To their astonishment, Jesus invites: “Come, have breakfast.”

Last Sunday the church made sure that we heard the message that Jesus came a second time to the group in the Upper Room.  Again, He came right through “locked doors.” He greeted the fearful group: “Peace!”  And He turned to address Thomas to quiet his fear that the one the disciples claimed they had seen a week ago might be an imposter.   Nothing could keep Jesus away from those who had been his companions for three years.

At that 2nd visit in the Upper Room Jesus praises those who do not seek proof.  On the other hand, neither does He condemn those who seek a sign.  He meets us where we are on our faith journey. He does not condemn Thomas for wanting to see proof in the nail marks.  Instead, he offers living proof to help his unbelief.  “See my hands; put your finger here.”  And then He nurtures maturity in faith when he says: “Blessed are they who have not seen but have believed.”

In Monday’s gospel there is an exchange with Nicodemus about the wind. From whence does it come, and where does it go?  Jesus gently tries to explain, “If I tell you of earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things?”  If only if we understood that seeing may not be believing but believing can bring sight.

 The lessons remembered by John continue.  “God does not ration the gifts of the Spirit; the Father gives everything to the Son.”  As the evening grows long, the disciples go down to the sea.  It grows dark as they rest and row and drift in the boat.  When they are several miles from shore, one by one the Apostles perk up and point to a silhouette of a man who appears to be walking on the water toward them A calming voice is heard: “It is I.  Do not be afraid.”  Those who are familiar with the voice of God will immediately recognize when Jesus speaks.

Today we hear a curious detail. John relates that before Peter jumps from the boat into the sea, he grabs his clothing “for he was lightly clad.”  He puts on more clothes to jump into the water?  Is that typical of what we tend to do?  If you think about it, it probably is.   We don’t want to leave anything behind even when it only adds weight to our journey.  What does Jesus tell us to do?  Not, grab all your belongings, we’re going on a journey of a lifetime.  Rather he says: Feed my sheep; feed my lambs.   Follow me!

What is your excess baggage?  What needs to be left behind?  We have to clear out old expectations if we are to have room to welcome new experiences.

~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB

 

 

 

 

 

First Reading:   Acts 5:27-32; 40-41         Second Reading:  Revelation 5:11-14
Gospel:   John 21:1-19
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Pilgrimage Year of Hope

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Pilgrimage Year of Hope 2025

a short refection by Father John McEvoy

 

The way we live our lives gives witness to our faith by proclaiming God’s truth, goodness, beauty, love and hope. Easter Season helps us enter into the Pilgrimage Year of Hope as pilgrims of hope.

Saint John entered the tomb that first Easter morning proclaiming ” I saw and I believed.”  This comes after the dark day of Good Friday with Judas betraying Jesus then despairing, the opposite of hope, leading to ending his life.

Peter also betraying but trusting in Jesus’ loving mercy, not losing hope, had the will to say “I have sinned”, proclaiming “Lord, you know all things. You know that I love you.”

In this Pilgrimage Year of Hope, we can proclaim the prayer of the children of Fatima:

I believe. I adore. I love. I hope.

I pray for those

who not believe, do not adore

do not love , do not hope

 

Father John McEvoy

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Third Sunday of Easter

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Two of the disciples of Jesus were on the road that leads to Emmaus. They were low because their Master had been crucified like a common thief. But now they’ve heard reports that their Master was not dead at all. Reliable sources have told them that he has appeared to some of their most trusted friends. Was he really alive? Should they believe the good news or the bad? And that’s our dilemma, isn’t it? DO WE BELIEVE THE GOOD NEWS OR THE BAD? The good news is that Christ is alive. The sad news is how little impact that event is having in our world.

The Jewish custom required that the two disciples invite Jesus to a meal. Hence, they invited Him for a night’s rest in their house–and Jesus accepted the invitation. During the meal, when Jesus broke the bread, the disciples realized that this stranger was not after all a stranger – this was Jesus, the Risen Christ. Later they said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us when he opened up the Scriptures to us?”  Hidden for a time, Jesus took delight in revealing himself in the breaking of the bread.  I don’t know how He’d said it in Yiddish or Hebrew the translation is: “Eat up! It’s good for you!”

