Benedictine Sisters of FL

Holy Name Monastery
Founded 1889

Matthew

17th Sunday in Ordinary Time

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Our ancestors went out with joy to serve the people of God.

And, when the time was right…our time…… we are on the move again.

The opening lines of this Gospel selection seem to me to be a good description of what we did.  Many years ago our predecessors recognized a treasure across the street – a piece of land with a stunning view and a perpetual breeze; awesome sunrises and sunsets.  They buried it with a citrus grove – went out with joy to serve the people of God in many places.  And, when the time was right, our time (2014), we sold what we had and set out with joy to reclaim our treasured “pearl.”

Twelve years later we are on the move again, this time to an assisted living facility: American House on Pretty Pond Road in Zephyrhills, Florida.  This will be a gradual move as spaces become available.  For the time being four of us have made the move.  The transition has been a smooth welcome.  The residents have received “the Sisters” with helpful hints and are thrilled that Fr. John McEvoy will be offering Mass there on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursdays.

Let’s move on to our Gospel reflection. Jesus asks us: “Do you understand all these things?”  Like the disciples we without hesitation answer, “Yes.”  But, maybe our voices quiver and there’s a question mark in our expression. T is however a conviction in our hearts that we will extend God’s kingdom wherever we live, whatever the restrictions we encounter, and with whatever the resources we have at hand.

 The Gospel reading concludes with a curious statement about the scribe who understands the kingdom of heaven.   How do we identify and describe God’s Kingdom here on earth? One way that immediately comes to mind is the outpouring of love and concern evident in the “Christmas in July” celebration provided by the Columbiettes from St. Mark’s Parish in Tampa.  God bless them!

The words of a Quaker hymn come to mind: “We bend and we bow and shan’t be ashamed”.  Our mission remains the same – it just takes on a new shape.  Why did our Sisters come from Pennsylvania to settle in this area?  Was it not to feed the educational hunger of the local children?  Long before we wrote formalized philosophy statements and directional goals, our Sisters “fed hungers” in a variety of roles at all levels in the education field.  They worked in internal ministries and as nurses and home healthcare workers, seamstresses, coif makers, packing house workers, and gardeners.  You name it, as long as it was legal and moral, someone probably tried it.  Our aim is, and has always been, to foster life in community –  to BE community for each other: to pray and work; to interact with the care and respect St. Benedict describes in his Rule, particularly in RB chapter 72. It reads “be the first to show respect to the other”. In our community’s Core Commitment we express Benedict’s mandate by writing we are to be the first “to respond with the compassion of Christ to the hungers of our world.”

~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB

 

 

 

 Sorry this is a little late coming…

The four of us who have moved have had a smooth transition into life at American House.  The staff and residence alike have welcomed us and are happy that Fr John McEvoy will be offering 10 a.m. Mass (all welcome) on Tuesday, Thursday and Sundays.

 

 

First Reading:   1 Kings 3:5, 7-12         Second Reading:  Romans 8:28-30, 13:44-52
Gospel:   Matthew 13:44-46
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15th Sunday in Ordinary Time

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Jesus’ parables are moments of grace to ply open our heart’s willingness to surrender to, and be enveloped in, the always surprising generosity of God.

Here on our property, when we look out the windows we can see the greenhouse protecting the tilapia.  After months of growth they will eventually surrender themselves and be on our dinner table.  We can behold the life cycle of the hay field or blueberry patch and see first-hand in nature what Jesus’ is talking about. He extends the lesson to apply it to the human heart.  He reminds us that there are folks whose hearts are like cement.  It does not matter how much or how often seed is poured on these souls. Fertilize it, water it – nothing will cause those seeds to take root and sprout.  They (or we) can listen to church and TV sermons 24/7 and still remain unfazed.

Do you remember times you were like this …  not always … but a time or two when you just didn’t want to hear what God might have to say?

In contrast to the hardened-soil type person, the shallow-soil person is hyper-responsive to God’s word—but only for a wee tiny time. Like during a revival or a community retreat.   Be careful so you’re not temporary one of these ‘all in’ folks gobbling up every book or internet idea. At times you may be lucky enough to have the seed sink in and burst through the pavement of your heart.  But right away, birds or insects snatch the new growth so that it never comes to fruition.  It can’t survive the heat of the give and take of daily community life.

When were you like this?  Maybe in the novitiate … or the time in High School when the class made the senior retreat?  God was SO real to you … but God’s voice grew more faint as the days went by?  Remember those days?  You were so fervent.  But your fervor faded as time went by.

