Benedictine Sisters of FL

Holy Name Monastery
Founded 1889

parable

Fourth Sunday of Lent

by Leave a Comment

Recall last Sunday’s parable about a barren fig tree that was given a year’s reprieve to prove its worth or be cut down.  This week, for one day the church gives each of us a reprieve from the rigors of Lent with the gentling of the liturgical color in the priest’s vestments from intense purple to a cheery rose pink.  Flowers that had been forbidden until Easter can come forward for Mass and Vespers.  Then, back they will go, hidden in the cooler until Holy Thursday.

Some of us will remember when this 4th Sunday in Lent was referred to as Laetare Sunday.   It was a common name for this Fourth Sunday in Lent because the entrance antiphon begins “Laetare, Jerusalem” (“Rejoice, O Jerusalem”).   A little known synonym for Laetare Sunday is Mothering Sunday.  But it is not a celebration of mothers (although many countries fix their Mother’s Day celebration on this day).   In the 16th Century it was common practice on the 4th Sunday of Lent for people to go “a-mothering” – to pay a visit to their “mother church” – the church of their baptism.  Lenten fasting was relaxed and cakes were distributed to family members, giving rise to the name Refreshment Sunday.

The invisibility of women, their low level of access to, and participation in leadership, decision making, availability of resources, education and information, all mean that the adverse impact of globalized economic systems affects women and children disproportionately and often leads to greater violence against women and children.

Raising the veil of invisibility surrounding partner and child abuse, revealing a growing reality, is an on-going challenge.  But, every success in this endeavor is one more step toward understanding and with understanding comes empathy, justice and support for the cause of women as partners in spreading the Kingdom of their Creator.

I kept this editorial but lost track of the author.  It reads: “Now, I know this hope of mine is the longest of long shots. I have great faith in the Holy Spirit to move papal conclaves, but I would concede that I may be running ahead of the Spirit on this one.   Handing leadership of the Catholic Church to a woman, a nun would (to my mind) vastly strengthen Catholicism, help the church solve some of its immediate problems and inspire many who have left the church to look at it with new eyes.  There are certainly bishops and cardinals who have done godly work and many more who have supported it.   Imagine the message the cardinals would send about the church’s priorities if they elected a woman pope.”

I find “Lost and Found” boxes interesting.  At the very same time the things inside of it are both lost and found.  Suppose someone spots a cell phone in a parking lot, in the crack of a shopping cart.  The friendly shopper retrieves it and turns it in at the courtesy desk.  In one and the same moment it was completely lost, but it was found…  It is strangely both lost and found.

If there were an eternal “Lost and Found” box, we sure would be in it.  Our lives are filled with wayward actions that take us far from each other and our God. But, rejoice because we’ve been found!  Jesus made payment for our waywardness.  Thanks to His generous self-giving – and the unfathomable love of the Trinity, God is ready, with wild abandonment to welcome us back again and again.

 

~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB

 

 

 

First Reading:   Joshua 5:9a, 10-12      Second Reading:  2 Corinthians 5:17-21
Gospel:   Luke 15:1-3, 11-32
Continue Reading

The Kingdom of God is Open to Everyone

by Leave a Comment

Have you ever watched a make-over program on TV?  I’ve watched a few on house make-overs.  But recently when I was channel surfing, I was attracted by a young lady’s plea to get her boyfriend to dress appropriately for a wedding. This was one of those make-over shows where a person gets their entire wardrobe revamped.  As these shows go, they took him – he seemed to go without protest – to an up-scale clothing store for a new wardrobe that would make him acceptable at the wedding – at least in the eyes of his girlfriend.  He watched helplessly as his favorite clothes were thrown in a heap and replaced with more “fashionable items.”

The party in today’s Gospel would have been a highlight in many people’s lives. free food, hobnobbing with people whose names they’d only heard in passing.  Why would they not jump at the chance to be a guest at such a fantastic occasion?  But you just throw a party yourself and you will quickly figure out that some who say “yes” won’t show up and a goodly number will figure you knew they’d come so they did not really need to RSVP.

