Benedictine Sisters of FL

Holy Name Monastery
Founded 1889

Mark

Lent – God’s Call

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In the liturgical cycle of readings, this Gospel from Mark was originally only two verses – later the church added two more – but it is still one of the shortest Sunday readings.  It tells us only that, immediately after His baptism, Jesus was led into the desert by the Spirit to be tempted by the devil, for 40 days.  You’ll notice that Mark, unlike Luke and Matthew, does not outline for us the three temptations of Jesus.  He simply lets us know that the conflict between Jesus and Satan only begins in the desert.  The ultimate test will be in Jesus’ final hours on the cross.

We are now four days into our Lenten journey of 40 days.  We are reminded of Elijah who journeyed in a desert 40 days and nights, making his way to Mount Horeb as well as the Israelites who wandered in a desert for 40 years.  Benedict knew that deserts are an unavoidable part of life.  We have to pass through them – not get stuck in them. In the desert, we soon find out we are too weak to go it alone.  According to St. John Chrysostom: “The Spirit drags Jesus into the desert, since he wanted to draw the devil there – and Jesus gave occasion to him not only on account of his hunger but also on account of the place: for then most especially does the devil attack when he sees people isolated and by themselves.”  No wonder Benedict urges us not to be isolated in our Lenten journey: “the entire community during these days of Lent (together strives) to keep the manner of life most pure.”

We’ve heard the expression “practice makes perfect” so often that the meaning may have lost its impact on us.  Each year at the beginning of Lent we may feel like that skater or a musician who’s been laid up for a year without practice.  As Benedict says in Chapter 49 of the Rule, during Lent we are called to be the kind of person we should be every day.  Lent gives us a jump-start of courage to pick up the practices that will support the values we profess and hold dear.  The biggest temptation most of us have to face it to “give up” because we stumble.  What would you think if you dialed a wrong number and got this recording: I’m not available right now, but I do thank you for caring enough to call me.”  (How sweet!)  But, it continues: “I am making some changes in my life.  Please leave a message after the beep.  If I do not return your call, you are one of the changes.”

Thomas à Kempis, in the IMITATION OF CHRIST, says, “Often we do not know what we can stand, but temptation shows us what we are.  Above all, we must be especially alert against the beginnings of temptation, for the enemy is more easily conquered if refused admittance to the mind and is met beyond the threshold when it knocks…. A person, indeed, is not worthy of the sublime contemplation of God who has not been tried by some tribulation for the sake of God.  For temptation is usually the sign preceding the consolation that is to follow.”

Lent is God’s call to us to make God and Godly values the center of our life.  It is a time for honesty and stability.  A time for us to be close to God.  The desert of life, of Lent – like any desert – can be a vast expanse of sand and rock, punctuated by ragged hills, blistered by a relentless sun, a barren land in which little grows.  But, depending on our outlook, the space can be filled with mysterious unexpected experiences.  It can be a place not only of testing but of beauty where faith can grow.  Mirages give us false hope.  A welcome pool of water or a dripping cactus can reveal to us, in the blink of an eye, a reflection of what we really look like.  During Lent we are simply being asked to dare to be convinced that this is a wonderful opportunity to rediscover our true self-worth and the wonder of being the child of a loving God.  We are challenged not to focus on the storm clouds of COVID restrictions, chronic health conditions, what we DON’T have.  We do well to focus on all that we DO have: our faithful supporters, the friends who DO make contact, the companions who DO treat us gently, our God who, even with all the concerns and pleas that are raised for attention, remembers ME and loves ME with unfailing love.

Personal deserts are unavoidable, they’re part of life.  We need Christ and we need the ministry of others.  If for nothing else than to teach lessons of dependence.  We’ll never be as strong or wise as we’d like.  We need the grace of God in Christ.  We need the ministry of each other and all of God’s people to strengthen us by their prayerful support and good example that we, too, might take up our crosses and follow Jesus.  We pray that like that voice message said (I mentioned earlier), we do take the opportunity of Lent to make changes on our lives.  But unlike that voice message, may we never hear God’s voice and choose not to return the call.