Then, there is a third type of soil – a thorny type – tightly entangled with the “thorns” “of the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches.” Matthew says these people are caught up in anxiety and get choked on the lure of the riches of the world that tug and yank at their minds and hearts until the seed suffocates, rendering them spiritually barren.

Was this ever the case in your life?  Times when you were just too distracted to cultivate God’s word? Times when several days went by without a pause for Lectio or healthy self-care?  Times when “thorny” remarks and obstinate behavior were your default mode?  That’s when God planted a general sense of dissatisfaction in the garden of your soul.

Oh, but how gratifying it must be to Jesus when He finds “good soil people” – when we share the time God’s has given us to meditate on the Word, let it penetrate and bear fruit – then we hold fast to the word making it our own.    Thus, we grow more Christ-like over time by absorbing and practicing the precepts of Benedict.  Over the years, as the seeds continue to take root and blossom, the fruits and gifts of the Spirit flourish.

One author describes Benedictine life: we fall down, and we get up as we ascend the ladder of humility.  We come not only to know, but to believe deep in our hearts that God can change hard, shallow, compromised patches of dirt into fertile garden soil.   We read in Ezekiel; “I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”

Some of us have, or have had, gardens. And all of us–whether we’re gardeners with a green thumb, or thumbs with only a tinge of green, or only a “wishful” thumb – or a thumb that only knows how to operate a TV remote or a computer mouse — all of us know the principle of planting: when we put a seed in the ground, we expect a plant to appear …  some may even think it will sprout with a flower already on it. We also know that not all seeds will produce full-grown plants. They just don’t, for a variety of reasons.

We don’t have to ever coddled a plant in order to know the different landscapes of which Jesus speaks. We know the beaten path of own lives. We’ve stumbled through the rocky patches of life. We have been scratched and cut by the thorns of life. But we have planted our roots deep in the sacred soil of community life that feeds and matures us to become a harvest – whether it’s a thirty, sixty or a hundredfold – who’s counting?!!  Given the right conditions apple seeds do become apples. Mango seeds become mangoes. God’s seeds become what we allow them to become.

Taking words from Matthew’s Gospel, why did Jesus speak in parables?  Remember what He said: I speak to them in parables because they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand.

Paraphrasing the words from Deuteronomy, we ask: “let the soil of my heart hear the words of Your mouth.  May Your instruction soak in like the rain and Your word permeate like the dew; like a gentle rain upon the grass and like a shower upon the crops.”  Or borrowing the words of Jeremiah: we pray to be like a tree that stretches its roots to the waters of a nearby stream.  May we stay green in the summer heat and in drought show no distress but still produce fruit.

~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB

 

 

 

 

First Reading:   Isaiah 55:10-11         Second Reading:  Romans 8:18-23
Gospel:   Matthew 13:1-23
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12th Sunday in Ordinary Time

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In this Gospel passage, Jesus uses a simple, mind-opening analogy to illustrate his point.  His listeners knew that the cheapest life in the market was a small bird of the field, perhaps a sparrow.  Yet, God’s providential care knows even when this smallest of birds dies.  Jesus is using here a rabbinic argument technique which compares a light matter to a heavy one. His idea here is to overcome fear and encourage the disciples, and us, to trust God.

Jesus recognizes that fear may cause failure on our part.  We see in the Gospel how on the one hand, the disciples are granted remarkable powers to heal the sick, exorcise demons, cleanse lepers, even to raise the dead. But at the same time, Jesus denies the disciples money, extra clothes, or a walking stick to aid in climbing the ups and downs of life or to protect themselves from wolves.  He even denies them a pair of sandals to shield their feet from rocks and stones, or, if they travel the fields in Florida, sandspurs.

They are to undertake their mission in complete vulnerability and dependence on God with an awareness that they go as “sheep in the midst of wolves.”  We know their stories. They faced arrests and beatings, hatred and persecution and opposition, even from family members.

With great care and compassion Jesus names aloud the suffering to be endured and its causes.  This is the first step in freeing them from the tenacious grip of fear.  Benedict knew this, didn’t he?  Remember what he says about receiving newcomers (Chapter 58).  “Do not grant newcomers an easy entry … test the spirits, let them keep persistently knocking at the door four or five days … they should be clearly told the things of everyday living in community; all the hardships and difficulties that will lead to God.  She, the newcomer, must be aware of what the Rule requires so that she may know what she is entering.”

