Benedictine Sisters of FL

Holy Name Monastery
Founded 1889

Mary

Fourth Sunday of Advent

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For many people this last week of Advent is fraught with frantic shopping, concern about who they’ve forgotten to get a gift for, cards that are not going to arrive before Christmas, children whose hopes are going to be dashed, worry about what food stamps will buy that will still look like a festive meal, the choice between food on the table or gifts under the tree, gas prices that prohibit travel to be with relatives, who’s going to watch the children while there’s no school, day care that’s not in the budget and parents who still have to go to work.

Our lifestyle should stand out in contrast to all the hustle and bustle, the preoccupations with secular concerns.  We have the luxury and the burden of putting first things first.  The sign Ahaz refuses to ask for in the first reading can be the one we project to the world.  We can heed Isaiah’s alert and not weary people or our God.  We can shorten real-life “posadas” by coming out of our shells when we’d like to hibernate in our self-made cocoons.

For the pregnant Mary these days just before giving birth to Jesus should have been “nesting days” but Mary was traveling.  May we use this next week for “nesting” –  readying our hearts and our living spaces for the Babe to take deeper residence in us and in our community.

These days are a time to listen like Jesus’ foster father Joseph to our dreams.  Let us awake, arise and do what the Spirit commands.  Sometimes it may be puzzling the connections we make.  For instance, Joseph’s dilemma, and the angel’s intervention, had me humming two songs: “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes” (from Cinderella) which continues: “…when you’re fast asleep; in dreams you will lose your heartaches, whatever you wish for, you keep.  Have faith in your dreams and someday your rainbow will come smiling through.”  The other dream song, “I Have A Dream” was written in memory of Martin Luther King, Jr: “I have a dream,  a song to sing, to help me cope, with anything …I believe in angels, when I know the time is right for me …I have a dream, to help me through reality and my destiny.”

There is an air of festivity this time of year not solely in our faith tradition, but also, for instance, in the celebrations of Hanukkah and Kwanza as well.  Christmas, sometimes referred to as Yuletide, is on a fixed date during the winter solstice.  Kwanzaa was established in the 1960’s as a way to help African Americans connect with their African history and culture.  It is a week-long spiritual festival celebrated December 26 to January 1.  The seven-candle Kinara (candle holder) honors principles of Unity, Self-Determination, Responsibility, Cooperation, Purpose, Creativity and Faith.

Hanukkah is the eight-day Jewish festival that commemorates the victory of the Maccabees over the oppressive power of the Syrian-Greeks and the re-dedication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem.  The eight-candle menorah with its day-by-day increase in light, symbolizes the days of creation and the dependable guidance of God.  There is a long-held Hanukkah tradition that delights children as well as adults: the practice of “gelt-giving” – money or chocolate coins – which teaches lessons in charitable giving.

Comparing these festivals, it’s easy to see that despite representing a variety of cultural and faith traditions, there are commonalities: honoring our ancestry, candle lighting, charity, gift-giving, family spirit.

Our prayer intention for the next two weeks will express our gratitude for God’s boundless generosity in the persons of our relatives, friends, and benefactors.  May they know our gratitude and be blessed by God for their graciousness to us.

 

~by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB

 

 

First Reading  Isaiah 7:10-14                       
Second Reading Romans 1:1-7  
Gospel Reading  Matthew 1:18-24
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If You Listen For My Bell, I Promise I Will Listen For Yours

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On Friday of this week the Church will celebrate the story of a special friendship: Jesus and Mary, Martha and Lazarus.   The two sections in today’s Gospel – the prayer of Jesus and the reminder that when we seek we shall find, and that our knock and will open the door –   each is a comforting promise of God’s personal gift of friendship. I’d like to share with you a story of friendship – imaginary but nonetheless one that I trust will touch your heart.

 

TALE of TWO HORSES

[Author unknown – adapted]

If you listen for my bell, I promise I will listen for yours

Picture if you will that just down the road from our monastery a field with two horses in it.  Standing at this distance, each looks like any other horse.  But, as you move closer to work in the outdoor garden or perhaps are walking nearby, you will notice something quite amazing.  Looking into the eyes of one horse will disclose that he is blind.  His owner has chosen not to have him put down. But, rather, has made a good home for him.  This in itself is amazing!

