Gospel

Jesus Is the Bread That Is Broken Yet Never Divided

August 5, 2024 by Holy Name Monastery Leave a Comment

Admit it: We are a hungry people in a hungry world. We crave something that will feed and energize us, fill us and satisfy more than our bellies. It’s not so much that we are hungry but it’s the kinds of bread we eat. Think about the variety of bread we eat at our own table: wheat, multi-grain, plain white; pita pockets, hoagie rolls, English muffins, French bread and Jewish bagels and Challah bread; And, oh my goodness, the homemade varieties we get! Saturday cooked breakfast may offer biscuits or scones, crescent rolls, pull-bread, sliced bread. It may be toasted or plain, garlic sprinkled, seeded or stuffed. Every Saturday is a surprise: dessert breads, nut breads, banana bread, raisin bread, cheese bread and don’t overlook all the gluten-free breads available in the markets. The list goes on and on.

In war-torn countries both sides are eating the bread of violence and war. In our own country factions share the bread of negativity, hostility, and name-calling. In the corporate world both sides are eating the bread that objectifies and depersonalizes another human being. Many eat the bread of having to be right and get their own way. We eat the bread of hurt feelings and resentment. Sometimes we eat the bread of loneliness, fear, and isolation. There are times when we eat the bread of sorrow or guilt. Other times we eat the bread of power and control; or the bread of revenge or one-upmanship.

The world is full of bread and yet far too many live hungry, empty lives. They wake day after day disappointed, asking God for a miracle. It’s a sure sign that the bread we have eaten cannot give real life. It is perishable bread that nourishes only a perishable appetite. We are left wanting more, more, more.

The bread we eat may fill our belly, may even bloat us but it’s not of lasting value. It passes through our bodily system. Not all bread is nutritious. If you want to know the nutritional value of bread, you have to look beyond the bread. Where did it come from? What are its ingredients?

That’s what Jesus is teaching in this gospel. The people have shown up hungry. But just yesterday Jesus fed 5000 with five loaves and two fish. Today they show up and their first question is, “Rabbi, when did you come here?”

They do not marvel at yesterday’s miracle and give thanks for Jesus’ generosity, or even wonder who this rabbi was. They’re just worried they might have missed the next meal, that Jesus started without them and they are too late. They did not perceive the meaning of the sign, the miracle, in the first feeding. They either refused or were unable to see beyond the fish and bread. They are interested only in their own appetites.

Jesus knows this kind. He calls them out: “Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill.” The people are concerned for their bellies; Jesus is concerned for their lives. The people want to feed themselves with bread; Jesus wants to feed them with God. “Do not work for the food that perishes,” he tells them, “but for food that endures for eternal life.” Jesus himself is the bread that is broken and distributed for the life of the world. He is the bread that is broken yet never divided. He is the bread that is eaten and yet the value is never exhausted.

When we believe in Jesus: eating, ingesting, and taking him into our lives, we live differently. We see ourselves and one another as persons created in the image and likeness of God. We trust the silence of our prayer life. We choose love and forgiveness and reconciliation. We relate with intimacy and vulnerability. We listen with “the ear of our heart” for God’s voice. “I am the bread of life,” Jesus tells us. “Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.” Jesus is offering us himself – the imperishable bread that nourishes and sustains imperishable life. So, what bread will we offer our guests and co-workers? What bread will you and I eat today?

~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, O.S.B.

Stay informed, stay safe from the effects of the tropical storm and all the “storms” of life …. As commentators are warning: “hide from the winds; run from rising water” and pray for safety and speedy damage recovery for all peoples. God bless!

First Reading: Exodus 16:2-4, 12-15 Second Reading: Ephesians 4:17, 20-24
Gospel: John 6:24-35

Tell All Around You of the Great Love of God

July 15, 2024 by Holy Name Monastery Leave a Comment

“Tell All Around You of the Great Love of God.

When All Else Fails, Use Words.”

Today’s Gospel continues the messages of the readings we’ve heard for the last ten days or so and goes hand in hand with the current daily selections from the Holy Rule. We get glimpses into Jesus’ practice of conferring extraordinary responsibility on ordinary people. For instance, consider the amazing features of Jesus’ ministry in His choice of closest disciples. They are hardly the kind of people we’d choose to put on a ministry team: fishermen, a former tax collector, a couple known to have quick tempers, a revolutionary and a traitor. Some were always getting into trouble, missing the point of Jesus’ teachings, putting a foot in the mouth. At times, they revealed their jealousy when folks outside their circle got too close to Jesus or when so-called outsiders were trying to perform healings. When the going got tough, most of them walked away or denied their commitment to Jesus. Despite all this, Jesus used them to turn the world upside down. Doesn’t knowing that give us cause for hope?