The people to whom Jesus was telling this parable understood the absurdity of the situation. They knew that Jesus was not simply telling them a strange story but that he was telling them something about their own lives.  He was in essence telling them that they were the invited guests and that they had refused the invitation. They understood that Jesus was telling them that the kingdom of God is open to everyone: to the outcasts and the sinners and to them.

But Jesus doesn’t stop his parable with that. He goes on to say that once the street-people had been invited into the banquet, the king spotted someone who wasn’t properly dressed.  When asked why, the man was speechless. The king demanded that he be handcuffed and thrown into the outer darkness. How are we to understand this part of the parable?  Why was lack of a certain type of garment such a big deal?

Some may say the king invited everyone so people should come just as they happen to be when they decided to join the banquet.  Others argue it means we should be given a special robe at the door of the church to wear during the service.  Of course, these answers miss the point. This is a story that has a deeper meaning. Yes, it is a story, but remember parables are earthly stories with heavenly ­meanings.

I find it intriguing that while the last group brought into the wedding came from the hedgerows and by-ways, the main character was still expected to be wearing a wedding garment.  This lets us know, doesn’t it, that we better be ready at all times to come to the wedding.  The point, of course, is not what type of clothing covers our nakedness. At some stage in life we’ve all learned that although not the most important thing in life, fashion is not something to be totally ignored either.   Just ask anyone who is getting married, or celebrating a jubilee or going to a funeral, if what people wear isn’t of some significance.  At one end of the spectrum, there are folks who believe brand name labels are the key to admittance into their coveted social circle. But for others, fashion is just not a big deal at all.  They may not even own a full-length mirror.

The wedding garment Jesus was talking about was like a choir cloak that was provided at the door.  To the listeners, this guest was one who snubbed social rules, the significance of the occasion and the prestige of being included on the guest list.

Even though everyone is invited into the banquet of the kingdom of heaven, there will be some who simply don’t send back their RSVP card. There will be those who show up but do so without the proper spiritual clothing and are sent away. The reading leaves us with that same probing question we first heard in our mother’s voice: “You’re wearing that?!”  We quickly recognized it was not really a question but an order.

Maybe a good place to start re-doing our spiritual wardrobes would be to heed St. Paul’s admonition to the Colossians (3:13):  “As God’s chosen people …  clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”  Just be sure you’re wearing the proper attire when Jesus says: “Come in, Friend, I’ve saved a seat with your name on it.“

~ Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB

 

Pray for peace in the world and people’s safety; for justice and access to health services; and protection from all forms of violence. 

 

First Reading: Isaiah 25:6-10a     Second Reading:  Philippians 4:12-14, 19-20
Gospel:   Matthew 22:1-14
Continue Reading

“What do we want to be caught dead doing?”

by Leave a Comment

This Gospel parable is a classic case of “too little, too late.”  In the end, driven to desperation, the rich man, suffering the consequences of his insensitivity to everyone but himself, makes a grand gesture.  When it dawns on him that he cannot save himself, his early training takes over.  He calls on Abraham to have pity on his siblings.  He begs Abraham to at least give them a “heads up” about the dire cost of the repeated selfish pattern of their lives.  He acknowledges it is too late to save himself.  He has strayed too far from the kindness his mother had instilled in him in early childhood.

You may ask whether this is an historical account or is it a parable.  Or, is there any difference?  Is it the true story of two men who lived and died during the time of Christ’s earthly ministry?  Or is it a story made up by Jesus to drive home a point?

You see, by definition, a parable is a true-to-life story used to illuminate a truth. This is true of the parable in the Gospel even if all of the details never occurred exactly as presented in the story. Parables are special stories that may, or may not, reflect historical events. Nevertheless, they must be true-to-life – they must be based on a real-life situation which is familiar to the  hearer. In other words, the story itself must be based on events that could have happened, whether or not they ever actually did,  Otherwise it would only serve to confuse people rather than provide them with spiritual light.

We can relate to the main character’s growing insensitivity.  How easily we, too, can become desensitized!  In some ways it’s good.  We can train ourselves by cultivating the habit of “selective sensitivity”.  When it comes to sight and sound, we’ve each done it to some degree.  We push little annoyances into the background, so it takes a concerted effort to notice them.  Think of the crunch of fresh potatoes chips, the click of heels on the hallway floor surface, the fan motor on the AC, even the persistent piercing sound of the monitoring alarm or wake-up melodies on a clock-radio or daytime tinnitus.