Next Sunday we will be commemorating the 132nd anniversary of the founding of Holy Name Convent from Pittsburgh, PA.  You can look for a snippet of our history as the reflection.  God bless our founding Sisters!  Their first home was “on loan”  space in a family home in San Antonio which is the township adjacent to Saint Leo, home of the current monastery.  The weather bureau archives reveal that it was 80 degrees in San Antonio, FL on the day of their arrive, February 28, 1889.  Stay tuned for the “rest of the story” next week.  

~Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB

Genesis 9:8-15   1 Peter 3:18-22   Mark 1:12-15

 

 

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“Will You Come and Follow Me if I but Call Your Name?”

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“Will You Come and Follow Me if I but Call Your Name?”

                                     (The Summons hymn by John Bell, GIA Publications)

 

This Gospel reading from Mark is only a glimpse into a single day that the church wisely spreads over a few weeks of readings.  It gives us the opportunity to study each event of the day more closely.  We get the impression that it would have been a challenge for the people following Jesus to keep up with Him.  You may have noticed one of Mark’s favorite words is “immediately.”  He uses it over and again – twelve times in the first chapter alone.  So far in the story, Jesus has called four fishermen to leave their nets and their boats and follow him which they did “immediately.”  (Later we’ll realize they did not give up fishing altogether.)  We’ve traveled with them and Jesus to a small fishing village, Capernaum, where on the Sabbath Jesus began teaching in the synagogue.  In last week’s portion from Mark, a demon-possessed man challenged Jesus and referred to him as the Holy One of God.  But Jesus told the unclean spirit to be silent and come out of the man.  The demon obeyed “immediately.”

Now, in this reading it’s still the Sabbath Day.  Jesus and his disciples have just left the synagogue after the encounter with the demon.  The next part of the story happens over the next few hours of the same day.

Maybe the band of men went to Simon’s house because it was closest to the synagogue or maybe just because they followed Simon’s lead.  Perhaps they went because his mother-in-law had the reputation of quickly putting a nice spread on the table.  But today she is down with a fever.  Simon doesn’t miss a beat.  He tells Jesus this “immediately.”  Perhaps by way of apologizing for the woman not greeting them at the door.  Or maybe, remember the laws concerning uncleanness?  Maybe it was to warn that there was illness in the house.  Or maybe, do you think, because Simon has a hunch that Jesus, who has just shown authority over an unclean spirit, might also have the authority to drive out a fever???

Jesus doesn’t say a word.  He simply takes the woman by the hand and brings her to her feet.  The fever is gone “immediately.”  As Jesus brings her to her feet, the verb Mark uses is identical to the one he uses later in the Gospel to describe Jesus’ resurrection from the dead: He lifts her up.   And the mother-in-law “immediately” responds by getting busy on dinner preparation.  For her, and for Jesus, it is not a menial, slave-like serving.  In a sense, Simon’s mother-in-law is the first deacon.  Elsewhere we read “Whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you, must be slave of all.  For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve.”  Well into the night, Jesus attended to the ill and the possessed among the crowd who gathered at the door, curing many who were sick.  He must have been drained as “power went out from him.”

Then, in the early hours of the morning before sunrise while it was still dark as night, it sounds like Jesus tiptoed out of the house.  Scripture tells us He went to a deserted place to pray (not a desert – there was no desert nearby).  This was the only place on this night, with many others to follow, where he could talk one-on-one with his Father, without interruption.  But it didn’t last long.  Our English translation says Peter and the others PURSURED him.  Think of a mother having escaped to the bathroom for a few minutes of aloneness.  “Mom are you in there?”  Or a prioress who leaves her office for a few minutes.  “You’re never in the office!”  Peter tells Jesus “EVERYONE is looking for you.”  Jesus’ response probably was not what they were expecting to hear.  “Let’s go to the neighboring towns so I can preach there, too. That’s my job.”  The disciples were at a crossroads, at one of those “bend in the road” moments.  Do we stick with this follow who can never say NO to any request?  Do we keep following?

