Benedictine Sisters of FL

Holy Name Monastery
Founded 1889

Jesus' resurrection

Active Contemplation

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On this third Sunday of Easter, we continue to hear accounts of Jesus’ appearances following his Resurrection.  The first lines of this Gospel refer to the Emmaus story.  Two disciples were taking a Sunday stroll – well, a seven-mile walk – chatting about the events of the last several days.  Suddenly a stranger unceremoniously slipped into their company.  In today’s account, the two disciples hurry back to Jerusalem to report the glad news of how they recognized Jesus in the breaking of bread.  To their surprise, they discovered that the apostles, still hiding in the Upper Room, were already convinced of the resurrection of Jesus.  Mary of Magdala had told them and Simon also had seen Him.

Consistent with all the reports of Jesus’ post-Resurrection appearances, He greets the assembled disciples with the words, “Peace be with you.”  They have witnessed the death of someone they loved, and they fear for their own lives.  Peace is what they need more than anything else.  But, at Jesus’ sudden appearance they are startled and terrified.  They are uncertain about what to make of the figure before them.  Quite understandably, they mistake Jesus for a ghost.  Yet the figure before them is not a ghost; Jesus invites them to experience his resurrected body with their senses, to look and to touch.  They can’t forget his sufferings but peace begins to take root in their hearts, as their fears turn to joy and amazement.

This is Jesus: real and alive as he had been over the past three years.  He asks for something to eat – a sign they recognize and cannot deny.  It convinces them that they are not dreaming or having a mere vision or hallucination.  He goes on to explain to them how the prophecies are being fulfilled in him.  The evangelist says Jesus “opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.”  A lectio experience – one we ask for as we enter into a period of lectio or centering prayer or active contemplation.  Sounds like a contradiction: active contemplation?  But often it takes concerted effort to “quiet down” to let the Spirit come into our presence.  We actively say NO to all the distractions that may tempt us to do almost anything: read, do an act of charity, visit the sick, talk to the lonely, do a puzzle, clean a room, catch up on the news, – the devil calls us to do anything rather than center ourselves to give Jesus prime space and allow the Spirit to “open our minds, our ears, our hearts.”  As one author puts it: “contemplation is the gift given simply because we showed up.”  Like the disciples, we gather in mutual support.  We pray, we eat and Jesus steps into our midst saying: “Peace! See, it is I.”

This gospel, and all the appearances of the resurrected Jesus, show us not only how Jesus convinced his disciples of his resurrection, but this same Jesus prepares us to come together to listen to God’s words and offer ourselves along with our gifts of bread and wine.  And don’t minimize the parting message at Mass: “Go forth to share the message you have received.”  We can’t share what we do not have – so listen up, attune your mind and your heart, read the Scriptures ahead of time, let the message begin to steep like tea in the warmness of your heart.

The philosopher Soren Kierkegaard once told a story about a circus that caught fire.  The flames spread to the fields surrounding the circus grounds and began to burn toward the village below.  The circus master, convinced that the village would be destroyed and the people killed unless they were warned, asked if there was anybody who could go to the village and warn the people.  The clown, dressed in full costume, jumped on a bicycle and sped down the hill to the village below.  “Run for your lives!  Run for your lives!  “A fire is coming and the village is going to burn!” he shouted as he rode up and down the streets.  Curious, the villagers came out of their houses and shops and stood along the sidewalks.  They shouted back to the clown, laughing and applauding his performance.  The more desperately the clown shouted, the more the villagers cheered.  The village burned to the ground and the loss of life was great because no one took the clown seriously.  After all, he was just a clown.