As a nation, as individuals we can be bombarded by many sources of media, featuring stories of horrible torture and inhumane treatment.  Sustained hunger or the effects of natural disasters can overwhelm our sensitivities so deeply that emotionally we shut down.  We suffer brain over-load.  We hear but we don’t listen.  We direct our attention to the next graphic depiction of raging violence, or the devastation wrought by climate change on the New Jersey shoreline.  The images flash and the newspapers stories and pictures slip through our minds like the story in a novel or frames in a comic book.  After a while we fail to separate between fact and fiction; between everyday happenings and once-a-week invented TV dramas.  We pray for an end to gun violence but we invite the sounds of gun fire and fisticuffs into our living rooms, dens and bedrooms via TV and computer apps because they’re “just pretend” stories.

How does this happen?  How can we continue to stay in touch with our gentler nature, our God-eyes and ears – the compassion of Christ that we promise to extend “to all those in our realm of influence”?

It takes daily prayer and practice.  Our degree of dedication to be true to our corporate commitment is living proof that we are learning the lessons we hear proclaimed in the daily Scripture readings. We share in the ministry of the compassion of Jesus when we provide hope and comfort to God’s people.  The essence of the message contained in the exchange in today’s Gospel is captured in Joan Chittister’s prompting: “What do we want to be caught dead doing?”  (American Magazine and NCR)

 

~by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB

 

 Have a pleasant week.  Pray that the hurricane stays out over open waters… but if God directs it over land, please preserve people from harm.

 

First Reading  Amos 6: 1a-7     
Second Reading  1 Timothy 6: 11-16
Gospel Reading  Luke 16: 19-31
Continue Reading

Rich Fool Parable

by Leave a Comment

Teaching is not what Jesus did; it’s who he was

This Gospel sets us pondering what is important in our lives.  The man in the incident Luke describes holds a world view that is fairly exclusive, doesn’t he?  It’s just him and HIS things.  Now he’s shocked to learn that he is about to lose his life.  What good are his possessions going to be to him now?  Jesus makes his opinion quite plain.  “You fool!  This very night your life will be taken away.  To whom will everything belong then?!”

As the story goes, the man is disgruntled over a long-standing disagreement with his brother.  And it sounds like he thinks he is justified in his complaint.  So, he figures he will follow the customary practice of taking his dispute to the rabbi.  (Expecting the rabbi, of course, take his part and set his brother right.)  He further thinks maybe this new rabbi, the one he’s heard everyone talking about, won’t know about his reputation for pettiness.  Surely he will get a favorable settlement for the row against his brother.  But, surprise!  Jesus refuses to take the case.  Instead, Jesus gives the squabbling brothers a parable to “mull over”.

And, what’s the point of Jesus’ story?  It’s not even remotely related to the problem that the two brothers are having.  It features a wealthy landowner that doesn’t describe either of the siblings.  Then Jesus lumps the boys in the same pot as the landowner.  He calls them all “fools”.

Better take fair warning, Boys.  And all you other listeners, too.  There is danger in thinking this parable applies only to “those rich people.”  To put the matter more pointedly, thinking of those rich fools enables me NOT to think of myself as a “rich fool.”

This a lesson about covetousness and jealousy.  Envy is related but perhaps less “green.”  You’ve heard the expression “green with envy.”  Envy, like jealousy, is a desire to have what the other has but it’s maybe a little less “green”.  It’s a desire to ALSO have what the other has.  But not like jealousy wanting to have it INSTEAD of the other.  Envy says: “I wish I could go too.”  “I wish I could be as gentle and kind as she is.”  Envy does begrudge the gifts of the other.  It’s a prompt to imitate the others’ Christian example.

