Message of Abbot Paul - Friday - 31st May 2024
Abbot Paul • May 30, 2024
​It’s the last day of May, the feast of the Visitation of Our Lady, with which we round off the month dedicated to Mary, the Virgin Mother of God and our Mother too. We remember the visit that Mary made to her elderly relation Elizabeth, who was also expecting a child and was coming to the end of her pregnancy. Mary, who was much younger, hurried to the town where Elizabeth and her husband Zechariah lived, so that she could assist her cousin in the birth of her child. Our Gospel today comes from Luke, (Lk 1: 39-56), and includes that wonderful hymn of praise sung by Mary, the Magnificat.
​“Mary set out and went as quickly as she could to a town in the hill country of Judah. She went into Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth. Now as soon as Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. She gave a loud cry and said, ‘Of all women you are the most blessed, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Why should I be honoured with a visit from the mother of my Lord? For the moment your greeting reached my ears, the child in my womb leapt for joy. Yes, blessed is she who believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled.’” This is no short journey that Mary sets out on and there is no mention of her taking along someone for company and security. She is young and pregnant. Mary was filled with the Holy Spirit the moment the Angel announced that she would conceive Jesus, the Son of God, in her womb, whereas Elizabeth is filled with the Spirit only when greets the Mother of God, bearing the child Jesus in her womb. The sign is John the Baptist leaping in her womb. Mary remains silent, it is Elizabeth who speaks. Praising God, she utters blessings on Mary, she who is most blessed among women, whose infant in her womb is also blessed. She proclaims Mary to be the Mother of her Lord, Theotokos, God Bearer or Mother of God. The scene is marked with joy, as John leaps for joy in his mother’s womb. Mary is the woman of faith, who believed in the promises of God, or rather put her whole trust in God on account of his promises to her. It is at this point that Mary breaks into song
“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.
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.”
All the Churches sing this song with Mary each evening at Vespers or Evensong, as each one of us makes this song our own. Like Mary we sing of the Lord’s greatness and of the wonderful things he has done for us and in us. There are times when perhaps we have difficulty recognising God’s blessings. Mary never lost faith in God. As she stood at the foot of the cross, a silent witness to her divine Son’s Passion and Death, she did not give up singing this song in her heart. She sang at his Resurrection and Ascension and she sang with the disciples and the early Church as they waited for the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Today she sings her song with all those who turn to her for protection, guidance and consolation. She sings her song with those who suffer and with those who rejoice. In any and in every circumstance of our life, Mary is with us as our mother and she sings her song in our hearts. Mary encourages us to turn to her Son and to follow him faithfully. As she hastened to Elizabeth’s house to help her in the hour of her need, so today she rushes to our side and to the side of all who need her. “Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then went back home.” Mary will never let us down. Mary our Mother, blessed art Thou among women and blessed is the fruit of Thy womb, Jesus.
​This is my last daily message, let’s say for the time being. I feel the need to take a break, especially as I retire this evening as Abbot of Belmont and look forward to the election of the new Abbot early next week. Please pray for the Belmont community at this important moment in its history. I thank God for all he has done to bless our monastic community both here and in Peru, together with our oblates, parishioners, former pupils, friends, relatives and benefactors, and ask for his continued blessing in the years ahead. May the good Lord bless and keep us all in his love and tender mercy. Amen.
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.
Archbishop Mark O'Toole, of Cardiff-Menevia presided at the Requiem Mass for Bishop Mark, while Abbot Brendan conducted his burial. Cardinal Vincent Nichols preached a homily full of warmth and affection for Bishop Mark which is reproduced below.
