Benedictine Sisters of FL

Holy Name Monastery
Founded 1889

Gospel

Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

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The dialogue in this Gospel starts with a question: “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” It seems like a reasonable question, something you would ask a visiting rabbi.  But what was behind the question? On the one hand it may have been idle curiosity.   Or perhaps the person wanted to trick Jesus by poking fun at Him in front of the crowd.  Maybe, just maybe, the questioner thought that God might let anyone and everyone, including the riffraff, into heaven.  Was the raised voice from the crowd an enemy of Jesus, who was just out to get him?  Or might it have been pride? In his heart he may have been feeling: “Hey, look at me! I’ll be one of the few saved! These poor souls surrounding me – I hope they realize how pleased God is with me.”

It seems possible, too, that the question was neither purely academic nor a trick to entrap Jesus. It could have been a sincere question on a very personal level. Maybe the fellow was worried sick about himself, that he wouldn’t make it. Despair could have driven his question.  He was looking for the slightest sliver of hope.

In any case, we’re not told the outspoken one’s motivation. What we do know is how Jesus answered (or didn’t answer).  Instead of a direct answer, Jesus gives us another story, a very human story, a story that changed the world.

Often near the end of the TV evening news we hear news castors make reference to “Good Samaritan” stories.  For instance, a traffic accident witness stepped forward to offer assistance.

Here in our diocese, we know the Good Samaritan Society, perhaps best, through summer volunteerism.  The Good Samaritan Project (GSP), is a week-long service retreat led by the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry.   Middle and high school teens gather from across our Diocese to serve, pray, and have fun together for the betterment of the community and the Glory of God.  Our monastic community has been the beneficiary of services of youth and young adult groups from Las Vegas, California.  They have come from Catholic high schools and parish faith formation programs as well as our nearby university.  Local food banks and the Daystar Hope Center in Dade City have also benefited from initiatives such as  “Food for the World” Saturday and “Pack a Bag”.

Who knows how many trillions of dollars in charitable giving this one story from Jesus has inspired over the years? More than that, it has inspired countless small acts of human kindness that have made our world a more livable place.

Good Samaritans are people who open their schedules to accommodate another’s need.  They are persons who open their wallets or keep a fistful of fast food gift certificates to hand out the car window to the empty hands seen many mornings at the busiest of intersections.

Even people who are not God-followers or believers appreciate this ethical parable of Jesus. Re-read it.  Let it seep in.  Look at the words with fresh eyes.  Listen to the story. Read it aloud with open ears, hands and heart. (Read it now ….   ) “On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”  Jesus replied: “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?”

~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB

 

 

First Reading:   Deuteronomy 30:10-14         Second Reading:  Colossians 1:15-20
Gospel:   Luke 10:25-37
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Let All The Earth Cry Out To God With Joy

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(At the outset let it be understood that what follows may appear to be fiction but it is not. St. Luke shared this with me.)

One day, when the man of God Benedict was doing Lectio and pondering how to incorporate his set of values into his manuscript directed to his followers, St. Luke entered his reverie.  What an inspiration!  Luke and Benedict chatted with each other for a spell.  Look Ben, (said Luke) you’ve consulted the writings of the one you call the Master.  May I suggest you look at my record of the sayings of THE Master.  Compare it with the 10th chapter of my Gospel. Sure enough!  Very many of our special Benedictine values are put forth by THE Master Jesus.  For instance:

+ A SPIRIT of POVERTY: take nothing with you (is how Jesus puts it) No money bags, no suitcase, no canvas bag or pretty tote and no sandals.  Or as you say it in your Rule: “No one may presume to give, receive or retain anything as her own, nothing at all, in short not a single item … no one shall presume ownership of anything. “

+ A SENSE of STABILITY: Jesus advises his followers: Into whatever house you enter, stay in the same house; don’t be moving from one house to another.   Benedict, you describe the first kind of monastics called cenobites.  From what you say, I sense this may be your preferred type of members.  “Those who belong to a particular monastery, where they serve under the rule of a superior.”

+ Further, Benedict, you expect these cenobites to follow Jesus’ way of life, personally and communally, practicing a SPIRIT of SIMPLICITY and ACCEPTANCE of WHATEVER IS AVAILABLE:  In your words:  Eating and drinking whatever is offered to you; whatever is set before you.

