Message of Abbot Paul - Friday 3rd February 2023
Abbot Paul • February 3, 2023
What a joy it was yesterday to celebrate the feast of the Presentation of Our Lord in the Temple. For Toby and me it began as usual with our early morning walk, as I said the Rosary and Toby interacted with the army of robins who accompany us every morning on this walk. I presume that they are protecting their territory from the canine predator, but as they see him every day and know him to be peace-loving and friendly, perhaps it’s just a game. What is certain, as the temperature rises, is that the birdsong is more joyful and robust. How can such small creatures create such a loud and beautiful concerto? What a privilege it is to walk among them and hear them sing each morning and how do others manage to sleep through it?
Two saints are remembered in our Calendar today: St Blaise, the 3rd/4th century Armenian bishop and martyr, whose intercession is invoked for the blessing of throats, and St Ansgar or Oscar, the 9th century Benedictine Archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen, who is known as the “Apostle of the North”, as he received the mandate to take the Christian faith into Scandinavia. Let us pray today for the Church in Armenia and for the large Armenian diaspora throughout the world and for the Church in Scandinavian countries. These are probably areas of the world we rarely remember to pray for. Many of the relics of St Blaise are to be found in Dubrovnik in Croatia, a city well worth visiting.
Our Gospel passage from Mark today, (Mk 6: 14-29), recounts the death of John the Baptist at the hands of King Herod, a weak man, who to save face before his courtiers and army officers after making a rash promise when drunk to the daughter of his unlawful wife, Herodius, had him beheaded. It’s a tragic tale and one that gives us much to think about our world today and the horrendous things that take place in the name of politics and for the sake of power and image. It was clear that one day John would die a martyr, but this was not the way to go. We pray that God will raise up in the world today men and women of the integrity and faith of John the Baptist and rid the world of those people who are not worthy of its beauty and fragility, those whose delight is only to destroy what is good and given us by God
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.