That’s a choice we must make many times over in our lives.  It begins each and every day with “shall I hit the snooze button and roll over, or turn off the alarm and get to chapel to join in communal prayer?”  It’s a choice we make in multiple ways, probably more times than we realize, throughout each day and into the evening.  What word of kindness can I share?  Can I tear myself from what I’m doing to get to chapel with some breathing space before prayer begins?  At night, will I force myself to stay awake to finish this chapter or TV program, or do I go to bed so I’ll be rested for the morrow with all its new challenges and choices?

The people of Capernaum missed the point.  They showed up for the miracles, but they failed to hear and absorb Jesus’ message.  It’s the same news Jesus wants to share with you, with us.  Repent, turn away from your old ways, and believe the Good News that God is with you in the NOW.   Are you willing to be changed?  Will you be transformed?  Will you keep following?  Will you get up, as Simon’s mother-in-law did, and join the laborers to feed God’s people and further the Kingdom?”

Remember us, and all Benedictine women (including Oblates and those who received their education with Benedictine Sisters) on Wednesday, St. Scholastica Day …   This week our special intention is Benedictine Prioresses who are leading their communities thru COVID times …  many of the monasteries are dealing directly with the virus among their members – God bless them all.

~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB, Prioress

 

First Reading Job 7:1-4, 6-7                       Corinthians 9:16-19, 22-23
Gospel Mark 1:29-39
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Quiet! Come Out!

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How do you think it would have been to spend a day with Jesus?  What might it have been like to be one of His closest followers; in his company 24/7?  This first chapter in Mark’s gospel we get a little taste of the flavor of one such day.  It’s a day in which Jesus’ power and authority are on full display.

Many times we tend to settle into the company of the humble, calm, peaceful Jesus.  We shy away from the power and authority of Jesus.  Except maybe when we’ve had a day of defeat and been at cross-purposes with the world.  Then we take great hope and comfort in the power of Jesus.  We identify with the sentiments of the “cursing” Psalms.  We call on Jesus, on God, the Father, the Spirit whoever will listen to our pitiful story.  We ask God to raise a hand and make the world stand still until we catch our breath.

Maybe you’ve seen the Advent Health Care cardiac ad or heard their slogan: “Your heart is the only muscle that never rests.”  St. Augustine said: “Our hearts are restless until they find their rest in God.”  So we try praying, we try quieting ourselves, slow breathing.  But nothing’s working.  Until we recall what Jesus said to the demon: “Be quiet!”  “Come out!”  Twice now this week we’ve heard Jesus issue this command: “Be quiet.”  In the Gospel this morning (Saturday) it was “Quiet, be still!” in order to calm a storm.  Now, here in this story from Mark, it’s “Quiet, come out!” to chase an unclean spirit and cure a young man besieged by demons that today might be labeled PSTD, Schizophrenia, Bipolar illness.

So who is this man with an unclean spirit who shows up in the synagogue today?  He’s the one who opens the exchange with Jesus.  He’s loud.  He interrupts.  He draws attention to himself.  He seems to ask Jesus: “Are you trying to pick a fight?”  There is an element of shock in the story.  At the same time, it’s fascinating!

Like at a tennis match – attention pings back and forth from this outspoken fellow to Jesus.  It’s like nothing these people have heard before.  This Jesus has authority.  His words make a difference.  Even the man with an unclean spirit is shocked and intrigued by Jesus.  “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?  Have you come to destroy us?”

Apparently no one in town suspected that the young man had an evil spirit.  Otherwise, they would have been shunning him.  They wouldn’t have allowed him in their company, in the temple or anywhere near Jesus.  And here he is in the synagogue – the place where Jews gathered each Sabbath day (Saturday) for worship and to hear the Word of God.  As one who was known as a teacher, Jesus was given the chance to speak.  It was quickly apparent He was no ordinary teacher.  He proclaimed the kingdom of God, yes.  He also called people to repent and believe.  But Mark doesn’t mention that here.  What captures our attention is the manner of Jesus’ teaching.