Bishop Mark Jabalé OSB RIP Given at his funeral by Dom Alexander Kenyon Baby Jean Pierre (Mark) Jabale was born on October 16th, 1933, in Alexandria, Egypt. As he said, himself, his background could be considered “cosmopolitan”: his father was Lebanese / French and his Mother, British / Greek / French. He also reminded people that he wasn’t Egyptian. Through his mother, Arlette, he was related to St. Jean Vianney, so it was, perhaps, no surprise that he followed in his priestly footsteps. His father, Jean, was MD of Fiat and Simca cars Europe and, maybe surprisingly or not, he did love a car – not, however, Italian cars, but German; he loved his Audis. Perhaps we should begin today by remembering his mother and father, his brothers Christian and Paul and his nieces, here today, Aline and Nathalie and Isabelle and their families – they were so dear to him and he to them and I know they miss him enormously. Young Jean wanted to join the Navy and came to England, to Belmont Abbey school but the Lord had other ideas – he ended up joining the rather land locked monastery, our dear, late Fr. Raymund opining that he wouldn’t last a month. After a rather uninspiring course of priestly studies (his words, not mine) he studied for a Licentiate in French literature in Fribourg, then a Dip Ed at Strawberry Hill and played Rugby there – the Papist Witch Doctor as he was affectionately known. Teaching followed, at Belmont, Housemaster, acting Headmaster, then to Alderwasley, our prep school in Derbyshire as Headmaster, and then back to Belmont soon after as Headmaster. In 1983 he went to Peru to build our first monastery there only to realise there was little money. So, he returned to the UK to put in a stint of fundraising with his usual zeal and determination. With his mission accomplished he was asked by Abbot Alan to return to Belmont as his prior in 1986 – Peru remained close to his heart. In 1993 he was elected Abbot. In his time as Abbot, he had to preside over the closure of the school, necessary but no less painful for him. In 2000 he was appointed coadjutor Bishop of Menevia and succeeded Bishop Mullins in 2001. He retired as Ordinary in 2008 and “retired” to Chipping Norton as parish priest, then Hendon, saying Mass for the nuns and helping with confirmations. After a spell at Archbishop’s House, Westminster, living with his great friend Cardinal Nichols, he came home to Belmont – it was as though he had never been away and he loved being back in the monastery, particularly praying the Office with the community. That’s the list, of sorts, but it doesn’t really say “who” he was. I haven’t mentioned his outstanding contribution to rowing – the 1979 coxless, lightweight four gold medal at the world championships in Bled, which almost didn’t happen as, at the last minute, he was told there was no money to send the crew. He begged, cajoled and got them there – the video footage of the final is compelling. He transformed Henley Royal Regatta, writing a computer programme for the race results – he was well ahead of his time. He coached the Oxford Boat, ran the Heads of the River Schools Regatta, and more. What an achievement from someone who had never sat in a boat but learned on the job, as he said, “from books, mainly”. It was his determination, his commitment, his love of people and his drive to share what he had that is, perhaps, one of the key things to celebrate about him. And it was underpinned by his rock-solid faith – nothing overly pious, nothing showy, but a faith and a love of the Lord built on granite. Even his occasional lack of patience (sorry Mark) extended to that faith; ‘why won’t God call me?”. At the risk of being irreverent my response was always “would you want you?”. But God did want him, and he knew it. God had a purpose for his Apostle during his life and he now rests with Him in eternity. His purpose was, simply, to bring the joy of the Lord into the lives of others, in many and varied ways. A few weeks before Mark died, Pope Francis died. When the late Pope was seriously ill the son of friends of mine who entertained Mark and I to lunch regularly, was distraught at overhearing mum and dad say the Pope may die. He couldn’t stop crying. “But darling”, they said, “you don’t know the Pope, why so very sad?”. “We do know him” came the reply, “it’s Mark”. “No, Mark isn’t the Pope”. “Oh, so when the Pope does die will Mark be Pope then?”. Mark loved that one. When Mark himself did die said son would only be pacified by picking flowers from the garden and bringing them to church for him. He wanted to show how much Mark meant to him and wanted to give a little something back. That is the real biography – a man loved, respected, a man who shared what he had, above all his faith, a man who touched so many lives and made them better.  Rest in peace our dear friend.
Our brethren in Peru were delighted with the election of Pope Leo.