When Jesus comes in our door, do we recognize Him?  Maybe he’s not dressed as a clown or shouting and waving.  How will we recognize Him?  Have we met Him often enough in our everyday lives that we immediately recognize Him?  Have we met Him in the wounds of the poor?  Or in the broken hearts of the bereaved?  In the victims of violence?  In people who live in dire poverty – maybe with ragged, smelly clothing because they have no place to wash up?  Maybe there are times when it is easier to see Jesus in the face of the stranger or the guest than it is in the face of the Sister (spouse, person) across from us at the dinner table or the chapel aisle or walking the hallways.  Jesus says: “Look at my hands and my feet (we can add: look at my face); see that it is I, your Lord.”

~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB, Prioress

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

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In the Catholic tradition, cacti rather than flowers are placed at the alter during Lent. This is the time that signifies Jesus’ journey in the desert to meditate and prayer. We had a rather large ugly cactus in chapel last year. I meditated on it throughout the season. There were dead spots, thorns and some new growth. After Lent I decided to ask anyone who could, to bring a cactus to the Monastery to be in the chapel this Lent.

People are so good to us. Many brought cacti and they are now displayed in front of the altar. And once again in meditating, they have given me several ways to examine myself. For instance, one of the cacti has very large thorns which reminds me that I can be prickly with others. I’m reminded that people need to be handled as gently as I handle that cactus. Three of the cacti bloomed, bringing to mind the beauty that there is all around us. One has dead spots showing where I neglected them. How often do I neglect people? Looking upon the differences of the cacti makes me ponder the variety in God’s creation and wonder if I am doing enough to care for Mother Earth.

Having repotted the cacti right before the season of Lent began, it was a delight to see new shoots spout. Cacti soil with fertilizer was part of the repotting. Some have very tiny new shoots and one shoot is taller than the plant it came from! Each is growing the way God meant for them to grow. The cacti help me to grow in ways I think God wants me to grow.

Thank you for all the variety of cacti that you brought. My promise is to do  my very best to keep them alive, nurtured and growing for Lent 2022!

Sister Dianne Wansley, OSB

 

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“Walk While You Have the Light”

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Let’s step back a moment to recall the setting for this Gospel; maybe settle yourself into it.  It is six days before Passover.  We’re in Bethany, at the home of Martha, Mary and Lazarus.  The three siblings are sharing hospitality with Jesus, his disciples and some other guests.  We are reclining at the dinner table with them.  Martha is busy in the kitchen with the many hostess’ pre-dinner tasks.  Lazarus is keeping the conversation flowing among the guests hoping to keep they unaware of how late it is getting.  Mary hesitantly approaches Jesus to sit at his feet.  This is the occasion when Mary poured aromatic oil on the feet of Jesus and dried them with her long-flowing hair.  (I wonder how long that sweet smell will linger in her hair.)  Judas, the one who would later betray Jesus, muttered a snide remark (probably under his breath) about the wastefulness of such extravagance.  (Remember, he was the one who had charge of the groups’ money bag.)  Jesus was exasperated, he had had it with Judas.  “Leave her alone.  The poor you have always with you.  Tonight you have me.  Let her do this in anticipation of my burial.”

In his narrative, John moves to his abbreviated account of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem riding a colt – the Palm Sunday narrative – that we will celebrate next weekend. 

So, back to our dinner.  The evening grows long, the dessert’s been served and the after dinner libation; chatter’s winding down.  We become aware that a crowd is gathering out in the yard.  Folks have heard Jesus is inside.  They’re hoping, too, to see Lazarus.  Word had spread that Jesus had recently raised him from the dead.  Some guests approach Philip.  (And, my goodness, talk about an unspoken chain of command!)  The Greeks spoke to Philip: “Sir, we would like to see Jesus.”  Phillip spoke to Andrew, then Andrew with Phillip in tow, went and told Jesus.  Jesus’ reaction did not disappoint.  He must have raised their hopes.  Sounds like he could have said: “Your timing is good.”  Yes.  “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.”

The guests may have experienced a bit of puzzlement or some trepidation, when Jesus continued speaking: “Amen, I say to you: Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat.”  But, hope must have risen up in them as Jesus continued: “But, if it dies, it produces much fruit.”  Then hope bounces around on the seesaw of mystery as Jesus continues: “Whoever loves his life loses it; whoever hates life in this world will preserve it for eternal life.”

