Message of Abbot Paul - Friday 10th November 2023
Abbot Paul • November 9, 2023
Pope St Leo the Great died on this day in the year 461. He had been Bishop of Rome for eleven years and was aged just over sixty. He is undoubtedly one of the most important popes in the history of the Church. He lived in turbulent times and did much to unite the whole Church, East and West, to clarify and support the decisions of the great Councils of the Church, especially that of Chalcedon, and to turn the heart of Attila the Hun from invading the Italian peninsula. Today we celebrate his feast day and ask his intercession for the world and the Church today.
It’s a pity that the liturgists who produced the Mass lectionary decided to omit the Parable of the Prodigal Son, as it’s known, the third parable following on from yesterday’s two on the theme of Jesus reaching out to sinners and offering his life for them. Today’s passage is yet another parable (Lk 16: 1-8), which Jesus addresses to his disciples and possibly to a group of Pharisees as well. It’s about a steward, dismissed by his employer for being wasteful with his master’s property. Not knowing what to do to earn his living after he leaves his employment, he hits upon the idea of settling up in an astute if dishonest way with some of his master’s debtors. “He called his master’s debtors one by one. To the first he said, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ ‘One hundred measures of oil’ was the reply. The steward said, ‘Here, take your bond; sit down straight away and write fifty.’ To another he said, ‘And you, sir, how much do you owe?’ ‘One hundred measures of wheat’ was the reply. The steward said, ‘Here, take your bond and write eighty.’” He thinks that by acting in this way, those debtors will welcome him into their homes when he begins to feel the pinch. The result of this behaviour is that his master praises his astuteness. Jesus sums up the parable by saying, “For the children of this world are more astute in dealing with their own kind than are the children of light.” This is a somewhat unconventional parable for Jesus, as both the main characters are dishonest, unworthy types. He’s not suggesting that his disciples should behave in the same way, but is aware that some of the Pharisees might well do so.
​One way of interpreting this parable is to see Jesus as the dishonest steward and the Father as his rich employer. We, his disciples, could be the debtors. Why do I say this? Well, the preceding parables were about God’s mercy and forgiveness and there are other parables where Jesus casts himself as an outcast, the Good Samaritan, for example. Jesus has come to forgive sinners and lead them to conversion and new life. Therein lies the astuteness of God. This might not sound like an orthodox interpretation, but it’s one that’s often come to me in Lectio and makes a good deal of sense to me. God will go to any length in order to save me, and the cross of Jesus is proof of that. Jesus died like a criminal: there’s a parable here too.
A homily by Abbot Brendan at a special Easter Mass for Pope Francis, attended by Catholics from across the Deanery.
Pope Francis RIP Pope 2013-2025 Born 1936, Died 2025 We are deeply saddened at the passing of Pope Francis. As the successor of St Peter he has been a spiritual father and shepherd to the church in our day, challenging us, and calling as to reach out to those on the peripheries. He was the first Jesuit Pope, but took the name Francis after the Poor Man of Assisi who modelled for him a closeness to the poor, a concern for those on the margins of society and a care for all of creation In his preaching Pope Francis always spoke of the joy of the Gospel and encouraged us to reflect the joy of our faith in our lives. He showed the compassion of Jesus to everyone. He worked tirelessly for the unity of the church and travelled even to non-Christian countries promoting a message of peace. He has left a great legacy. With the presence of the Apostolic Nuncio with the community over Easter we were able to express our closeness to the Holy Father in his final suffering. There will be a special Mass at Belmont this Thursday 24th April at 11am to pray for Pope Francis as he makes his final journey to the house of the Father. On the day of his funeral, the Office of the Dead will be sung, and Mass that day will be a Requiem. May the angels lead him into paradise; may the martyrs receive him at his arrival and lead him to the holy city Jerusalem. May choirs of angels receive him and with Lazarus, the poor man grant him eternal rest." (The In Paradisum, words from the Funeral Liturgy)
We were were honoured and delighted to be joined by the Apostolic Nuncio to celebrate Easter. His Excellency Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendía is the representative of the Holy See in Great Britain, and therefore of the Holy Father. His presence on Easter Sunday morning brought us more consciously in communion with Pope Francis, the successor of St Peter, as we heard the Gospel story of Peter running to the tomb. His patron saint is St Michael, so afterwards, at a festive lunch we were able to present him with some Belmont cufflinks with the monastery coat of arms - very similar to his as Archbishop. We were able to pray for him and his work in this country.
