When is the last time you sought a big rock to dash your unruly thoughts against? Uttered something in a language you never studied? Or, like what happened to St. Benedict, had a goblet crack down rim to stem and spill out its poisoned contents? After all we live at HOLY NAME monastery and the evangelist Mark quotes Jesus telling us these will be our signs if we are baptized and believe in the Holy Name! And, on top of that we have the command to: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.”
A little overwhelming, isn’t it? But we had best take the message to heart all the while assured by the words in the Gospel: Jesus took his seat at the right hand of God but they (meaning we) went forth and preached EVERY-WHERE, while the Lord worked with them.”
Praise God the full brunt of the message does not fall on us alone. But we must take seriously our commitment to shoulder our share of the burden to spread the Good News to all with whom we come into contact. We write a new page of the gospel each day through all that we do and by whatever we say. Others read what we express with our lives. We express what we believe in a variety of ways in multiple community documents: in our PHILOSOPY statement, our MISSION statement, our VISION statement, our CORPORATE COMMITMENT and our CORE VALUES. We recognize and acknowledge our responsibility to harken to Jesus’ call personally and to contribute to its fulfillment in the context of our Benedictine vocation.
There is an ancient beautiful story about the ascension of Jesus into heaven. When the grand welcome ceremony was over, the angel Gabriel quietly approached Jesus and shared some doubts. “I know that only very few in Palestine are aware of the great work of human salvation you have accomplished through your suffering, death and resurrection. But the whole world should know and appreciate it and become your disciples, acknowledging you as their Lord and Savior. What is your plan of action?” Jesus answered, “I have told all my apostles to tell other people about me and preach my message through their lives. That’s all.” “Suppose they don’t do that,” Gabriel responded. “What’s your Plan B?” Jesus replied, “I have no other plan; I am counting on them.” That fanciful story reminds us that Jesus is counting on each one of us to make Him known, loved and accepted by others around us.
Our mission is both easy and hard: easy to understand but hard to carry out. Words of Pope Benedict XV express well the attitude and the necessity of self-giving: “My deep personal sharing in the needs and sufferings of others becomes a sharing of my very self with them…. I must give to others not only something that is my own, but my very self. I must be personally present in my gift.”
~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB
Congratulations Graduates, one and all.
Happy Mother’s Day, ALL who “mother” us in a variety of roles – thank YOU!
