Cardinal Vincent's Homily

Bishop Mark Jabalé OSB RIP

Homily by H. E. Cardinal Vincent Nicholls, Archbishop of Westminster

A monk of Belmont for 73 years; a priest for 27 years; a bishop for 24 years; returned home to his Heavenly Father after 91 years. Today we praise God for the long and rich life of Mark Jabalé and ask almighty God to have such loving mercy on his soul that he may indeed be rejoicing in heaven.

This long life, full of striving, full of sheer joy, full of friendship, most of all with his loving Lord Jesus, has given us a storehouse of memories, and anecdotes, which today we open up with love, cherishing friendship, faithfulness and character. Each of us has our stories to tell.

In his typical manner, Mark prepared for his final journey with the same attention to detailed planning as he approached his almost annual summer trip to the south of France, as much his homeland as this monastery of St Michael. He gave us the readings on which he wished us to ponder. So we must do so!

Perhaps the first reading from Isaiah was the most obvious choice! Mark loved God’s gift of life, even to the end. He took sheer delight in so many things, among them the gift of celebratory food and drink in the company of his community and friends.  A formal meal had to be planned. It was, in a way, a work of art and worth taking trouble over. I have a lovely image, from a holiday in Auribeau, of Mark seated before the oven, peering in through the glass front of the oven door, watching and waiting for that vital, magical moment when the soufflé rose to perfection! No wonder he loved this image of the banquet of heaven, with its rich food and well-aged wines, that removes every mourning veil and the tears from all faces. This is the trusting, joyful faith which he wishes to proclaim to us today, especially in the moments of darkness and sorrow that touch every life. Today we thank God for the invitation to each of us to have a profound and trusting faith in Him and thankfulness for the gifts we receive, so often through the hands of those who love us.

Mark’s zest for life was almost irrepressible. Whether it was his enduring enthusiasm for rugby, especially for the French team - and the Welsh too, of course - or his own sporting prowess in swimming and rugby, or his famous forays into the world of elite rowing, he spread the conviction that each of us could do better. We may need encouragement, of course, but he understood that the competitiveness of sport can be a strong and good motivation, creating teamwork and lasting friendships.

This ability of Mark to tutor the best in others brings me to the second Reading of our Mass today, in which St Paul lists the qualities we are to strive to achieve in our lives: compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, forgiveness and peace in unity. Now I doubt if any of us can tick all those boxes! But one word sprang from this text when thinking about Mark. It was the fact that the word of Christ dwelling in us will make us teachers. As we heard, for fourteen years Mark was headmaster here, and after his time in Peru, had the sad task of closing the school which he loved so much. Mark understood well the lasting influence of good teaching and leadership and gave himself to it unstintingly. We know that in this work of teaching and leadership, he created great bonds of friendship and loyalty to which he was truly faithful. How often I would hear him describe a person who was a high achiever as ‘one of my boys, one of my prefects’. There was a confidence about his leadership which was crucial. It had its disadvantages too! I remember with a smile one occasion when he was struggling with some new gadget he had acquired. I suggested that it might help if he read the instructions. His reaction was immediate. ‘I don’t read instructions’ he retorted, ‘I give them!’

And his instructions to us today are to ensure that we use to the full the gifts of God that we have received, never doubting that each gift given is for a higher purpose: for the bettering of our human condition in family, business, community or Church. We are, each one of us, indeed called to be a leaven for the renewal of our human family, missionaries simply and immediately ‘in the place where we are’, to use the phrase of our new Pope Leo. This vision lay strongly in the heart of Mark Jabalé. Let us pray that in these days it will flourish in the life of the Church in every place. And we make this prayer today not least for this fine monastic community, remembering the example of an earlier Benedictine, St Boniface, the great missionary who spread the Gospel across Europe and was a true unifier of the Church, whose feast we also keep today.

And all of this, Mark tells us in his choice of Gospel reading, is to be understood as service. Perhaps it was this understanding that most characterised the life of this good monk, who was always ready to give, who sought little attention for himself - although much was given - and who delighted in being of service. Yet faithful service is a hard path to sustain, especially when the darker days come and the need for comfort and reassurance increases. Mark was a faithful servant to the end. In these last years of his life, he remained steadfast, even as age and disability inhibited his life-long routines and practices. This is what happens so often to faithful servants. As their days draw to a close, they are drawn nearer to the cross of their Master, the tree of true and eternal life. This faithful servant suffered with patience, slowly being stripped, being bent into the shape of Christ on the cross, in vulnerability and near helplessness. In this, he leaned heavily on his monastic brethren who lovingly cared for him, until the Master called. Teaching us how to die well is a last and great act of witness to the love and tenderness at the heart of our wonderful gift of faith. Thank you, Bishop Mark. Thank you, brethren of this community.

Recall again the words of the first reading: ‘we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the Lord, we have waited for him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation!’

Heavenly Father, we pray for the soul of our dear brother Mark. Have mercy on him, your faithful servant. Forgive him his faults and sins. You gave him such a joy in your creation, in his friends, in the gifts with which you endowed him. Receive him now into your heavenly banquet and help us to keep his memory alive as he remains in our presence in a new and deeper manner, calling us to trust in you, to delight in your gifts and to serve you always with joy and thanksgiving.

May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, rest in peace.

Amen.

Cardinal Vincent Nichols
Archbishop of Westminster