Now stand still.  Listen!  Really listen!  Do you hear the soft tinkle of a bell? When you spot the source of the sound, you see it comes from the smaller horse in the field.  Attached to her halter is a small bell and couple Christmas “jingle” bells.  The “Jingle, Jangle” sound lets her blind friend always know where she is.  Now he can follow her and avoid collisions with the fence and small trees and corrals her wandering too far afield.

As you stand in amazement watching these two friends, you’ll see how the blind friend is always checking on the other’s where-abouts.  He listens for her bell and then slowly walks forward trusting that his little friend will not lead him astray.  When the “faithful bell ringer”  returns to the shelter of the barn each evening, she stops occasionally and looks back, making sure her friend isn’t too far behind to hear the bell.

Like the owner of these two horses, God does not throw us away just because we are not perfect or because we have problems or challenges.  God watches over us and even brings others into our lives to help us when we are in need.  Sometimes we are the blind horse being guided by the little bell ringers –  those companions whom God places in our lives for as long as we need them.  At other times we are the guide horse, helping others see their way.

Good friends are like this …  You don’t always see them, but you know they are always there.

~by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB

 

This week kindly include in your prayers our community, and our retreat director, Father Patrick Boland, O.S.B. from Subiaco Abbey Arkansas.  May God give him the grace to speak the words we need to hear.  And, in turn, may we each be open to receive the WORD.

As July comes to a close, following our retreat week, we will be engaged in four days of evaluation and planning for the next few years.  Our agenda will include 3rd year assessment of our direction statements – what have we done, what remains, is it still relevant, next steps for us?  Throw into the mix a movie, a TED Talk and a community game night along with a couple outside speakers, reports and culminating in proposal of, and commitment to, goals for 2022-23 and beyond

 Remember our out-reach project for June and July?  Support our friend S. Winny’s project to open a kindergarten and catechetical program in educational “desert” in Tanzania.  Refer to our website www.benedictinesistersoffl.org for how you can support this ministry.

God bless you and your families … be safe, stay hydrated, do what you can “climate control” Mother Earth … every effort does count!

 

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No Single Person Needs To Do It All

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In the Gospel we hear: “as Jesus entered a certain village a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home…. Mary sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.”  In tomorrow’s first reading from Genesis, we have the story of Sarah slaving in the kitchen and Abraham entertaining their three guests: bowing in greeting, sending them to wash up while he scurries about getting a choice steer and giving Sarah orders on what and how to prepare the meal which he alone hosts for his new buddies.

Both Scripture readings (it seems to me) concern more than the contrast between the activists – Martha behind the scenes and Abraham busy arranging the details – and the more reticent ladies, Mary and Sarah.   The incidents illustrate more than hostesses each doing what they do best to make an evening delightful.  There is a bit of all these characters in each of us – one or the other prevails from day to day, and situation to situation.

Jesus’ response to Martha’s “don’t you even care that I am stuck in the kitchen?” reminds us “only one thing is necessary.”  It causes us to realize that I, as an individual, do not have to do it all.  This is evident in our practice of taking only one role in at a time in the dining room or in a single liturgy – we acknowledge (for instance) that liturgy is a communal act where all present are on the same level: differing in gifts but equal in importance.  Everything needs to get done, there are plenty of roles to share: leaders and readers, cooks and servers, singers and keyboardists, prayer leaders and bell ringers, gift bearers and petitioners, Eucharistic ministers and the celebrant.   At times our ranks may be slim, especially when members are away or illness prohibits or limits our participation, but we strive to engage everyone in the communal roles.

This is the attitude we strive to express also in the distribution of daily chores.  No single person needs to do it all – choices have to be made.  Self-importance can creep in the way if I am not careful to realize the impression I make if I try single-handedly to assume the burden of chores failing to ask for assistance.  There are times, certainly, when we have to double up on duties but we need to be conscious of enabling others to offer service and to give them the respect of recognizing their capabilities.

The Gospel also gives us a glimpse of Jesus as a gracious guest: the object of Mary’s attentions and the recipient of Martha’s service.  Jesus knew his role as servant and the one being served – the contrast between serving and resting gently and securely in the role of being a servant or a guest.

To paraphrase some thoughts from Richard Foster in his book Celebration of Discipline:

  There is a difference between choosing to serve and choosing to be a servant (with emphasis on the word CHOOSING).    When we chose to serve, we are still in charge.  We decide whom we will serve and where we will serve and when we will serve.  And if we are in charge, we will worry a great deal about anyone stepping on us, that is taking charge over us.

