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.
Pope Francis RIP Pope 2013-2025 Born 1936, Died 2025 We are deeply saddened at the passing of Pope Francis. As the successor of St Peter he has been a spiritual father and shepherd to the church in our day, challenging us, and calling as to reach out to those on the peripheries. He was the first Jesuit Pope, but took the name Francis after the Poor Man of Assisi who modelled for him a closeness to the poor, a concern for those on the margins of society and a care for all of creation In his preaching Pope Francis always spoke of the joy of the Gospel and encouraged us to reflect the joy of our faith in our lives. He showed the compassion of Jesus to everyone. He worked tirelessly for the unity of the church and travelled even to non-Christian countries promoting a message of peace. He has left a great legacy. With the presence of the Apostolic Nuncio with the community over Easter we were able to express our closeness to the Holy Father in his final suffering. There will be a special Mass at Belmont this Thursday 24th April at 11am to pray for Pope Francis as he makes his final journey to the house of the Father. On the day of his funeral, the Office of the Dead will be sung, and Mass that day will be a Requiem. May the angels lead him into paradise; may the martyrs receive him at his arrival and lead him to the holy city Jerusalem. May choirs of angels receive him and with Lazarus, the poor man grant him eternal rest." (The In Paradisum, words from the Funeral Liturgy)
We were were honoured and delighted to be joined by the Apostolic Nuncio to celebrate Easter. His Excellency Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendía is the representative of the Holy See in Great Britain, and therefore of the Holy Father. His presence on Easter Sunday morning brought us more consciously in communion with Pope Francis, the successor of St Peter, as we heard the Gospel story of Peter running to the tomb. His patron saint is St Michael, so afterwards, at a festive lunch we were able to present him with some Belmont cufflinks with the monastery coat of arms - very similar to his as Archbishop. We were able to pray for him and his work in this country.
