Message of Abbot Paul - Monday 10th October 2022
Abbot Paul • October 10, 2022
What always strikes us in the Gospels about Jesus is that he was constantly being followed by crowds of people. Even when he tried to get away briefly for a few hours’ rest, quiet and prayer, the crowds went in search of him and sometimes got there before him. Even so, he never seemed to get flustered, impatient or annoyed, as we might do at times. In today’s Gospel passage from Luke, (Lk 11: 29-32), we are told that, “The crowds got even bigger, and Jesus addressed them.”
I’ve often wondered how he did that in the open air without the aid of microphones and loudspeakers, or even the natural acoustic of an amphitheatre. I always remember visiting the famous amphitheatre at Dodoni, not far from Ioannina in Epirus, northern Greece, and being asked to drop a pin at the very centre. The sound could clearly be heard by my friends in the top circle.
What is it that Jesus says to the crowds? “This is a wicked generation; it is asking for a sign. The only sign it will be given is the sign of Jonah. For just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. On Judgement Day the Queen of the South will rise up with the men of this generation and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and there is something greater than Solomon here. On Judgement Day the men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation and condemn it, because when Jonah preached, they repented; and there is something greater than Jonah here.” People want to know who Jesus is and they want proof. If he is the Messiah, then they want a sign to prove that he is the Christ. Jesus sees this as a lack of trust in his actions as well as his word. And so he tells them that they will be given just two signs, that of Jonah and that of Solomon. When Jonah preached repentance at Nineveh, the great city, its inhabitants repented of their sins and turned back to God, but what effect is Jesus’ preaching really having? He appears dejected by the lack of response in his contemporaries, despite their curiosity. The Queen of Sheba came all the way from deepest Africa to hear the wisdom of Solomon and she was moved by what she heard. It changed her life, and yet what effect is the wisdom of Jesus having on those who hear his preaching? In Jesus there is something, and there is someone greater than Jonah, the prophet, and greater than Solomon, the king.
Is our generation a wicked one? Do people today listen to Jesus’ call to repentance, conversion and new life? If not, why not? Do they demand a sign like the Jews of old? Is this the age of indifference, relativism and indifference? Is there something we should be doing to change this? Let us pray today for the guidance of the Holy Spirit and for fidelity to Christ and the Gospel.
A homily by Abbot Brendan at a special Easter Mass for Pope Francis, attended by Catholics from across the Deanery.
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.