Readings from the Rule of Benedict remind us three times annually that our founder picked up on Jesus’ theme when he reminds his followers to be satisfied with what the monastery has to offer. The monks “must not eat with outsiders, unless perhaps the superior has ordered it.” Concerning their clothing, Benedict recognizes that a monk’s everyday clothes – the clothes on his back – might disgrace him in public. He directs that the members should not come across as though they were better than the people they encountered. Is he saying that we need not dress like the poor in order to minister to them? We show respect for others by wearing attire which in an unspoken message conveys ‘You are special, I value you and so I made a special effort in my appearance to be with you.’ You’ll notice also that when Jesus sends His new missionaries out, it’s always in the plural: in pairs, two by two showing that His mission, our mission, is a communal endeavor.

And, when Jesus told the disciples to shake the dust from their sandals if they found themselves in a village where their message was rejected, this was not something new. Jews often did this when they returned from a foreign land across the border back into their homeland. It represented a total disassociation from pagans and pollution.

Jesus did not limit his power to His little company of disciples. He gives us, too, the grace to carry His message to the world. We may feel inadequate but Jesus’ power rests in us and on us. Jesus assures us “Don’t worry about what you are to say. At that moment, the words will be given to you” (Matt 10:19). As one of our hymns says: “His love and grace, that’s enough for me!”

Surely you remember St. Francis, the son of a wealthy merchant who became known as the poor man of Assisi. He serves as an example of a Christian who responded to God’s call: “Repair my Church.” Asking another friar to accompany him to preach to the townspeople, the two walked together through the streets and returned home without ever uttering a word. Questioned by the friar as to when they would begin to preach, Francis replied, “We just did. Tell all around you of the great love of God. When all else fails, use words.”

This is the kind of pilgrimage 40,000 believers are taking along four (4) routes that lead to Indianapolis for the 5-day Eucharistic Congress that begins on July 17^th. Staff from our diocesan pastoral center, and over 100 Tampa Bay parishes, will be gathering in Indianapolis for liturgies, impact sessions, concerts and other faith-filled experiences culminating in a Eucharistic Procession through downtown Indianapolis. Let us pray daily this week that pilgrims may travel in safety and that their lives may be enriched by their experience.

Join us as we pray in spirit with the pilgrims at the Congress. Choose your own prayer time or slip away for a few minutes at the times the Sisters will be at prayer.

EUCHARISTIC REVIVAL

Join Crusade: Pray 10,000 Holy Hours in July

Optional Holy Hours in union with pilgrims

At The Eucharistic Revival Congress

Tuesday, July 16 (travel Day) 4:45 p.m. + Vespers

Wednesday, July 17 10:45 a.m. + 11:15 Mass

Thursday, July 18 3-4 p.m.

Friday, July 19 6:30 + Compline

Saturday, July 20 4:30 p.m. + Vigil Service

Sunday, July 21 4:30 p.m. + Evening

~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB

First Reading: Amos 7:12-15 Second Reading: Ephesians 1:3-14
Gospel: Mark 6:7-13

Your family is outside asking for you

June 10, 2024 by Holy Name Monastery Leave a Comment

A crowd that has gathered is so large that Jesus and his disciples are not even able to eat their bread in peace and quiet. Jesus’ family comes to take him away because they think he is “beside himself”, speaking out of His head. This would be a good opportunity for Jesus to point out that family for him is not based on results from a search on Ancestry.com or an interview with Henry Louis Gates on Finding Your Roots.

The evangelist tells us that some people were quite alarmed by Jesus’ behavior. His family was certainly alarmed. Mark reports that when his family and friends heard about his preaching and behavior, they went out to seize him: for they said, “He is insane.”

In his youth, his family probably thought of Jesus as a normal boy. His cousins and friends would have accepted him as one of the neighborhood kids, just one of them.

I suspect he might have tried to keep their nonsense under control and lead them down the right path. So, they were not overly surprised when he began street preaching. But now he had gone overboard. He was so often in the public eye that things were getting a little out of control and they urged him to quit.

In the instance reported in this Gospel reading, several of the group had come ready to distract Jesus and get him away from the crowd. But their attempt at an intervention wasn’t working. They tried sending him a message that his family was waiting to talk to him. He left them standing on the outside. He seemed to “dummy up”. He threw the messengers a zinger with the question: “Who are my mother and my brothers?”

