Benedictine Sisters of FL

Holy Name Monastery
Founded 1889

Lord

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

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When the Liturgy Committee chose the prayer intention for this particular week, we opted to highlight in a particular way our Oblates, especially tomorrow on our quarterly Oblate Sunday.   However, given our community’s historical contribution to Catholic education, it seems important that we not overlook the fact that it is also national Catholic Schools Week with its theme: “United in Faith and Community.”  And, what a happy coincidence it is that it blends with the Gospel story of Jesus’ first teaching assignment.  As Jesus stands in the synagogue to read from the scroll handed to him  the words of the prophet Isaiah: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me.  I have been anointed to bring glad tidings to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives, sight to the blind, freedom to the oppressed and to proclaim a year of acceptable to the Lord.” Then, “Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down.”

But Jesus did not simply sit down, fold his hands and meditate. That morning in the synagogue He follow the protocol: one stands to read the scriptures and sits to teach.   In many places in Scripture you will read that Jesus did just that: He sat to teach the people.  Remember in the boat they pulled out from the shoreline? On the hillside where he delivered the Beatitudes?  And at table with his disciples for their last meal together?  This practice of “stand to read”, “sit to teach” is a great model for teachers. It exemplifies the saying; a teacher should be a guide at the side not a sage on the stage.  Jesus sat, gazed at the people and in all humility made an astonishing statement, “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”  

What did this message mean to the people in the synagogue? What does it mean to us today? It meant that day what it means today: that Jesus is the promised Messiah, the anointed one sent by God to redeem his people. He came then, and He continues to come every day to set us free. Why do we continue to try to solve our problems by ourselves instead of turning to God?

As we look ahead to 2025 we might consider how we can make the focus of Jesus’ ministry which included bringing glad tidings to the poor, liberty to captives, sight to the blind, healing to the sick, freedom to the oppressed, and proclaiming a year that is worthy, acceptable to the Lord, a reality.

This gospel challenges us to stretch out our hands in practical solidarity to those who are visibly disadvantaged – to be concerned not only with saving people’s souls but also with saving their bodies, their health, their housing and their jobs.   So, we ask ourselves: Who are the blind, the poor, the captive, the oppressed?   Look close to home, then to our neighborhood and to those who depend on us in unsuspecting ways?

We can’t cure every problem, but we can do something. Each one of us, individually and as a community, can question: How can we think globally and act locally?  We can decide how to nourish our minds and feed our spirits by choosing what to read and to watch, what to reflect on.  And, we can protect our minds and spirits by not reading or watching what does not uplift us and make a positive impact on our lives and on those we engage in conversation.  Like Scholastica and Benedict on that memorable night, we want to spend time in “holy conversation.”  What can we do for each other, one on one?  How can our lives, our presence, our way of life, bring relief and aid to the local community?  How can we ensure that the year ahead will, in truth and fact, be a “year acceptable to the Lord?”

Sometimes we forget how precious and powerful the Word of God is.  A powerful example is in this true story.  In 1964 the Romanian government released religious and political prisoners. Among them was one who had spent nearly three of his fourteen years in prison in solitary confinement. After his release, he wrote a book entitled In God’s Underground in which he describes how one day a new prisoner was brought in. The upper part of his body was in a plaster cast. When the guards withdrew, he slipped out a small, tattered book that was secretly hidden between his skin and the plaster cast. None of the other prisoners had seen a book for years. They asked him what the book was. It was the Gospel of John.  The author of the story writes that he took the book in his hand and no life-saving drug could have been more precious to him. From that day the tattered little book went from hand to hand, many learned it by heart and each day they would discuss it among themselves. That reminds us that all too easily we can forget (or dilute) the importance of the Word of God in our lives.

