Message of Abbot Paul - Monday 13th March 2023
Abbot Paul • March 13, 2023
Yesterday was a special day for the monastic community here in Lurin and, therefore, for Belmont too, which is the mother house, as Br Bernard always used to remind us. How we miss him and how our Peruvian brethren miss him, too, for they all had a special love for him. At 6.50am, following on from Lauds, we processed to the Chapter Room, where in a moving ceremony our postulant Saul Castillo, entered the noviciate and was clothed in the habit of the English Benedictine Congregation. He asked to keep his baptismal name. I was reminded by Dom Richard Yeo, the Novice Master, that there should be a homily on the Scripture reading as well as a few words about humility and obedience after the novice has been clothed and given a copy of the Rule of St Benedict. So, no corners were cut and we had the full Rite of Clothing as described in the Monastic Ritual. I hope I can attach a few photographs this evening, as it’s raining again and we’re told that Lima could well be hit by a cyclone, possibly on Tuesday. I hope it spends itself out further north, where things are very bad indeed, poor people.
In today’s Gospel from Luke, (Lk 4: 24-30), Jesus is rejected by his own people and forced to leave his own town. This reminds me to ask for prayers for the Church in Nicaragua that is being persecuted by the government. My beloved Cistercian nuns, whom I have visited many times, and supported through AIM, have been forced to leave the country and are now in exile in Panama, experiencing in their own flesh what Jesus experiences in today’s Gospel.
When Jesus tells the synagogue congregation that, “A prophet is never accepted in his own country,” and points to examples in the lives of the great prophets Elijah and Elisha, he so angers his hearers that they physically hurl him out of the town and try to throw him over the brow of a hill and down a cliff. Jesus is able to save himself at the last minute. This episode is surely a prophecy of his arrest, trial and crucifixion. I wonder how we might have reacted had we been in the synagogue that day. Would we have joined in with the crowds or done something to help Jesus? What do you think?
Abbot Brendan Reflects on Pope Leo's words to the Benedictines worldwide
July and August 2026: 3 workshops let by Fr Alex Echeandia, Prior of the Monastery of Lurin
9th to 11th January 2026 A weekend for young men to experience the monastic life and join in the prayer and life of the community.
28th November at 6.45pm You are welcome to join an informal service for healing prayer on the last Friday of November. No need to book.
Sat 13th December, 10.00am-12.30am We are delighted that the acclaimed Cistercian writer, Fr Michael Casey will be with us in December.
Monday 1st to Thursday 4th December 2025. Our first Advent retreat in our newly opened guesthouse
Good Shepherd, Good Priest “I will seek the lost and bring back the strayed; I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak.” Those words, spoken by the Lord God through the prophet Ezekiel, describe the heart of God, the Good Shepherd — but they also describe the life and ministry of a good monk and priest. They could well be written of Fr Stephen’s years of service as a pastor in Abergavenny, Swansea, Hereford, and Weobley. In each of those places, he shared in the Shepherd’s work: seeking out the lost, binding up the wounded, strengthening the weary, and leading God’s people with quiet faithfulness. And like Jesus, the Good Shepherd, who came close to his people, Fr Stephen did not serve from a distance. He knew his people; he was among them. He shared their sorrows and their joys, their hopes and their disappointments. He bore their burdens with prayer and patience he brought the joy of the Gospel and the grace of the Sacraments. His mission amongst us is complete. He has served God’s good purpose. So today we ask Christ the Good Shepherd to take Stephen on his sacred shoulders and carry him home to the house of the Father. Bind up his wounds, give him eternal rest and lead him at last to the green pastures and still waters of eternal life.
Br Meinrad and Br Gildas attend a special service with the Benedictine community of St Paul's Outside the Walls with King Charles and Queen Camilla.
Honesty and Love Before God: Pharisee and Tax Collector; Pope and King - a homily by Abbot Brendan for the 30th Sunday of the Year.