Benedictine Sisters of FL

Holy Name Monastery
Founded 1889

respect

Service, not status, is the measure of a true Christian

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In this Gospel we see Jesus under fire.  In turn, He speaks sternly to the religious leaders of Israel accusing the scribes and Pharisees of seeking the glory that rightly belongs to God.  In their misguided zeal for religion, they sought respect and honor for themselves rather than for God.

Jesus raises three objections.  They do not practice what they preach, they adopt a very narrow and burdensome interpretation of the Torah, and they seek public acknowledgment of their presumed spiritual superiority.  Instead of allowing any relaxation, they “built a fence around the Law.”  They fail to realize the truth that when religion becomes a depressing affair of burdens and prohibitions, individualistic dictums or endless rote prayers it ceases to be true religion.  Jesus condemns the lack of compassion of religious leaders, evidenced in their unwillingness to apply laws in a way that would make obedience less oppressive.  By contrast, Jesus says: “My yoke is easy; my burden is light and I will give you rest.”

The Pharisees Jesus is speaking to liked to be seated in places of privilege, prized seats on the left and right of their host.  You remember the request posed by the mother of James and John?  “Command that these two sons of mine sit, one at your right and the other at your left, in your kingdom.”

The Pharisees preferred to be addressed as “Rabbi.”  They liked to be called “Father”, to be known as the fathers of the faith.  They overlooked that respect has to be earned.  However, in spite of their personal failings, Jesus recognizes that the scribes and Pharisees are stewards of a great spiritual treasure.  He teaches respect for them for their role as official teachers and interpreters of the Torah.  Jesus demands that his disciples honor the office that these men occupy and to do what they teach, at least insofar as their teachings accord with the Torah.  Jesus taught, honored and applied two principles: reverence and respect i.e. reverence for God, the name of God and God’s due.  Jesus modeled respect for one’s parents and for a person’s life, the other’s possessions, and good name, lessons sadly lacking in many segments of our society today.

Jesus’ criticism was mainly a warning to future Christian leaders about possible abuses of authority in their ministry.  His words are a strong invitation and challenge to render humble, loving service without expecting honor or rewards.  Benedict echoes this attitude in The Rule in the opening lines of Chapter 7 on humility recalling the words of Scripture: “Whoever exalts themselves shall be humbled, and whoever humbles themselves shall be exalted.”  Jesus and Benedict remind us that service, not status, is the measure of a true Christian.  It’s not how many servants we have, but how many persons we serve.  

In today’s society where smear campaigning and negative comparative advertising are rampant, it is easy to unconsciously assimilate this style of language and attitude as acceptable.  Jesus may not have used these words but remember what you learned as a child: “When you point one finger at someone else, you have three fingers pointing back at yourself.”  Beware of being the “pot” calling the “kettle” black.  The Gospel message reminds us that whatever we are and have is not simply a birthright, but a gift given to us by our loving God.  Hence, let us use everything we are and have for the greater honor and glory of God.

~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB

 

Have a good week.

 

 

First Reading:   Malachi 1:14- 2:2, 8-10         Second Reading:  James 2:14-18
Gospel:   Matthew 23:1-12
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Letter to President Trump

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More Than 660 LCWR Members Call on President Trump to Stop All Divisive and Polarizing Rhetoric

August 14, 2019

The following is a letter sent by the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) during its annual 2019 conference to President Trump on August 14. 

Mr. President,

We live in a world increasingly marked by hatred, brutality, and violent conflict. We see our own country threatened by increasing disparities in economic, political, and social power. We are caught in a political culture paralyzed by ideological extremism and hyper-partisanship. These are times that require exceptional insight and courageous leadership.

In the face of these unprecedented challenges, we are outraged and heart-broken when our political leaders appeal to our basest instincts and stoke the fires of fear that threaten to tear the fabric of our nation apart. We cannot, we will not, let the voices of hatred and fear carry the day.

Mr. President, we beseech you to end all divisive and polarizing rhetoric. We implore you to never use language that disrespects, dehumanizes, or demonizes others. We expect our president, and all who serve this nation as leaders, to be always mindful of the common good and the dignity of each and every person. You hold a position that has the potential to inspire the best of every one of us and we ask you to use this unique status to bring about healing and never seek to create division.

The people of this pluralistic nation form a diverse polity characterized by a wide variety of beliefs, experiences, and interests. Disagreements and differences have the potential to challenge all of us to abandon easy certainty and seek a fuller truth. The problem is not our many differences or passionate disagreements. Those differences are our greatest strength; those disagreements are opportunities for growth. It is how we handle those inevitable conflicts that spells the difference between building the common good and destroying the bonds that bind this nation.

