Message of Abbot Paul - Monday 16th October 2023
Abbot Paul • October 15, 2023
When I was a boy, Autumn was the season of Michaelmas daisies. You could see them in every garden and in flower arrangements in all churches, cemeteries and homes. There was something comforting about them as the nights drew in, the days got colder and we looked forward to Christmas and the end of the long, long Michaelmas Term at school. It struck me yesterday that this is no longer the case. It was seeing two small and rather sad looking clumps of these lovely flowers yesterday morning in a Leominster garden that brought this home to me. So it is that I pray for the revival of the fortunes of the Michaelmas daisy in Britain.
We return to Luke’s Gospel today, (Lk 11: 29-32), with the crowds gathering around Jesus that are getting bigger by the day. The more they listen to him, the more fascinated they become. They probably weren’t expecting what he had to say next. “This is a wicked generation; it is asking for a sign. The only sign it will be given is the sign of Jonah. For just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. On Judgement Day the Queen of the South will rise up with the men of this generation and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and there is something greater than Solomon here. On Judgement Day the men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation and condemn it, because when Jonah preached, they repented; and there is something greater than Jonah here.” It’s a call to repentance. He calls his hearers a “wicked Generation, always asking for a sign.” Why should they listen to him? What proof does he possess to show that his teaching has any authority at all? He points to the prophet Jonah and to the Queen of Sheba as two valid signs. Jonah called to people of Nineveh to repentance and they repented. The Queen of Sheba came to witness for herself the riches and wisdom of Solomon, and she found all she was looking for. Jesus says that he is greater than both Jonah and the Queen of the South, but the people he has come to save neither repent nor learn from his wisdom. The signs are there, his call to repentance is powerful and valid; his wisdom comes from God and has the power to save, but they reject him. They are curious, fascinated even, but pay no attention. Today his words and his teaching are directed at us. Will we repent? Will we profit from his wisdom and the riches of his grace? Only we know the answer.
I ask you to remember in prayer today one of Belmont’s most illustrious monks, Bishop Mark Jabalé, who celebrates his 90th birthday. For many years head master of our school, and international rowing coach, he spent a number of years in Peru and built our very first monastery there. On the retirement of Abbot Alan Rees, he was elected abbot and then towards the end of 2000 appointed a bishop by Pope St John Paul II. After serving as Bishop of Menevia for seven years, he worked as Parish Priest of Chipping Norton and then as a retired bishop in London. For the past few years, he has accompanied us at Belmont, invigorating the community with his knowledge, prayerfulness and good humour. No photographs today, but tomorrow. Please remember, too, Dom Michael Evans, Prior of Belmont and formerly Parish Priest of St Francis Xavier, who celebrates his 77th. Ad multos annos.
We are delighted that the acclaimed Cistercian writer, Fr Michael Casey will be with us in December.
We are pleased to announce 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.
We are sad to announce that Fr Stephen died on Monday 21st October 2055. He was 94. He died peacefully in hospital, having recently fractured his shoulder. He was a beloved member of the monastic community, who had settled back at Belmont after many years on Belmont parishes, including in Abergavenny, Swansea, Hereford and Weobley. He will be much missed. His Requiem Mass will be at Belmont on Wednesday, 5th November at 11.30am followed by burial in the monastic cemetery. The Reception of his Body into the Abbey Church will take place on Tuesday, 4th November, at 5.45pm.
With honoured guests we were delighted to open our doors again of our new guesthouse and conference centre: The Chapterhouse.
"A hymn to the human body." Abbot Brendan's Homily at the annual Mass celebrated at Rotherwas Chapel in Hereford that dates from the 1580s on the feast of the Assumption.
From Francis to Leo: A special event with Christopher Lamb of CNN in conversation with Austin Ivereigh who commentated for the BBC on the transition from Pope Francis to Pope Leo.