Message of Abbot Paul - Friday - 1st March 2024
Abbot Paul • February 29, 2024
​March 1st has been kept as St David’s Day since his canonisation was confirmed by Pope Callixtus II in 1120. He is believed to have died on this day in 589 and from 12th Century onwards has been considered the Patron Saint of Wales. David (Dewi in Welsh) was born to a noble family in West Wales in the early part of 6th Century and founded a monastery at Glyn Rhosyn (the Vale of Roses), St David’s, which was to become one of the most important centres of Christianity in Britain. As a bishop, he strongly opposed Pelagianism, both at the famous Synod of Brefi in 550 and at the Synod of Caerleon in 569, and so was regarded as the leading bishop of the Welsh Church. His tomb can still be venerated at St David’s Cathedral in Pembrokeshire. In the Middle Ages, two pilgrimages to St David’s were considered to equal one to Rome. There was even a pilgrimage route from Hereford to St David’s. The centuries haven’t dimmed our affection and admiration for our patron saint.
​Today’s Gospel passage (for the Feria, not the Feast) comes from Matthew, (Mt 21: 33-43, 44-46), and it’s the Parable of the Vineyard, or rather of the Landowner whose vineyard it was. Jesus addresses this parable to the chief priests and elders of the people. These are his words: “Listen to another parable. There was a man, a landowner, who planted a vineyard; he fenced it round, dug a winepress in it and built a tower; then he leased it to tenants and went abroad. When vintage time drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his produce. But the tenants seized his servants, thrashed one, killed another and stoned a third. Next, he sent some more servants, this time a larger number, and they dealt with them in the same way. Finally, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son’ he said. But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come on, let us kill him and take over his inheritance.’ So they seized him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?’ They answered, ‘He will bring those wretches to a wretched end and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will deliver the produce to him when the season arrives.” This is where the parable ends. It’s a rather violent story and probably quite true to life on the outposts of the Roman Empire at the time of Jesus. We Christians today tend to see the landowner as God and his son as Jesus, but it was addressed to the religious leaders of Israel. How did they read it? They probably thought that they were the landowners. Although the details are very realistic, it’s important to realise that parables aren’t allegories and we should be careful lest we fail to see the wood for the trees. Nevertheless, it is about rejection, the rejection of Jesus by the chief priests and elders of the people, a rejection that was still a painful reality for the early Christian community in Jerusalem.
​Jesus goes on to quote from Psalm 117 (118):
“It was the stone rejected by the builders
that became the keystone.
This was the Lord’s doing
and it is wonderful to see?”
He then warns them, “I tell you, then, that the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.” Their reaction is predictable:
“When they heard his parables, the chief priests and the scribes realised he was speaking about them, but though they would have liked to arrest him they were afraid of the crowds, who looked on him as a prophet.” Now the Gospel isn’t simply an historic text relating past events. It is the living word of God that speaks to us now and brings salvation to God’s world. The Gospel asks us questions that we need to answer. To begin with, are we a people, am I a person, that produces the fruit that God is looking for? What sort of harvest will God find in me? Secondly, how do I look on Jesus? Do I accept his word? Do I follow his example? Is he the Lord of my life? From reading the Gospel we know all about the chief priests and the leading religious leaders in Jesus’ day, but, more importantly, what do we know about ourselves? Where and how do I stand before God?
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.
