Message of Abbot Paul - Monday 11th September 2023

Yesterday was quite a busy day, as I had to celebrate Mass at St Ethelbert’s, Leominster, at 9 o’clock and at St Joseph’s, Bromyard, at 11 o’clock. Fortunately, Fr Simon offered to help me out by saying the 5.30pm Mass at Leominster, freeing me up to go to Tintern with Br Meinrad and Br Robert for the annual celebration of Vespers in honour of the patronal feast of Our Lady’s Nativity. Although we had had torrential rain late in the morning, it was a fine afternoon, a blessing for our open-air service. The excellent sermon was preached by the Bishop of Monmouth, the Right Rev’d Cherry Vann, who is also a brilliant musician and composer. In fact, Newport Cathedral choir sang Bishop Cherry’s beautiful setting of Make me a Channel of your Peace. I read a chapter from the Rule of St Benedict, explaining how this was read and continues to be read today in Cistercian and Benedictine monasteries.

 

​Our Gospel reading from Luke today, (Lk 6: 6-11), finds Jesus in the synagogue on the sabbath day. He is probably in Capernaum. Let’s read what Luke tells us. “On the sabbath Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach, and a man was there whose right hand was withered. The scribes and the Pharisees were watching him to see if he would cure a man on the sabbath, hoping to find something to use against him. But he knew their thoughts; and he said to the man with the withered hand, ‘Stand up! Come out into the middle.’ And he came out and stood there. Then Jesus said to them, ‘I put it to you: is it against the law on the sabbath to do good, or to do evil; to save life, or to destroy it?’ Then he looked round at them all and said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ He did so, and his hand was better. But they were furious, and began to discuss the best way of dealing with Jesus.”

 

​There is no particular invitation or rite attached to Jesus teaching in the synagogue. It would appear to be what he always did on the sabbath. The scribes and Pharisees are there on the lookout, to see if Jesus will break the Law by healing a man with a withered right hand on the sabbath. Such an occurrence would be a double sin: on the part of Jesus, an act of healing, and on the part of the man himself, acquiring the ability to work with his right hand. They are already out to get him very early in his ministry. Jesus knows what they’re thinking, calls the man out into the middle of the synagogue and puts to them a poignant question, which they fail to answer. “Is it against the law on the sabbath to do good, or to do evil; to save life, or to destroy it?” What is more important, saving a life or keeping the Law, which exists to help people and save lives. Jesus heals the man and they are furious, but helpless. Can you think of situations in the world today where Christians act more like the scribes and Pharisees than like Jesus? Jesus the Good Shepherd invites us to follow his example, no matter what the cost.