Benedictine Sisters of FL

Holy Name Monastery
Founded 1889

mercy

Divine Mercy Sunday

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This weekend end is an unusual, wonderful, seasonal combination of themes, ceremonials, rituals.  Early today, (the eve of Divine Mercy Sunday) millions were glued to the TV as in Rome a good and holy man was laid to rest.  Our Gospel reading from John rings out a message of PEACE.  Jesus comes through locked doors to greet His mother and friends proclaiming: “Peace be with you!”  An unbeliever has his faith boosted when Jesus says:  “I’m here, see me!  I’m real!  Yes, you can touch me.”  In my mind’s eye I see Peter trying to keep up with the younger guys, I spy Mary Magdalene trying to “up the tempo” of Mother Mary and some other ladies who are walking sedately and chatting quietly.  All are mystified and inspired and ever so grateful!

Here at home, as in the Gospel reading, it is the evening of the first day of the week.  The faith community is gathered behind locked doors, for fear of the unknown.  Suddenly, this evening,  Lynn and Judith will appear in our midst bringing greetings of PEACE.  The community rejoices and we pray them a blessing: PEACE BE WITH LYNN AND JUDITH!

We are grateful for their presence and grateful that we live in this time and space – in this Jubilee Year of HOPE.  This weekend’s liturgical readings for Divine Mercy Sunday combine MERCY with HOPE – and HOPE with KINDNESS.

KINDNESS (it seems to me) is the virtue par excellence of a person who is truly patient, a person like Pope Francis.  In an early interview, Pope Francis said he hoped that his legacy would be expressed in this way: “He was a good guy doing good things.”  Kindness rubs off.  Isn’t this the shining image we have in Francis!?  Kindness is fueled by MERCY.  MERCY, one author offers, is not one aspect of the Gospel of Jesus; MERCY is the very center of the Gospel.

Divine Mercy is offered to us in the Eucharist, in each celebration of the sacraments, (all seven of them), and in every sacramental exchange of hope and kindness and mercy.

To paraphrase Abbot John in the Dove and the Hawk series by Penelope Wilcock: we re – member Christ in communion – Christ will re – member us in the coming of his kingdom.  We are healed, we are made one with each other, we regain our integrity as Christ’s kingdom comes on earth.  Where (he asks) does Christ come into his kingdom?  It happens wherever, and whenever, we allow it.” We allow it in every act of HOPE, every act of KINDNESS, and certainly in every act of MERCY.   We allow it every time the Eucharist is presented to us, the “BODY of CHRIST” (That’s the moment of invitation).  It happens when we allow it to happen – when we affirm it with our AMEN.

Yes, Jesus stands at the door and knocks.  We just have to turn the key and open the door. Even an auto-button won’t open a locked door.  That’s your part, our part.  Turn the key to let the door swing open.    It’s true that the turning of the key is a life-long process. [But, praise GOD!] It’s the gift of a moment. A lifetime made up of a sequence of moments giving us the chance to say “I hear you …  I’m coming! I was waiting for your knock.”    “Please, do come in.  May I offer you some refreshment?”

~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB

 

 

 

 

First Reading:   Acts 3:42-47         Second Reading:  1 Peter 1:3-9
Gospel:   John 20:19-31
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The face of God on earth

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I believe that Jesus Christ,
the unique son of God,
is the face of God
on earth
in whom we see best
the divine justice,
divine mercy,
and divine compassion
to which we are all called.

Through Christ
we become new people,
called beyond
the consequences
of our brokenness
and lifted to the fullness of life.

By the power
of the Holy Spirit
he was born
of the woman Mary,
pure in soul
and single-hearted—
a sign to the ages
of the exalted place
of womankind
in the divine plan
of human salvation.

He grew as we grow
through all the stages of life.
He lived as we live
prey to the pressures of evil
and intent on the good.

He broke no bonds
with the world
to which he was bound.
He sinned not.
He never strayed
from the mind of God.

He showed us the Way,
lived it for us,
suffered from it,
and died because of it
so that we might live
with new heart, new mind,
and new strength
despite all the death
to which
we are daily subjected.

—edited from “A Creed,” In Search of Belief  by Joan Chittister
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When We Enter a House, Our Message Will Simply Be “Peace.”