~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB

 

 

 

 

First Reading:   Nehemiah 8:2-4a,5-6,8-10         Second Reading:  1 Corinthians 12:12-30
Gospel:   Luke 1:1-4; 4:14-21
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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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“I Will Teach You How to Fish for People”

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A variety of motives influence people to exchange their old lives for new ones. What convinces a “seeker” that it’s worth leaving behind life as they know it?   Most of us know from our own and each other’s vocation stories, it’s the relationships we witness and experience within a community much more than our ministries that prompt newcomers to “test the waters.”

We, (individually and as a community), can put our full energy into the production all kinds of “lures” and “bait” … retreats and workshops, attractive vocation materials, holy cards, videos, websites and other social media … but that’s only part of what Jesus meant when he promised to teach us how to fish for people.  But, keep in mind that vocation – to any and every state in life – is GIFT!   And, remember fishing from our boat requires that each one has to do her assigned task of mending the nets, casting the line or preparing bait … no slackers allowed.  And, all of us have to row in sync lest we tangle oars or go in perpetual circles.   Look to Jesus – how did He fish?  He taught, He gave witness, He invited; He did not disappoint, He was (and is) faithful to His word.

So, what kind of witness do we need to be constantly giving?  What do we need to leave behind (individually and communally) to convince an observer that our community is worth a further look?  It’s an exceptional challenge in these pandemic times.  But the phone calls and email messages; the ZOOM Oblate Meetings, the videos on our website, the personal letters, the eblasts from our Advancement Staff keep our readers coming back.  In current lingo, the “soft touches” are ways to seal the friendships and supportive interest that last a life time.  What is the bait, the lure that will prompt more questions, extended visits, developing relationships and finally prompt someone to dare to say, “This is where I feel God is calling me; I’m willing to follow His lead, to leave all behind for the sake of Jesus’ call, with these Sisters (whom I now call my own) here at Holy Name Monastery.”

~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB

 

Have a good week…   Be good Fishers for Christ…   God Bless

 

 

First Reading:   Jonah 3:1-5,10         Second Reading:  1 Corinthians 7:29-31
Gospel:   Mark 1:14-20

 

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New Year 2024

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“I Hope You Dance”

 

“The shepherds made known the message that had been told them about this child.  All who heard it were amazed by what had been told them.”  (Luke 2:17)

Those shepherds accepted the challenge of allowing God’s glory to be seen in their lives.  That same challenge is ours!  And when we manage to perceive God’s working in our lives, amazing things can happen! People behold the divine glory present and working in and through us. That’s why we dare to commit “ourselves and our resources to respond to the needs of our times with the very compassion of Christ.”  We respond not simply with Christ-like compassion, but with the very compassion of Jesus, our new-born savior and Lord of our lives.

I perceive that’s our challenge at this point in our history as individuals, and as a community.  On the cusp of one year, and the dawning of a new one, we have come to a greater acceptance of the reality of what Joan Chittister describes in her book THE WAY WE WERE: (Joan says) “Only one thing I know for sure.  I know we have to do more with less.  (I know) We are getting older.  And, we are getting smaller.  Most of all, I know we have to do it together.”  Think about it: (I am not the first to says this) the miracle of the Red Sea was not that the waters parted.  The miracle was that the first Jews dared to step into the open chasm. And others followed their lead.  And, miracle of miracles, they came out on the other side.

Recently I got a new purse.  That meant emptying the old one, digging to the bottom where I found a crumpled scrap of paper.  I smoothed it out as best I could.  What I read scribbled there must have been important the day in the past when I first wrote it.  And it seems to me it’s a good directive as we contemplate the days ahead in our unfolding future: “Look to the past.  Look to the future.  And, then do the dance in the middle.”  And I’ll add:  don’t be afraid to be the first one on the dance floor.  But neither do you have to be the first one – just don’t be a wall-flower. Heed the words of the Dan Schutte’s hymn: “Join in the dance of the earth’s jubilation! This is the feast of the love of God.”   Join the dance, be it a two-step or a three-step waltz, the twist, the Bunny Hop, a line dance, a square dance or a reel; a gentle swaying of the body or drumming one’s fingertips. Do not fear, others will eventually join in.  Remember, we’re together in the rhythm of the dance of community life.  We’re the ones who give expression to the music of creation that we call Community.

