Reflection for the Feast of St. John the Baptist

by Sister Connie Krstolic, OSB 

Luke 1:57-66, 80

RING…RING…RING 
Mount St. Scholastica…how may I help you? 
With whom would you like to speak? 
JOHN…We have no one here by that name. 
May I ask who’s calling? 

Names of places and people are just a apart of our daily communication with one another. 

We are identified by various names. 

What comes to your mind when I say: Seneca… Wildcat…Strawberry Hill…The MOUNT…Eichstaff? 

What about when I say: 

Sicilian…Spanish…German…Croatian…Chilean…Irish.? 

What do we know about someone who bears a name? The names in the binder outside of our mailroom hold a wealth of our history. In the binder, there are memories of our sisters and places from where they came: Germany…France…Brazil…Louisiana…Red Plains…St. Mary’s…our Vietnamese sisters…out Mexican, Hispanic sisters.. 

So many names make up our personal history…our Mount family. 

You and I were born into a family and given a family name, given a baptismal name…and perhaps somewhere along the way, we even picked up a nickname. 

Just think about it…did you choose your confirmation name after a saint or someone you admired? 

A number of years ago, some of you went back and forth deciding if you wanted to keep your name in religion or return to your given name…What was your reasoning? 

What name would you have kept if you were to have married…your maiden name or your husband’s name? 

Did you like your name when you were growing up? Were you ever bullied with name-calling as some chil- dren and adults are? 

NAMES…..Elizabeth and Zechariah came face to face with the question of the name of their baby boy. 

Elizabeth said that their little one’s name would be JOHN. The townspeople and perhaps family members couldn’t believe it because “no one here has that name!” 

What about your name? Were you name after someone in your family? …her name is Sharon…her name is Ceciia…her name is Kathleen? 

I realize that we are much smaller now then when most of us entered, but were you daunted by how many we were. How long would it take to know everyone’s name? 

Yes, we are indeed a melting pot of ethnic backgrounds; we always have been. This is one of our gifts. 

Glance across the aisle, and ponder the question if asked by a sister there.”Who do you say that I am?” 

You know that you and I are blessed with another name? 

We are BENEDICTINES !” 

When we are asked “Who are you?” a feeling of belonging comes over us when we answer

“I am an Atchison Benedictine.” 

Our name as Atchison Benedictines speaks to our history of prayer and community, of hospitality, of being educators, of ministering to the sick, of reaching out to the poor, the outcast of being alert to social justice needs and of being stewards of all of God’s Creation. 

As we say,” “I am an Atchison Benedictine” we give honor to our German sisters and to all who have preced- ed us along the way.” There is a sense of pride within our hearts, pride of who we are…from where we came…and to where we are going. 

Our name as Atchison Benedictines carries the strength of being prayerful women of faith who desire to give the gift of God’s peace through prayer and community to whomever we meet along the way. 

Ring….ring….ring…Mount St. Scholastice How may WE help you?