Benedictine Sisters of FL

Holy Name Monastery
Founded 1889

Prayer

Prayer for an Election Year

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Prayer for An Election Year

Adapted from Center for Mission Election Prayers

O God of mercy, we ask You to bless our

nation in this time of great transition.

Inspire us, still our anxiety and guide us as we

participate in the upcoming elections.

We seek a government that upholds and protects human rights and justice.

We rejoice that we are citizens of Your kingdom.

We ask for eyes that are free from blindness so that we might see each other as brothers and sisters, one and equal in dignity.

With gratitude for the right to vote we ask for discernment to choose leaders who hear your Word, live you love and will lead us in the ways of Your truth.  In Jesus’ name we pray.

AMEN

 

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A Prayer for Leadership

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Give us, O God,
leaders whose hearts are large enough
to match the breadth of our own souls
and give us souls strong enough
to follow leaders of vision and wisdom.

In seeking a leader, let us seek
more than development for ourselves—
though development we hope for—
more than security for our own land—
though security we need—
more than satisfaction for our wants—
though many things we desire.

Give us the hearts to choose
the leader who will work with other leaders
to bring safety to the whole world.

Give us leaders
who lead this nation to virtue
without seeking to impose
our kind of virtue
on the virtue of others.

Give us a government
that provides for the advancement
of this country
without taking resources from others
to achieve it.

Give us insight enough ourselves
to choose as leaders those who can tell
strength from power,
growth from greed,
leadership from dominance,
and real greatness
from the trappings of grandiosity.

We trust you, Great God,
to open our hearts to learn
from those to whom you speak
in different tongues
and to respect the life and words
of those to whom you entrusted
the good of other parts of this globe.

We beg you, Great God,
give us the vision as a people
to know where global leadership truly lies,
to pursue it diligently,
to require it to protect human rights
for everyone everywhere.

We ask these things, Great God,
with minds open to your word
and hearts that trust in your eternal care.

Amen.

~prayer by Joan Chittister

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St. Benedict Feast Day

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Summer Feast day for Saint Benedict

How many books written in the sixth century are still in print today? How many of those are in active, everyday use by tens of thousands around the world today — not only monks and nuns, but oblates and other lay people? The answer is one: The Rule of St. Benedict — what the author, whose feast day we celebrate this Thursday, called “this little rule that we have written for beginners.”

At the heart of his Rule lie the four guiding principles which are the foundation of daily life for the Benedictine Sisters of Florida. These four — community, prayer, service, and hospitality — can light the way to a deeper daily spirituality for anyone.

Community

Benedict understood that community, like family and friends, can be messy. Rooted in scripture, the Rule offers a cure: “No one is to pursue what is judged better for self, but instead what is judged better for someone else. To their companions, they show the true love of sisters or brothers…” How would your own world be transformed if this became the way of life for you and those around you?

Prayer

Benedict’s guidance for prayer might surprise you. “God regards our purity of heart and tears…not our many words. Prayer therefore should be short and pure…” Prayer, Sister Joan Chittister writes, “is meant to call us back to a consciousness of God here and now.” How would your day be transformed if it were laced throughout with short, simple prayer that opened your eyes to the Divine in your daily life?

Service

We often view work, especially work that benefits someone else, as a burden, something we have to do but would rather avoid. Instead, Benedict reminds us that work is a privilege and serving others is an honor — something that has been true since the day Jesus picked up carpenter’s tools, then laid them down to heal, to feed, and to save the lost. “…live by the labor of your hands, as our ancestors and the apostles did…” says Benedict. How would your workdays be transformed if you saw each as a gift from God and an opportunity to serve others in Jesus’ name?

Hospitality

Possibly the most challenging 11 words in the Rule are these: “All guests who present themselves are to be welcomed as Christ.” How would you welcome Christ if He came to your door today? How would our neighborhoods and towns, states and nations be transformed if each of us welcomed everyone everywhere as Christ?

