Message of Abbot Paul - Monday 15th August

Abbot Paul • August 14, 2022
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?


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Bishop Mark Jabalé OSB RIP Given at his funeral by Dom Alexander Kenyon Baby Jean Pierre (Mark) Jabale was born on October 16th, 1933, in Alexandria, Egypt. As he said, himself, his background could be considered “cosmopolitan”: his father was Lebanese / French and his Mother, British / Greek / French. He also reminded people that he wasn’t Egyptian. Through his mother, Arlette, he was related to St. Jean Vianney, so it was, perhaps, no surprise that he followed in his priestly footsteps. His father, Jean, was MD of Fiat and Simca cars Europe and, maybe surprisingly or not, he did love a car – not, however, Italian cars, but German; he loved his Audis. Perhaps we should begin today by remembering his mother and father, his brothers Christian and Paul and his nieces, here today, Aline and Nathalie and Isabelle and their families – they were so dear to him and he to them and I know they miss him enormously. Young Jean wanted to join the Navy and came to England, to Belmont Abbey school but the Lord had other ideas – he ended up joining the rather land locked monastery, our dear, late Fr. Raymund opining that he wouldn’t last a month. After a rather uninspiring course of priestly studies (his words, not mine) he studied for a Licentiate in French literature in Fribourg, then a Dip Ed at Strawberry Hill and played Rugby there – the Papist Witch Doctor as he was affectionately known. Teaching followed, at Belmont, Housemaster, acting Headmaster, then to Alderwasley, our prep school in Derbyshire as Headmaster, and then back to Belmont soon after as Headmaster. In 1983 he went to Peru to build our first monastery there only to realise there was little money. So, he returned to the UK to put in a stint of fundraising with his usual zeal and determination. With his mission accomplished he was asked by Abbot Alan to return to Belmont as his prior in 1986 – Peru remained close to his heart. In 1993 he was elected Abbot. In his time as Abbot, he had to preside over the closure of the school, necessary but no less painful for him. In 2000 he was appointed coadjutor Bishop of Menevia and succeeded Bishop Mullins in 2001. He retired as Ordinary in 2008 and “retired” to Chipping Norton as parish priest, then Hendon, saying Mass for the nuns and helping with confirmations. After a spell at Archbishop’s House, Westminster, living with his great friend Cardinal Nichols, he came home to Belmont – it was as though he had never been away and he loved being back in the monastery, particularly praying the Office with the community. That’s the list, of sorts, but it doesn’t really say “who” he was. I haven’t mentioned his outstanding contribution to rowing – the 1979 coxless, lightweight four gold medal at the world championships in Bled, which almost didn’t happen as, at the last minute, he was told there was no money to send the crew. He begged, cajoled and got them there – the video footage of the final is compelling. He transformed Henley Royal Regatta, writing a computer programme for the race results – he was well ahead of his time. He coached the Oxford Boat, ran the Heads of the River Schools Regatta, and more. What an achievement from someone who had never sat in a boat but learned on the job, as he said, “from books, mainly”. It was his determination, his commitment, his love of people and his drive to share what he had that is, perhaps, one of the key things to celebrate about him. And it was underpinned by his rock-solid faith – nothing overly pious, nothing showy, but a faith and a love of the Lord built on granite. Even his occasional lack of patience (sorry Mark) extended to that faith; ‘why won’t God call me?”. At the risk of being irreverent my response was always “would you want you?”. But God did want him, and he knew it. God had a purpose for his Apostle during his life and he now rests with Him in eternity. His purpose was, simply, to bring the joy of the Lord into the lives of others, in many and varied ways. A few weeks before Mark died, Pope Francis died. When the late Pope was seriously ill the son of friends of mine who entertained Mark and I to lunch regularly, was distraught at overhearing mum and dad say the Pope may die. He couldn’t stop crying. “But darling”, they said, “you don’t know the Pope, why so very sad?”. “We do know him” came the reply, “it’s Mark”. “No, Mark isn’t the Pope”. “Oh, so when the Pope does die will Mark be Pope then?”. Mark loved that one. When Mark himself did die said son would only be pacified by picking flowers from the garden and bringing them to church for him. He wanted to show how much Mark meant to him and wanted to give a little something back. That is the real biography – a man loved, respected, a man who shared what he had, above all his faith, a man who touched so many lives and made them better.  Rest in peace our dear friend.
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