Benedictine Sisters of FL

Holy Name Monastery
Founded 1889

Pope Francis

18th Sunday in Ordinary Time

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Did you know this is the only story that is mentioned by all four gospel writers?  Jesus performs this same miracle on two separate occasions.   And, you know the story well: Jesus takes His disciples out into a deserted place, a place of human loneliness, hunger, and thirst. Hungry and thirsty people follow Him out there. When the day is getting long, His disciples tell Him the obvious. “They are hungry.” Jesus responds, “Feed them yourselves.”  This is the same thing He is telling us.  We are likely to reply, as did His disciples, “All we’ve got are five measly barley loaves and two fish. What good is that in the face of all that has to be done?”

Recently while channel surfing I saw a preacher-looking person writing on a white board.  I paused to see what would appear. There it was: today’s lesson!  “Faith is taking God at His word.”  That’s what happened here, isn’t it? Jesus said, “Feed them yourselves” and they did that with trust.  That took faith!  Would we have done the same or would we have figured there’s not enough for everyone so let’s not start a frenzy!?  The disciples and their helpers trusted that they would not be embarrassed by scarcity.  Pope Francis reminded us: “In the desert (where this crowd was gathered) people of faith are needed who, by the example of their own lives, keep hope alive.”  Hope rose as those baskets fed family after family.   Did the people realize how little food was in the baskets when they started?  Was the miracle that faith moved everyone who had even a smidgen of food to share it with their neighbors?   Is that why five loaves and two fish became a banquet with 12 baskets for another day?

Today we live among material progress beyond anything that our deceased Sisters and our parents could ever have imagined. But spiritually people hunger and thirst.  This is the situation that prompts our Corporate Commitment: to respond to the physical, spiritual, social and emotional hungers of the people of God.

And we pledge to do just this with the compassion of Christ.  That’s a tall order.   If we are to have something to share, we must also take seriously God’s invitation to be fed by Him, especially in the Eucharistic feast.  We can only fill the hungry crowd if we seek the Lord in Lectio, communal prayer and quiet times of reflection and conversation with the One we pledge to imitate.

We are moved to ask ourselves: “What really sustains me? What is my true sustenance?  Or, am I living in a state of spiritual starvation?”  If that is the case we will come up clueless when we ask ourselves, “What can I do to relieve others’ hungers?”  As the saying goes: you can’t give what you ain’t got!

Imagine yourself seated on the grass that day as a witness of the miracle where over 5,000 were fed from food barely enough for one. If you received physical sustenance from that bread that had been miraculously changed by Jesus, would you ever be the same again? Could you ever eat any meal in the same way ever again?

Rest assured: when we reach out in trust it is Jesus who does the feeding. All we have to do is share His food – His tender loving mercies, His presence, and His love.  You see, Jesus is not really saying – you do it all by your lonesome.  Instead, Jesus is saying: “Let’s do it together!”  When we look at needs and situations around us, we might be overwhelmed – but we need to count Jesus in equation.  (Our limited resources) plus (JESUS) divided by (the world’s great needs) equals A MIRACLE!  Maybe when it comes to ordering our spiritual food we shouldn’t hesitate to say, “Yeah…supersize me.”

My friend tells this story:  one day – while walking into the Dade City hospital main entrance – a mother and her young daughter were ahead of him. Just before they got to the entrance, the little girl noticed the closed door and asked her mother how they were going to get inside. The mother smiled – walked forward – the electronic eye opened the door and they walked in. The little girl turned to the next person and said: “It’s ok – just step up and a miracle will happen.”   Jesus says that same thing to us – “It’s ok – step forward in faith – the door will open – and a miracle will happen!”  The crowd will be satisfied and there will be leftovers for another day, for the next crowd of hungry people who approach you.

~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB

 

 

 

 

First Reading:   Isaiah 55:1-3         Second Reading:  Romans 8:35, 37-39
Gospel:   Matthew 14:13-21
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Saint Scholastica’s Feast Day

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The feast day of Saint Scholastica (480-543), twin sister of Saint Benedict, is today February 10th.  Considered the patron saint of Benedictine women and education, her life, like her brother’s, was centered on love and peace.  At a very young age, she devoted herself to God and established a convent about five miles from Benedict’s monastery.  They enjoyed a close relationship, meeting yearly to discuss spiritual matters.

As you may recall, the Benedictine Sisters of Florida refer often to Saint Benedict’s The Rule.  His vision of how to live in community begins with the words “Listen with the ear of the heart.”  The story of what would be Benedict’s last visit with his sister Scholastica illustrates how strong the communication link or dialogue can be between God and His people.  Scholastica, feeling somewhat unsettled, wanted her dear brother to stay the night on this particular visit.  Though she implored him, Benedict insisted on the necessity of returning to his monastery.  Saint Scholastica prayed to God who listened and within minutes, a roar of thunder and heavy rain made it impossible for her brother to leave.  It would be the last time the siblings would share precious time together.  Saint Scholastica died three days later.