On this day, as Jesus begins speaking, a man with an unclean spirit (a demon) stands up and initiates a confrontation with Jesus.  There are a couple of things to note about what this demon says and what that reveals.  Those gathered around may have known Jesus as an inspiring teacher.  But this wily demon knows His true identity.  Do we know Jesus as intimately as this demon?

The demon recognizes and identifies Jesus as God in flesh (Holy One of God).  Listen closely – it’s also clear that the demon recognizes Jesus as a threat – as the One who has the power to destroy the forces of evil.  When Jesus speaks, the demon can only respond in one way – complete obedience.

When we are tempted, overwhelmed we must remember, God is in control.  In the end God will make all things right.  Those who were attentive that day in the synagogue saw Jesus’ power over the demon.  Like the disciples in the storm, they heard the commanding voice of Jesus say: “Be Quiet!”  And they were AMAZED.  If they’d known the hymn, they’d have sung: “Amazing grace, how sweet the song…. ‘Twas grace that taught my heart; and grace my fears relieved.  The Lord has promised good to me…. He will my portion be, as long as life endures.”

In your prayers kindly remember all those who suffer with COVID 19; those who have had family members  died from this dread disease and the thousands of persons who are waiting anxiously for the opportunity to be vaccinated – a special prayer for those who do not the capacity to understand the reasons for restrictions (the intellectually limited, the mentally ill and folks who battle with dementia …  ) AND soften the hearts of those who do not grasp the seriousness of the pandemic and the necessity for restrictions …  and patience for all of us …  As the Gospel reminds us: “God has the power” and rest assured God loves us and wants only our good.

 

~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB, Prioress

First Reading  Deuteronomy 18:15-20                        Second Reading  1 Corinthians 7:32-35
Gospel Reading  Mark 1:21-28
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The Best is Yet to Come

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The Best is Yet to Come

To quote Notre Dame theology professor, Ralph Martin: “The page of a modern book that first catches our interest is the title page … Ancient books had no dust covers or words printed on the spine to arrest attention.  So the first page—or even, as here in (Mark’s) first sentence, (it) had to convey the writer’s main message.  This is exactly what Mark’s opening verse is trying to do: to alert the reader to what is to follow.  It is both his “table of contents” and title page brought together in a bold statement; “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God.” 

I suspect we’ve all had occasion to say, or hear, “You think this is great?  This is only the beginning.  The best is yet to come.”  Part of the surprise for us could be heard in this morning’s (Saturday) proclamation by the prophet Isaiah: “The harvest will come: rich and abundant; the towers will fall, the light of the moon will be like the sun and the light of the sun will be seven times greater like the light of seven days; the Lord will bind up the wounds of his people.”

While the opening line in Mark’s gospel points to Jesus, the first person he introduces is not Jesus, but the fiery preacher who came out of the desert resembling the Old Testament prophet Elijah.  Andrew Greeley observes that an important influence on Jesus was John the Baptist, whose ascetic lifestyle he continued to imitate.  John was no fashion plate, with camel hair clothing, leather sandals, and leather girdle around his waist.  His vegetarian diet was very simple: locusts (grasshoppers) and wild honey.  This information must have been important to the evangelist, or it would not have been noted.  So what might it symbolize?  Well, you cannot wear anything more fundamental in the way of clothing, or eat a more basic diet.  Could it be representative of John’s ministry of simple beginnings.  Like Mark says: The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ.”

And what a simple message John preached: “Don’t look to me for answers beyond what I have already told you.  Anything else will come from another, who is coming right after me.  He is so much greater than I that I am not even worthy to loosen his sandals straps.  (Remember, this was his younger cousin that he was talking about!)