Just as Jesus modeled the way for his disciples, we make a commitment to the each other to model Benedictine living.   An example: A young boy, out for a walk with his father on a cold winter day, was scared to cross a frozen pond … afraid of falling through the ice. But then his Father offered to lead the way.  Now the boy didn’t hesitate to go across the ice. The ice hadn’t become less frightening, but he was able to follow his father, trusting his father wouldn’t lead him to harm. He followed his father without fear across the ice.   Jesus leads us; we lead each other.

As we sing in the Suscipe: “Uphold me, O Lord, as you have promised, and I shall live, and do not disappoint me in my hope.”

“I am not afraid of tomorrow, for I have seen yesterday and I love today.” (William Allen White).  Also see Sirach 30:21-15: “Gladness of is the very life of a person, and cheerfulness prolongs our days.”

~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB

 

 

 

 

First Reading:   Jeremiah 20:10-13         Second Reading:  Romans 5:12-15
Gospel:   Matthew 10:26-33
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Feast of the Sacred Heart

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July is fast approaching when summer’s heat begins to wear down even the most dedicated of beach goers, sun lovers and spontaneous ball players. Life begins to feel sticky; nights get close; days get long and dry – and in Florida, very humid! Everything becomes a major effort; we slow down like rusty cogs on old wheels. Time seems suspended. Nothing much gets done. Day follows day with not much to show for any of them. Oh, yes, monastics know all about that kind of thing. Ancient monastics warn us to “beware the devil of the noonday sun.” Spiritual sloth they called it.  Rather, keep up your practice of lectio and don’t let lazy summer weather slow down your response time to others’ needs nor the whirling storms cause lightning-fast thunderous boisterous uncharitable remarks.

Who is it that gets us through our down times?  Who is it that gives us a boost “up” when life seems “blah”?  Jesus takes all our burdens and gives us every good thing.  In the end, we simply must confess, “Lord, my times are in your hands: my future, you’re my daily bread – you’ve carried it all and always will for me.”  What are we left with?  Comfort, confidence, joy…rest for our souls.  Trust Jesus’ promise.  Take his easy yoke, don’t fight it – trust. It is only when we wrestle with a yoke that it chafes our necks.  Jesus says: “My yoke is easy; my burden is light.  Learn from me – I am meek and humble of heart.”

The evangelist Matthew tells the story in his Gospel of the day Jesus offered us a bequest that gathered many of His lessons into one gift-wrapped package we call the BEATITUDES.  The evangelist Luke, too, relates his version of that afternoon on the mountainside.  Both men may have been there in the crowd on the hillside with Jesus but Matthew’s version contains more details.  We know that Luke gleaned an insight into Jesus’ home life from Mary, Jesus’ mother.  This particular day I know Matthew was there, hearing Jesus firsthand.  He was seated right beside me.  I can conjure up his image now.  He wasn’t very agile so he kept squirming to find a comfortable position on the grassy slope.

 LISTEN UP NOW!  Jesus is getting ready to speak.  Look around you. The Beatitudes that he’ll share are not some pie-in-the-sky sayings.  What Jesus says reflects what He saw so often.   He gives us a gift to unwrap and remember in our everyday life.  “Blessed are they.”

Jesus spots a rich man and his wife who live very simply.  Did you notice her peasant style dress?  She got it at the Jerusalem Good Will store.  This couple has a reputation for generosity.  Raising his hand in blessing over the crowd, Jesus says: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, the kingdom of God is theirs.”

See that family there that is mourning the death of their infant daughter?  Hear Jesus when he says: “Blessed are the sorrowing, they shall be comforted.”

Turning to make eye contact with the family whose only child is in a wheelchair and has many special needs, Jesus says: “Blessed are the lowly; they shall inherit the land.”

 Seeing some of John’s disciples, Jesus senses the people’s hunger for His words.  But, the sun is high in the sky.  Some have traveled far and Jesus knows they must be weary and hungry.  But they wait with an air of expectancy to see if He will offer than a word.  Jesus does not disappoint them as he says: “Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for holiness, they shall have their fill.”

Oh, look over to your right.  Do you see the older woman gently soothing a fretting infant so a young mother can rock her fretting toddler to sleep?  Hear Jesus when he says: “Blessed are they who show mercy, mercy shall be theirs.”