As you can see, St. Benedict wrote something that is as practical today as ever. Our prayer for you, today and always, is that you find yourself in a loving community, that you infuse your days with prayer, that you cultivate a heart for happy service, and that you welcome even the most unlikely person as Christ. When you do, you will find more contentment than you can imagine.

 

 

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First Sunday of Advent

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Do you think maybe Jesus knew the childhood game of Hide and Seek?  There are two ways to play the game. In one version, one person is the “hider” and everyone else is a “seeker”. The seekers close their eyes and count loudly from 100 down to 1. When the counting is done, all the seekers scatter and start searching for the hider. When a seeker finds the hider, then he or she joins that person in their hiding position.  In the more familiar version of the game, one person the seeker, is “It”, and covers their eyes and starts counting down from 100. All the hiders scramble to the best place they can find to avoid being discovered. When “It” reaches 1, he or she calls out, “Ready or not — here I come!”  He/she then begins searching and tagging all the hiders.  In today’s gospel lesson Jesus is “IT,” the “seeker” saying to the world, “Ready or not — here I come.”

Ten years after the death of St. Paul, Mark reminded his community in Rome of Jesus’ words – and he shouts the same warning to us today: “Be constantly on the watch! Stay awake! You do not know when the appointed time will come.”  Mark knew well the lesson we gradually learn i.e. when events don’t happen as quickly as we expect, we tend to forget what we know and slough off doing the things we know we ought to do.

There are no magic Advent practices to prepare for Christmas.  There are the classic Christian exercises: works of charity, prayer, self-sacrifice, and penance.  The Advent gospels will perk up your ears and catch your attention: “Take heed!” (Be on guard) and “Watch!” (Be alert, stay awake, and don’t grow careless).  Don’t give up!   St. Benedict admonishes us: “Never swerve from God’s instruction but faithfully observe God’s teaching in the monastery until death.”

In Chapter 67 of his Rule Benedict reminds us of the mutuality of journey prayers for each other. As travelers on our Advent journey, we ask for a blessing.  And in return we promise to always remember in daily prayer our journey companions.

Advent is our annual journey from the warning to “stay awake” and “be alert” to the glorious memorial celebration of Jesus’ birth.  Let’s heed the words of Benedict and be prayerfully conscious of each other on our individual and our communal Advent journey.   We know this: God is in charge and God can be trusted.  We just have to: “stay awake – be alert – watch!”

Here’s a simple Advent project that can help keep us alert and watchful.  Every morning as you get up, pray, “Lord, show me someone today with whom I may share your love, mercy and forgiveness.” As you settle down for the night, ask yourself, “Where did I find Christ today?”  The answer will be God’s Advent gift to you that day. It reminds me of a saying attributed to St. Thomas Aquinas: “Without God, I can’t.  Without me, God won’t.”   

 

~by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB

 

Giving Tuesday was a huge success!

We couldn’t be more appreciative for the outpouring of generosity.

We exceeded our fundraising goal and raised $44,898 and with the generous match from John Picciano that gives the Sisters $82,398!

First Reading  Isaiah 63:16b-17                          Second Reading 1 Corinthians 1:3-9  
Gospel Reading  Mark 13:33-37
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The Parish Year of the National Eucharistic Revival

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Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

On today’s Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, I am pleased to announce that a prayer has been written for our Diocese to help each person renew their belief in the Mystery of the Eucharist, Christ truly present for us, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity.

Today also marks the start of the Parish Year of the National Eucharistic Revival. At this particular moment for the Catholic Church in the United States, with its many challenges, the National Eucharistic Revival is an opportunity to reflect on Christ’s gift of Himself in the Eucharist and our response to that gift.

Will you join me in prayer? It is my hope that this prayer will help us to grow in our devotion to Jesus in the Eucharist.

May God bless you abundantly!

Most Reverend Gregory Parkes
Bishop of St. Petersburg

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