Benedict, my friend, you have an obvious understanding of human nature. Could we attribute that to your twin sister’s influence?  She took her turn as cook for her group of women whom she loved as ardently as you looked after the rough and tough gang of men that lived with you. It’s evident in your words: Taking turns serving one another, using an unvoiced system of gestures when anything is required.  And (yes, PLEASE God) it will save you a heap of trouble if you designate a weekly reader to proclaim the Holy Word throughout the meal.

In studying your Rule, Benedict, it seems to go without saying that there will likely be no harmony in the group unless the members all strive to AVOID EVIL and CLING to PEACE.   I (that is Luke) remind my readers: Remember what Jesus said (It’s right there in verse 9). “If peace is not present in the house where you find yourself, go out into the streets and shake the dust from your feet and leave that town.”  When you feel evil rising in you, get in touch with the cause – shame the devil – leave the occasion of sin.

In this weekend’s second reading St. Paul reminds us that we bear the marks of Jesus in our body.  Jesus conquered evil so that we, too, might be part of the new creation. We rejoice with the disciples, reveling as they did in first fervor.  We rejoice because “our names are written in heaven.”  Sing with Isaiah in the First Reading: We rely on the gentle care God has for us: we shall be carried in God’s arms, comforted as a mother comforts her child and fondles the child in her lap and delights in nursing the babe.  That’s the joy that can erupt in the words of tomorrow’s responsorial psalm: LET ALL THE EARTH CRY OUT TO GOD WITH JOY.

~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB

 

Let us remember each other in prayer on Friday, July 11th, the Summer feast of St. Benedict.

 

 

First Reading: Isaiah  66:10-14                     Second Reading: Galatians 6:14-18
Gospel: Luke 10:1-12, 17-20
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Third Sunday of Lent

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The Choice is Ours

 

One day, a week or so after the “big storm,” I saw the Master Gardener in our gardens.  Have you met Him?  This day He seemed to be assessing the damage Milton had reeked on our plant life.  Like the fig tree in Luke’s story, our plants, our Laudato Si Aquaponic Gardens and the “hobby gardens” were about to get a reprieve.  Insurance money gifted us with the wherewithal to rebuild the Hydro/aquaponic operation. And if you look closely, you can see plants that appeared to have been cut off at the root, are beginning to sprout ever so tiny green leaves peeking through the churned up soil.

Did you know Jesus was quite a gardener Himself?  Artists often depict Him with His foster father Joseph in a carpenter’s workshop.  But He also spent time with Mary, His mother, learning the art of cultivation of plants.  What cultivation skills did we learn under our mother’s watchful eye?  It may not have been working in a garden, but someone in our life showed us how to coax maturity to signs of new life.

The Gospel is asking us to take a good look at ourselves.  The tree in the parable is showing signs of life but it bears no fruit.  We ask ourselves: Is that me?  Am I barely managing to “hang in there?”   Am I being called to more than that? Yes, God has higher hopes for each of us, if we will but give grace a chance.

For instance, we can ask ourselves:

  • How do I relate with those I reside with? With outsiders?  Is my presence a positive element or do I fall into the negativity trap?  Do I pass judgment without giving God credit for knowing the whole story?
  • Am I a good or sour influence within my community (or my family circle)?
  • What is my attitude towards people I do not know or who aren’t “useful” to me?
  • What kind of contribution (including being physically present) do I make to the life of this community?
  • In general, what kind of contribution do I make to our community and beyond?  What COULD I be doing?

Pope Francis has reminded us more than once of something we know deep down – but sometimes, especially in the midst of trouble, we tend to forget.  He says: “There are no situations we cannot get out of.  We are not condemned to sink into quicksand where the more we move the deeper we sink.  Jesus is always there, his hand extended, ready to reach out to us and pull us up out of the mud, out of sin, out of the abyss into which we have stumbled.

The barren fig tree in Jesus’ story is given a reprieve.  It is allowed another chance to respond favorably and to produce fruit.  Every Lenten season offers us a chance to fertilize our tree, the tree which is our life, and to see how it can be more fruitful.

We need to realize love is only fully completed in us when we become a genuinely loving and caring person; one who loves both God and others in word and action.  We have the choice to open ourselves and come closer to God, to experience the gift of LOVE personified in Jesus. The choice is up to us. God’s love is there for the taking.  What are you, what are we waiting for?

~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB

 

 

 

First Reading:   Exodus 3:1-8a, 13-15       Second Reading:  1 Corinthians 10:1-6, 10-12
Gospel:   Luke 13:1-8
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Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

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This Sunday can fall either before Lent or after the Easter season, so it is not often celebrated.