Is his family frustrated with him? Or just plain worried about him? They hear that Jesus is drawing crowds again, and they go to rescue him because people are talking about “our boy”. Some of the people think he’s loony. His family is embarrassed and worried of what might become of him. But Jesus doesn’t seem to mind at all. After all, he knows how badly it could all turn out. He tells the crowd, and us, mine is an extended family where each and every one is welcome. I embrace anyone and everyone. These people may look like a group of misfits, but they’re family.

So, I wonder: who might be at our door for a look around and to speak to us? Do they want to be a part of our extended family, preserve our reputation and tell the world what a great place we have here and what a pleasant group of people we are?

Our oblates come immediately to mind. You probably realize this: there are more Benedictine Oblates in the U.S. than the combined number of professed Benedictine men and women living in communities. Worldwide there are currently 25,000 oblates compared to 21,000 Benedictine monks and sisters. Here at home, on our Oblate mailing list we have upwards to 40 Oblates. That’s almost 4 times the size of our vowed community members. Our oblates are faithful persons who are reaching out into the greater community, telling our story often better than we do. These are persons who are immersed in “the world,” living out the values and mission of our Benedictine community. It’s true that they come to us to get refueled, to learn more about the Benedictine charism, but it’s equally true, as Joan Chittister says, “Oblates are the hope in this century that the llfe and values of the Benedictine vision can be born … again and anew.” So, when we hear the summons, “Your family is outside asking for you,” how shall we respond, what shall we do?

~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB

Kindly remember our Sisters in your prayer this week … we will be on retreat beginning Sunday evening and close after mass on Friday with a sumptuous brunch and our halos shining. God’s blessing with each of you!

First Reading: Genesis 3:9-15 Second Reading: 2 Corinthisans 4:13-5:1

Gospel: Mark 3:20-35

Stand in Solidarity

October 17, 2023 by Holy Name Monastery Leave a Comment

We, the Benedictine Sisters of Florida, stand in solidarity with the Leadership Conference of Women Religious in their condemnation of violence of any kind against vulnerable, civilian populations.

LCWR Stands in Solidarity with the People of the Middle East

“Never has the use of violence brought peace in its wake.
War begets war, violence begets violence.”

Pope Francis, Angelus, September 1, 2013.

The members of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), in solidarity with the global community of faith, stand in the shadow of the horrors initiated on October 7, 2023 in Israel and Gaza. As women of the Gospel, we grieve with those who grieve, seek release of those held captive, and recognize the root causes of violence as well as the urgent call for the use of all possible resources to stabilize the Middle East, secure refuge for those in humanitarian crisis, and negotiate peace that will last.

United with the interfaith community, we take seriously our responsibility to protect the safety of all people of faith throughout the world. We stand united with leaders of other faiths, intolerant of any form of hate or violence towards places of worship, and ready to witness to the transformation of consciousness necessary for sustainable peace.

LCWR is compelled to work toward a world where reverence for all living beings finds expression in a life of nonviolence. We stand in solidarity with the victims of brutality and with faith leaders as we heed the Gospel call to follow Jesus’ way of nonviolence, reconciliation, and care for the most vulnerable across lines of division.

We commit ourselves and the members of our religious communities to choose the peaceful path of Jesus and exercise all of our rights and duties as citizens to urge our leaders to act as responsible members of the world community. We join our prayer with religious people of all faiths who recognize that war is not the solution, and we commit ourselves to be those who believe that peace is possible.

We call upon world leaders and the United Nations to activate those mechanisms necessary for an immediate ceasefire and the negotiation of peace, so that justice may prevail. We are each responsible to be aware, to be informed by factual information, to look at root causes, and to reject rhetoric that fuels violence.

We, the members of LCWR, will continue to speak on behalf of the truth of faith, the strength of prayer, the power of nonviolence and the only pathway that will provide a future for our children: peace.

The Kingdom of God is Open to Everyone

October 16, 2023 by Holy Name Monastery Leave a Comment

Have you ever watched a make-over program on TV? I’ve watched a few on house make-overs. But recently when I was channel surfing, I was attracted by a young lady’s plea to get her boyfriend to dress appropriately for a wedding. This was one of those make-over shows where a person gets their entire wardrobe revamped. As these shows go, they took him – he seemed to go without protest – to an up-scale clothing store for a new wardrobe that would make him acceptable at the wedding – at least in the eyes of his girlfriend. He watched helplessly as his favorite clothes were thrown in a heap and replaced with more “fashionable items.”