The Benedictine Sisters of Chicago remind us that January 24th is the memorial of Francis de Sales who is known as the great saintly communicator.  In that vein, Pope Francis wrote on the 56th Annual World Day of Communications about “Listening with the ear of the heart.”  The Pope’s message reads “From the pages of Scripture we learn that listening means not only the perception of sound, but is essentially linked to the dialogical relationship between God and humanity.”

We pray fervently that our patron Saint Scholastica, cradles our hearts so that we truly listen with heartfelt compassion always.

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“Christ the King, the living face of the Father’s mercy.”

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This weekend we observe the solemnity of Christ, the King. The celebration was first was proclaimed universally as a feast in 1925 by Pope Pius IX. In 2015, the prescribed date was moved from October to the last Sunday in the church year and the commemoration was raised to solemnity. At that time Pope Francis added a phrase to the title of the day.” (see title of reflection)

As the liturgical year draws to a close, we consider how Jesus is more than just a king. He is the King, the King of the Universe. We celebrate a ruler who, in mercy, was willing to die for us to give us true freedom. Jesus willingly exchanged the trappings of a king for a place among the poorest of the poor. In place of a red carpet, he’d had a rude stable floor strewn with hay. Later in his life, it was palm branches that lined the way beneath a donkey’s feet. His crown was not one of gems but a crown of thorns. His choice of transportation was usually on foot. In speaking of his home, Jesus said: “Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”

Some may wonder why we read a scene from the passion today. How does that help us understand what Jesus’ kingship means? We may always sense a vague uneasy feeling in calling Jesus “king” partly due to the changing attitudes toward kings throughout history. Today, distrust of authority is rampant – accelerated by the rise in belief that the only authority is the individual self. The idea of Christ as ruler, as king is resisted by many who believe that such titles are borrowed from oppressive systems of government. History proves that some kings have been oppressive. But when we allow this type of thinking to overtake us we miss the point that Christ’s kingship is one of humility and service. In contrast to the oppression so prevalent in Jesus’ day, he saw his role as king as one of humble service. He teaches us, his followers, to be servants as well. This is the behavior we must imitate. As Benedict teaches “Anticipate the needs of others and put them before our own; anticipating others’ needs in doing good works.”

This leads us to ponder: how is it that Jesus can be, at the same time, both Suffering Servant and King? That’s the very question that Jesus turns on Pilate: “Do you ask this (are you a king?) on your own? Or have others told you about me?” It pushes us to question ourselves: Is Jesus my King? Do I know him on my own, from my own experiences? Or is my relationship with Jesus based on borrowed thoughts from books I’ve read; homilies and retreat talks? Do I sing with conviction the sentiments of the kingly hymns that spring to mind: “Come, Christians, Join to Sing”; “Rejoice, the Lord Is King”, “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name”, “Hail, Redeemer, King Divine”, “The King of Glory”, “At the Lord’s high Feast”, we sing, praise to our victorious King”? And, let’s not overlook the triumphant echoing of a favorite Christmas carol: “Joy to the World! Let Earth receive her king!”

At the other end of this week, we will be jump-started into the Season of Advent: an experience of an “ending” that is a “beginning” – a time of waiting for the One who will come. He is the One who is promised to us in the Book of Revelation: “Behold, he is coming and everyone will see him; the Alpha and the Omega, the one who is and who was and who is to come.” In Paul’s letter to the Colossians, he writes: “He is before all things, and in him all things are held together; in him all the fullness is pleased to dwell!”

~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB

 

 

First Reading: 2 Samuel 5:1-3 Second Reading: Colossians 1:12-20
Gospel: Luke 23:35-43
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You don’t need a building to represent God’s presence – God is ever near

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Have you ever had the experience of talking to someone who is behind you?   You think you are having a really good conversation only to discover the other person has long since left the room or fallen asleep in the back seat.  Not long ago I experienced this when trying to converse with a friend as we walked down a long busy hallway.  What my friend did not realize was that someone had stepped between us while she continued speaking over her shoulder. “Let’s go into town tonight, find a good dancing place; maybe have a drink or two.”  Imagine her surprise when a male voice responded: “I’d like that – Is it OK if I bring my wife?”

That’s similar to what is happening in this Gospel story.  Folks are going through all kinds of activities directed to a God who has long stopped paying attention to all of their religious rituals, performances and pretenses.  What was taking place in the Temple was all the outward activity with none of the genuine reality. The motives had become mixed: it was much more about what they could get from the Temple rather than responding in gratitude for what God has done for them and their ancestors.

