Message of Abbot Paul - Friday 9th July

Abbot Paul • July 8, 2021

Message from Fr Paul for Friday, 9th July 2021

 

        Yesterday we continued reading the instructions given by Jesus to the Twelve Apostles, as they set out on their very first mission in his name. Today we continue reading those instructions as found in Matthew, (Mt 10: 16-23). Just before we read them, a few words about the arrangement of Matthew’s Gospel. You will have noticed that between the Infancy Narratives and the Passion Narrative, there are alternating blocks of teaching and miracles. One of those teaching blocks is the Sermon on the Mount, another being these instructions given to his Apostles. It’s quite possible that Matthew has joined together teaching from different moments in Jesus’ ministry and made a systematic whole of them. Secondly, it must be said that often the teaching in Matthew reflects that period in the life of the early Church following on immediately from the death and resurrection of Jesus. In other words the first Christians were already adapting the teaching of Jesus to new situations. The words are definitely those of Jesus, but they are made to respond to a new context. I find this very exciting. What do you make of it?

 

        The discourse to the Apostles continues like this: “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. But when they hand you over, do not worry about how to speak or what to say; what you are to say will be given to you when the time comes; because it is not you who will be speaking; the Spirit of your Father will be speaking in you. Brother will betray brother to death, and the father his child; children will rise against their parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by all men on account of my name; but the man who stands firm to the end will be saved. If they persecute you in one town, take refuge in the next; and if they persecute you in that, take refuge in another. I tell you solemnly, you will not have gone the round of the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.” Jesus begins with two short proverbs, well-known to us. Going out on mission like sheep among wolves, they will need to be cunning as serpents, yet harmless as doves. This is no small ask on the part of Jesus. What does he mean when he describes as wolves those among whom they are to preach the Gospel? What follows is a description of the behaviour of both Jews and Romans that we can read about in the Acts of the Apostles and in the letters of Paul. It is also prophetic of the experience of Christians in the early Church right up to the present day. Persecution was to be the bread and butter of the faithful disciples and apostles of Jesus.


However, strong in faith, they received the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, who showed them how to preach and how to overcome fear. In fact, we find another proverb here, “The man who stands firm to the end will be saved.” Perseverance is the key not only to a successful mission, but also to the gift of salvation. Jesus ends his words by assuring them of the Second Coming that the early Christians believed to be imminent. At times it’s difficult to know what to make of these unfulfilled prophecies of Jesus. One thing is sure; we are still waiting, but are our eyes focussed today on the Second Coming? That’s a question we need to ask ourselves.

 

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Bishop Mark Jabalé OSB Bishop Mark died peacefully on 9th May. Requiem Mass & Burial Thursday 5th June, 12 noon, Belmont Abbey John Peter Jabale was born on 16th October 1933 in Alexandria, Egypt of mainly European heritage. His father was Lebanese/French, and his mother British/Greek/French. He attended the Lycée Français in Alexandria until 1948, when he was sent to England, having expressed a desire to join the Navy. He enrolled at Belmont Abbey School and, upon leaving school, joined the Abbey, taking the religious name Mark. He was ordained to the priesthood on 13 July 1958. He was then sent to the University of Fribourg, Switzerland, where he obtained a Licentiate in French Literature, writing his thesis on Joseph de Maistre, the French counter-revolutionary. He later completed a Diploma in Education at St Mary’s, Strawberry Hill, where he also played rugby for the University. From 1964, he taught sport and served as a housemaster at the school. In 1969, he was appointed Headmaster of Alderwasley School in Derbyshire, though he held that post for only half a term before being recalled to Belmont to serve as Headmaster there, a role he held—apart from a sabbatical—until 1983. From 1964 he was teaching sport and then was a housemaster in the School. In 1969 he was appointed Headmaster of Alderwasley School, Derbyshire, but filled that post for only half a term. He was called back to Belmont to be Headmaster where he served, apart from a sabbatical, until 1983. Fr Mark was a rowing coach of considerable repute. During his sabbatical in 1979, he assisted Dan Topolski in coaching the Oxford crew for the Boat Race. His greatest coaching triumph came when he led a lightweight coxless four to a gold medal at the World Rowing Championships in Bled, Yugoslavia — the only gold medal won by Great Britain that year. The following year, he was invited to coach for the Olympics, but he declined in order to remain committed to Belmont. He was a steward of Henley Royal Regatta and was responsible for setting up and programming its first computerised systems. He was ahead of may in seeing the potential of new technology. In 1983, he was sent to Peru to purchase land and build a new monastery, which included raising funds in the UK. The new monastery was blessed, and the first Mass was celebrated there by the Archbishop of Piura, Oscar Cantuarias Pastor, in June 1986 together with Abbot Jerome, Fr Paul, Fr Luke, Fr David as well as Fr Mark. Dom Mark returned to Belmont as Prior and was elected the 10th Abbot of Belmont in 1993. He later wrote: “My first and most painful task proved to be the overseeing of the closure of the school.” Together with the bursar, John Hubert, he negotiated with the local NHS for the 4 houses to be leased to them. In 2000, he was appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Menevia by Pope John Paul II and was ordained bishop in St Joseph’s Cathedral, Swansea, on 7 December 2000. He succeeded Bishop Daniel Mullins as the 10th Bishop of Menevia on 12 June 2001. During his episcopate, he held several important offices: Chairman of the Department for Christian Life and Worship, Trustee and Visitator of the three foreign seminaries — the Venerable English College (Rome), the Beda College (Rome), and the Royal English College (Valladolid). He was also Bishop-in-Charge of on-going formation for diocesan priests. Upon reaching the age of 75, Bishop Jabale submitted his resignation to the Holy Father on 16 October 2008 and was succeeded by Bishop Tom Burns. He then moved to Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, and was inducted as Parish Priest of Holy Trinity Catholic Church in March 2009, a post he held until 2014. At the age of 81, he retired to Hendon in London, where he celebrated daily Mass at a local convent, assisted in various parishes, and continued to help with confirmations in the diocese. In October 2019, he moved to Archbishop’s House, Westminster, for nine months. Finally, he returned to Belmont in 2020 as a much-cherished member of the community. He described himself as “very happy.” He remained there until his death in Hereford County Hospital on 9 May 2025, aged 91. He had been a monk of Belmont for 73 years, a priest for 67 years and a bishop for 24 years. Condolences came from Pope Leo XIV:
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