THE GOSPEL IS A STRONG CHALLENGE to the lifestyle that prevails in most of our cities in the so-called developed world.  Jesus puts it bluntly: “You cannot at the same time be the slave of God and “mammon.” What Matthew is pointing out is that since human beings are not self-sufficient, we are dependent on something outside ourselves. It should be God, not the material goods we own.  Matthew concludes by reminding us to use our “one day at a time” confidence and remember that we are in God’s loving care. The graces we need will be there when we need them.  We can’t stock-pile graces for a rainy day.

What is in question is our attitude towards “things.”  Lent is a good time to review  the contents of our closets and other possessions.  Jesus is teaching us that our only real security is total trust in God.  We have to make a choice between God’s vision of life and a preoccupation with possessions. That involves different goals and visions of what is most important in life.  We can wear a veneer of Christian practice, but it won’t penetrate below the surface of our skin.

Jesus preaches something akin to “holy indifference” toward material goods. It should be obvious that some material things — like food and clothing and shelter — are necessary for daily living and everyone has a right to have these things.  The attitude of ‘holy indifference’ is not to be confused with an attitude of not caring about anyone or anything.   On the contrary, a person who practices holy indifference cares much and deeply and says ‘yes’ only to what is needed.

In the ordinary run of things, worry is a waste of time and psychic energy because it’s all about being uneasy about what might happen and will probably never happen. (Father) Tony de Mello quotes the Buddhist axiom: “Why worry?  If you don’t worry, you die; if you do worry, you die.  So, why worry?”    Fr. Tony continues: “Be yourself.  Be here.  Be now.”  God has provided you with everything you need right now to be happy.”  Our lives would be transformed if only we could really take Jesus’ advice: “Do not worry about tomorrow: tomorrow will take care of itself.”

If you tend to be a worrywart, Jesus has a remedy for you.  He says, look at the birds of the air and the flowers in the field.  They do nothing except be themselves and God takes care of them.  People are often so busy regretting the past or fretting about what MIGHT BE in the future that they can’t enjoy life.

Sounds so logical but you and I both know that everyone here worries about something. Some of us probably only worry every now and then. Some of us could win the prize for the world’s “expert worrier”. If we find ourselves with nothing to worry about, we worry that there’s nothing to worry about… so we worry until we figure out what that “nothing” is.  Right?

You know, worry is almost always about assuming control over things.  That’s a control that God never meant for us to have. Assuming control for the future is just not part of what we’re designed to do. Jesus says, “Can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life?”   We don’t have that kind of power.   But we can come into the peace of “the birds of the air and the flowers of the fields” when we are content with just being a human being and stop trying to be God.  “Let go, let God!”  This Gospel lesson reminds us that we are called to trust in God who knows what we need and when we need it.  We are called to believe that God will give it to us, when we need it.

~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB

 

Prepare ye that way for the good Lenten experience.

God bless!

 

 

First Reading:   Isaiah 49:14-15         Second Reading:  1 Corinthians 4:1-5
Gospel:   Matthew 6:24-34
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Give to everyone that asks.

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We live in a society that seems to have forgotten much of this Gospel message.  Children come to believe there is a trophy for every event in life.   They have forgotten – if they ever knew – the thrill of running for the sheer joy of feeling the wind on their faces, a hug from a parent – a loving squeeze without words that conveys, “I am so proud of you!”

All-too-quickly many lose (and sadly never rediscover) the warm, fuzzy feelings of self-satisfaction that was once a natural reaction to success  – that gleeful, almost smug smile the first time they stood alone, took their first step… when for the first time, to the consternation of the adults, they opened a child-proof container, hammered the first nail into mom’s precious table or exhibited their wonderful drawing with indelible pen on the living room wall…no one could be prouder of an achievement!

School children vie with each other to make donations to a collective cause.   Why?  Because they are learning the virtue of mercy?   Or because they get a “free dress” day at school?

Jesus tells us: Give to everyone who asks; treat others as you’d like to be treated; don’t take back what you gave as gift; give God the credit due for the generous urges you feel toward others and the charitable thoughts that squelch the unkind words that try to spring thoughtlessly past our lips.

Jesus advises us: Give your cloak AND your tunic – not just your warm coat (since you have another at home) but also the shirt off your back.  Today Jesus might challenge us – Why is your closet stuffed with blouses you haven’t worn since before you lost weight – or gained it?  It is quite unlikely you’ll never wear them again.  But what about that DAYSTAR customer, or that lady from the Sunrise women’s shelter who is going for a job interview?  Your blouse would fit her perfectly and add an ounce of confidence to her self-esteem.