You will recall on Easter morning that Jesus told the disciples to “go home.”  This time they “go back” a long path – walking 7 miles to Jerusalem to share their story.   They were probably pondering all along the way how they, like Mary Magdalene, did not recognize Jesus.  For Mary the revelation (Jesus’ delight) came when she heard Jesus’ voice.  For the Emmaus disciples it was the breaking of the bread.  That continues to this day.  Jesus meets us on our way to Emmaus, in the ordinary experiences of our lives, and in the places to which we retreat when life is too much for us. The story warns us, however, that the risen Lord will take delight in coming to us when we least expect him.

A young boy was walking home through the park after attending a Sunday school class. Somehow, he couldn’t stop thinking about the Bible lesson for that day. What impressed him most was when the teacher said, “You will find the risen Jesus in everyone you meet.” As he continued through the park, he noticed an old woman sitting on a bench. She looked lonely and hungry. So he sat down next to her, took out the chocolate bar he had saved and offered some to her. She accepted it with a beautiful smile.  They sat together in silence, just smiling at each other.  When the boy was leaving, he had gone a short distance when he ran back to the bench, and gave the woman a big hug. When he arrived home, his mother asked, “What’s making you so happy today?” He said, “I shared my chocolate bar with Jesus.” Before his mother could ask more questions, he added, “You know, she has the most beautiful smile in the world.”  Meanwhile, the old woman returned to her little apartment where she lived with her sister who remarked, “You seem really happy today.”  “I am,” she replied, “I was sitting in the park, eating a chocolate bar with Jesus. And, you know, he looks a lot younger than I expected.”   Isn’t that the lesson in today’s gospel?  We will meet and experience the risen Jesus in unexpected places and persons.  Make someone smile and notice God’s delight in the smile returned to you.

~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB

 

 

First Reading:  Acts 3:13-15,17-19         Second Reading:  1 John 2:1-5a
Gospel:   Luke 24:35-48
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Friendship

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Throughout the Easter season abiding love has been the dominant and obvious theme in our Gospel readings.  We’ve been told: “I will not leave you orphans.”  Why?  “So that my joy might be in you and your joy may be complete.” The intimate, reassuring message is, “I call you friends.”  This is quite a concept to grapple with.  “Friends” describes a relationship between two equals.

On the night He was betrayed Jesus made a big deal about calling the disciples “friends.”  That’s perhaps something we don’t often think a great deal about: Jesus making friends.  We think of Jesus as kind, compassionate, and tender.  We think of Him holding and hugging children, touching the person with leprosy and blind eyes, teaching and preaching.  But do we consider that this truly human being also had friendships?  We might have a hard time visualizing Jesus walking, talking, and laughing, sharing a joke, recalling with his friends a funny incident they’d shared.  Can we see Jesus and His disciples sitting up late into the night around a dying fire, chatting quietly in the darkness counting the stars, then one-by-one falling asleep as the fire turns to embers?

What makes a friend a “friend”?  Think about your friends.  Friends have common interests and goals.  Friends work together, socialize together.  Friends share time, space and stories.  Friends listen, often share personal and private information about themselves.  Friends are there to celebrate with you.  They are there to cry with you.  Friends think about you when others don’t. Friends take care of you.  Friends don’t laugh at your dreams and they tell you theirs.  Friends bail you out of awkward situations, cover for your mistakes when for example you intone the wrong antiphon or psalm.  When you play the wrong hymn, they recognize the mistake and quickly change gears to match your melody.   They set the buffet table for you when you forget that you are the server.  Friends sit at the table for a few extra minutes and are quietly thankful that Divine Providence has chosen these people, at this time and place to befriend you.  Friends are alert to anticipate your needs and they aren’t disappointed when you overlook theirs.  It comes down to this: you like the person you are when you are with your friends.

Jesus calls each of us “friend.”  But do we treat Jesus as a friend?  When have I abused or betrayed this special friendship?  When have I ignored our friendship?  In what ways do I demand that my friend Jesus do more for me than I would do for Him?  Jesus’ humbly served others.  Is that my attitude or do I try to get others to do things for me?  Do I play tit-for-tat and make bargains with God?  I promise if You do this, I’ll do that.

Jesus looks for ways to get together with me in my daily life.  He offers me opportunities in Word and Sacrament.  Do I take advantage of these opportunities?  Or do I figure out ways to avoid time with Jesus?  I know Jesus hears my prayers.  How often do I talk to Him in prayer?  Jesus goes in search of people to talk to.  Would I rather not leave my comfort zone?  Jesus tells me the secrets of salvation.  Do I trust Him with my secrets, even my secret sins?

Jesus gifts us with His constant companionship.  Consider this: If I am faithful solely to community prayer times, that’s approximately 14 hours a week.  How much of the remaining 154 hours a week do I spend with my divine companion?  Jesus truly is at our beck and call.  Let us pray to remain in this friendship and strive daily to be a true friend to our God.