What IS this man talking about???  He closes the gap when He tells them: “Whoever serves me must follow me.”  Now, that made sense.  Of course, if you want to serve, you’ll be a follower.  You’ll listen to every podcast, follow every eblast and purchase all their books.  It only makes good sense if you want to absorb the flavor of your hero’s life.

John, the beloved disciple, changes gears at this point in his Gospel.  In the retelling of his memories, John, in his tenderness for his intimate friend –  recalls Jesus saying: “I am troubled now.”  I wonder did Jesus pause at this point in time to ponder the source of his uneasiness?  “I am troubled now.”  He questions, “Yet what should I say?  Father, save me from this hour?”  Then, it is like he straightens himself up, thinking aloud: “Why should I ask the Father to save me from this?  It was for this very purpose that I came to this hour.”

You could hear a pin drop.  Is that thunder we hear in the distance; now it’s closer.  Some say it’s the voice of an angel.  Jesus speaks: “This voice did not come for my sake but for yours. … When I am lifted up, I will draw everyone to myself.”  Over 2000 years later, from our side of the story, we know Jesus was indicating the kind of death he would die; and his resurrection.  Our Easter!  Our understanding of Jesus’ remark, and the events commemorated during Holy Week, will always be colored with an assurance of a good ending, of Easter and resurrection.

A few lines later in his Gospel John will remind us of Jesus’ promise, (similar of the words he had said to Judas).  “The light will be among you only a little while.  Walk while you have the light, so that darkness may not overcome you.  Whoever walks in the dark does not know where he is going.  While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of the light.”

At this point in my preparation, I took a break and turned to my Lenten booklet.  This was the lesson God had planted there:  A young girl was watching her father, a pastor, preparing his Sunday sermon.  She knew she should keep quiet but curiosity won out.  She asked: “Daddy, how do you know what to say?”  “Why, God tells me,” her father replied.  “Ohhhh, then why do you keep crossing things out??”  Now, I love the techie computer function of “block, copy, cut, paste or save.”  But it was time to stop trying to refine what I had on paper.  So I looked to the Responsorial Psalm for a closing line: “Give me back the joy of your salvation, a willing spirit sustain in me.”  The church says:  AMEN.

~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB, Prioress

Today I wish  you a happy Saint Benedict’s day.  Benedict is the patron of a peaceful death – let us remember in particular all those who have died, or will die, during this time of pandemic.  May they, and all the departed, rest in peace.

Prayer to St. Benedict:  O, holy father Benedict, blessed by God both in grace and in name.  Who, while standing in prayer, with your hands raised to heaven, most happily yielded your angelic spirit  into the hands of your Creator, and promised zealously to defend against all the snares of the enemy, in the last struggle of death those who shall daily remind you of your glorious Father, this day and every day by your blessing that we may never be separated from our blessed Lord, from the society of yourself and all the blessed.  Amen. 

For information on the life of St. Benedict you may wish to refer to the Dialogues of St. Gregory, volume 2  https://www.osb.org/gen/greg/  For details about the circumstances that surrounded his death, refer especially to the final chapter on the aforementioned website. 

Have a good week and we prepare to slide into Holy Week next Sunday. 

 

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“Not the Kind of Perfect the Ninjas or Superman Display”

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First Reading  Acts of the Apostles 2:42-47   Second Reading   1 Peter 1:3-9
Gospel  John 20:19-31     Weekly Intention

The Frailty of Easter  Based in part on a reflection by John Slattery  (adapted)

We humans are a comparatively slow maturing and short-lived species. The average life-span in the United States hovers between 75 and 80.  The age of the earth, on the other hand, is around 4,500,000,000 years.  The age of the universe is around 13,800,000,000 years.  You and I inhabit just a small bit of that time, the tiniest morsel of space time lived out on a relatively small planet that orbits an average size star.  Our star, the Sun, is one of trillions upon trillions of stars, and our planet is one of trillions in the known universe.  But it’s ok.