Why is Jesus looking over there?  He seems to be focusing on some who’ve lost interest in his sermon.  He knows that they’ve heard this before in different ways.  This time it might soak in if they’d just listen.  He knows their deep desire to be always in his presence.  He reminds them: “Blessed are the singe-hearted for they shall see God.”

 Why is He smiling now?  Oh, I see.  It’s that young father rolling a yarn ball back and forth to his two young sons.  A moment ago they were squabbling over the ball. Gently flicking the ball in the direction of each boy in turn seems to be a habit of his. And all the time Papa’s listening so intently to Jesus’ words.  “Blessed are the peacemakers; they shall be called children of God.”

Jesus’ express changes.  Mmmm.  He’s looking at those church officials.  The ones who have dared to follow him.  They know they’re going to be the object of tomorrow’s gossip fest.  Jesus speaks directly to them.   “Blessed are those persecuted for holiness sake; the reign of God is theirs.”

Slowly scanning the entire crowd, Jesus goes on to say: “Blest are YOU when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of slander against you because of me.  Be glad and rejoice, for your reward is great in heaven.   You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.”

 Again, I remind you: You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its lampstand so it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, “let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in

heaven.”

~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB

 

 

 

 

 

First Reading: Zechariah 9:9-10                    Second Reading: Romans 8:9, 11-13
Gospel Reading: Matthew 11:25-30
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Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

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Are you a person of integrity? Can people take you at your word? If you can answer, I am, then folks know that your ‘Yes’ means ‘Yes,’ and our ‘No,’ means ‘No.’

Jesus makes it clear that our yes is enough to satisfy a binding requirement. It’s the same with a vow – a vow doesn’t need an oath. If we do not mean it, if we hold on to “except when” or “unless” or “until it’s not working or it doesn’t fulfill me – then I’m out of here’ – that’s perjury, a false oath.  We vow with “no strings attached.”

As vowed Benedictines what do we do to insure we are truly life-long learners – committed to a perpetual pursuit of growth in the monastic way of life?  What do we do to increase our familiarity with the Rule of Benedict?  How deeply do we delve into Scripture to realize new, fuller meaning of God’s Word?  What do I hear today that somehow I never heard before?

Do we strive to enlarge the understanding of our vows?  If instance, the application of our vow of obedience?  Has our observance of obedience matured beyond a childish fear of a parent finding out we took an extra cookie? Or a beginner’s strict adherence to every regulation to please the novice director?  Do I worry that the whole community is watching me that day and night?  What does obedience mean to us?  What is legitimate authority?  In a spirit of mutual obedience do we conscientiously seek input from each other?  Do I give a request serious consideration or was my “Yes, Sister” simply pro forma?  Do I give a half-hearted acquiescence to a request as merely a suggestion?  Or was that a call of the Spirit in my life to follow or not as I choose? How distressing it can be to have someone say “yes” –  pretend she’s going to obey – but then never perform the deed or show by her every comment to others and her body language that she detests the suggestion or group decision?

What if the group makes a decision I don’t like – do I have any obligation to follow it if I voted against it?    Here’s the authentic test question: how closely does our behavior mirror Benedict’s “deference to one another?”  To keep our “yes” a “yes” takes much prayer, honest introspection, willingness to open our hearts to new meanings and a spirit of grounded integrity.  Otherwise, our vows, a couple’s marriage bonds, are not worth the piece of paper they are written on.

This is where our vow of stability comes into play.  With our vow we are publicly professing responsibility to work on fidelity to our covenant with God and our commitment to one another.  That takes an awareness of what is going on inside of ourselves, and a responsibility for how we might be contributing to the building up or destruction of a bond into which we’ve entered.  Remember: if you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem.

In this Gospel reading Jesus is talking about a lifetime pursuit of a way of living, in which our integrity isn’t just a matter of external conformity, but an internal way of life.  There’s that sticky vow of conversion of life.  This calls for strength and integrity, an inner discipline, an awareness of and acknowledgement of what makes us tick.  Our words should simply be our bond, and mean what we say.

When we say yes, you should speak it with enough conviction that there’s no doubt. When you say no, mean it.  If you sometimes say yes with your lips when your heart is thinking NO WAY!  People will pick up on that.  When in my heart I say NO, but my lips say yes…that’s deceit, it’s a lie.   My tongue speaks what my heart isn’t feeling. I’m lying to myself and to another person.  If I solemnly say “I promise I’m telling you the truth,” does that mean that sometimes I’m not telling the truth?