     But when we choose to be a servant, we give up the right to be in charge.  There is a great freedom in this.  When we choose to be a servant, we surrender the right to decide who and where and when we will serve.  We become available and vulnerable.

We pray, then, for the grace to have a balance in our lives of being servant (a server) and of being open, receptive, gracious when others render us service – thus enabling them to achieve their God-given calling to serve.  We pray that God grant us the grace to be:

  • Humble when helpless
  • Patient when infirmed
  • Gracious when a guest
  • Comfortable when the object of service and attention, affection and praise from others

~Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB, Prioress

 

 Have good week … a little of “Martha” balance by some “Mary” in your life…

 

First Reading: Genesis 18:1-10         Second Reading: Colossians 1:24-28          Gospel: Luke 10:38-42
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Mother’s Day

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One of the lovely, but often misunderstood, elements of our Catholic religion is our devotion to Mary, the Mother of God.  The Hail Mary is among the earliest prayers many of us learned, often from our mothers’ lips as our tired heads hit the pillow at night, or as the family gathered for the nightly recitation of the Family Rosary.  Some of you may have grown up in the time close to the 50th anniversary (1967) of Mary’s appearance to the children at Fatima.  There was a traveling statue that migrated from parish to parish.  This practice was revived in 2017 during the 100th anniversary year.

But, why talk about that today?  It was the description in the Gospel of a good shepherd.  You have heard that in ancient Israel, and even today particularly in South America, “good shepherds” are women.  In my office hangs a picture of the La Divina Pastora (note the final letter connoting a feminine shepherd).  Jesus says: “My sheep hear my voice; I know them.”  Doesn’t that sound like a mother on alert for the cries of her child at all hours of the day or night?  So, this being Mother’s Day weekend gives me an opening to reflect on devotion to Mary, Mother of our Savior.  It’s a heart-connection: a non-threatening, “she-understands-me” sort of relationship.  Stories of her miraculous appearances to people “just like us” fill us was with awe and a desire for closeness to Mary.  [A Catholic calendar lists a different Marian commemoration for each day of the year.]  We marvel at the believer’s relationship with Mary that naturally blends with their relationship with her Son, Jesus.  We trust her instincts.  We plead with her to “hold open the back door of heaven” for us.  And (here at the monastery) we remind Mary each evening “never was it known that anyone who sought your intercession was left unaided.”

To borrow words of praise on Mary from S. Joan Chittister: “Mary is not simply “Mary, the Mother of God.” No, on the contrary.  The Mother of God is the image of women everywhere.  The Mother of God is Mary, independent woman; Mary, the unmarried mother; Mary, the homeless woman; Mary, the political refugee; Mary, the Third World woman; Mary, the mother of the condemned; Mary, the widow who outlives her child; Mary, the woman of our time who shares the divine plan of salvation; Mary, the bearer of Christ.  Mary shows us the sanctifying power of a human being who has become fully human.” [Joan Chittister Women of Strength 2020]

It’s hard to explain in human words what a relationship with Mary means to me.  I grew up in a parish where the pastor had GREAT devotion to our Lady.  His voice softened when he spoke of her.  He led his parishioners in a variety of devotional practices like May processions and crowning of statues, the living rosary in October and the practice of the Family Rosary.  I’ve heard many converts to Catholicism say (in so many words) that it was through a loving relationship with Mary that they were encouraged to seek more information that eventually led them to enroll in an RCIA program … which led to their reception into the Church.

We echo the words of the angel’s greeting to Mary each time we pray the Hail Mary.  Jesus’ cousin, John the Baptist, the unborn child in Elizabeth’s womb, is said to have recognized the presence of the Lord and leaped for joy.  His mother Elizabeth is the “amazed saint” recognizing the unique blessedness of Mary.  The attitude of Elizabeth is representative of the attitude we aim to emulate.

When Jesus was 12-years-old his parents, Mary and Joseph suffered the awful experience of losing a child.  When they found him in the temple, “sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions” the only satisfaction they got from him was that he had to be about his Father’s business.  Many have thought his words to be disrespectful but if you know 12-year-olds they sound pretty typical.  At 12, every Jewish boy was expected to make his bar mitzvah and become a responsible subject of the law.  Jesus says that he was never lost; he was at home; He was in his Father’s house.