The picture here is not a gentle, soft-spoken Jesus – not the smiling Jesus calmly confronting the religious establishment with authoritative teaching and divine wisdom.  He does not ask the vendors to kindly remove their display tables outside the temple.  Nor does he ask the buyers to hold on to their money and put it in the donation basket.  Rather, he appears with His sleeves rolled up ready for a fight. He makes his own whip and chares through the heart of the religious establishment striking forcefully and aggressively at a religious system that has become skewed. Imagine it! Jesus is opening the cages of sheep, and doves with one hand, while, wielding a whip of cords in the other. He is driving animals and people alike into confusion and retreat.

The Jewish leaders ask Jesus for his credentials: what sign does he offer for taking this radical action?  Their demand is amazing but it seems a fair question.  They are checking what right He has to clear the Temple. Even among those who trusted Jesus, there is something that is not trustworthy. Jesus knew that even among those who believe, there is something fundamentally wonky. We are prone to get it wrong. Even among those who have true faith in Jesus, there is the possibility that we will let ritual replace reality.

Recall Jesus’ response to his critics in the temple?  “You want proof that I have the right to condemn religious pretension.   Let me give you the sign that I have the authority to condemn the Temple. You are going to kill me, and when you destroy me, I will raise it up again.” He is saying that resurrection is the ultimate authentication that he is who he says he is.  The religious leaders were incredulous.

He’s telling them and us: You don’t need a building to represent My presence because I am the connecting point between you and God.  In just a little more a month we will be celebrating Christmas and singing about Emmanuel, God with us. Authentic worship is not attached to Jerusalem or any other place. It is attached to Jesus. You / we won’t be making a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. But, we will be moving through Advent – a movement of the heart.  Turn away, Jesus says, from all that detracts from Me and our relationship.

So, if the Gospel message is that we don’t need a building to find and worship God, why are we celebrating the dedication a basilica today?  Parishes commemorate their founding dates but that’s usually a local celebration.  Why does the dedication of a building in a faraway city supersede the 32nd Sunday liturgy?  This church, the Lateran Basilica, not St. Peter’s, is a diocesan cathedral, the pope’s church, in his role as bishop of Rome.  It was built in the 4th century on donated land.  The structure has suffered fire, earthquake and ravages of war.  The present structure was commissioned 1200 years later, in 1646.  Beneath its high altar rests the remains of a small wooden table, on which according to tradition, St. Peter celebrated Mass.  The building may have been repaired and its role changed since the fourth century, but Jesus Christ remains its cornerstone.  This is our mother church, the spiritual home of the people who are the church.

Shortly before his death, Pope Francis give us insight into his concept of Church:

“I would like a more missionary church, not so much a tranquil church, but a beautiful church that goes forward in joy.”    At the opening of the Synod on the Family Pope Francis made it clear no question would be out of place, Discussion was not to be censored; no topics or questions were to be off the table. He wanted full, robust debate.   Then, in his closing remarks at the Synod he challenged the bishops with homework: “We still have one year to mature, to find concrete solutions to so many difficulties and innumerable challenges to confront; to give answers to the many discouragements that surround and suffocate.”

Our gospel is not a bedtime pretend story about some long-ago hypocritical religious leaders. It’s really our story too.  Our covenant relationship with Jesus, with God is not just about becoming a better version of ourselves through self-improvement.  It’s not about following a set of rules, reading the words of someone else’s prayers, being on our knees or sitting down, genuflecting or bowing.  It’s about becoming the best we can be – living to our full potential – not putting ourselves down in false humility or denying God’s free gifts to us.

A very real question is whether we believe that the resurrection fact or fiction?  Do we truly believe the sign that Jesus gives us, that He rose after three days buried in the earth?   If you believe He did, then we need to pay attention, because this is no ordinary man.  Let us, pray, then THAT our community, that every community of faith gathering to worship, may go forth from church buildings into their everyday lives to share their faith and resources with those in need.

~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB

 

 

 

 

 

First Reading:   Ezekiel 47:1-2,8-9,12        Second Reading:  1 Corinthians 3:9-13,16-17
Gospel:   John 2:13-22
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Good Shepherd Sunday

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In the earliest Christian art, the only depictions of Jesus are of Him as a Good Shepherd. That image of Jesus persisted until about 500 AD.   By that time eighty-eight frescoes depicted the Good Shepherd on the ceilings of the Roman catacombs because artists had run out of space of the walls of the churches of Rome.  The image of the Good Shepherd speaks to us about the protection, intimacy, security, and compassionate care.  If one looks carefully in many of those first paintings the Good Shepherd is a woman.  Yes, the ladies stayed close to the home to keep an eye on the flock and stir the all-purpose kitchen pot in preparation for the for the mid-day main meal.

