Message from Abbot Paul - Pentecost
Abbot Paul Stonham • May 30, 2020
Message from Fr Paul for Pentecost Sunday 2020
A very happy Whitsun to all those reading this short message. Whitsun, of course, is the traditional English word for Pentecost, a contraction of White Sunday, the day on which the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples, who were accompanied in prayer by Our Lady, pouring out on them the light and life promised by Christ before his Ascension. Pentecost, the traditional Greek and Latin name for the feast, refers to the fact that the Holy Spirit came on the fiftieth day of Easter, a Jewish feast. The Festival of Weeks is a harvest festival that is celebrated seven weeks and a day after the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. According to the Acts of the Apostles, our first reading at Mass, today is the day on which the Holy Spirit descended in a very dramatic way on the apostles. You will remember the “tongues of fire” and the fact the apostles were taken for drunks when they went out into the streets of Jerusalem proclaiming in “other tongues” that Jesus was risen from the dead.
The interesting thing about today’s readings is that we have two quite different versions of the coming of the Holy Spirit. Pentecost takes place on the fiftieth day of Easter, as is quite clear from Acts. However, St John, true to his Christological viewpoint and the concept of “realised eschatology,” which I mentioned yesterday or the day before, sees Jesus breathing on the apostles on the evening of the first Easter Day and saying to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. For those whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven; for those whose sins you retain they are retained.” This takes place after he suddenly appears before them in hiding behind locked doors “for fear of the Jews.” He stands among them and says, “Peace be with you.” He greets them twice and shows them his hands and his side. He then says, “As the Father sent me, so am I sending you.” Here it is Jesus himself who bestows on his disciples the gift of the Spirit, thus confirming their mission to be sent (which is what the word apostle means), just as Jesus himself was sent by the Father. They are empowered as missionaries by Jesus himself to preach a gospel of salvation and the power they’re given is the Holy Spirit. That’s not all: by receiving the Spirit, they are given the power to forgive or to retain sins. Just as Jesus was able to reconcile men and women to God, so they, in Jesus’ name and in the power of the Spirit, will continue his work, God’s work, the work that Jesus had accomplished and was now handing on to his disciples.
Like the apostles, we too have received the gift of the Holy Spirit, at our Baptism and Confirmation, in all the Sacraments and whenever we simply open our hearts to his gentle invitation to guide and sanctify our lives. On this feast of Whitsun, let us renew our invitation that the Holy Spirit dwell in our hearts through faith. “Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth. O God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.”
Abbot Brendan Reflects on Pope Leo's words to the Benedictines worldwide
July and August 2026: 3 workshops let by Fr Alex Echeandia, Prior of the Monastery of Lurin
9th to 11th January 2026 A weekend for young men to experience the monastic life and join in the prayer and life of the community.
28th November at 6.45pm You are welcome to join an informal service for healing prayer on the last Friday of November. No need to book.
Sat 13th December, 10.00am-12.30am We are delighted that the acclaimed Cistercian writer, Fr Michael Casey will be with us in December.
Monday 1st to Thursday 4th December 2025. Our first Advent retreat in our newly opened guesthouse
Good Shepherd, Good Priest “I will seek the lost and bring back the strayed; I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak.” Those words, spoken by the Lord God through the prophet Ezekiel, describe the heart of God, the Good Shepherd — but they also describe the life and ministry of a good monk and priest. They could well be written of Fr Stephen’s years of service as a pastor in Abergavenny, Swansea, Hereford, and Weobley. In each of those places, he shared in the Shepherd’s work: seeking out the lost, binding up the wounded, strengthening the weary, and leading God’s people with quiet faithfulness. And like Jesus, the Good Shepherd, who came close to his people, Fr Stephen did not serve from a distance. He knew his people; he was among them. He shared their sorrows and their joys, their hopes and their disappointments. He bore their burdens with prayer and patience he brought the joy of the Gospel and the grace of the Sacraments. His mission amongst us is complete. He has served God’s good purpose. So today we ask Christ the Good Shepherd to take Stephen on his sacred shoulders and carry him home to the house of the Father. Bind up his wounds, give him eternal rest and lead him at last to the green pastures and still waters of eternal life.
Br Meinrad and Br Gildas attend a special service with the Benedictine community of St Paul's Outside the Walls with King Charles and Queen Camilla.
Honesty and Love Before God: Pharisee and Tax Collector; Pope and King - a homily by Abbot Brendan for the 30th Sunday of the Year.