John began his ministry in the wilderness, the worst possible place.  BUT IT WORKED!  Mark says: “all the country of Judea, and all the people of Jerusalem” came out to hear John.  What attracted them to trek 20-30 miles through the wilderness to listen to a man preach?!  That is all he did!  He never said how it would work, or why; he just announced it.  John’s preaching and charisma could bring people to God, but he could not take them beyond that.

How fitting, it strikes me, that we have John’s message of forgiveness and repentance as a prelude to our Penance Service this coming Wednesday evening.  God offers us, once again, an opportunity to sincerely repent.  To discern what it is that keeps “me” from being an effective channel of God’s compassion?  What are the “barnacles and burrs … the personality sandspurs” that keep others from seeing the God-image our Maker intended?  The reconciliation service will give us a chance, once again, to be our own critic and say, “You know what, God?  I’ve finally realized it’s not those others, it is just me.  This is just the way I’ve become — and I need help.”  In the quiet of your own heart, where God alone hears and listens, you can say, “I repent, send me your Spirit.”  The responsorial psalm (Psalm 85 adapted) promises us: “The Lord will give his benefits; kindness and truth shall meet; near indeed is God’s salvation.”

In the meanwhile, be mindful of Habakkuk’s prophecy (2:3).  “God may delay; He may tarry” … but God has a plan – God will not forget, but it will be done on God’s time.  Indeed, that is what the readings help us proclaim today, that the Holy Spirit has called each one of us to this place, at this time, for a divinely ordained purpose:  to embody the Benedictine charism and live out a specific mission – personally and communally.

~ Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB, Prioress

 

Readings:  Isaiah 40: 1-5, 9-11     2 Peter 3:8-14     Mark 1:1-8

 

 

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An Act of Trust

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For most of us this is a classic passage in the Gospels … we’ve heard it ever since we were children.  On the surface it’s easy to understand – makes a good picture in our minds, appeals to children’s storytellers.  For the uneducated in Scriptural ways, it may seem like a strange story, even funny.  Some translations say:  “And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites in the basket.  Two mites!  Heavens, they may think, I wouldn’t know a mite if I saw one but I thought a mite was a bed bug.

So what is a mite?  I thought I knew and when I checked I did, but only a part of the definition.  Says Webster: A mite is a minute arachnid (spider) that has four pairs of legs.  Ticks are a close relative.  There are skin mites, bed mites and dust mites.  Many kinds of mites live in the soil and a number are parasitic on plants or animals or humans where they can cause relentless itching and an angry rash.

Of course, this is not the type of mite Jesus is referring to.  You know that. The dictionary continues.  A mite is something small — could be an animal, a child, or often a coin.  Mark tells us this widow gave “two mites” which in British coins together make one farthing.  A farthing was an old British coin taken out of circulation about forty years ago.  So, the “widow’s mite” translation doesn’t even make sense in Britain anymore!

Fundraisers and advancement director love this widow…. dutifully trying to scrape together two pennies to contribute to the annual appeal on Give Day.  They offer her multiple ways to make her small donation.  And they tell her if she only put that money in savings …  well by now, invested at a 4% interest rate, compounded semi-annually, there’d be 4 trillion in that account – enough to pay off several national debts from several small countries.

The reality, of course, is that this woman, and she need not be “old” – she lives most days with an empty refrigerator (if she has one), a bare cupboard, no electricity or running water. 

She is our responsibility.  Scripture abounds with exhortations to protect this widow.  Jesus condemns the value system of those in power who devour the property, the houses and the scant wealth of widows. 

Jesus calls attention, however, to a poor widow who makes the smallest of contributions—two coins of little value.  She’s not looking for a blare of trumpets to announce her generosity.  Jesus upholds the poor widow’s offering for his disciples’ consideration, commending her because her small offering was an act of profound generosity, giving from her livelihood rather than her surplus.

For us “wealth” is more than money ….  we give our lives for each other.   We listen showing interest and attention, we join in activities that would not be our first choice; we reach out with our expertise and influence – gained through educational opportunities provided by our community – Sisters till the soil, nurture gardens, prepare meals that nourish our bodies that enable us to offer our physical presence in ministry. 