 

~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB

 

 

First Reading:  Acts 8:5-8, 14-17         Second Reading:  1 Peter 3:15-19
Gospel:   John 14:15-21
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Divine Mercy Sunday

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Yesterday, the Second Sunday of Easter, in days gone by, was known as “Low Sunday” – a lesser Easter celebration – or “Quasi-modo Sunday” from the first two words of the Latin entrance antiphon at Mass: “Like newborn infants” speaking about those baptized at Easter.  It is the day that the newly baptized officially put away their white robes, hence, it was known liturgically as the “Sunday of putting away the albs.”   And yes, the name of this feast is the origin of the name of the hunchback, Quasimodo, in Victor Hugo’s “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.” The foundling was so named because he was discovered at the cathedral on the Second Sunday of Easter.

For centuries the Easter liturgies have proclaimed the mercy of God.  From Holy Thursday to Easter Sunday to the Eighth Day of Easter, the divine love song of mercy is chanted with abundant alleluias.   In tomorrow’s responsorial psalm we will sing three times, “His mercy endures forever.”

In the year 2000, at the Mass for the canonization of St. Faustina Kowalska, Pope John Paul II made a surprising announcement in his homily.  “It is important that we accept the whole message that comes to us from the word of God on this Second Sunday of Easter, which from now on throughout the Church, will be called ‘Divine Mercy Sunday.’ ”   Clearly it is not a new feast, but neither is it an optional title for this solemnity; rather, Divine Mercy is the integral name for this Feast Day.

For many people there are two contemporary stories that continue to stand out in memory.  One is the story of the Amish community that walked to the home of the man who had killed 5 of their children to tell his widow they forgave her husband for what he had done, and they consoled her for the loss of her spouse. They buried their anger before they buried their children.

The other well-known story of forgiveness that you may recall was depicted on the cover of TIME magazine in 1984.  It pictured a prison cell where two men sat on metal folding chairs. The younger man wore a black turtleneck sweater, blue jeans and white running shoes. The older man was dressed in a white robe and had a white skullcap on his head. They sat facing one another, up close and personal. They spoke quietly to keep others from hearing their conversation. The young man was an attempted assassin; the older man was Pope John Paul II, his intended victim. The pope held the hand that had held the gun whose bullet had torn into his body.  At the end of their 20-minute meeting, Ali raised the pope’s hand to his forehead as a sign of respect. John Paul shook Ali’s hand tenderly.  When the pope left the cell he said, “What we talked about must remain a secret between us. I spoke to him as a brother whom I have pardoned and who has my complete trust.”

Our Gospel (you’ll recall) begins with the risen Christ appearing to the apostles on Easter night. Jesus calms his disciples by saying and giving them “Peace.” He shows them the scars of his Passion, his wounded hands and side, the evidence of his saving work through his suffering, death and resurrection.  Then he breathes on them and explains what the divine breathing means with the words, “Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven, whose sins you shall retain are retained.” He gives to the apostles, from the treasury of divine mercy, the power of mercy for penitents and the assurance there is nothing for us to fear.  That’s what the divine mercy of God is all about.

~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB

 

 

First Reading:  Acts 4:232-35         Second Reading:  1 John 5:1-6
Gospel:   John 20:19-31
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Update from the Benedictine community in Lviv, Ukraine

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The situation with the reception of refugees remains intense. People from the eastern regions of our country continue to arrive here and seek refuge.  Most of them managed to escape the bombardments by evacuation trains or green corridors and have already witnessed the explosions.  They are often very stressed and need to be taken care of.

On the day of the Lord’s Resurrection, there are 117 people (44 of them children) in our monastery without monks and nuns (139 in total).  We were able to increase the number of beds a little and create a more comfortable stay for them.  In total, more than five hundred people during this period asked to stay overnight or stayed at the monastery for some time.  Now we have mostly families who are permanent and don’t want to go any further.  With some of the families we developed a warm and friendly relationship, they quickly became part of our family.  At the Easter Vigil there was the Baptism of our youngest resident, Nicol Scholastica, who was only two weeks old at the time of her arrival.

Thanks to your help we can take these people in and give them everything they need, and we are infinitely grateful that you are sympathetic to our suffering and that you are close to us in such a concrete way.

The Benedictine Sisters of Florida and our donors have contributed to the refugee relief.

We thank you for your loving support to the Sisters and their missions!

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