The party in today’s Gospel would have been a highlight in many people’s lives. free food, hobnobbing with people whose names they’d only heard in passing. Why would they not jump at the chance to be a guest at such a fantastic occasion? But you just throw a party yourself and you will quickly figure out that some who say “yes” won’t show up and a goodly number will figure you knew they’d come so they did not really need to RSVP.

The people to whom Jesus was telling this parable understood the absurdity of the situation. They knew that Jesus was not simply telling them a strange story but that he was telling them something about their own lives. He was in essence telling them that they were the invited guests and that they had refused the invitation. They understood that Jesus was telling them that the kingdom of God is open to everyone: to the outcasts and the sinners and to them.

But Jesus doesn’t stop his parable with that. He goes on to say that once the street-people had been invited into the banquet, the king spotted someone who wasn’t properly dressed. When asked why, the man was speechless. The king demanded that he be handcuffed and thrown into the outer darkness. How are we to understand this part of the parable? Why was lack of a certain type of garment such a big deal?

Some may say the king invited everyone so people should come just as they happen to be when they decided to join the banquet. Others argue it means we should be given a special robe at the door of the church to wear during the service. Of course, these answers miss the point. This is a story that has a deeper meaning. Yes, it is a story, but remember parables are earthly stories with heavenly meanings.

I find it intriguing that while the last group brought into the wedding came from the hedgerows and by-ways, the main character was still expected to be wearing a wedding garment. This lets us know, doesn’t it, that we better be ready at all times to come to the wedding. The point, of course, is not what type of clothing covers our nakedness. At some stage in life we’ve all learned that although not the most important thing in life, fashion is not something to be totally ignored either. Just ask anyone who is getting married, or celebrating a jubilee or going to a funeral, if what people wear isn’t of some significance. At one end of the spectrum, there are folks who believe brand name labels are the key to admittance into their coveted social circle. But for others, fashion is just not a big deal at all. They may not even own a full-length mirror.

The wedding garment Jesus was talking about was like a choir cloak that was provided at the door. To the listeners, this guest was one who snubbed social rules, the significance of the occasion and the prestige of being included on the guest list.

Even though everyone is invited into the banquet of the kingdom of heaven, there will be some who simply don’t send back their RSVP card. There will be those who show up but do so without the proper spiritual clothing and are sent away. The reading leaves us with that same probing question we first heard in our mother’s voice: “You’re wearing that?!” We quickly recognized it was not really a question but an order.

Maybe a good place to start re-doing our spiritual wardrobes would be to heed St. Paul’s admonition to the Colossians (3:13): “As God’s chosen people … clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” Just be sure you’re wearing the proper attire when Jesus says: “Come in, Friend, I’ve saved a seat with your name on it.“

~ Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB

Pray for peace in the world and people’s safety; for justice and access to health services; and protection from all forms of violence.

First Reading: Isaiah 25:6-10a Second Reading: Philippians 4:12-14, 19-20

Gospel: Matthew 22:1-14

Go Into My Vineyard

September 25, 2023 by Holy Name Monastery Leave a Comment

“Go into my vineyard and I will give you what is just.”

It strikes me that this Gospel must be a source of reassurance to those that some describe as “late-in-life or delayed vocations”. When the 5 o’clock whistle blew the persons in the parable figured they’d been overlooked AGAIN. “I don’t I look strong enough? What will I say to my wife and children?” The parable describes these hopefuls as “standing around.” But if you have ever seen day-laborers gathered, hopefully waiting for a grove owner’s bus, you’ve seen people weary and discouraged before the day begins. They sit on a bench or crouched on their haunches. Some perk up when the bus pulls in. Hope rises, then falls, as the boss chooses a handful of workers for that day. Experience warns the overlooked once again that there’s no room for them on the bus.

But they don’t completely give up. They live in hope. They wait well into the day. Until 5 o’clock, the parable says. Staring into space, once again picturing their children with hunger in their eyes. But wait! Maybe (just maybe) they could pick up a few hours work before dark. Their ears pricked up when they hear the voice of the landowner, the Master, speaking to them: “Why are you still here? You, too, go into my vineyard.” They labor until the whistle blows marking the end of the day in the fields.

Those who came late have worked only a small ratio of the day compared to those who were on the first bus. What a surprise when they discreetly peeked into their pay envelopes. They’d been thinking, “This owner’s usually generous. Wonder how much I got? Will it put supper on the table? Whoa! Look again. It’s not possible that’s a full day’s wages.” But it is!

