Benedictine Sisters of FL

Holy Name Monastery
Founded 1889

Simon

Will You Come and Follow Me if I but Call Your Name?

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This Gospel reading from Mark is only a glimpse into a single day that the church wisely spreads over a few weeks of readings. It gives us the opportunity to study each event of the day more closely.  We get the impression that it would have been a challenge for the people following Jesus to keep up with Him.   You may have noticed one of Mark’s favorite words is “immediately.” He uses it twelve times in the first chapter alone.  So far in the story, Jesus has called four fishermen to leave their nets and their boats and follow him, which they did “immediately.  In last week’s portion from Mark, a demon-possessed man challenged Jesus who promptly told the unclean spirit to be silent and come out.  The demon obeyed “immediately”.

The next part of the story happens over the next few hours of the same day. The band of men went to Simon’s house, maybe because it was closest to the synagogue. Or maybe it was because Simon’s mother-in-law had the reputation for quickly putting a nice spread on the table.   But today she is down with a fever.  Simon doesn’t miss a beat.  He tells Jesus this “immediately”.   Perhaps he does this to apologize for the woman not greeting them at the door.

Jesus doesn’t say a word. He simply takes the woman by the hand and brings her to her feet. The fever is gone “immediately”. As Jesus brings her to her feet, the verb Mark uses is identical to the one he uses later in the Gospel to describe Jesus’ resurrection from the dead: He lifts her up.  The mother-in-law “immediately” responds by getting busy on dinner preparations.

Then, in the early hours before sunrise while it was still dark as night, it sounds like Jesus tiptoed out of the house.  Scripture tells us He went to a deserted place to pray (not a desert – there was not desert nearby).   This was the only place on this night, with many others to follow, where he could talk one-on-one with his Father, without interruption. But it didn’t last long.  Our English translation says Peter and the others PURSUED him.  Think of a mother having escaped to the bathroom for a few minutes of aloneness.  “Mom are you in there?”  Or a prioress who leaves her office for a few minutes. “You’re never in the office!”  Peter tells Jesus “EVERYONE is looking for you.”  Jesus’ response probably was not what they were expecting to hear.   “Let’s go to the neighboring towns so I can preach there, too. That’s my job.”  The disciples were at a crossroads, at one of those “bend in the road” moments.  Do we stick with this fellow who can never say NO to any request? Do we keep following?

That’s a choice we must make many times over in our lives.  It begins each and every day with “Shall I hit the snooze button and roll over, or turn off the alarm and get to chapel to join in communal prayer?”  It’s a choice we make in multiple ways, probably more times than we realize, throughout each day and into the evening.  What word of kindness can I share? Can I tear myself from what I’m doing to get to chapel with some breathing space before prayer begins?  At night, will I force myself to stay awake to finish this chapter or TV program, or do I go to bed so I’ll be rested for the morrow with all its new challenges and choices?

The people of Capernaum missed the point. They showed up for the miracles, but they failed to hear and absorb Jesus’ message.  It’s the same news Jesus wants to share with you, with us.  Repent, turn away from your old ways, and believe the Good News that God is with you in the NOW   Are you willing to be changed?  Will you be transformed? Will you keep following? Will you get up, as Simon’s mother-in-law did, and join the laborers to feed God’s people and further the Kingdom?”

~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB

 

The Sisters remembered your intentions in our prayers on Sunday when we had our monthly Recollection Day … a quiet day of prayer, Holy Hour and Evening Prayer.  God bless you each and all with good health, much happiness and abundant peace!

 

First Reading:   Job 7:1-4, 6-7         Second Reading:  Corinthians 9:16-19, 22-23
Gospel:   Mark 1:29-39
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How Can We Catch People

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What Luke shares with us in this Gospel is a good example of how Jesus models the saying: actions speak louder than words.

So if you will, picture this with me, if you will – put yourself in the scene.

