Message of Abbot Paul - Friday 20th August
Message from Fr Paul for Friday, 20th August 2021
Today the Church keeps the feast of St Bernard, the great 12th century Cistercian monk, theologian and world leader. Our minds, of course, turn to our own Brother Bernard, whose untimely death last September we still mourn. He is sadly missed by everyone who knew him and the monastery seems empty without him.
His mother, Betty, died recently, so we pray for her dear soul as well for our bother, Bernard, and his father, Paul, that they may enjoy the company of St Bernard and all the saints in heaven.
Today’s Gospel passage from Matthew, (Mt 22: 34-40), presents us with the very heart of Jesus’ teaching on the Law, the love of God and neighbour. “When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees they got together and, to disconcert him, one of them put a question, ‘Master, which is the greatest commandment of the Law?’” It appears that the Pharisees and Sadducees were in open competition to see which could trap Jesus into saying something that contradicted the Law, as they saw and interpreted it, bearing in mind that they didn’t agree, even on fundamentals, with each other. Neither group wanted to know what Jesus really thought. It was a game for power and influence, with the people and with the Roman authorities. As Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, he now silences the Pharisees. “Jesus said, ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second resembles it: You must love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments hang the whole Law, and the Prophets also.’” How could they possibly disagree with Jesus and how could they have possibly thought that he would have answered differently? While love of God is the first and the greatest of commandments, it is invalidated when not accompanied by love of neighbour. You could say that for a Christian they form the cross on which Jesus was crucified for love of the Father and love of his brethren, you and me. They also form the cross that Jesus asks us to carry each day as we follow him.
Let us always pray for the grace to accept the invitation of Jesus and carry our cross, thus conforming our lives to his, thereby bringing others to God and the gift of eternal life. Amen.
