Message of Abbot Paul - Monday - 22nd April 2024
Abbot Paul • April 22, 2024
Yesterday, being Sunday, was a very busy day, which left me so exhausted that I fell asleep during Vespers. Don’t get me wrong, it was a wonderful day in so many ways, but there was no free moment just to put my feet up from getting up at 3am until now that I’ve sat down in an armchair just before supper to jot these words down. What were the highlights? Well, during the Conventual Mass, a husband and wife became oblate novices, while our organist made his promises as a fully fledged oblate. Oblates are lay associates of a monastery and live in the world following the Rule of St Benedict. A number of my old servers from Tambogrande were also at the Mass, so it was a delight to speak with them afterwards and catch up with all the news. One of them, son of the mayor of Tambogrande who welcomed Fr Luke, Fr David and myself in August 1981, I’d not seen for over 30 years, but the warmth and the love were stronger than ever. Sadly, both his parents have passed away. Then at lunchtime, another old friend, Lima born and bred, came to have lunch with me and then go for a long walk together in the heat of the afternoon, as we shared our experiences of life, faith, politics, our respective governments and our hopes for a better world. As Christians, we can only live in hope. We returned just before Vespers and Adoration, at which I presided and fell asleep. All the same, it really has been a wonderful day.
Our Gospel reading finds us at the beginning of John, chapter 10, the parable of the Gate of the Sheepfold. In comparison with thieves and brigands, who do not enter the sheepfold by the gate, “the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the flock; the gatekeeper lets him in, the sheep hear his voice, one by one he calls his own sheep and leads them out.” He then goes ahead of his flock and his sheep follow him, “because they know his voice.” Sheep run away from strangers, as they don’t recognise their voice. Jesus, of course, lived in a very different world to the one we now live in. Flocks were small and cared for individually by their own shepherd. I can remember so well seeing this in northern Greece when I was a student there in the mid 60s and in northern Peru, when l first went out there in the late 70s.
As they failed to understand the parable, Jesus had another go, saying, “I am the gate of the sheepfold.” He repeats himself saying, “l am the gate. Anyone who enters through me will be safe; he will go freely in and out and be sure of finding pasture.” He concludes with one of his most famous and important sayings, “I have come so that they may have life and have it to the full,” meaning more abundantly. We have no less than four important uses of the name of God in this section of John, three I AMs and a simple I to conclude with, “I have come that…..” God himself in Christ is the gate of the sheepfold, who comes to bring us eternal life, more abundant life, life in the Spirit.
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.
On 12th June an Ecumenical Service was held at Hereford Cathedral to celebrate the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicea.
