Message of Abbot Paul - Monday 18th July
Abbot Paul • July 18, 2022
Yesterday was a free day as far as Chapter is concerned, so I literally took the day off my agenda. After a cooked breakfast, useful as I wasn’t planning on having lunch, and Mass with the small congregation at nearby Ashburton, a beautiful town now on my list for a future visit next time I’m here, I set off with one of the other participants at Chapter on a church crawl, planning to end up at Exeter Cathedral. First of all, we made for the church of St Paul de Leon at Staverton, a large church with a magnificent rood screen and loft, dedicated to this strange Welsh saint and disciple of St Illtud. We then made for the village of Torbryan, not at all easy to find, and the magnificent church, now closed for worship, dedicated to the Most Holy Trinity. It is exceptionally well cared for by the Churches Conservation Trust and has a collection of fascination visual aids to assist visitors enhance their experience. Sadly, there were very few names in the visitors book. The rood screen is spectacular with the most exquisite painted panels depicting saints, including the Coronation of Our Lady. We then moved on to the small town of Ipplepen and the affluent and well-kept church of St Andrew, which also possesses a fine rood screen, loft and pulpit. From there we drove on to Exeter and its famous cathedral, that I had never previously visited. At first sight, it looks like a miniature Metz or Milan, but one you step inside and pay your £7.50 entrance fee, you suddenly realise how vast and light it is and very beautiful. Although I love these churches, I must confess to feeling a deep sadness that they are no longer Catholic and regret the causes and effects of the English Reformation. So as not to confuse you, each day I will post a few photographs of just one church, starting with Staverton today.
Our Gospel reading comes from Matthew, (Mt 12: 38-42), when the scribes and Pharisees ask Jesus for a sign. “Master, we should like to see a sign from you.” They call him Master or Rabbi, so show a certain respect and recognition of his learning and ability to teach. Jesus, however, doesn’t take kindly to their request. He replies, “It is an evil and unfaithful generation that asks for a sign.” Although he says he will only give them one sign, that of Jonah, in fact he also gives them a second, that of the Queen of Sheba. Jonah preached repentance at Nineveh and everyone, even the beasts, repented. The Queen came from Sheba to witness the wisdom of Solomon and she did not return home disappointed. Surely Jesus is greater than Jonah, and is he not also greater than Solomon too? The question is, do we rate the teachers and leaders of this age as more important and greater than Jesus? I wonder!
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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.