We contribute funds held in common for causes that help reach beyond where any single one of us could make a significant difference.  We share, too, from our personal allowance for human causes that tug at our heartstrings. 

We share our talents and our space for events like Sunday’s patriotic concert and give of ourselves mingling during social events.  We keep tight the connection between our Sisters in nursing homes, caroling at Christmastime and visiting often.   

The widow who puts “two cents” in the basket.  We recognize that we each of us has “two coins, two mites” to contribute.  We hold a piece of the wisdom and generously offer our “two cents” when we make decisions that have an impact on all of us and our life in community. 

To give from one’s livelihood is, without a doubt, an act of generosity.  It is also an act of trust and total dependence on God.  We can only give from our need if we trust that God will provide for us.  Jesus himself demonstrates the ultimate act of generosity in giving his very life for us on the cross.

We can identify with the widow in tomorrow’s Old Testament reading.  We, too, sing God’s praises because for nigh on 130 years our “jar of flour has not gone empty” and “our jug of oil” never runs dry.

~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB, Prioress

 

First Reading   1 Kings 17:10-16                                             Second Reading  Hebrews 9:24-28
Gospel   Mark 12:38-44 (shorter form, Mark 12:41-44)
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Leadership through Service

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This lesson we just heard from Mark is interesting in that it differs from how Matthew related it.  Maybe it tells us something about the two evangelists.  In Matthew’s version of the story, it was the mother of James and John, who asks Jesus to give her sons positions of importance in the coming Kingdom.  Matthew must have thought that it was unbecoming for an apostle to make such a bold request.  Mark, however, appears to be more honest.  He wants us to understand that the disciples were very ordinary people.

Mark also gives us some insight into the character of James and John.  They may have been lowly fishermen but they certainly were not shy about taking this opportunity to look out for their future.  Like the other disciples, they believed in Jesus.  They were confident of his leadership – they just wanted be sure they were included.  They wanted to ride on his coat tails.  We all have seen that … people who are impressed with titles – who want to be buddy-buddy with the boss just because she has the title and they think she has the power.  Jesus did have the power but He wanted to impress upon the two brothers the price they’d have to pay for the privilege they wanted …  the service they’d have be prepared to render.

Jesus’ response to James and John reveals what He means when he speaks of greatness.  His definition is inevitably linked to service.  That which makes a person great is not their ability to rule over others.  Rather, it is the ability to invest one’s self for the welfare of others.  In a world where most people want to put as little as is possible into life and to get out as much as possible, our Lord speaks of a better way.

Jesus calls us to that “better way” today.  Only when we are willing to put more into life than we take out – to put service to others in a place of honor-only then, Jesus tells us, are we worthy to be called his followers.

The author Sue Monk Kidd says in her memoirs: we humans need stories almost as much as we need the air to breath.  Jesus often began: Sit down, let me tell you a story.  So, listen now to a new story with the same meaning as the gospel we just heard.

Once upon a time (that tells you it’s going to be a pretend story or a fable)… Well, once upon a time, in a far-off country, a king had twin sons.  One was strong and handsome.  The other was intelligent and wise.  As the ruler aged, everyone speculated about which son would be the king’s successor – the strong son or the wise son.

In this land, the sign of kingship was a royal ring.  Just before the king died, he had a copy of the royal ring made and presented one ring to each of his twin sons.  The chief advisors to the king asked him, “How shall we know which son wears the authentic royal ring?”

“You shall know,” answered the king, “because the chosen one will reveal his right to rule by his self-giving service to our people.”

[Richard Carl Hoefler, Insights, October 1988]

Sitting down, Jesus called the twelve and said to them, “If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.”

~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB, Prioress
First Reading   Isaiah 53:10-11             Second Reading   Hebrews 4:14-16    
Gospel Reading  Mark 10:35-45 (shorter form Mark 10:42-45)
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