Easter is all about smallness.   That’s why we are drawn to reading and re-reading the Easter accounts in the Gospels each year.  Despite the ocean of books, songs, sermons, and lectures written about Easter or on Easter-themes, our Scripture includes just four small stories about this Jesus who rose from the dead.  The combined resurrection stories encompass about 3500 words–the equivalent of about 15 pages, the length of an average term paper.

Jesus’ resurrection was such a humble thing.  There were no angel trumpeters or singers in the skies. It was more like the story in Psalm 119 that we prayed yesterday morning: “Without a word, without a sound, without a voice being heard, the message fills all the earth, resounding to the ends of the universe.”    First, Jesus surprised Mary in the garden.  She told a few other women,  then they told a few men and soon Jesus appeared to them.  He spoke about peace, about the Spirit of God, about hope.  He showed his wounds.  He ate some food and then he drifted up into the clouds.  He didn’t march on Rome or lead a rebellion against the priests who brought him to Pilate.  After his resurrection He didn’t heal anyone else or preach to vast crowds as He had done previously.  He didn’t cast out any more demons, trade barbs with rabbis, or visit the Temple.  The resurrection, in many ways, was quiet.

It challenges us to read that Jesus showed his followers his wounds.  “See,” he seems to say, “a broken body is not made whole by erasing the imperfections.  Feel this hole in my side,” he says to Thomas and to each of us.   “See, I have sanctified what the world calls spoiled.  A broken body is made whole not by removing the scars but by embracing the permanence of the wounds.”

We like this small and quiet resurrection where Jesus is not the definition of a contemporary superhero.  He doesn’t return triumphant and knock Pilate off his throne, bringing God’s wrath on the vicious Roman Empire.  He appears to his friends, simply showing his wounds and talking about love and peace.

This story today of Thomas illustrates our Christian experience. We are called to believe without seeing.    In fact, all Christians after the first witnesses have been called to believe without seeing. Thus, we sing “without seeing you, we love you; without seeing you, we believe.”  Thomas’ doubt is hardly surprising; the news of Jesus’ appearance was incredible to the disciples who had seen him crucified and buried. Thomas’ human nature compelled him to want hard evidence that the Jesus, who appeared to the disciples after his death, was indeed the same Jesus who had been crucified. Thomas is given the opportunity to act on that desire. He is our witness that Jesus is truly raised from the dead.  With him we proclaim: “We’ve been told, we’ve seen his face, and heard his voice alive in our hearts.”

Jesus wants us to be perfect, but not the kind of perfect that Ninjas or Superman display.  Jesus wants us to be perfect “as our heavenly Father is perfect.”  God’s perfection and the message of Jesus’ Resurrection calls us an unconditional embrace of frailty, pain, and brokenness.

It is an embrace that calls us to resist all forms of violence, power, and hatred.  There is growing acknowledgement of that fact that TV and video game violence, like second-hand smoke affects one’s lungs, permanently affects our brains.  Many families refuse to allow TV violence, fictionalized or news reports, to invade their living spaces.  Jesus did not arm his apostles with weapons for revenge — he armed them with prayer and baptized them in a spirit of hope and forgiveness.

We are surrounded today with so much sadness and fear and anger.  We who live in a peaceful community rejoice in the security and sanctity that empowers us to extend open arms in hospitality to those in the world who yearn for that same privilege.

At the end of our Gospel selection we read, “Jesus did many other signs that are not written in this book.  But these ARE written that you may come to believe …and through this belief you may have life in Jesus’ name.

We join the psalmist in singing: By the Lord has this been done; it is wonderful in our eyes.  This is the day the Lord has made; let us be glad and rejoice in it.”

~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB, Prioress
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