Jesus reminds us, when we invite company for a meal not to wait for a return dinner date.  Don’t ask: whose turn is it to pick up the tab this time? He says to lend freely without expectation of repayment.  And when you respond generously to the impulse to do good – what caused that desire to arise?   Be slow to assume it is due to anything you have done.  Remember Jesus says “even sinners lend to their own kind.”  Give, and gifts will be given to you – in good measure, tamped down, packed tight, so your vessel can hold every tiny possible grain of blessing – full to overflowing – spilling over into your life and influencing all around you.

But there is a condition – if you are stingy, stinginess will be yours.  But, If you give without measure, generosity will be yours.  So how will you measure your kindness – by the teaspoon, tablespoon or a cupful?  By the minute, by the hour it might take you?  You know that you have 24 hours in a day.  That’s a 168 hours each week, (true not all are waking hours). That’s time in excess of 8,000 hours a year!  How flexible will you be with these God-given hours?  Will you respond to an imposition on your time – Now?  Tomorrow?  Next week?  Or with a prayer that the request will be forgotten?  Or will you give with open hands and heart – freely, without measure?  Jesus promises us: “the measure with which you measure, it will in turn be measured out to you.”

~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB

 

 

 

 

First Reading:   1 Samuel 26:2, 7-9, 12-13, 22-23         Second Reading:  1 Corinthians 15:45-49
Gospel:   Luke 6:27-38
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Every Ending Holds the Seeds of a New Beginning

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The readings this weekend continue the theme (as Father John has been reminding us) of endings that signal a beginning.  Every “good night” holds the promise of a “good morning!”  The sunset kisses the earth good-bye for a brief moment in time and surprises us with its rising on what seems to be the other side of the earth.  Every death is a hand-off to new life. St. Augustine echoes this concept when he calls to God: “O Beauty, so ancient, so new.”  Every “good-bye” uncovers a “hello” and every ending is a step to a new adventure.  When does the “NEW” become “NOW”?   When does “tomorrow” turn to “today”?  When we let go of yesterday, where does it go?  The character Tevya in Fiddler on the Roof sings about this phenomenon: “Sunrise, sunset; Swiftly flow the days; Seedlings turn overnight to sunflowers, blossoming even as we gaze.  Sunrise, sunset; swiftly fly the years, one season following another.”

In our Gospel Pilate asks: “What is truth?”  Jesus answers: “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  A few evenings ago I was half-watching TV when out of my distraction I heard: “So, what is truth?”  I’d started this reflection earlier in the day so the question seemed like part of another reality.  A World War II veteran was sharing that upon retirement from active service, he’s been “down in the dumps”, experiencing a lack of appreciation for his years in service to our country in defense of freedom and truth. Then he’d recalled Jesus’ words: “The truth shall make you free.”  He turned his bitterness into working with youth when he came to the realization that “The truth that makes you free, is the truth that stirs you to action.”

This weekend we observe the Solemnity of Christ the King which was first proclaimed universally as a feast in 1925 by Pope Pius IX.  In 2015, the prescribed date was moved from October to the last Sunday in the church year and raised to a solemnity.  At that time Pope Francis added a phrase to the title of the day: “Christ the King, the living face of the Father’s mercy.”

In tomorrow’s responsorial psalm we will proclaim: “The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.”  We often raise a hand in benediction as we sing: “May the blessing of the Lord be upon you.”  If we believe it’s true that Jesus is Lord, why do we sometimes scramble to find a substitute to replace the word “Lord?”  That raises the question: Is Jesus my King?  Do I know him on my own or is my relationship with Jesus based on borrowed thoughts from books I’ve read or homilies and retreat talks that I’ve heard? Do I sing with conviction the sentiments of the kingly hymns that spring to mind: “Come, Christians, Join to Sing”, “Rejoice, the Lord Is King”, “Praise to our victorious King”?  And let’s not overlook the triumphant echoing of a favorite Christmas carol: “Joy to the world! Let earth receive her king!”

At the other end of this week, we will be “jump-started” into the season of Advent, an experience of an “ending” that is a “beginning” – a time of waiting for the One who will come.  He is the One who is promised to us in the second Mass reading from book of Revelation: “Behold, he is coming and everyone will see him; the Alpha and the Omega, the one who is and who was and who is to come.”

~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB

 

 

First Reading:   2 Daniel 7:1-14         Second Reading:  Revelation 1:5-8
Gospel:   John 18:33b-37
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