Message of Abbot Paul - Monday 13th June
Abbot Paul • June 13, 2022
Message from Fr Paul for Sunday, 12th June 2022
Today all Western Churches celebrate the feast of the Holy Trinity, which gradually took shape from the time of the early Church councils and into the Middle Ages to counter those heresies that denied either the divinity or the humanity of Jesus and the divinity of the Holy Spirit. The Church also composed Creeds that from being used in the Baptismal Liturgy also came to be recited at the Eucharist on Sundays and feast days. Then there is the constant use of the doxology, “Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,” and the Invocation, “In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” and the Trinitarian conclusion to collects and other prayers. as well as blessings given in the name of the Triune God. The feast itself on the Sunday after Pentecost serves to bring to an end the liturgical cycle we have celebrated from Advent through Christmas, the Epiphany, Lent, Holy Week, Easter, Ascension and Pentecost. The feast of the Holy Trinity brings it all together and completes it. We piece together what we have celebrated.
The short Gospel passage we read today comes from John, (Jn 16: 12-15), where Jesus describes his own mission as the fulfilment of the Father’s will and intentions, which will be reinforced and completed by the Spirit.
“Jesus said to his disciples:
‘I still have many things to say to you
but they would be too much for you now.
But when the Spirit of truth comes
he will lead you to the complete truth,
since he will not be speaking as from himself
but will say only what he has learnt;
and he will tell you of the things to come.
He will glorify me,
since all he tells you
will be taken from what is mine.
Everything the Father has is mine;
that is why I said:
All he tells you
will be taken from what is mine.’”
Creation, redemption and sanctification are the combined work of God, who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit, yet God, who is the very source of life, cannot be contained in words or understood by the human mind. Our thoughts, words and descriptions are approximations, spoken usually in analogies, for we can only compare God with what we do know. In his Treatise on the Trinity, St Augustine tries out several analogies to help us understand the Trinity. Here is one of them: The one who loves, the one who is loved and love itself. Many other great theologians have done the same, and they come to the conclusion that we can only know God through pray and contemplation and the lived experience of faith, of walking with God in the cloud of unknowing, searching for God, as St Benedict describes it. Yet God is free to reveal himself to anyone, at any time and in any way: God is not limited or bound by our restricted minds and knowledge. There is much to think about in today’s feast.
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.