Dance to the rhythm of communal prayer and meal times. Dance to the call for extra service when substitutes are requested or extraordinary tasks need doing.  Dance to the silent beckoning of objects you spy out of place – return them to their usual home.  Don’t ignore the nudge of a soiled surface and dusty corners.  There’s a reason why God let you see their longing for a cleaner’s touch.  Dance lightly when a person’s distracted or has a blank look, a pinched brow, or seems to be waiting for a smile or a “hello” or “want to talk?”  Bend low with a ballet dancer’s grace as you offer gesture of gratitude.  And, when you feel like you’re dancing as fast as you can but the whole world is spinning beneath you, it is. In the words of Albert Einstein: “Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.” 

Singer-Song writer Lee Ann Womack put words on my wish for you, for each, and all of us.  I paraphrase her life-affirming message that invites us to step out and embrace life, in her uplifting song, “I Hope You Dance.”

“I hope you never lose your sense of wonder but always keep that hunger.
May you never take one single breath for granted.

I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean.

Promise me that you’ll give faith a fighting chance;
And when you get the choice to sit it out, or dance? I hope you dance.

I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance,
Never settle for the path of least resistance
Livin’ might mean takin’ chances but they’re worth takin’. 

Give the heavens above more than just a passing glance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance, I hope you’ll dance.”

Please, “when you have the choice

to sit it out or dance, I hope you’ll dance.”

 

~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB

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First Sunday of Advent

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Do you think maybe Jesus knew the childhood game of Hide and Seek?  There are two ways to play the game. In one version, one person is the “hider” and everyone else is a “seeker”. The seekers close their eyes and count loudly from 100 down to 1. When the counting is done, all the seekers scatter and start searching for the hider. When a seeker finds the hider, then he or she joins that person in their hiding position.  In the more familiar version of the game, one person the seeker, is “It”, and covers their eyes and starts counting down from 100. All the hiders scramble to the best place they can find to avoid being discovered. When “It” reaches 1, he or she calls out, “Ready or not — here I come!”  He/she then begins searching and tagging all the hiders.  In today’s gospel lesson Jesus is “IT,” the “seeker” saying to the world, “Ready or not — here I come.”

Ten years after the death of St. Paul, Mark reminded his community in Rome of Jesus’ words – and he shouts the same warning to us today: “Be constantly on the watch! Stay awake! You do not know when the appointed time will come.”  Mark knew well the lesson we gradually learn i.e. when events don’t happen as quickly as we expect, we tend to forget what we know and slough off doing the things we know we ought to do.

There are no magic Advent practices to prepare for Christmas.  There are the classic Christian exercises: works of charity, prayer, self-sacrifice, and penance.  The Advent gospels will perk up your ears and catch your attention: “Take heed!” (Be on guard) and “Watch!” (Be alert, stay awake, and don’t grow careless).  Don’t give up!   St. Benedict admonishes us: “Never swerve from God’s instruction but faithfully observe God’s teaching in the monastery until death.”

In Chapter 67 of his Rule Benedict reminds us of the mutuality of journey prayers for each other. As travelers on our Advent journey, we ask for a blessing.  And in return we promise to always remember in daily prayer our journey companions.

Advent is our annual journey from the warning to “stay awake” and “be alert” to the glorious memorial celebration of Jesus’ birth.  Let’s heed the words of Benedict and be prayerfully conscious of each other on our individual and our communal Advent journey.   We know this: God is in charge and God can be trusted.  We just have to: “stay awake – be alert – watch!”