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peace-to-this-householdJesus is warning us it is going to be difficult – that he is sending us out like lambs among wolves. Yet we are to bring nothing with us, not even a wallet or flip flops. We are to make no side trips along the way or greet bystanders on the way so as not to be distracted from our mission. When we enter a house, our message will be simply “peace.” The response we receive may be positive or negative. Either way, we are to know that the Kingdom of God is at hand. We are not to demand special treatment but eat and drink whatever is given to us. We are to stay in one house and are not look around for someone who can provide better accommodations. We are to ask a blessing for the sick as a sign that the Kingdom of God is at hand for them. If the locale will not receive us, we are to shake the dust from our feet and move on. Even in the case of such rejection we will know that the Kingdom of God is at hand.

In 2015, the world’s population was 7.2 billion.  Of that number there were reportedly 1.2 billion Catholics in the world with over 40% of those in Latin America and the fastest conversion rate in Africa.  Sounds like those early disciples clearly did not work in vain. Their “mustard seeds” grew from 12 into large branches, sprawling trees providing shelter for hundreds, thousands, millions, billions of souls living today – not counting all those who have gone before us.   That invisible yeast worked its influence dramatically on the seemingly inert dough.

Among those who call themselves Christians, how many could be deemed active labors in God’s vineyard?  The harvest is still great.  There is still a large population which profess to be agnostic or atheist – who have not met or who deny the existence of God.

But a common perception of “laborers” is priests, or religious brothers and sisters, those who have a “vocation”. One hears people expressing regret that today there are so few “vocations”. What will the Church do?    However, it is doubtful that Jesus was thinking of priests and religious when he spoke those words. In fact, in the world of the New Testament there were no priests or religious as we understand those terms today. In the mind of Jesus – and in the mind of the early evangelists – everyone who was known as a follower of Christ was expected to be a laborer in the harvest field.

How can one be a laborer?  Jesus told us our task is to be bringers of peace.  “Say first: Peace to this household.”  In early June of this year, Pope Francis, in his introduction to priests’ on a 2-day retreat, spoke about the first steps in understanding and practicing mercy.  He said: “If we start by feeling compassion for the poor and the outcast, surely we will come to realize that we ourselves stand in need of mercy.”  I would suggest that the same principle applies to peace-making.  If we start by providing a peaceful environment for our visitors and guests, surely they (and we) will come to realize how peace feels, how much we need it and how quickly it can spread among us.  And, what better way spread peace than by modeling peaceful living by our demeanor and interactions with others – a quiet, contemplative atmosphere in the hallways, conscientiously using an agreeable, non-threatening tone of voice, and performing simple random acts of kindness for each other.

What Jesus recommends is not to weigh ourselves down with all kinds of baggage. Our security is not to be in material possessions, in what we have. It is not in our status and standing in the eyes of others. It is not in the power and influence that we can wield. Our security comes from deep within, a peaceful security that no one or no circumstance can take away from us.

I read a funny story the other day about competing. It seems there was a barber in a small town who had been the only barber in town for years. Everyone went to this barber to get their hair cut. Then, one day a big, modern name-brand hair salon came to town and opened up shop. They advertised, “All Haircuts $3.00”   The old barber just couldn’t compete. In a last ditch effort to save his business, he hired a business consultant. The consultant spent a day pouring over the barber’s books and asking many questions. At the end of the day the barber asked the consultant, “So what do you think?  Should I close up shop?” The consultant said, “Not yet. I’ll be back tomorrow.” The next day the consultant showed up with a huge banner that he hung in front of the barber shop that said, “We Fix $3.00 Haircuts!” The competition doesn’t always win, do they?  We don’t need to compete – we just need to BE – be models of peace to each other, practice wise stewardship, believe in God’s goodness and mercy – and live it!

~ Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB, Prioress
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The Prodigal Son

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prodigalIf you were around before Vatican II for long Latin choir rehearsals, you may recall the melody of the antiphon that announced the Fourth Sunday of Lent.  It’s one of those that stays with you … (sing) Laetare translates from Latin to English “Rejoice”.   This is also known as “Refreshment Sunday” – a day when the austerity of Lent is relaxed a little, and the violet vestments of Lent can be replaced with rose-colored ones.   A special kind of fruit cake was often served on this Sunday modestly breaking the Lenten Fast.