The most puzzling part of the story, however, is the way it ends: “Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them”.  The puzzle is this: If Jesus, already at the age of twelve, was ready to begin his public mission, and was evidently well prepared for it, why would he go down with his parents and spend the next eighteen years in the obscurity of a carpenter’s shed?  He only began his public ministry at the age of thirty when the supply of wedding wine ran out.  Mary jump-started his ministry with her directive to the servants – “Do whatever he tells you.”

When we reflect on the fact that for every one year of his public life Jesus spent ten years in family life, then we can begin to understand the importance and priority he gave to family life.  And, now you may have a clue why I chose to speak of Mary on this Mother’s Day weekend.  Maybe you, too, learned the simple prayer that begins: Lovely Lady, teach me how to pray; God was just your little boy, and you know the way.

 

~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB

 

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Believing Can Bring Sight

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This week we begin the Third Week of Easter and the third MONTH of the war in Ukraine.  Thursday past was an International Day of Prayer for peace – very much needed in these times.  And, generally since 1955, when May 1  does not fall on a Sunday, we celebrate St. Joseph, the Worker.

Liturgically, each day since Easter we’ve heard post-Resurrection stories of personal encounters.  The Resurrected Christ has appeared to Mary and called her by name, visited the disciples and his mother Mary in the Upper Room to breathe peace upon them.

We’ve heard the story of how Jesus slipped in and out of the company of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus.  In John’s narrative Peter’s head was whirling at all that was going on.  It appears his message to the others was: “This is too much for me; I’m going to clear my head; I’ll be back later.  I’m going fishing!”  A few of the others jumped aboard.  At daybreak a very human Jesus appeared to these disciples who’d spent a night of non-productive fishing.  We know that Jesus must have known this but still he calls to them: “Children, have you caught anything to eat?” Then he suggests to them that they toss the nets on the other side of the boat.  And, lo and behold, the nets encircle 153 large fish!  No one dared ask him: “Who are you?”  To their astonishment, Jesus invites: “Come, have breakfast.”

By Saturday (a week ago) we step back to the day following the resurrection.  We meet up with Mary, faithful witness to the end and first to meet the Resurrected Christ.  She is on her unsuccessful mission to tell the companions of Jesus: “He is alive!”

Last Sunday the church made sure that we heard the message that Jesus came a second time to the group in the upper room.  Again, He came right through “locked doors.”  He greeted the fearful group: “Peace!”  And, turned to address Thomas to quiet his fear that the one the disciples claimed they had seen a week ago might be an imposter.  Nothing can keep Jesus away from those who have been his companions for 3 years.  Jesus has become comfortable enough with them to expose his vulnerability: “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass me by.  Nevertheless, let it be as You, not I, would have it…. I thirst.  When tiredness overtakes him he sleeps in the boat until cries for help rouse him to alertness.

At that 2nd visit in the Upper Room Jesus praises those who do not seek proof.  On the other hand, neither does he condemn those who seek a sign.  He meets us where we are on our faith journey.  He does not condemn Thomas for wanting to see proof in the nail marks.  Instead, he offers living proof to help his unbelief.  “See my hands; put your finger here.”  And then He nurtures maturity in faith when he says: “Blessed are they who have not seen but have believed.”

Monday, this past week found us with the eleven off on our life’s mission having witnessed Jesus being taken up to heaven to be seated at the right hand of God.  There is an exchange with Nicodemus about the wind: from whence does it come, and where does it go?  Jesus gently tries to explain, “If I tell you of earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things?”  If only we understood that seeing may not be believing but believing can bring sight.

The lessons remembered by John continue.  “God does not ration the gifts of the Spirit; the Father gives everything to the Son.”  As evening grows long, the disciples went down to the sea.  It grew dark as they rested and rowed and drifted in the boat.  When, they were 3-4 miles from shore, one after the other perked up and pointed to a silhouette of a man who appeared to be walking on the water toward them a calming voice was heard: “It is I.  Do not be afraid.”  Those who are familiar with the voice of God will immediately recognize when Jesus speaks.

For today we hear a curious detail.  John relates that before Peter jumped from the boat into the sea, he grabbed his clothing “for he was lightly clad.”  He put on more clothes to jump into the water?  Isn’t that typical of what we tend to do?  We don’t want to leave anything behind even when it only adds weight to our journey.  What does Jesus tell us to do?  Not, grab all your belongings, we’re going on a journey of a lifetime.  Rather he says: “Feed my sheep; feed my lambs.   Follow me!”