Here’s a simple Advent project that can help keep us alert and watchful.  Every morning as you get up, pray, “Lord, show me someone today with whom I may share your love, mercy and forgiveness.” As you settle down for the night, ask yourself, “Where did I find Christ today?”  The answer will be God’s Advent gift to you that day. It reminds me of a saying attributed to St. Thomas Aquinas: “Without God, I can’t.  Without me, God won’t.”   

 

~by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB

 

Giving Tuesday was a huge success!

We couldn’t be more appreciative for the outpouring of generosity.

We exceeded our fundraising goal and raised $44,898 and with the generous match from John Picciano that gives the Sisters $82,398!

First Reading  Isaiah 63:16b-17                          Second Reading 1 Corinthians 1:3-9  
Gospel Reading  Mark 13:33-37
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“Christ Jesus Ruler, Christ Jesus Victor”

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As we observe the Feast of Christ, the King, we are celebrating a ruler who was willing to die for us, for all humanity, to give us true freedom.  Jesus radically redefined the traditional concept of kingship.  His example of radical love and kindness is lived out by us, his followers, in our reaching out to those in need – beginning with those with whom we live.

For over four and a half thousand years there has stood a great obelisk in St. Peter’s Square in Rome.  The structure, originally located in the Temple of the Sun in the Egyptian city of Heliopolis, was brought to Rome by the dreaded Emperor Caligula.   He had it set right in the middle of a Roman racetrack known as the Circus of Nero. It was in that Circus that St. Peter was martyred.  On the base is inscribed two phrases, The first, in Latin, the words of a familiar hymn: Christ Jesus Victor!  Christ Jesus Ruler!  Christ Jesus Lord and Redeemer!”  The other is an inscription that proclaims: “The Lion of Judah has conquered.”  It may well have been the last earthly thing that St. Peter saw as has he hung upside-down crucified to die.

In 1925, Pope Pius XI universally instituted the Feast of Christ the King to be celebrated on the last Sunday of October.  However, since the reform in the liturgical calendar in 1969, the feast falls on the last Sunday of Ordinary Time, the Sunday before Advent.

At the time of the institution of the feast, secularism was on the rise and respect for Christ and the Church was waning.  Today, we witness the same sense of distrust of authority – accelerated by political situations and the rise of individualism.  Some reject the titles of “lord” and “king” for Christ, believing that such titles are borrowed from oppressive systems of government.  History proves that some kings have been oppressive.  Others have been converted to a more Christian style of ruling, often by the influence of a woman.

In 2015, during the Jubilee year of Mercy, Pope Francis added another part to the title: “…the living face of the Father’s mercy.”  The combined readings this year for the solemnity give us a glimpse of how Christ is at the same time both king and the face of the Father’s mercy.  In contrast to the oppression so prevalent in Jesus’ day, he connected his role as king to humble service, and taught his followers to be servants as well.  “You are my disciples if you do what I command you: love one another as I have loved you.”

Deep down do we believe JESUS IS LORD or is it just from force of habit that we say or sing those titles for Jesus?  At the opening of every Eucharistic gathering, the celebrant greets us with the words: “The Lord be with you.”  In tomorrow’s Responsorial Psalm we will proclaim: “The Lord is my shepherd.”  We will profess in the Creed: “I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ.”   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?”  It strikes me that while we may struggle with the concept of Jesus as king, somehow, especially on feasts of Mary most of us have no problem calling Mary queen: Queen of the Universe, Queen of Heaven, Regina Caeli.

At the end of this coming 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.  This is the One who is promised to us in the 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.”

Let us pray that we can portray to the world the beneficence of a humble king, truly putting flesh on our Corporate Commitment: to be Christ to one another.  For it is not so much what we say or what we do that puts flesh on our commitment.  It is who we are that “responds with compassion to the hungers of God’s people.”

~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB

 

 

First Reading:   Ezekiel 34:11-12, 15-17         Second Reading:  1 Cor 15:20-26, 28
Gospel:   Matthew 25:31-46
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