Message of Abbot Paul - Friday 30th December 2022
Abbot Paul • December 29, 2022
Today we keep the feast of the Holy Family, which is usually kept on the Sunday within the Octave of Christmas, but this year, as Christmas fell on a Sunday and next Sunday is January 1st, the Solemnity of the Mother of God, we keep it today, 30th December. How complicated it all sounds: I frequently wish our faith were somewhat simpler! In all depictions of the Nativity or of the flight into Egypt or the Presentation of Our Lord in the Temple, we see Mary, Joseph and the child Jesus. However, interest in the Holy Family begins at the very end of 15th century and is only formalised in the 17th. The feast of the Holy Family was inserted into the Roman Calendar in 1921 by Pope Benedict XV, so it is a modern feast, that’s been moved around several times even in my own lifetime. Today it takes on a new significance with the breakdown of family life and the corrosion of traditional values, whether they are Christian or of other religions. It is important to lay emphasis on the fact that Jesus, the incarnate Son of God, because of his Incarnation, belonged not only to the Divine Family of the Holy Trinity, but also to a human family: Jesus, Mary and Joseph, the Holy Family of Nazareth.
​The Gospel chosen for the feast this year is that of the Flight into Egypt, which itself was a feast in the Calendar at one time and still is among Eastern Christians. It is taken from Matthew’s Infancy Narrative, (Mt 2: 13-15; 19-23).
“After the wise men had left, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Get up, take the child and his mother with you, and escape into Egypt, and stay there until I tell you, because Herod intends to search for the child and do away with him.’ So Joseph got up and, taking the child and his mother with him, left that night for Egypt, where he stayed until Herod was dead. This was to fulfil what the Lord had spoken through the prophet:
I called my son out of Egypt.
After Herod’s death, the angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, ‘Get up, take the child and his mother with you and go back to the land of Israel, for those who wanted to kill the child are dead.’ So Joseph got up and, taking the child and his mother with him, went back to the land of Israel. But when he learnt that Archelaus had succeeded his father Herod as ruler of Judaea he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he left for the region of Galilee. There he settled in a town called Nazareth. In this way the words spoken through the prophets were to be fulfilled:
‘He will be called a Nazarene.’”
​We notice how God continues to communicate with Joseph in dreams by means of an angel. His motive is to protect the child Jesus from an early death due to persecution. The child and Mary its mother are to be kept safe and Joseph does all he can to fulfil his promise to the Lord. Matthew also explains why the family do not return to Bethlehem, but rather go north to Galilee and the town of Nazareth, where eventually Jesus will begin his ministry after being a disciple of John the Baptist. Joseph prepares Jesus and Mary for what will eventually happen, by which time he disappears from the scene, probably dead and buried. Like Mary, Joseph accomplishes his duty in silent humility, always obedient to the will of God. Jesus learns the ways of God in the home of Mary and Joseph.
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.
