Message of Abbot Paul - Friday 29th December 2023
Abbot Paul • December 28, 2023
Today is the feast of St Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, who was martyred on this day in 1170, 853 years’ ago, at the hands of a group of knights belonging to King Henry II, who had appointed him to the Archbishopric eight years earlier. Before becoming bishop on May 24th 1162, he had served as Lord Chancellor of England for seven years. He was canonised by Pope Alexander III at St Peter’s Church, in the small town of Segni south of Rome, just two years and two months after his martyrdom. He soon became one of the most popular saints in Europe, as can be testified by the rapid spread of his cult. Do visit St Mary’s church, Credenhill, where you can see a beautiful medieval stained glass window depicting St Thomas Becket and St Thomas Cantilupe.
Our Gospel reading for the feast in the National Calendar of England can be taken from Luke, (Lk 22: 24-30), or from Matthew, (Mt 10: 28-33). Let’s take a look at Matthew, where Jesus is speaking with his apostles, bearing in mind that a bishop is a successor to the apostles. “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; fear him rather who can destroy both body and soul in hell.” These words of Jesus speak precisely of the situation in which Archbishop Thomas found himself. His last words are reputed to be, “If all the swords of England were pointed against my head, your threats would not move me. I am ready to die for my Lord, that in my blood the Church may obtain liberty and peace.” Thomas could see what was coming to him for the stance he had taken against the King in favour of the Church he now served, but he was also aware of the words of Jesus in Matthew’s Gospel following on from those we have just read. “Can you not buy two sparrows for a penny? And yet not one falls to the ground without your Father knowing. Why, every hair on your head has been counted. So there is no need to be afraid; you are worth more than hundreds of sparrows.”
We pray today that God will raise up in his Church Christian men and women of outstanding moral and spiritual calibre like St Thomas Becket to stand up for Christ and the truth of his Gospel and who will bring others to Christ by the integrity of their lives. We can think of St Oscar Romero: what a fine example of a modern Christian saint and, like St Thomas, what an example to us all.
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.
