Message of Abbot Paul - Friday 9th December 2022
Abbot Paul • December 8, 2022
Yesterday was a long day, beginning just after midnight with the death of one of the nuns, Dame Mary, in her 100th year. What a beautiful feast day on which to leave this world for the next. As a result the timetable changed and so it was a different day from usual. Her funeral will take place during the retreat. However, I did get the opportunity to visit the magnificent shop the nuns have here and see the full range of their extensive production. Kylemore is, of course, a famous tourist destination and rightly so. I noticed a large number of Spanish visitors, for example.
Our Gospel reading today comes from Matthew, (Mt 11: 16-19), in which Jesus, talking about the age in which he lives, compares himself with John the Baptist and the reaction of the people to them both. He comes to the conclusion that they are like “children shouting to each other in the market place.” They criticised John as a man possessed and Jesus as a drunkard and a glutton for mixing with tax collectors and sinners. Yet both are doing God’s work in bringing salvation to all men and women. We pray that we might receive Christ and accept him as our Lord and Saviour and follow the example of John the Baptist in preparing the way of the Lord.
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.