In some images we see Jesus holding a lamb around his neck, over his shoulders, holding the two front legs of the sheep in one hand and the two rear legs in the other. Our minds naturally begin to wander and we realize it holds personal meaning for us. We are that lamb who is being carried by Jesus. It’s reassuring for us, in the dark days of our lives, that although we may feel empty and alone, we are never abandoned.

The image of the Good Shepherd is symbolized in a beautiful way by the Pallium which the pope and archbishops wear over their shoulders while celebrating Mass. The Pallium is made from lamb’s wool from sheep raised by the Trappist monks on the outskirts of Rome.  When mature, the sheep are taken to the Pope for a blessing and then cared for by Benedictine Nuns at St. Cecelia’s (where Benedict lived while he was going to school in Rome) until they are sheared on Holy Thursday.   The lamb’s wool is meant to represent the lost, sick or weak sheep in the desert which the shepherd finds and places on his shoulders and carries to the waters of life.

At night a shepherdess can walk right through a sleeping flock without disturbing a single one of them, while a stranger cannot step foot in the fold without causing pandemonium.  And when several shepherds and their sheep are at a watering hole and it is time to leave all the shepherds have to do is call and their flock separates itself and follows their shepherd.

This is what we need to do when confronted with a cacophony chorus of conflicting opinions … but we can only do this if, as Pope Francis frequently reminded us, “it is essential in order to cope with complexity and change, that we have developed the ability to withdraw for quiet reflection.  Only then will we truly know the voice of our shepherd, heed His voice and follow wherever God calls.”

~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB

 

 

 

 

First Reading:   Acts of the Apostles 13:14, 43-52         Second Reading:  Revelation 7:9, 14b-17
Gospel:   John 10:27-30
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Receive the kingdom of God like a little child

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Isn’t it a shame that pastors have the option of omitting the last portion of this Gospel  – the part about the children.  I hope they don’t exercise that option especially after Pope Francis’ many displays of affection and regard for children.

In this Gospel the people were bringing their children to Jesus, much like they do today to Pope Francis.  It is the children (urged on by their parents) who can manage to break through security the lines, past the preoccupied patrols and approach Pope Francis.  But the disciples just don’t get it.  Jesus has summed up the lesson pointing out the value and importance of these “little ones” in the Kingdom of God. Jesus offers the children as an example of the kind of complete trust and dependence upon God that ought to be the attitude of all believers.

There is a subtle pressure in church and society to remain a dependent child.   Who is it (in life) that truly challenges you to liberate yourselves from immature dependencies to acceptance of the burdens of a responsible adults?

How can we heed Jesus’ injunction to accept the kingdom of God like a child?  Or risk never entering it?  What does it mean to be childlike, and not childish?  What qualities is Jesus asking us to hang on to in order to enter the kingdom not only beyond the “pearly gates” but right here on earth, in our community, where God’s kingdom exists?

A few qualities I think he might encourage would be:

  • Live Spontaneously – taking in every moment and the opportunities in unplanned instants.
  • How about never letting a lack of qualifications deter you –If you’ve never done something before, be fearless like a child who pulls out a kitchen drawer to scramble up to the cabinet to get the peanut butter.  Isn’t this how Olympic gymnasts start?
  • Kids Know Exercise Can Be Fun –It’s just a matter of finding an active, healthy activity we actually enjoy doing.
  • Keep an Open Mind –  Keep a childlike wide open mind and you’ll learn something new every day – maybe more than one thing.  Don’t let force of habit slow you down.   Ask questions: you’ll never get an answer if you never ask.  So, she might say NO – but did you give her a chance to say YES?
  • Express your feelings – nurture and value relationships – Open, honest, direct face-to-face expression of feelings makes communication easier, maintains sincerity and integrity in your life.  Children like nothing better than to “hang out” with their friends.  Do you look forward to unstructured time with community members – your “sisters?”
  • Use Your Imagination –  Robert Kennedy got credit, but Walt Disney said it first::  If you can dream it, you can do it!  If you have a creative idea, share it.  If it’s faster, smarter or better and see what happens.  You’ll never know unless you try.
  • Learn by Imitation – have you ever seen a little boy walking behind this father, trying determinately to imitate his father’ stride?  Or the little girl “clack-clacking” in her Mom’s high heel shoes.  St. Benedict was a firm believer in the axiom: “fake it til you make it.”  Live monastic traits until they become part of you.
  • Play  – Sometimes it’s healthy to fool around and engage in recreation for the sole purpose of having fun.

Paul in his letter to the Corinthians says: When I was a child I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became an adult, I put away with childish things.  Jesus will applaud you saying: Yes, put away child-ish ways but hang on to the delightful child-like traits that are the keys to the kingdom.

~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB

 

 

 

 

 

First Reading:   Genesis 2:18-24         Second Reading:  Hebrews 2:9-11
Gospel:   Mark 10:2-16
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