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.”
From Francis to Leo: A special event with Christopher Lamb of CNN in conversation with Austin Ivereigh who commentated for the BBC on the transition from Pope Francis to Pope Leo.
On 12th June an Ecumenical Service was held at Hereford Cathedral to celebrate the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicea.
Archbishop Mark O'Toole, of Cardiff-Menevia presided at the Requiem Mass for Bishop Mark, while Abbot Brendan conducted his burial. Cardinal Vincent Nichols preached a homily full of warmth and affection for Bishop Mark which is reproduced below.
Bishop Mark Jabalé OSB RIP Given at his funeral by Dom Alexander Kenyon Baby Jean Pierre (Mark) Jabale was born on October 16th, 1933, in Alexandria, Egypt. As he said, himself, his background could be considered “cosmopolitan”: his father was Lebanese / French and his Mother, British / Greek / French. He also reminded people that he wasn’t Egyptian. Through his mother, Arlette, he was related to St. Jean Vianney, so it was, perhaps, no surprise that he followed in his priestly footsteps. His father, Jean, was MD of Fiat and Simca cars Europe and, maybe surprisingly or not, he did love a car – not, however, Italian cars, but German; he loved his Audis. Perhaps we should begin today by remembering his mother and father, his brothers Christian and Paul and his nieces, here today, Aline and Nathalie and Isabelle and their families – they were so dear to him and he to them and I know they miss him enormously. Young Jean wanted to join the Navy and came to England, to Belmont Abbey school but the Lord had other ideas – he ended up joining the rather land locked monastery, our dear, late Fr. Raymund opining that he wouldn’t last a month. After a rather uninspiring course of priestly studies (his words, not mine) he studied for a Licentiate in French literature in Fribourg, then a Dip Ed at Strawberry Hill and played Rugby there – the Papist Witch Doctor as he was affectionately known. Teaching followed, at Belmont, Housemaster, acting Headmaster, then to Alderwasley, our prep school in Derbyshire as Headmaster, and then back to Belmont soon after as Headmaster. In 1983 he went to Peru to build our first monastery there only to realise there was little money. So, he returned to the UK to put in a stint of fundraising with his usual zeal and determination. With his mission accomplished he was asked by Abbot Alan to return to Belmont as his prior in 1986 – Peru remained close to his heart. In 1993 he was elected Abbot. In his time as Abbot, he had to preside over the closure of the school, necessary but no less painful for him. In 2000 he was appointed coadjutor Bishop of Menevia and succeeded Bishop Mullins in 2001. He retired as Ordinary in 2008 and “retired” to Chipping Norton as parish priest, then Hendon, saying Mass for the nuns and helping with confirmations. After a spell at Archbishop’s House, Westminster, living with his great friend Cardinal Nichols, he came home to Belmont – it was as though he had never been away and he loved being back in the monastery, particularly praying the Office with the community. That’s the list, of sorts, but it doesn’t really say “who” he was. I haven’t mentioned his outstanding contribution to rowing – the 1979 coxless, lightweight four gold medal at the world championships in Bled, which almost didn’t happen as, at the last minute, he was told there was no money to send the crew. He begged, cajoled and got them there – the video footage of the final is compelling. He transformed Henley Royal Regatta, writing a computer programme for the race results – he was well ahead of his time. He coached the Oxford Boat, ran the Heads of the River Schools Regatta, and more. What an achievement from someone who had never sat in a boat but learned on the job, as he said, “from books, mainly”. It was his determination, his commitment, his love of people and his drive to share what he had that is, perhaps, one of the key things to celebrate about him. And it was underpinned by his rock-solid faith – nothing overly pious, nothing showy, but a faith and a love of the Lord built on granite. Even his occasional lack of patience (sorry Mark) extended to that faith; ‘why won’t God call me?”. At the risk of being irreverent my response was always “would you want you?”. But God did want him, and he knew it. God had a purpose for his Apostle during his life and he now rests with Him in eternity. His purpose was, simply, to bring the joy of the Lord into the lives of others, in many and varied ways. A few weeks before Mark died, Pope Francis died. When the late Pope was seriously ill the son of friends of mine who entertained Mark and I to lunch regularly, was distraught at overhearing mum and dad say the Pope may die. He couldn’t stop crying. “But darling”, they said, “you don’t know the Pope, why so very sad?”. “We do know him” came the reply, “it’s Mark”. “No, Mark isn’t the Pope”. “Oh, so when the Pope does die will Mark be Pope then?”. Mark loved that one. When Mark himself did die said son would only be pacified by picking flowers from the garden and bringing them to church for him. He wanted to show how much Mark meant to him and wanted to give a little something back. That is the real biography – a man loved, respected, a man who shared what he had, above all his faith, a man who touched so many lives and made them better.  Rest in peace our dear friend.
Our brethren in Peru were delighted with the election of Pope Leo.
