Benedictine Sisters of FL

Holy Name Monastery
Founded 1889

leprosy

One Came Back

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“And, one of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God

in a loud voice; and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him.”

What prompted this one man in ten to turn back to Jesus as soon as he realized the scourge of leprosy had vanished?  Had the group discerned what they ought to do: continue as instructed to go to the priests, run rejoicing to show themselves to their families, or go back to thank Jesus?   Was it only this one that figured out it was Jesus that had healed them?  We’ll never know.  What we do know, according to the story, is that Jesus noticed that only one returned in gratitude and that the grateful one “glorified God in a loud voice!”  And, as Jesus pointed out, this one was a foreigner.

I am reminded of the words of Hosea, the words that inspired the Weston Priory hymn: “Come back to me with all your heart, don’t let fear keep us apart.”   It took courage for the now-cleansed man to retrace his steps back to Jesus, to publicly – loudly – glorify God and proclaim his thanks to Jesus.  Deep in his heart he must have sensed the spirit of the words of Hosea: “Come back to me.”

This week we will be praying for the success of humanitarian efforts.  We ask God’s blessing on the people and the projects intended to relieve the scourge of the contemporary leprosies of poverty, hunger, homelessness, unemployment – the scourge of trying to rebuild lives and homes and villages after fires, floods, tornadoes, earthquakes, tsunamis.

With Jesus, with God, as our touchstone, all of us, not just those involved in notable humanitarian projects, will often “turn back” to glorify God – to give thanks for every success in our efforts.  Few successes will be as spectacular as being cleansed of leprosy – but we keep turning back to give thanks for God’s working among us and throughout the world.  Media sources are to be commended for reporting “pay it forward deeds” – “random acts of kindness” – highlighting the charity of sports and movie stars and corporations.   Maybe, like Jesus, we wonder “where are the other nine?”   And, the cynic in us may question the givers’ motivations.  But, like Jesus, we have to move beyond that reaction and give credit where credit is due.  With Jesus we say “stand up, keep up the good work – your faith has saved you.”

For ourselves, we say: Lord, I do believe.  Please, Sir, help my unbelief!  Cleanse us of our cynicism and pessimism.  Open our eyes to your miraculous actions among us.  Move us to great gratitude for the goodness in nature and in the generous nature of our sisters and all who work to relieve the suffering of “leprosy” in our times.  Remind us to take the time to heed your call to “turn back” with all our hearts.  Take our fears away and instill in us your courage to face and shape our future. Give success to the work of our hands – Lord, give success to our work.  Thank you!

~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB

 

 

 

 

 

 

First Reading:   2 Kings 5:14-17         Second Reading:  2 Timothy 2:8-13
Gospel:   Luke 17:11-19
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If You Wish, You Can Make Me Clean

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We each have our own variant of leprosy, don’t we?  With some it’s visible on the outside; for others, it thrives on the inside.  Our faults: scaly or hidden are made obvious by our actions, our facial expressions, our tone of voice.  And, there are those who harbor their leprosy – deep in their feelings and heart – a gut ache or pain caused by stressed nerves.  Yes, we do this even when our leprosy is old and scarred and has been in our gunny sack for more years than we can count.  You know those kinds of wounds that we take out every once in a while to nurse and keep alive.  We rehash their story privately or in unrelated situations when some word or sound, or maybe a smell reignites the fuse.  We discover that there’s an ember that springs to flame that we didn’t even realize was there all along.  But Jesus has been watching it. He’s waiting for us to reach out and plead: “If you wish, you can make me clean.”

