Message of Abbot Paul - Friday 2nd September
Abbot Paul • September 1, 2022
Message from Fr Paul for Friday, 2nd September 2022
It’s already the second day of September and it strikes me that from tomorrow I shall have to wear my miner’s torch when taking Toby out first thing as I’ve been doing for the past ten days when going out in the evening. We take our evening stroll around nine o’clock and it lasts about half an hour. One of the great joys of early September are the blackberries, not so large this year for lack of rain, but with an intensity of flavour that makes grappling with the brambles well worth it.
We continue reading Luke, (Lk 5: 33-39), where Jesus has words with a group of scribes and Pharisees, who compare the behaviour of his disciples unfavourably with that of John the Baptist’s. “John’s disciples are always fasting and saying prayers, and the disciples of the Pharisees too, but yours go on eating and drinking.” John had a particularly austere lifestyle and, no doubt, his followers did as well. Jesus, on the hand, did not. He spent a good deal of time in prayer and solitude, but was admired more for his preaching and his miracles than for any special penitential practices. He was an ordinary Jew, you could say, and so were his disciples. What was extraordinary was their faith and courage, not esoteric austerities and penances. The only fast his disciples will experience will be the absence of Jesus when he is taken prisoner, condemned and put to death, but even that fast will last no longer than three days.
All this teaches us that what Jesus asks of us is uncompromising faith, especially in the face of rejection and persecution, to be faithful in our discipleship and obedient to God’s commandments. May the Lord himself grant us this grace. Amen.
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.