It’s midmorning.  Jesus is meditatively strolling at the water’s edge.  I suspect He may have been virtually unaware that people were beginning to trail him.  The crowd is swelling.  This causes Jesus to edge closer to the advancing waves of the changing tide.  The eagerness of the crowd is palpable in the air – just to hear a word from Jesus.  He turns to face the crowd, putting his back to the water.  The scene causes him to draw a breath and take a step backward.  Now the waters are lapping above his ankles.  He spies a couple fishing boats; one belonging to his friend Simon.  He presumes permission to step in.  And what does He do?  Remember last week’s lesson?  HE SITS TO TEACH.  As the crowd is settling down, He looks around at the empty boats and thinks “What a pity!  The fish are right there.  But they didn’t take a nibble.  Let’s fix that.”

Now, these boatmen have spent all night fishing without success.  They are tired, discouraged, disheartened.  And so far their morning has been spent prudently cleaning their nets lest the debris they did manage to trawl would not rot and get too smelly to attract any fish tomorrow.

We don’t know what Jesus taught from the boat that morning; Luke did not have any first-hand experience to share.  What we do know is what Luke heard from those who were there.  He tells us that Jesus surprised Simon and his buddies telling them to “put out into the deep water and lower your nets for a catch.”  Can’t you just hear Simon draw a vexed breath?  He’s professional fisherman; learned the trade from his father and grandfather.  “Come on, Jesus.  We’ve worked all night but have caught nothing.”  You know the feeling.  How often have you said (or at least thought) we’ve tried that before?  But Peter pauses.  Maybe makes eye contact with Jesus.  Mmmm.  “Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.”

That’s the operative sentiment.  “If you say so, I will let down the nets.”  The boats were suddenly miraculously full of fish so that they began to sink.  And this after a long night of frustration – not a single fish to show for their efforts.  Amazement struck them.  Peter, (and maybe the others, we don’t know) fell to his knees and begged Jesus, “Get away from me – I am a sinful man!”

Ah, sweet Jesus!  We know what Jesus said.  He’s said it to us more than once.  “Do not be afraid.”  As he counsels Peter, He uses a word that in Greek means, “to catch alive.”  He’s caught Peter alive with yearning.  Ripe for his new vocation, a new mission that He’s about to offer.  “From now on you will be catching people.”  We turn now to the words from Isaiah in the First Reading: “God touched my mouth (in Peter’s case in today’s Gospel – “touched your nets, your labor”).  God, the Lord, continues, “See, now that this has touched you, your wickedness is removed.”  Then God asks – invites, challenges – “Whom shall I send?  Who will go?”

With Peter – and so many, many others who’ve followed through the years, we answer, “Here I am, send me!”  We add the words of Psalm 138, “When I called, you answered.  You built up strength with in me.  Your right hand saved me.  You will complete what You have done for me.  Your kindness endures forever.”

“When the fisherman brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed Jesus.”  Your life, the life of each of us, tells the rest of the story.  But it leaves us with a question.  “How can we catch people?  What waters do we have to wade out into?  What are the nets we can lower?”  One thing we know for certain.  We know we want to keep Jesus on our side of the boat.  Seems to me this is pretty much the question Pope Francis and our Bishop Parkes is dangling as a challenge to us.  What bait will we put on the hook?  Or what kind of net will we lower?  How will we live out our Benedictine charism of prayer, hospitality and stability in community?

An answer lies in today’s Gospel: live it – be it – do it … that’s the bait.  Now, invite others to “lower their nets” and let’s break bread together.”

~ Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB, Prioress

 

First Reading:  Isaiah 6:1-2:3-8     Second Reading:  1Cor 15:3-8, 11
Gospel:  Luke 5:1-11

 

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“Will You Come and Follow Me if I but Call Your Name?”

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“Will You Come and Follow Me if I but Call Your Name?”

                                     (The Summons hymn by John Bell, GIA Publications)

 

This Gospel reading from Mark is only a glimpse into a single day that the church wisely spreads over a few weeks of readings.  It gives us the opportunity to study each event of the day more closely.  We get the impression that it would have been a challenge for the people following Jesus to keep up with Him.  You may have noticed one of Mark’s favorite words is “immediately.”  He uses it over and again – twelve times in the first chapter alone.  So far in the story, Jesus has called four fishermen to leave their nets and their boats and follow him which they did “immediately.”  (Later we’ll realize they did not give up fishing altogether.)  We’ve traveled with them and Jesus to a small fishing village, Capernaum, where on the Sabbath Jesus began teaching in the synagogue.  In last week’s portion from Mark, a demon-possessed man challenged Jesus and referred to him as the Holy One of God.  But Jesus told the unclean spirit to be silent and come out of the man.  The demon obeyed “immediately.”

