Christmas 2006 Epiphany 2007

The Abbot's Homiliy for the Feast of the Epiphany

"It was by a revelation that I was given the knowledge of the mystery." That is how St Paul describes the gift of faith in the letter of the Ephesians, which we heard this morning. In the Gospel according to Matthew that same gift of faith in the Mystery of Salvation is explained quite differently: "We saw his star as it rose and have come to do him homage." That is how the Wise Men describe things to King Herod when they arrive in Jerusalem enquiring, "Where is the infant king of the Jews?" The Prophet Isaiah also spoke of that gift but in these terms, "Above you the Lord now rises and above you his glory appears, though night still covers the earth and darkness the peoples."

The Wise Men followed a star and yet, centuries before, Isaiah told the people of Israel that it would be the Lord himself who would rise and shine, bringing light and life to his people and to all those who would "lift up their eyes and see." "It means" writes St Paul, "that the pagans now share the same inheritance, that they are parts of the same body."

"The sight of the star filled them with delight." What was that delight? - A spirit of joy and thanksgiving, of peace and unity, and a sense of fulfilment. The journey of the Magi is, in fact, the Exodus of the Gentiles, an exodus from the darkness of separation, ignorance, idolatry and paganism to the light of revelation and knowledge of God, Father, Son and Holy Sprit, he who alone is life and the very source of life.

The gift of faith always requires a journey of faith, a pilgrimage from Egypt to the Promised Land, from Nazareth to Bethlehem, from distant lands to Jerusalem. But the physical journey has to be, as it were, symbolic of an inner and more personal journey of grace and conversion, a journey from self-centredness, selfishness and worship of self to the knowledge, love and worship of God, of putting God first. "Falling to their knees they did him homage."

Now the Wise Men could have come all the way to Jerusalem only to listen to Herod and follow his example. The shepherds could have stayed in the fields with their sheep. Mary could have said, "No." St Paul could have rejected that revelation on the road to Damascus. The disciples did indeed abandon Jesus after Gethsemane. It was only the experience of Easter that ultimately convinced them that Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah.

Christmas and the Epiphany together constitute the celebration of the Easter Mystery "in the bleak mid-Winter", like the star over the manger a light that shines in the darkness. The wood of the manger will soon become the wood of the Cross. The cave of Bethlehem will be replaced by an empty Tomb. The star leading the Wise Men will give way to the dawning light of Easter. Their question, "Where is he who is born?" will be replaced by that of Mary Magdalene in the garden, "Where have you put him?" Just as today the Magi kneel down and do homage, so Peter will jump naked into the water and Thomas, falling to his knees, will cry out, "My Lord and my God."

Today we celebrate the threefold revelation of the Mystery of Salvation. Not only do the Kings present their prophetic gifts to the Christ-child, but Jesus is baptised by John in the waters of the Jordan and at the Wedding Feast of Cana water is transformed into wine. But what can this mean for us? I'll leave St Leo the Great to answer that question. 1550 years' ago today he preached these words:

"The gifts the Magi first brought to Bethlehem are still being offered by all who come to Christ in faith. When we acclaim Christ as King of the universe we bring him gold from the treasury of our hearts; when we believe that the only-begotten of God has become one with our human nature, we are offering myrrh for his embalming; and when we declare him to be equal in majesty to the Father, we are burning the incense of our worship before him."

I'll add just one short sentence to those marvellous words. If we listen to Jesus and do what he tells us, then we will be filled with his Spirit and our water will change into wine; we will see God as he is and enjoy the gift of eternal life. Amen.

The Abbot's Homiliy for Christmas Midnight Mass

I hope you don't watch television of Christmas Day, apart from the Queen's Speech, that is. If you do, you'll probably notice on one of the major channels a two-hour programme entitled "The Secret Family of Jesus." Contrary to what has been Christian belief for two thousand years, namely that Jesus Christ, Son of God and Word made flesh, was the only son of a virgin mother, as we read in the Gospel, you will hear that:

The revelations contained in the programme make the Da Vinci Code pale into insignificance, that Mary was not a virgin, that Jesus was not her only child, that she was the mother of a large family, that she probably remarried when Joseph died, that the early Christians expurgated from the New Testament all reference to the real family of Jesus, that his brothers and sisters were persecuted and even put to death to hide valuable information, in other words that there was an almighty cover-up, that Jesus was definitely not the Son of God and certainly not the Saviour of the world.

Midnight Mass is not the place to enter into this polemic and refute such outlandish and insulting propositions, but let me just say a few words you might find helpful. If I thought for one moment that the Church had invented the story of the Incarnation, the Virgin birth, the miracles and teaching of Jesus, his Passion, Death and Resurrection, there'd be no point in being a Christian. But there is no evidence to suggest that the New Testament texts were ever tampered with in order to remove vital evidence about the secret family of Jesus. The interesting thing for me is the fact that there are discrepancies between the Gospels and marked differences in the theological views of all the New Testament writers.

