[Sundaycommunity] Memorial Mass for Rita Shaughnessy Sunday July 20th

[Arthur Blomme]

Friends

As is our tradition in the non summer months I have prepared a short 
reflection for our Mass on Sunday July 20 held in memory of Rita Shaughnessy


              Mary and Martha

        In the Gospel story of Mary and Martha I am sympathetic to the
        lack of fairness experienced by Martha when she says. ‘Lord, do
        you not care that my sister is leaving me to do the serving all
        by myself? Please tell her to help me.’

        We now know that primates share some moral emotions with us
        humans. Fairness is one such emotion.

        In a demonstration video on YouTube two Reese monkeys are given
        treats. One is given a cucumber and the other is given a much
        preferred treat, a grape. After a couple of repetitions the
        monkey receiving the cucumber throws the cucumber back at the
        researcher. The monkey gets angry because he feels he is not
        being treated fairly. He is being cheated out of the grape. The
        success of beings living in the community is dependent on moral
        checks to our behavior and these emotions are ingrained into our
        biology.

        In the story of Martha and Mary I too am incensed by the lack of
        fairness in Mary's failure to contribute a fair share of the
        work. Jesus's response is at first surprising. Rather than
        encouraging Mary to share with Martha the work of preparing the
        meal , he praises the status quo of inequality in this
        situation. Jesus is calling us to a higher level of being. He is
        calling us to transcend our biological urge to seek fairness and
        be angered by cheating. While still recognizing the importance
        of fairness we are called to rise above our emotional response,
        We are called to transcend and include.

        Life is not fair. The different paths we take in life are not
        equal and fair. According to St. Paul, in Corinthians 1:12, each
        of our unique paths is necessary and valuable. Just as a body
        has many parts, each with its own function, the Body of Christ
        is made up of many members with different gifts and roles. No
        single part is sufficient on its own, and each is necessary for
        the body to function properly.  We all contribute in different
        ways to the whole and we are each intrinsically valuable.

        Rita was a person that took responsibility for her own health
        and had the discipline to govern her life accordingly. . We
        often had conversations about diet and exercise and ways that we
        could enhance our health to live a long and fruitful life.

        Rita reached out to me when she discovered the rapid onset of
        this turbo cancer. Her words remain etched in my heart. “Why me?
        It's just not fair. I tried to do everything right“.

        When Jesus was on the cross he too despaired saying "My God, my
        God, why have you forsaken me?" . It is part of our nature to
        respond with emotion when confronted with the unfairness of
        life. In the end, Rita, as did Jesus, submitted to the higher
        logic of the father, “Thy will be done”.

^Art Blomme

^

On 7/9/25 15:37, Rose Anderson via Sundaycommunity wrote:
>
> Friends,
>
> As discussed on June 29th, we are dedicating our next  to remember 
> Rita Shaughnessy who died suddenly on July 18, 2024 shortly after 
> being diagnosed with a late stage cancer. Her sudden passing was an 
> enormous shock to everyone, including her family.
>
> Some members of our community were able to attend her funeral; 
> however, for many of us there was no designated opportunity to mourn 
> and share our grief. We have therefore decided to dedicate the next 
> Mass to the memory of Rita. We hope to have Brian Shaughnessy, and 
> perhaps some members of his family, join us.
>
> We are fortunate to have Fr. Prakash celebrating with us that day. He 
> has shown great sensitivity in situations of grief and loss. At the 
> same time, he is a busy man who frequently has other commitments after 
> our Mass. This means we need to exercise self-restraint in our 
> participation.
>
> There will be two opportunities for community members to speak: during 
> the intercessions and after Mass for a time of sharing. Before July 
> 20^th , please think about what you would like to share with the 
> community and summarize your thoughts in two or three sentences, to 
> ensure that everyone who wishes to speak will have an opportunity.
>
> Art is the planner for that day and I am supporting him.
>
> Thank you for your thoughtful participation.
>
> Roswita
>
>
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> Link for Zoom mass Sundays 11AM EST:https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83018087848?pwd=Yjh4VnV6QXE2MFRzbEZwWUpacmJ5UT09
>
>
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