According to another old tradition, although it probably is not on anyone’s list of approved feast days, is “Laugher Sunday” or “Holy Humor Sunday” – a day celebrating the big joke that God pulled on Satan.  Thus the name: God’s Joke or the Easter Laugh – a day to lighten up, relax, and recall the joy and the goodness of the Lord.  (We anticipated it a bit with our Hoedown!)  In honor of Laughter Sunday, here’s one to tickle your funny bone.    During a lesson on Easter, a religious education teacher asked the class, “What did Jesus do on this day?  Getting no response, she prompted: It begins with R. “I know!” blurted out a child: “Recycle.”

But on a more serious bent … The context of today’s Gospel is not to be made light of.  Sinners and social outcasts were “all seeking the company of Jesus to hear what he had to say”. The Pharisees and Scribes, who were the “good and religious” people, were shocked and disturbed. “This man welcomes sinners and [even worse] eats with them.” By their standards, a “good” person avoids “bad company”. To be quite honest, don’t we think the same? If so, then we are not thinking like Jesus.

We typically title this Gospel story the “Prodigal Son” but, in fact, the emphasis is less on the son than on the father, who clearly represents God and Jesus.

No one can deny the appalling behavior of the younger son in this Gospel. He took all that his father generously gave to him as his inheritance and used it in leading a life of total debauchery and self-centered indulgence. Eventually, he had nothing and was reduced to living with pigs, something utterly abhorrent to the Jewish mind, and even sharing their slops, something even we would find appalling. “Served him right,” might be the reaction of many, especially the good and morally respectable.

This, however, is not the reaction of the father, who has only one thought in his mind – how to get his son to come back to where he belongs. The father does not say: “This son has seriously offended me and brought disgrace on our family. He better not come crawling back here.  I disown him!”  Instead he says: “My son went away, is lost and I want so much to have him back.” He stands in the doorway of his house many long hours, watching, waiting, longing … His love for his wayward son has not changed one iota.

There is no force involved. The police are not sent out. There is not an “Amber” alert. Servants are not instructed to haul him back. No, the father waits. It is up to the son himself to make the crucial decision: does he want to be with his father or not?

Eventually he “came to his senses”, that is, he realized the wrongness of what he had done. He became aware of just how good his father had been. The process of repentance had begun. He felt deeply ashamed of his behavior and then, most significant of all, he turned around to make his way back to his father.

The father, for his part, filled with compassion for his son’s experiences, runs out to meet him, embraces him and brushes aside the carefully prepared speech the son had prepared. If the son had known his father better, he would have realized that such a speech was unnecessary. Immediately, orders are given to bring the very best things in the house and a banquet is laid out.   This is forgiveness on the part of both the father and the son – a return to where each ought to be in relationship to the other.

This is where the elder son comes in. He simply cannot understand what is happening. “It’s just not fair!” How many times have we heard this spoken or, be truthful, felt in our hearts?  “It’s not fair, just because she’s the baby; you didn’t let me stay out that late when I was her age!”  And the litany grows.  We challenge our parents and one another’s generosity, operating from the perspective of limited resources. If she gets it, perhaps there won’t be enough for me.

Jesus wants his hearers (us) to understand that this is not how it is with God’s mercy, love and forgiveness. God offers love to all of us in abundance. The forgiveness of the father in the parable is an image of God’s love for us: generosity beyond measure!

By our standards, even God is unjust.  In fact, he is corrupted by love! That’s fortunate for us!  Supposing we went to confession one day and the priest said, “Sorry, that’s it. No more forgiveness, no more reconciliation. You’ve used up your quota. Too bad! ” Of course, it’s not like that.  Thankfully there is no limit to God’s forgiveness, mercy and love.  God has a deep desire to forgive – to be totally reconciled with us when we’ve severed the bond of relationship.  There is always a place in God’s company for us.  The question is: Do you truly believe that God acts this way towards us?  Can we humbly accept divine mercy without jealousy, knowing that God’s love for another does not diminish the love shown and showered upon us?

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