In this little parable Jesus probes our hearts.  “Where is your treasure?” he asks.  Don’t make the mistake that this farmer made.  Examine my story.   Just what is the farmer’s error.  He wasn’t wicked.  He didn’t gain his wealth illegally or by taking advantage of others.  He’s not particularly greedy.  So, what’s wrong with building larger barns, renting a storage unit, getting a POD in the back yard to store away some of today’s bounty for a leaner tomorrow?  This kind of thinking can lead us to ask: Is there anything wrong with hanging on to clothing we’ve outgrown but might wear again someday?  Or stockpiling furniture that serves only as a “catch all” because it’s just too nice to give away.  What about requesting more allowance than we actually need?  But, never finding a charity other than ourselves.  Or accepting, or worse asking for money gifts or gift cards from lay people giving them the impression that our community does not take care of our needs.  We might answer that none of this sounds so terribly wrong compared to the horrors of violence … except for two things.

Notice what the farmer’s consistent focus is.  “What should I do?  I have no place to store my crops?”  “I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.”  It’s his relentless use of “I” and “my” that betray a preoccupation with self.  He’s fallen prey to worshiping the most popular of gods: the Unholy Trinity of “me, myself, and I.”  He gives no thought to using the abundance to help others.  This most likely is what leads to a second mistake: foolishness in thinking that making provision for the future; will secure one’s future.

Jesus used the opportunity as a “teachable moment.”  Life, he impresses upon us, does not consist in things; not even in having MANY things.  The farmer in the parable is a rich man, who fears that is not rich enough.  Jesus didn’t judge him; He did teach.  He was teaching all of us how to live.  To paraphrase President Joe Biden’s words in his speech at the Democratic convention, when he referred to his wife who was a teacher: “Teaching is not what Jesus did; it’s who he was.”

~by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB

 

First Reading  Ecclesiastes 1:2; 2:21-23        Second Reading Colossians 3:1-5,9-11
Gospel Reading  Luke 12:13-21

 

Continue Reading

Growing Within US

by Leave a Comment

Mark’s Gospel is full of stories, parables about the Kingdom of God.  The fourth chapter alone has three stories and all three are about seeds.  In one story Jesus tells of a farmer who planted seed in both good and not so good soil.  That’s the story Jesus elaborates on making it easy to understand. But the second, (which was the first parable that was just read) is a little more mysterious.  It describes how the seed grows without the farmer knowing how.  The third marvels at how large beautiful plants can grow from such tiny seeds.

Literally, the word parable means “a riddle.”  Jesus told more than 40 riddles or parables during his ministry.  Usually when a person tells you a riddle, they eventually tell you the answer.  But Jesus only explained one parable to the crowds – the parable of the Sower and the Seed.  Mark lets us know that Jesus did explain everything to his disciples in private.  Then, Jesus ascended into heaven and took the answers with him!  So that leaves us, with a lot of figuring out to do.

I’m told that one of the most amazing seeds in the world is Chinese bamboo.  It lies buried in the soil for five years before above-ground sprouts begin to appear leading one to believe it has died, is dormant, or stunted or defective seed.  During those long five-years it is important to cultivate, water and fertilize it regularly.  When the seedlings finally emerge from the ground, you can almost watch them grow before your very eyes  – growing at an astonishing rate, ninety feet into the air in just six weeks.  That’s fifteen feet a week, more than two feet a day, two inches every hour.  Why does it take so long to emerge, and then grow so fast once it does?  Plant experts say that during its first five years, the seed is busy building it’s elaborate root system underground that enables it to grow ninety feet in six weeks.

We can be tempted to want parables to unfold in neat little, decodable life-lessons.  But that’s not Jesus way.  He simply floats the parable out there, to rise or fall on ears of those who hear more than is said.  Those who have learned to really listen and read between the lines.

I am reminded of a short film that was popular in the 1970s – produced by a Canadian film maker: “The Parable.”  It was described by critics as “a very subtle Christian worldview.”  It raised eyebrows and questions about the prophetic role of the artist.  There were teachers’ guides galore explaining the symbolism in the story.  However, the film maker said he did not see Christ in the story.  It was not his intention to do anything other than tell a good short story and maybe win an award.