In his address to the US Congress in 2015, Pope Francis invited our political leaders to promote respect for the dignity of every human person and to renew their commitment to a spirit of cooperation.  He also addressed each of us and all who seek to lead this nation when he said, “Each son or daughter of a given country has a mission, a personal and social responsibility . . . You are called to defend and preserve the dignity of your fellow citizens in the tireless and demanding pursuit of the common good, for this is the chief aim of all politics. A political society endures when it seeks, as a vocation, to satisfy common needs by stimulating the growth of all its members, especially those in situations of greater vulnerability or risk . . . Building a future of freedom requires love of the common good and cooperation in a spirit of subsidiarity and solidarity.”

As Catholic sisters, our ministries frequently require us to be in the heart of situations of discord and division, and thus we understand the great complexities and challenges that are inherent in the work of reconciliation. We too have to reach deep within ourselves to bring forth the grace and strength that are needed to not give in to the temptation of labeling or judging those who are different from us. We share with you, Mr. President, that maintaining this fundamental stance in life requires discipline and fortitude and a constant examination of our daily thoughts and deeds in light of our beliefs. We sometimes come up short, but pledge to do better each day because we are aware of the moral authority we, as sisters, bear. We ask you, Mr. President, if you would consider a similar examination of the practice of your own moral authority.

We send this letter to you as 663 Catholic sister leaders gathered in assembly in Arizona. We and approximately 700 other Catholic sisters are members of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious and represent approximately 35,000 sisters who minister throughout this nation. We promise to never cease raising our voices on behalf of the common good and praying for the healing of this country.

Sincerely,

The Members of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious

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Always There

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fatheranddaughterFirst Reading  Amos 8:4-7            Second Reading  1 Timothy 2:1-8
Gospel (shorter form) Luke 16:10-13

The lesson here is trustworthiness: those who can be trusted in small things can also be trusted in great things. Benedict knew this lesson well – that’s why he instructs us: “treat all things as vessels of the altar.” If we handle furniture, dishes, sewing supplies and a paint brush with the same respect that we exhibit toward a chalice it is more likely that we will have that attitude of caring will extend to people.  When we hear stories of violence, abuse and disregard for persons, the root “red flag” behavior was often evidenced in childhood and behavior toward siblings or parents: hitting out, slamming doors, the classic “kicking the dog” behavior because the young person was mad at a classmate or the teacher.  The parent who withholds violence against an over-powering boss but deliberately runs over the bike in the driveway, or slaps his son or screams at her daughter for a triviality – that behavior can usually be traced back to disrespect and disregard for the toys, blocks and body-slamming in the guise of “we were just having fun.”

Respect has its seed in Benedict’s “treating all things as vessels of the altar.”   Think about it …  look at how  you treat and handle your belongings and community goods you’ve been given for use …  your personal spaces, the car you usually drive,  “common spaces” you use … are they as neat, clean and orderly as we expect the altar vessels and the chapel to be?

Respect for things matures into respect for persons which leads others to know they can depend upon us and trust us to “handle” them with respect.  We are trustworthy with the little things in life, thus we can be trusted in our interactions with each other.

The story goes that a little girl and her father were crossing a bridge. Her dad was actually kind of scared of heights so he asked his little daughter, ‘Sweetheart, please hold my hand so that you don’t fall into the river.’

The little girl said, ‘No, Dad. You hold my hand.’  ‘What’s the difference?’ asked the puzzled father.  ‘There’s a big difference,’ replied the little girl.  ‘If I hold your hand and something happens to me, chances are that I may let go of your hand. But if you hold my hand, I know for sure that no matter what happens, you will never let my hand go.’

In any relationship, the essence of trust is not in its bind, but in its bond.

When I was growing up in DeLand we lived 3 blocks from the main boulevard the best way to get from home to church – we had no car, we walked the two miles.  When, as an adult I drove the distance from the highway to where our house had been it seemed much shorter than my memory.  Why does that matter?  As is still typical today in parishes, our high school catechism classes were in the evening.   Until my 9th grade year, (I came to the academy when I was in 10th grade) my brother, three years my junior, and I had attended afternoon classes together.  Now, it was October and daylight savings time had ended and the walking home after class was in the dark – felt like the dead of night.  It wasn’t too scary until I reached the turn off to our street – no street lights, barking dogs that sounded like wolves, creepy noises of a rustle in the bushes.  I don’t know why, I didn’t have a flashlight.  I don’t recall that I talked about being scared … maybe rushed into the house like a banshee was chasing me?  But, the second week of classes, and every week thereafter until our clocks were sprung forward to daylight savings time, my father would magically appear at the corner of the main road to continue the journey home with me.    He sometimes made remarks about the foolishness of attending those classes when I already knew as much as the teachers… but he was there, and I knew I could depend on him to keep his vigil for my return.  And, I am sure that continues to confirm my belief that God is trustworthy and simply is “always there.”

~ Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB, Prioress
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