The whole Gospel story harkens back to a line in the First Reading from the Prophet Isaiah: (God speaks) “My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways. The Master continues emphasizing how far apart God’s thoughts are from ours. “As high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are my ways above your ways, and my thoughts above your thoughts.” With that consideration in mind, (that God’s thoughts are a far cry from our earth-bound thoughts) make the jump to the last line in the Gospel parable: “Am I not free to do as I wish with my own riches? Are you envious because I am generous?” Has God ever had to asked you that question: Are you envious because I am generous?

We shouldn’t be found sitting idly on the bench we call life. Or worse, grumbling over “poor me”. Nor can we stand around idle waiting to be hired. The Rule of Benedict offers us a good personal check list:

Benedict exhorts us: Honor all persons with respect. Accommodate a diversity of personality styles. Do not hold your Sisters hostage with any form of tyranny or tardiness nor weigh down the group with grumbling. No favoritism will be awarded due to rank or status, between rich and poor. Any favoritism should be afforded to the weak and the sick. Follow what you consider better for others. Respect all equally!

In regard to respect for individual pathways to holiness, Benedict says in RB 73: there is always more you can do. Those who can do more, should do so. “As observant and obedient monk, we blush for shame at being so slothful, so unobservant, so negligent. Are you hastening toward your heavenly home? Then, with Christ’s help, keep this little rule. After that, you can set out for the loftier summits of teaching and the virtues, and under God’s protection you will reach them.”

Can you hear the landowner asking you: “Why are you standing here idle all day? Go into my vineyard and I will give you what is just.”

Jesus Is the Bread That Is Broken Yet Never Divided

First Reading: Exodus 16:2-4, 12-15 Second Reading: Ephesians 4:17, 20-24
Gospel: John 6:24-35

Tell All Around You of the Great Love of God

“Tell All Around You of the Great Love of God.

When All Else Fails, Use Words.”

First Reading: Amos 7:12-15 Second Reading: Ephesians 1:3-14
Gospel: Mark 6:7-13

Your family is outside asking for you

First Reading: Genesis 3:9-15 Second Reading: 2 Corinthisans 4:13-5:1

Gospel: Mark 3:20-35

Stand in Solidarity

We, the Benedictine Sisters of Florida, stand in solidarity with the Leadership Conference of Women Religious in their condemnation of violence of any kind against vulnerable, civilian populations.

LCWR Stands in Solidarity with the People of the Middle East

The Kingdom of God is Open to Everyone

First Reading: Isaiah 25:6-10a Second Reading: Philippians 4:12-14, 19-20

Gospel: Matthew 22:1-14

Go Into My Vineyard

“Go into my vineyard and I will give you what is just.”

Welcome to Fall 2023… cooler weather and

beautiful change of season

Readings: Isaiah 55:6-9 Philippians 1:20-24, 27a

Gospel: Matthew 20:1-16a

Prayer / Newsletter / Info

Contact Info

Benedictine Sisters of Florida

Mass Schedule

Gospel

First Reading: Exodus 16:2-4, 12-15 Second Reading: Ephesians 4:17, 20-24 Gospel: John 6:24-35

“Tell All Around You of the Great Love of God.

When All Else Fails, Use Words.”

First Reading: Amos 7:12-15 Second Reading: Ephesians 1:3-14 Gospel: Mark 6:7-13

First Reading: Genesis 3:9-15 Second Reading: 2 Corinthisans 4:13-5:1

Gospel: Mark 3:20-35

We, the Benedictine Sisters of Florida, stand in solidarity with the Leadership Conference of Women Religious in their condemnation of violence of any kind against vulnerable, civilian populations.

LCWR Stands in Solidarity with the People of the Middle East

First Reading: Isaiah 25:6-10a Second Reading: Philippians 4:12-14, 19-20

Gospel: Matthew 22:1-14

“Go into my vineyard and I will give you what is just.”

Welcome to Fall 2023… cooler weather and

beautiful change of season

Readings: Isaiah 55:6-9 Philippians 1:20-24, 27a

Gospel: Matthew 20:1-16a

Footer

Prayer / Newsletter / Info

Contact Info

Benedictine Sisters of Florida

Mass Schedule

First Reading: Exodus 16:2-4, 12-15 Second Reading: Ephesians 4:17, 20-24
Gospel: John 6:24-35

First Reading: Amos 7:12-15 Second Reading: Ephesians 1:3-14
Gospel: Mark 6:7-13