Message of Abbot Paul - Monday 13th November 2023

The Gospels are full of enigmatic sayings of Jesus that were remembered by the first disciples and apostles and have been incorporated into the Gospel texts removed from their original contexts. It’s better to have them than not at all, but at times it’s difficult to interpret them and understand their meaning. Be that as it may, they are all precious gems, small treasures that have been handed onto us from the mouth of the Lord. They are no less the word of God spoken for our salvation and sanctification. Today’s Gospel text from Luke, (Lk 17: 1-6), is a case in point.

 

“Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Obstacles are sure to come, but alas for the one who provides them! It would be better for him to be thrown into the Sea with a millstone put round his neck than that he should lead astray a single one of these little ones. Watch yourselves!

  If your brother does something wrong, reprove him and, if he is sorry, forgive him. And if he wrongs you seven times a day and seven times comes back to you and says, “I am sorry,” you must forgive him.’

  The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith.’ The Lord replied, ‘Were your faith the size of a mustard seed you could say to this mulberry tree, “Be uprooted and planted in the sea,” and it would obey you.’”

 

​Life is full of obstacles, as we all know, but Jesus departs from what would normally follow next in Wisdom literature, a word or two of encouragement to help us overcome such things. Rather he speaks of the perpetrators of obstacles in the lives of “these little ones,” not children but those who are young or vulnerable in their faith. Disciples of Jesus are to watch themselves from behaving in such a way as to scandalise them and make them doubt the truth of faith.

 

​Forgiveness lies at the very heart of the Christian faith, as it did at the very heart of Jesus’ ministry. He dies on a cross to forgive us our sins and reconcile us with the Father and with each other. He teaches his disciples, among whom we count ourselves, to do the same, not just to forgive, but to forgive always, each and every time a brother or sister repents. Jesus also teaches us to forgive our enemies. The prayer for forgiveness and for the grace to be able to forgive is embedded in the Our Father. There is nothing more important for a Christian than to forgive and accept forgiveness.

 

​The apostles, and we with them, ask of the Lord, “Increase our faith,” aware as we are of our doubts and fears. Jesus suggests what we could do were our faith the size of a mustard seed. I would be happy with far less, wouldn’t you?