What is your excess baggage?  What needs to be left behind?  We have to clear out old expectations if we are to have room to welcome new experiences.

~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB

 

We’ve learned from the family of Shawnn Leach (our cook) who died at home on Thursday, April 21, that as an organ donor Shawnn’s “gift of life” benefited 25 individuals.   God bless them and God reward Shawnn with eternal rest and happiness!

 

First Reading: Acts 5:27-32; 40-41             Second Reading: Revelation 5:11-14
Gospel: John 21:1-19
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“Men Take Charge; Women Take Care”

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There is an old saying – well, not as old as Jesus’ time on earth, but an adage that might be a good title for a talk on the Wedding at Cana: “Women take care; men take charge.”  Mary took care of the problem of the young couple whose wedding planner miscalculated the amount of wine needed for the after-party.  Mary took care and put Jesus in charge.  The significance of her directive to the wine servers resounds down through the years – “Do whatever He tells you!”  The challenge to us is to hear what He says; what He tells us individually and as a community.

You may notice that, (like some other places in Scripture) in this particular story, Mary is not mentioned by name; the writer simply says, “The mother of Jesus was there.”  There is a current ZOOM webinar entitled: “Women Erased.”  The series offers online presentations that uncover the many ways women’s leadership, witness, and ministries have been erased from Scriptures and our Lectionary [https://www.futurechurch.org/women-erased-series]  These are women who are referred to, but never afforded the dignity of being named – “The wife of; the mother of “ … etc.

There is no parallel report of this miracle at Cana in the other three Gospels.  It seems significant that John included the story – about Jesus and his disciples at a wedding – at a PARTY!  The occasion of the very first miracle Jesus performs?  Of all that Jesus said and did in his three years of ministry, this is the first – Jesus at a party, turning water into wine (and not communion-size wine but party-size wine!)

John must have kept his eye on Mary whenever he was in her company.  Even after Jesus’ death, at Jesus’ behest he took Mary into his home and heart until her own death.  Though in relating this story he does not call her by name, he must have been deeply touched by her keen observation.  She discretely and gently offered a tip, a hint to Jesus so as not to embarrass her hosts or the wedding planner.  And, she was comfortable staying in the background.

She steps aside once she points out to Jesus the awkward situation that the absence of wine could create.  Her exemplary discretion and timing pay huge dividends.  Jesus responds by getting involved in a BIG WAY – those six jugs of wine could fill close to 900 table bottles.  That’s a lot of wine, even for a wedding party that could have lasted a week.  And, was it the guests’ imagination – isn’t this wine better than the wine served earlier?!  After the Last Supper, did folks recall this miracle when Jesus said, “Take and eat, this is my body.  Take and drink, this is by blood.”  Does the story help us accept the magnitude of the miracle of the loaves and fish, the gift of the Eucharist?

Jesus’ lavish response to a simple human need is a vision for us of the abundance of God’s kingdom.  It challenges us to respond generously when confronted with everyday human need.  We respond as best we can.  Sometimes, often, it is directly.  But at other times we know who to contact or a referral we can make and let those who are more skilled or have access to a wider array of services to respond to the expressed need.  We step back, fully confident that in such cases I am an instrument in God’s hands, I am not God.  Others can better transform my efforts in bringing the Kingdom of God to fulfillment among us.

As Paul reminds us in the Second Reading, “There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, there are different forms of service but the same Lord, different workings but the same God who produces all of them.”  A recent example of this is the gift from the Knights of Columbus who donated over $1000 in grocery gift cards.  They only passed through our hands but we did not purchase them.  We were only the distributors of the Knights’ generosity to Daystar Food Bank recipients.

Later on in John’s gospel, he will remind us that “Jesus did many other miraculous signs, which are not recorded in this book.”  What we do have in the Gospels was written that we might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.  And, that by believing we might have life in His name.”

As we reflect on this wedding story, let us seek to heed our Mother Mary’s directive -“Do whatever he tells you.”  Hold that thought side by side with John’s exhortation “believe that you may have life in Jesus’ name.”  And give voice to the words of the Responsorial Psalm – “Proclaim God’s marvelous deeds to all the nations.”

~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB

 

First Reading:   Isaiah 62:1-5         Second Reading:  1 Corinthians 12:4-11
Gospel:   John 2:1-11
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