When we do, what is Jesus’ instruction?  “Go, show yourself to the priest.”  (Here he’s not talking about the Sacrament of Reconciliation.)  This is Jesus’ way of asking us to bring our faults into the light of day, to expose them so they can be zapped with the Divine Presence.  St. Benedict speaks of submission to the will of another, humility, confession of faults and public admission of mistakes.  He quotes the psalmist – as he often does – when he says: “I will report my faults to the Lord.” (PS 31).  Benedict encourages the members to admit their fault “of their own accord and make satisfaction.”  But, he’s not naïve – he knows there will be occasions when this doesn’t happen.  You know what he says: “Be subjected to a more severe correction.”  Now that may seem irrelevant to the story of Jesus and the man with leprosy.  But it seems pretty obvious (to me) that Jesus did not go looking for the man.  The man called out to Jesus: “If you wish, you can make me clean.”  Benedict, (what a wise man!) knew there’d be more sensitive souls in community, personalities who’d need more solicitous care, compassion and consideration.  To this one, Benedict advises: “reveal (this hidden fault) “only to a spiritual guide who knows how to heal her own wounds as well as those of others”, (and equally important) “without exposing them and making them public.”

We don’t know how long this man with the leprosy had been following Jesus.  How many miracles had he witnessed before he felt compelled to step forward and the words escaped his lips: “If you wish, you can make me clean?”  Had he seen Jesus’ interaction with the woman caught in adultery or heard the story of the good Samaritan or good Shepherd?  Was it desperation that made him cry out: “If you wish, you can make me clean”?  Was he burdened with feelings of guilt for having leprosy and causing the estrangement of his family and friends since he was bound by law to “make his abode outside the camp.”? (Leviticus1:46) Did the rest of crowd step back when he moved forward to be heard?  This was a “gutsy” young man!  He was stepping into the light, drawing attention to himself and his leprosy.  He was admitting publicly that he was not clean.  He risked being shunned AGAIN!  But faith won out: “If YOU wish, YOU can make ME clean.”

As we enter the Lenten season (this week) we pray: “Jesus, if you choose, you can make me clean.”  I do want to be clean; I am ready to be made whole. Don’t look only at the faults I am aware of.  I trust that you can make the whole of me clean in your eyes.  It doesn’t matter whether or not we raise our voice to be heard above the crowd: “If you wish, you can make me clean.” It may be, that someone pushes us forward, “Now’s a good time; ask him now – He can do it!”  Do you believe in intercessory prayer?  Do the General Intercessions make any difference in the lives of those we name?   “I turn to you, Lord, in time of trouble, and you fill me with the joy of salvation. … for, a great prophet has arisen in our midst: God has visited his people.”

~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB

 

   Ash Wednesday, February 14, Mass and distribution of Ashes at 7:30 a.m.

   May you enjoy a happy Mardi Gras on Feb. 13 … and an unusual Valentine’s Day gift of the opening of Lent: a love feast extraordinaire as God opens his arms to work with you on keeping of resolutions that will shape a new you this per-Easter season.

   Celebrate with us on February 28th the anniversary of 135 years since the day the Benedictine Sisters arrived in FL from PA.  God bless all who have touched our lives with their prayers and gifts of time, talent and financial support. 

 Prayers on Sunday when we had our monthly Recollection Day … a quiet day of prayer, Holy Hour and Evening Prayer.  God bless you each and all with good health, much happiness and abundant peace!

 

First Reading:   Leviticus 13:1-2,44-46         Second Reading:  1 Corinthians 30:31-11:1
Gospel:   Mark 1:40-45
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Made Whole…

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We each have our own variant of leprosy, don’t we?  With some it’s visible on the outside; for others it thrives on the inside.  Our faults: scaly, obvious by our actions, our facial expressions.  And, there are those who harbor their leprosy – deep in their feelings and heart – a gut ache or pain caused by stressed nerves.  Whether or not we raise our voice to be heard above the crowd: “If you wish, you can make me clean.”  Or, it may be, that someone pushes us forward, “now’s a good time; ask him now – He can do it!”  Do you believe in intercessory prayer?  Do the General Intercessions make any difference in the lives of those we name?  In God-time, yesterday, today, years ago all blend into the eternal NOW.