Parables are like dreams.  I can learn about universal symbolism but only the dreamer herself can discern the deep and hidden meaning of her dream.  We may both have dreams about rocks falling on us but each of us must interpret what the rocks represent.  You cannot explain for me what my dream about floating like a manatee down the Peace River means for me.  You may guess what it might mean for you if you had a similar dream.  If I am deathly afraid of water it may terrorize me while it may mean calm and serenity for you.

Remember the Chinese bamboo: God’s Kingdom grows within us in a similar way.  It takes a long time to emerge.  Sometimes it takes so long we wonder, “Did the seed of God’s kingdom planted in me at Baptism ever take root?  Maybe it fell on a rock in my heart and died.  Maybe it got choked by the thorns of my sins.”  More often than not, the seed of God’s Kingdom is building an elaborate root system inside.  Its growth may not be visible for a long time, but eventually something wonderful and beautiful will emerge.

This means that we need to trust God who in the first place planted the seed of the Kingdom in us.  He understands what’s happening inside us because he sees into the heart, even though we don’t.  We also need to be patient with ourselves and with each other.  Even though the Kingdom may not seem to have taken root in you, and you don’t seem to be getting any holier, there’s no need to be discouraged.  Keep on cultivating the seed with private and communal prayer, Eucharist and Lectio.  And, trust that others are making similar efforts to cultivate the seeds in their lives.  Hold in your mind the image of that bamboo … so much happening beneath the surface that the God of surprises patiently cultivates to bring to blossom in our lives!

~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB, Prioress

 

In your prayers, kindly remember S. Elizabeth and her family …  Sister’s nephew Janosh and his 3-year-old son, Daniel drowned over the week-end in a rip tide tragedy at Apollo Beach, FL. 

May they rest in peace!  And may the family be sustained in faith and the comfort of friends who mourn with them.  Sister is with the family in Riverview …  some information can be found on BayNews 9 and Facebook.

Elizabeth Mathai (srelizabeth@ymail.com)

Continue Reading

Because you were faithful in small matters … come, share your Master’s joy.

by Leave a Comment

Have you noticed that, as you seek to probe a parable it can be as exciting and intriguing as the challenge of a Father Brown, James Patterson or Jessica Fletcher fictionalized mystery story.  Ah, there’s one big difference – a mystery may seem pretty far-fetched while Jesus’ parables deal with real-life issues.  They are alike in this: both are filled with clues – though some may be quite subtle.  Lectio helps us probe Jesus’ parables – like in a game of Clue – bit by bit gaining us information that will enrich our lives.

These past few weeks, we move ever closer to the end of the church year, the liturgy has been offering us clues about the meaning of the “last days.”  In this parable, Jesus uses the “root of all evil” metaphor.  It’s about more than our monthly pocket money.  This is about life and our allotment of gifts, talents, and responsibilities.  We can’t be reminded too often that our gifts, our talents, our donors’ contributions are given to us primarily for service to others.  And, there is a promise coming:  If we make the intended use of these gifts, we will be rewarded and entrusted with even more responsibilities.  Sadly, some people deliberately fail at a job or chore they don’t like so they won’t get asked to do it again.  What about us and our talents?  Do we let dislike of a job, or a personality conflict with a co-worker or the threat of failure, or someone else’s critical eye hold us back from using a God-given talent?  Or how about a more mundane question: We get an allowance each month – do we bury it, hoard it, save it for vacation or a rainy day?  On the other hand, do we tithe a portion for the good of others so it keeps moving forward, good upon good?

Like the Master in this Gospel, St. Benedict teaches us “journey lessons.”  He speaks most directly to and about those who are sent on the journey… He doesn’t say that the Prioress, upon her return, will ask for an accounting – She knows “when the Prioress is away, the mice will play.”  And in all likelihood she will not (like the Master in this parable) distribute money to the members who well-tended the vineyard in her absence.  [But Benedict’s instruction does not preclude the Prioress from bringing home trinkets / mementos for everyone.]

