Message of Abbot Paul - Monday 13th November 2023
Abbot Paul • November 12, 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?
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.
