Message of Abbot Paul - Friday 3rd March 2023
Abbot Paul • March 3, 2023
It’s a great joy for me to be able to send you this short message from our monastery in Peru, where I arrived on Wednesday night after a comfortable and punctual journey from the U.K. with Air France via Paris. It’s late Summer here, quite warm, 28C, but humid, being just 5 minutes from the Pacific. I had a lie in, but got up in time for Mass at 7 o’clock. It was good to have a healthy breakfast of fresh tomatoes, avocados and lettuce, prickly pears, which I love, and mangoes, all washed down with strong Peruvian coffee. Most of the day I spent reading, chatting with the brothers and relaxing. I will try to have a bit of a break as well as dealing with monastery business. Greetings from the brothers. This coming Sunday I will be admitting an oblate postulant into the oblate noviciate and the following Sunday a monk postulant unto the monastic noviciate. It’s good to see the community growing solidly.
Our Gospel reading for today comes from Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount, (Mt 5: 20-26), and begins, “If your virtue goes no deeper than that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the Kingdom of heaven.” You see, the scribes and Pharisees were essentially good people. Many of them became followers of Jesus, who himself was probably brought up in that tradition. Jesus often criticised them for their complicated interpretations of the Law, which didn’t allow their hearers to see the wood from the trees. So, while criticising them, Jesus also recognised the good that was in them, hence today’s saying, that we must go even further than the scribes and Pharisees in keeping the Law and in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus explains to us how he wants us to do this. Lent is a good season of the year in which to take the teaching and example of Jesus seriously and obey him.
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.
