Message of Abbot Paul - Friday 8th July
Abbot Paul • July 7, 2022
Message from Fr Paul for Friday, 8th July 2022
It was a very busy day again yesterday. I didn’t feel at all well after a hospital appointment and the afternoon heat just knocked me out. Fortunately, I recovered somewhat for an evening meeting to look back at the Summer Fete, an enormous success, which was followed soon afterwards by a wedding practice. Herefordshire can be quite oppressive in the heat and Toby does his best to avoid it. Tomorrow, I hope to visit my mother. It seems such a long time since I saw her, other than on a screen, and I feel really bad about not doing enough to help her, especially since she underwent surgery. Next week and the week after it will be impossible because of General Chapter at Buckfast Abbey, when the monasteries belonging to the English Congregation meet for eleven days, far too long if you ask me! Nor will I be able to accompany her to hospital for her check-up and meeting with the consultant. I feel really bad about that. I often ponder now on the fact that there is a commandment to honour your father and mother, but no commandment to accept some of the restrictions imposed by the monastic life.
Our Gospel passage today is the continuation of Jesus’ instructions to the Twelve Apostles as they set out on their mission, sent by Jesus, (Mt 10: 16-23). He warns them, “Remember, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves; so be cunning as serpents and yet as harmless as doves. Beware of men: they will hand you over to sanhedrins and scourge you in their synagogues. You will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the pagans.” Whatever they have to face in their ministry, they are to remain honest and faithful, truthful and loving, as lambs among wolves, as Jesus himself, the Lamb of God. They are not to worry about how to defend themselves, but rather rely on the Holy Spirit who will teach them what to say and how to say it. “You will be hated by all men on account of my name; but the man who stands firm to the end will be saved.” The situation Jesus describes is not simply a warning or a prophecy, but a description of what was already happening at the time the Gospel was being written. It was what Matthew’s hearers were already suffering. They would listen to the words of the Gospel and say, “That’s my life, those are my sufferings.” Yet, Jesus assures them that he will return very soon. We might will be waiting still, but we know that he will come, of that we can be sure.
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Good Shepherd, Good Priest “I will seek the lost and bring back the strayed; I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak.” Those words, spoken by the Lord God through the prophet Ezekiel, describe the heart of God, the Good Shepherd — but they also describe the life and ministry of a good monk and priest. They could well be written of Fr Stephen’s years of service as a pastor in Abergavenny, Swansea, Hereford, and Weobley. In each of those places, he shared in the Shepherd’s work: seeking out the lost, binding up the wounded, strengthening the weary, and leading God’s people with quiet faithfulness. And like Jesus, the Good Shepherd, who came close to his people, Fr Stephen did not serve from a distance. He knew his people; he was among them. He shared their sorrows and their joys, their hopes and their disappointments. He bore their burdens with prayer and patience he brought the joy of the Gospel and the grace of the Sacraments. His mission amongst us is complete. He has served God’s good purpose. So today we ask Christ the Good Shepherd to take Stephen on his sacred shoulders and carry him home to the house of the Father. Bind up his wounds, give him eternal rest and lead him at last to the green pastures and still waters of eternal life.
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