Yes, even when our leprosy is old and scarred and has been in our gunny sack for more years than we can to count.  You know the kinds of wounds that we take out every once in a while to nurse and keep alive.  We rehash their story privately or in unrelated situations when some word or sound, or maybe a smell relights the fuse.  The ember that springs to flame that we didn’t even realize was there all along.  But Jesus has been watching it.  And, He’s waiting for us to reach out and plead: “If you wish, you can make me clean.”

When we do, what is Jesus’ instruction?  “Go, show yourself to the priest.”  (Here he’s not talking about the Sacrament of Reconciliation.)  This was Jesus’ way of asking us to bring our faults into the light of day.  To expose them so they can be zapped with the Divine Presence.  St. Benedict, in the very first sentence (following the Prologue of His Rule) calls his followers, who’ve chosen what he considers “the better way” – the cenobitical (the monastic) way of life under a Rule and a superior.  Here and other places in the Rule, he speaks of submission to the will of another, humility, confession of faults and public admission of mistakes.  He quotes the psalmist – as he often does – when he says: “I will report my faults to the Lord.” (PS 31).  He speaks of taking the last place at table, what we used to term “kneeling out”’ or being set apart from the rest of the community.  Isn’t that all a pretty “public” admission of fault.  Benedict actually says: “that they may be seen by all until they do penance by public satisfaction.”

Benedict encourages the members to admit their fault “of their own accord and make satisfaction.”  But he’s not naïve – he knows there will be occasions when this doesn’t happen.  You know what he says: “be subjected to a more severe correction.”  Now that may seem irrelevant to the story of Jesus and the man with leprosy.  But it seems pretty obvious that Jesus did not go looking for the man.  The man called out to Jesus: “If you wish, you can make me clean.”  Benedict, (what a wise man!) he knew there’d more sensitive souls in community.  Personalities who’d need more solicitous care, compassion and consideration.  To this one, Benedict advises: “reveal” (this hidden fault) “only to a spiritual guide who knows how to heal her own wounds as well as those of others,” (and equally important) “without exposing them and making them public.”

We don’t know how long this man with the leprosy had been following Jesus.  How many miracles had he witnessed before he felt compelled to step forward and let the words escape his lips: “If you wish, you can make me clean”?  Had he seen Jesus’ interaction with the woman caught in adultery or heard the story of the good Samaritan or good Shepherd?  Was it desperation that made him cry out: “If you wish, you can make me clean”?  Was he burdened with feelings of guilt for having leprosy and causing the estrangement of his family and friends since he was bound by law to “make his abode outside the camp”?  (Leviticus1:46)  Did the rest of the crowd step back when he moved forward to be heard?  This was a “gutsy” young man … stepping into the light, drawing attention to himself and his leprosy.  Admitting publicly, he was not clean.  He risked being shunned AGAIN!  But faith won out: “If YOU wish, YOU can make ME clean.”

As we enter the Lenten season (this week), we pray: “Jesus, if you choose, you can make me clean.”  I do want to be clean.  I’m ready to be made whole.  Don’t look only at the faults I am aware of.  I trust that you can make the whole of me clean in your eyes.  But, Lord, to tell no one?  That’s hard.  I beg you, don’t expect me to keep my lips closed against the sentiment in the Responsorial Psalm and the Gospel Acclamation: “I turn to you, Lord, in time of trouble, and you fill me with the joy of salvation. … for, a great prophet has arisen in our midst: God has visited his people.”

 

May you have a blessed Lenten experience beginning with Ash Wednesday….  Could be you’ll have to sport “imaginary” ashes if you’re parish has limited attendance at services … plan your own family service with a blessing or ashes you prepare using a previous year’s blessed Palm …  I trust you hearts will be in the “right place” to enter this holy season. 

 

~Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB

 

1st Reading Leviticus 13:1-2, 44-46         2nd Reading  1 Corinthians 30:31-11:1             Gospel mark 1:40-45
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