We can sense the journey motif from the opening words of Benedict’s Rule when he bids us: “Listen!  The labor of obedience will bring you back (“coming back” requires a journey, doesn’t it?).  “Let us get up then, at long last,” for the Scriptures rouse us when they say: “It is high time for us to arise from sleep…” (come from the land of your dreams) “while you have the light… go out to seek workers in the multitude of the people ….”  Listen to Benedict: “Moving on in your journey of faith,” (and life in the monastery) “you will say, Here I am Lord.”  And, then he tells us how to prepare for our journey: “Clothed with faith and the performance of good works, let us set out on this way, with the Gospel for our guide….  Be just in all your dealings, speak the truth from the heart and do not practice deceit or listen to slander.”

By the time Benedict wrote chapter 67 one can tell he’s had some experience with monks who journeyed afar from the home monastery.  We know that Benedict, in his youth, had escaped “big city life.”  So he wanted to protect his monks from the evils and temptations of the prevailing society.  Those at home are to remember the absent ones in prayer … which means the gathered community may have “counted” noses,” not for the sake of taking roll call, but to pray for their confreres safety and protection from temptation.

I have to smile when I read what Benedict cautions next.  He certainly knew human nature: “no one should presume to relate what was seen or heard outside the monastery.”  Sounds to me like he’s familiar with the saying from Ecclesiastes: “Everything is wearisome beyond description.”  In plain English this can be interpreted: “No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied.  No matter how much we hear, we are not content.”  We need to be on guard to not be hungry/eager for a morsel of gossip to savor.  Benedict didn’t want stories of the world to creep in and cause dissension or dissatisfaction to rankle or upset his community.  Times haven’t changed much over the passing years – we still need to be on guard that we balance chartable interest in each other versus the drive to know every intimate detail about what was seen or heard by the other.

In line with his admonition to pray always, Benedict reminds his monks that on a journey to keep an eye on the sun … listen for the bells from neighboring abbeys announcing prayer times.  … so, (Benedict reminds them) though at a distance too far to join the community, they should “observe the prescribed hours” as best they can.  Thus, probably began the custom of the Angelus … the dialogue between Angel Gabriel and Mother Mary, a modified version of Sext (or Noon Prayer) that could be memorized so as not to neglect their “measure of service.”

The Rule closes with this journey-question: “Are you hastening toward your heavenly home?  Then keep this little rule … as you set out for loftier summits of the teaching and virtues we’ve mentioned.”  Benedict, in his own unique way, shares Paul’s message to the Philippians that we heard in Wednesday’s evening reading: “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice.  And the God of peace will be with you.”  Benedict adds this promise: “under God’s protection” (together) “we will reach our heavenly home.”  That’s the same promise Jesus makes to his trustworthy followers: Because “You were faithful in small matters … come, share your Master’s joy.”

~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB, Prioress

 

This Year’s Thanksgiving Outreach

This year, obviously, we will not be hosting our traditional Thanksgiving dinner.  We plan to collaborate with Pastor Cheryl Duke and the people at Dade City Presbyterian Church to provide food baskets for the needy.  We will be contributing any monetary donations, along with supermarket gift cards, to extend our mission to “feed the hungers of the people of God.”  The Knights from nearby St. Mark’s Parish have donated $1520 in gifts cards and $1305 was contributed by the Benedictine Sisters’ from their monthly personal allowances. 

We are grateful for all the years that Saint Anthony Women’s Club and parish staff have allowed – and assisted us – in providing a free meal to the local community on Thanksgiving Day.    

Twenty-six years ago the Sisters began small, in their monastery dining room, to provide a holiday meal for a handful of Saint Leo College International Students.  Within three years, the Sisters moved the event to Marmion Cafeteria and extended an invitation to the public to join them for dinner.  They gathered a crew of volunteers that grew over the years.  In 1998, the Sisters sold Marmion Cafeteria to Saint Leo and the Saint Anthony Women’s club jumped on the bandwagon and have continued for the intervening years to provide all the desserts for the dinner.  Saint Anthony School children got involved in making table centerpieces and place mats.  We will greatly miss the gathering this year and look forward to a future when we can once again welcome our guests to bow their heads over a holiday meal to give thanks to God for all the gifts He provides.  

 

First Reading  Selected verses Proverbs31       Second Reading  1 Thessalonians 5:1-6
Gospel Reading  Matthew 25:14-30
Continue Reading