Message of Abbot Paul - All Souls
Message from Fr Paul for Tuesday, 2nd November 2021
Today is the Commemoration rather than the feast of All Souls and, in fact, the whole month of November is dedicated in a special way to praying for the dead, especially those who have no one to pray for them. It’s not a question of praying for the dead or having Mass offered for the repose of their souls, but also of visiting their graves. I have the most wonderful memories of the many countries I have visited that celebrate their dead in a big way, with all-night vigils at the gravesides of their loved ones, having decorated them with flowers in abundance and all sorts of decorations and often sharing a meal in the cemetery with family and friends. I remember so well getting no sleep from the eve of All Saints right through to the evening of the feast of St Martin de Porres on 3rd and expected to say a prayer at every grave in the various cemeteries in and around the town of Tambogrande where I was parish priest. Actually, there were about 150 cemeteries, large and small, in our desert scrubland parish and in the course of the month I visited each one of them and celebrated Mass there. I have never worked so hard in all my life, but it was worth every minute and the devotion and faith of the people was contagious. How I wish I were still there. England and even the English Church have become so secularised, there are times I can take no more. Enough said!
The lectionary presents us with several Gospel choices today, so I have no idea which will be used in your parish or even at Belmont. One of them comes from Mark, (Mk 15: 33-39 & 16: 1-6). It’s probably best to read the whole text. I will leave it there without commentary, as I would like to spend the night in prayer for the dead, my family and friends, fellow monks and people linked with Belmont, Italy, Greece, Spain, Peru and so many other countries, not forgetting the abandoned souls in Purgatory who have no one to pray for them and all those who have need of my poor prayers. This is not a night to go to bed and sleep. I’ll leave that to Toby! God bless you all and may all your departed loved ones rest in peace. Amen.
“When the sixth hour came there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?’ which means, ‘My God, my God, why have you deserted me?’ When some of those who stood by heard this, they said, ‘Listen, he is calling on Elijah.’ Someone ran and soaked a sponge in vinegar and, putting it on a reed, gave it him to drink saying; ‘Wait and see if Elijah will come to take him down.’ But Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last. And the veil of the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The centurion, who was standing in front of him, had seen how he had died, and he said, ‘In truth this man was a son of God.’
When the sabbath was over, Mary of Magdala, Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices with which to go and anoint him. And very early in the morning on the first day of the week they went to the tomb, just as the sun was rising.
They had been saying to one another, ‘Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?’ But when they looked, they could see that the stone – which was very big – had already been rolled back. On entering the tomb, they saw a young man in a white robe seated on the right-hand side, and they were struck with amazement. But he said to them, ‘There is no need for alarm. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified: he has risen, he is not here. See, here is the place where they laid him.’”