You can find several references to Jesus' brethren, even a list of their names, but there was no cover-up. The early Christians, whether Jews or gentiles, knew perfectly well that the word brother or sister did not necessarily mean that you were children of the same parents. You could be cousins, relatives or, simply, good friends. Many of us have uncles and aunts, who are not really our uncles and aunts at all, but just close friends of the family. The first Christians used the terms brother and sister to describe the relationship that existed between the disciples of Jesus through faith in him. To this day Christians call each other sons and daughters of God, brothers and sister of Jesus and, through him, of each other.

The Church is God's family. If you want to pinpoint where and when that family came into being, it was at Nazareth, when the Angel Gabriel told Mary that she was to conceive by the power of the Holy Spirit and she said, "Yes. Be it done unto me according to thy word," and in the stable at Bethlehem, when Jesus was born on Christmas night and laid in a manger. Jesus' first brothers and sisters through faith were Mary and Joseph, the shepherds and the animals, the ox and the ass. St Paul wrote that "God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself." God became man, the Word was made flesh, Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary, so that we, through faith, might become God's children, brothers and sisters of all mankind, of all creation. "Love one another," said Jesus, "as I have loved you."

What, then, is the point of that TV programme? Well, it's all part of the agenda of those who lead and manipulate the secular society in which we live. Their plan is not only to destroy the Church in this land but to remove the curse of religion from having any influence on the way we live or think. The game, and it's quite obvious, is to attack and discredit all faiths beginning with Christianity. The aim is to do away with all respect for the very notion of faith, to show that any faith-based moral or ethical teaching is anachronistic, to marginalise God and all who believe in God, ultimately to create a religion-free society.

Earlier this year I visited Albania, where for fifty years all religion was banned and Muslims and Christians persecuted for their faith. You can close churches and mosques, you can forbid the practice of religion in the market place and in the home, you can imprison and murder, but you can't eradicate the gift of faith from the heart of a man or woman created in the image and likeness of God. Clandestinely, Christians and Muslims helped each other keep the faith and pass it on to their children and grandchildren.

Today, more than ever, God wants us in this country to be witnesses to Christ and to the truth of the Gospel. "Do not be afraid," said the angels to the shepherds. "I bring you news of great joy, a joy to be shared by the whole people. Today, in the town of David, a Saviour has been born for you; he is Christ the Lord." That is what God is saying to us tonight, "Do not be afraid. Be filled with joy. Share you faith with others. I am with you."

On behalf of the monastic community, I wish all our parishioners and visitors a very happy and peaceful Holy Day and may the Christ Child bless you and your loved ones this Christmas and always. Amen.

The Abbot's Homilies at the Christmas Day Mass
"They shall see the Lord face to face." St Luke tells us that Our Lady,fitting together all the pieces of the jigsaw as she gazed on the Baby Jesus in the Crib, "pondered these things in her heart." Today at this Christmas Mass we join her as she reflects and meditates on the wonderful events that have taken place, for we too have seen the Lord face to face. In the Child in the manger we contemplate the God who made all things, the Redeemer who saved all things, the Lamb of God, who taking away the sins of the world, makes all things holy, God incarnate, Emmanuel, Jesus Christ.

Throughout Advent we heard the details of his Second Coming, that mysterious and apocalyptic coming in glory as judge of all creation at the end of time. We heard too the detailed account of his conception and birth, entwined with that of his prophet and forerunner John the Baptist. And now at Bethlehem "a Child is born for us", the Saviour "who is Christ the Lord". At last everything fits into place, God's plan is revealed. "All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God."

I have always felt that the fruit of Mary's pondering, her lectio of the events in which she played such an important part, led to the writing of St John's Prologue on the mystery of the Incarnation. "The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."

It is often said that Jesus is the human face of God, that God became man not only to redeem us, but above all that we might see God and know him, see who he is and know what he is like, know him even as he knows us, for we can only love what we see and know.

At Christmas we celebrate that extraordinary moment in time, when God, who is eternal and life itself, the creator and source of all that exists, betrothed himself, united himself intimately with what he had created and became himself a creature, a foetus in the womb, a child wrapped in swaddling clothes, an infant at the breast, helpless, vulnerable and totally dependant on others. He is born to save the world, but cannot and will not save it without our help. From today there can be no going back. "From his fullness we have all received grace in return for grace. No one has ever seen God; it is the only Son, who is nearest the Father's heart, who has made him known."

When we, like Mary, look on Jesus, lying there so tiny and warm in the hay, we see not only who God is but who we are. When God looks on his beloved Son made man, in that Son he sees us all, his beloved children. When we look on Jesus, we see the God who loves us and constantly gives himself to us and unites himself with us in our joys and in our sufferings, in childhood and in old age, in life and in death.

One day the manger will be transformed into a cross and the tears of childhood will become the sweat and blood of Passion and Crucifixion. "But in him was life and that life was the light of men." The song of the angels, "Glory to God in the highest", will be repeated at the Resurrection for "grace and truth have come through Jesus Christ". He is the light of the world, the Resurrection and the Life, the Way, the Truth and the Life, "that life which is the light of men, a light that shines in the dark, a light that darkness cannot overpower."

On behalf of the monastic community, I wish you all, parishioners and visitors, a very happy and peaceful Christmas and every blessing today and always. Amen