Now, in this reading it’s still the Sabbath Day.  Jesus and his disciples have just left the synagogue after the encounter with the demon.  The next part of the story happens over the next few hours of the same day.

Maybe the band of men went to Simon’s house because it was closest to the synagogue or maybe just because they followed Simon’s lead.  Perhaps they went because his mother-in-law had the reputation of quickly putting a nice spread on the table.  But today she is down with a fever.  Simon doesn’t miss a beat.  He tells Jesus this “immediately.”  Perhaps by way of apologizing for the woman not greeting them at the door.  Or maybe, remember the laws concerning uncleanness?  Maybe it was to warn that there was illness in the house.  Or maybe, do you think, because Simon has a hunch that Jesus, who has just shown authority over an unclean spirit, might also have the authority to drive out a fever???

Jesus doesn’t say a word.  He simply takes the woman by the hand and brings her to her feet.  The fever is gone “immediately.”  As Jesus brings her to her feet, the verb Mark uses is identical to the one he uses later in the Gospel to describe Jesus’ resurrection from the dead: He lifts her up.   And the mother-in-law “immediately” responds by getting busy on dinner preparation.  For her, and for Jesus, it is not a menial, slave-like serving.  In a sense, Simon’s mother-in-law is the first deacon.  Elsewhere we read “Whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you, must be slave of all.  For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve.”  Well into the night, Jesus attended to the ill and the possessed among the crowd who gathered at the door, curing many who were sick.  He must have been drained as “power went out from him.”

Then, in the early hours of the morning before sunrise while it was still dark as night, it sounds like Jesus tiptoed out of the house.  Scripture tells us He went to a deserted place to pray (not a desert – there was no desert nearby).  This was the only place on this night, with many others to follow, where he could talk one-on-one with his Father, without interruption.  But it didn’t last long.  Our English translation says Peter and the others PURSURED him.  Think of a mother having escaped to the bathroom for a few minutes of aloneness.  “Mom are you in there?”  Or a prioress who leaves her office for a few minutes.  “You’re never in the office!”  Peter tells Jesus “EVERYONE is looking for you.”  Jesus’ response probably was not what they were expecting to hear.  “Let’s go to the neighboring towns so I can preach there, too. That’s my job.”  The disciples were at a crossroads, at one of those “bend in the road” moments.  Do we stick with this follow who can never say NO to any request?  Do we keep following?

That’s a choice we must make many times over in our lives.  It begins each and every day with “shall I hit the snooze button and roll over, or turn off the alarm and get to chapel to join in communal prayer?”  It’s a choice we make in multiple ways, probably more times than we realize, throughout each day and into the evening.  What word of kindness can I share?  Can I tear myself from what I’m doing to get to chapel with some breathing space before prayer begins?  At night, will I force myself to stay awake to finish this chapter or TV program, or do I go to bed so I’ll be rested for the morrow with all its new challenges and choices?

The people of Capernaum missed the point.  They showed up for the miracles, but they failed to hear and absorb Jesus’ message.  It’s the same news Jesus wants to share with you, with us.  Repent, turn away from your old ways, and believe the Good News that God is with you in the NOW.   Are you willing to be changed?  Will you be transformed?  Will you keep following?  Will you get up, as Simon’s mother-in-law did, and join the laborers to feed God’s people and further the Kingdom?”

Remember us, and all Benedictine women (including Oblates and those who received their education with Benedictine Sisters) on Wednesday, St. Scholastica Day …   This week our special intention is Benedictine Prioresses who are leading their communities thru COVID times …  many of the monasteries are dealing directly with the virus among their members – God bless them all.

~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB, Prioress

 

First Reading Job 7:1-4, 6-7                       Corinthians 9:16-19, 22-23
Gospel Mark 1:29-39
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