Message of Abbot Paul - Friday 22nd December 2023
Abbot Paul • December 21, 2023
First of all, please could I let anyone who might be thinking of coming to Vespers this evening, that today we will be singing Vespers at 5.00pm and not at 6.00pm. This is because a number of the brethren will be going to the Carol Service at Hereford Cathedral.
Our Gospel reading today is that wonderful song of Mary, the Magnificat, the continuation of yesterday’s passage, the Visitation. It’s always attributed to Mary, but could equally have been sung by Elizabeth. It was taken up by Christians at a very early date and incorporated into the daily worship of the Church, usually at Vespers or Evening Prayer, in the Eastern Churches during Mattins. It is a hymn of praise and thanksgiving that all those who have experienced the love and mercy of God can sing with fervour and devotion.
“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord
and my spirit exults in God my saviour;
because he has looked upon his lowly handmaid.
Yes, from this day forward all generations will call me blessed,
For the Almighty has done great things for me.
Holy is his name,
and his mercy reaches from age to age for those who fear him.”
If we look closely, we can see that it’s based on Hannah’s hymn of praise in the Book of Samuel. The Bible is full of great women. The greatness of the Lord is compared with the humility and lowliness of Mary, but God is merciful, he has done great things for her and, in her, for the whole of creation. The holiness of God can be seen in his mercy, his loving kindness to those who love and fear him in every generation.
“He has shown the power of his arm,
he has routed the proud of heart.
He has pulled down princes from their thrones and exalted the lowly.
The hungry he has filled with good things, the rich sent empty away.
He has come to the help of Israel his servant, mindful of his mercy
– according to the promise he made to our ancestors –
of his mercy to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.”
God’s holiness is also seen in his justice and in his love and protection of the poor. He exalts the lowly and fills the hungry with good things. Above all, God is merciful and, through Mary, he has brought salvation for his people, all those who are his sons and daughters. “Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then went back home.” Mary assisted Elizabeth and was present at the birth of John. She then returned home to prepare for the birth of her own child, Jesus. Today we pray for all expectant mothers and remember especially children who are unwanted and those who never come to see the light of day. May they be the first to enter the Kingdom of heaven.
Br Meinrad and Br Gildas attend a special service with the Benedictine community of St Paul's Outside the Walls with King Charles and Queen Camilla.
Honesty and Love Before God: Pharisee and Tax Collector; Pope and King - a homily by Abbot Brendan for the 30th Sunday of the Year.
We are sad to announce that Fr Stephen died on Monday 21st October 2055. He was 94. He died peacefully in hospital, having recently fractured his shoulder. He was a beloved member of the monastic community, who had settled back at Belmont after many years on Belmont parishes, including in Abergavenny, Swansea, Hereford and Weobley. He will be much missed. His Requiem Mass will be at Belmont on Wednesday, 5th November at 11.30am followed by burial in the monastic cemetery. The Reception of his Body into the Abbey Church will take place on Tuesday, 4th November, at 5.45pm.
With honoured guests we were delighted to open our doors again of our new guesthouse and conference centre: The Chapterhouse.
"A hymn to the human body." Abbot Brendan's Homily at the annual Mass celebrated at Rotherwas Chapel in Hereford that dates from the 1580s on the feast of the Assumption.
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.
