Message of Abbot Paul - Monday 15th August

Message from Fr Paul for Monday, 15th August 2022

 It was a great joy to celebrate Mass in honour of the Assumption of Our Lady at Rotherwas chapel yesterday afternoon and to concelebrate with Fr Simon. Due to Covid, we hadn’t been able to keep this annual date at Rotherwas for two years. The chapel was looking more resplendent than ever in the bright sunshine, yet it harboured a cool interior that invited us to prayer. This chapel, belonging to the Bodenham family, remained Catholic throughout penal times and Mass was always celebrated here until it was closed for worship. Fortunately, the chapel survived the demolition of the Bodenham Court, and was taken into the guardianship of the state in 1928. Today it is cared for by English Heritage and can be visited as indicated on the E.H. website.

 As we celebrated the Assumption yesterday, today is simply a feria, so we return to reading Matthew’s Gospel, (Mt 19: 16-22). Jesus is asked a question that we have often put to him ourselves. “There was a man who came to Jesus and asked, ‘Master, what good deed must I do to possess eternal life?’ Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you ask me about what is good? There is one alone who is good. But if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.’” Perhaps our own questioning isn’t quite as forthright as this man’s. He mentions just one good deed and talks about possessing eternal life. Surely more than one is needed, and an attitude of conversion rather than a deed, and eternal life is not ours to possess: it is God’s gift, which he is free to give as he wills. We can’t negotiate with God nor can we blackmail him. Jesus questions why he should be asking and replies that he should keep the commandments. You can’t get more straightforward than that. Not content with what Jesus has to say, the man asks which of the commandments he should obey, as though some could be discarded. “He said, ‘Which?’ ‘These:’ Jesus replied ‘You must not kill. You must not commit adultery. You must not bring false witness. Honour your father and mother, and: you must love your neighbour as yourself.’” Jesus mentions four of the ten, ones that relate to interpersonal and family relationships and concludes with the golden rule of loving our neighbour as ourself. 

 From appearing to be quite an arrogant gentleman, suddenly we are told that this is a young man and he begins to sound humbler before Jesus. I have done all this, he says. What more is there? “The young man said to him, ‘I have kept all these. What more do I need to do?’ Jesus said, ‘If you wish to be perfect, go and sell what you own and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’ But when the young man heard these words, he went away sad, for he was a man of great wealth.” To begin with, all we are told is that he is young. He is willing to do more to reach his desired goal, eternal life. Jesus, seeing how seriously he seeks eternal life, invites him to become a disciple, but that involves selling up what he possesses, burning bridges and giving up all things in order to follow Jesus. “Come, follow me.” Sadly, he walks away. This is too much to ask of him, and now we are told that he is rich. This could, of course, be figurative speech in that the young man was rich in self-earned virtue, but was not prepared to sacrifice what Jesus was asking him to in order to store up treasure in heaven. We are invited today to ask ourselves, what is it that we are hanging on to and are not prepared to give up in order to follow Jesus as he wants rather than as we want?