Message of Abbot Paul - Monday - 1st January 2024
Abbot Paul • January 1, 2024
May I begin by wishing you a very Happy New Year, a year in which you and your loved ones will be blessed with good health, an increase in faith, hope and love and the opportunity to renew your lives as we look forward to the future in these uncertain times. On the first day of the year, we usually make a number of resolutions to help sort out our lives and put right and improve those aspects that need to change for the better, for our own good and for the good of those with whom we live and work. Above all, I wish you the joy of knowing God more fully and that you might find life even more fulfilling and rewarding.
Our Gospel for today, the Octave of Christmas, Circumcision of Jesus and, as it’s now become, Mary, Mother of God, is taken from Luke (Lk 2: 16-21). It speaks of the shepherds’ visit to the stable at Bethlehem to adore the Christ Child lying in the manger. Luke emphasises the joy of the shepherds at what they see, as it confirms what they had been told by the angels, and of how they return to their flocks praising God and giving thanks for the birth of the Saviour. The shepherds, of course, represent each one of us. It is we who give thanks to God today and praise his name as we rejoice at the birth of Jesus. Luke tells us that Mary “treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart.” Today she invites us to share in the riches of her heart as we contemplate her Son, God incarnate in the fragility of human flesh. The passage ends with the circumcision and naming of the child, “When the eighth day came and the child was to be circumcised, they gave him the name Jesus, the name the angel had given him before his conception.” This will be the first prophetic shedding of the Blood of Christ, for on the Cross he will give up his life for the salvation of the world. Lord, as we thank you today for the gift of salvation, make our lives a sacrifice of praise to the glory of your name and for the good of our neighbour. Amen.
Abbot Brendan Reflects on Pope Leo's words to the Benedictines worldwide
July and August 2026: 3 workshops let by Fr Alex Echeandia, Prior of the Monastery of Lurin
9th to 11th January 2026 A weekend for young men to experience the monastic life and join in the prayer and life of the community.
28th November at 6.45pm You are welcome to join an informal service for healing prayer on the last Friday of November. No need to book.
Sat 13th December, 10.00am-12.30am We are delighted that the acclaimed Cistercian writer, Fr Michael Casey will be with us in December.
Monday 1st to Thursday 4th December 2025. 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.