One of the angels in the Book of Revelation tells us: I know what you have done; I know that you are neither cold nor hot.  I wish you were either one or the other!  But because you are neither, I am going to spit you out of my mouth! “

Ultimately our relationships with other people are inseparable from our relationship to God; and it is the love of God that binds all in all.  It is God’s love that teaches us about relatedness, about truth, about personal integrity.  Heed Jesus’ words: Let your YES be YES and your NO be NO!

 

From the archives of S Roberta Bailey, O.S.B.

Ideas gleaned from a variety of sources

 

~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB

 

 

 

 

First Reading:   Sirach 15:15-20         Second Reading:  1 Corinthians 2:6-10
Gospel:   Matthew 5:17-37
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A Reflection on the Beatitudes

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THE BEATITUDES: Looking Back Through a Long Lens – I Was There that Day

Yesterday we celebrated the Solemnity of All Saints and today, the Commemoration of All Souls. It feels to me like a two-day celebration of all God’s people: those above the “grass” and those behind a very thin dividing wall but dancing to the same tune: “Great things happen when God mixes with us!”

This weekend I offer you a reflection from my journal on the Gospel often used for the Solemnity of All the Saints. When you settle into a few moments of leisure, you might read Luke and Matthew’s accounts of Jesus delivering the Beatitudes.

In his Gospel the evangelist Matthew tells the story of the day Jesus offered us a bequest.  This bequest gathers many of His lessons into one gift-wrapped package we call the BEATITUDES.  The evangelist Luke, too, relates his version of that afternoon on the mountainside.  Both men may have been there but Matthew’s version contains more details.  I know that Luke gleaned an insight into Jesus’ home life from Mary, Jesus’ mother.  This particular day I know Matthew was there, hearing Jesus firsthand.  He was seated right beside me.  I can conjure up his image now.  He wasn’t very agile so he kept squirming to find a comfortable position on the grassy sloop.

LISTEN UP NOW!  Jesus is getting ready to speak.  Look around you. The Beatitudes that he’ll share are not some pie-in-the-sky sayings.  What Jesus says reflects what He has seen so often.   He gives us a gift to unwrap and remember in our everyday life.  “Blessed are they.”

He spots a rich man and his wife who live very simply.  Did you notice her peasant style dress?  She got it at the Jerusalem Good Will store.  This couple has a reputation for generosity.  Raising his hand in blessing over the crowd, Jesus says: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, the kingdom of God is theirs.”

See that family there?  They are mourning the death of their infant daughter.  Hear Jesus when he says: “Blessed are the sorrowing, they shall be comforted.”

Turning to make eye contact with the family whose only child is in a wheelchair and has many special needs, Jesus says: “Blessed are the lowly; they shall inherit the land.”

Seeing some of John’s disciples, Jesus senses the people’s hunger for His words.  But, the sun is high in the sky.  Some have traveled far and Jesus knows they must be weary and hungry.  But they wait with an air of expectancy to see if He will offer than a word.  Jesus does not disappoint them as he says: “Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for holiness, they shall have their fill.”

Oh, look over to your right.  Do you see the older woman gently soothing a fretting infant so a young mother can rock her fretting toddler to sleep?  Hear Jesus when he says: “Blessed are they who show mercy, mercy shall be theirs.”

Why is Jesus looking over there?  He seems to be focusing on some who’ve lost interest in his sermon.  He knows that they’ve heard this before in different ways.  This time it might soak in if they’d just listen.  He knows their deep desire to be always in his presence.  He reminds them: “Blest are the singe-hearted, for they shall see God.”

Why is He smiling now?  Oh, I see.  It’s that young father rolling a yarn ball back and forth to his two young sons.  A moment ago they were squabbling over the ball. Gently flicking the ball in the direction of each boy in turn seems to a habit of his. And all the time Papa’s listening so intently to Jesus’ words.  “Blessed are the peacemakers; they shall be called children of God.”

Jesus’ expression changes.  Mmmm.  He is looking at those church officials who  have dared to follow him.  They know they’re going to be the object of tomorrow’s gossip fest.  Jesus speaks directly to them.   “Blessed are those persecuted for holiness sake; the reign of God is theirs.”

Slowly scanning the entire crowd, Jesus goes on to say: “Blessed are YOU when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of slander against you because of me.  Be glad and rejoice, for your reward is great in heaven.   You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.”

 Again, I remind you: ”You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB

 

Recall all the folks whose paths you’ve mutually crossed… Happy memories.

 

Gospel Reading:   Matthew 5:3-12 and Luke 6:20-23
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