Message of Abbot Paul - Monday - 22nd April 2024

​Today the Church in England keeps the feast of All the Martyrs of England, referring to the Catholic martyrs of the Reformation. In Wales the feast of the Six Martyrs of Wales and their Companions is kept on 25th October. The Benedictine Calendar, which we keep at Belmont, refers to All the Martyrs of England and Wales. Now these do not include such famous English and Welsh martyrs as Alban, Julius and Aaron, Tydful, Issui, Cadoc, Ethelbert of Hereford, Edmund and so on, but only the martyrs of the Reformation, all of whom also have their own feast day which is kept locally, such as St John Kemble and Blessed Richard Cadwallador in Herefordshire and St David Lewis in Monmouthshire, or St Thomas More and St John Fisher nationally. It strikes me as being rather confusing. Even so, it’s good to celebrate our saints and martyrs and turn to them for their intercession, praying for the grace to follow their example of fidelity to Christ and his Church.​ We come to the end of another week and so get closer to the solemnity of the Ascension of Our Lord, which we will celebrate this coming Thursday. The liturgy over the next few days builds up towards that great feast day and this includes the readings at Mass. Our Gospel today follows on from that part of the farewell discourse which we read yesterday, (Jn 15: 18-21). Jesus is preparing his disciples for what lies ahead. He has assured them of the Father’s love and has asked them to remain as close to him as branches are to a vine. If they wish to bear fruit to the glory of the Father, then they must remain part of the true vine, Jesus himself. Being a disciple is far from lying on a bed of roses! It means going against the current of popular thought and fashion. It means remaining true to Christ and his Gospel and obedient to his commandments, Jesus tells his disciples, and let us not forget that he is speaking to us too. The Gospel is not just some historic text. It is the living word of God speaking to us now. “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me before you. If you belonged to the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you do not belong to the world, because my choice withdrew you from the world, ​​​​therefore the world hates you.”​​ We should not be surprised if we are hated, disliked or mistrusted. Our decision, our fundamental option to follow Christ has put us on a collision course with the world, with those who do not share our faith and commitment. Because we are branches of the true vine, our world view will often be different to that of those around us. The same goes for our moral and ethical choices. There is much in the world today that contradicts the teaching of the Scriptures and the Moral Theology of the Church. The fact is that we have been chosen by Christ to be his disciples and we must be true to that calling. ​Jesus then reminds us that, “A servant is not greater than his master.” He asks us to remember that always, for whatever his enemies do to him, they will also do to us. Christianity isn’t a free ride, but, as Dietrich Bonhoeffer explains in his outstanding book The Cost of Discipleship, grace, though a gift, does not come cheap. “If they persecuted me, they will persecute you too; if they kept my word, they will keep yours as well. But it will be on my account that they will do all this, because they do not know the one who sent me.” Christianity thrives under persecution, for suffering ups the quality of our commitment to Christ and his Gospel. We need only look at the millions of Christian martyrs through the centuries. We should be prepared to suffer on account of our faith, of our allegiance to Jesus and his Church. In the light of Easter and the glory of the Resurrection and in the shadow of the Cross, all suffering is put into perspective, for the servant is no greater than his master. No matter where we have to walk, Jesus goes before us to lead the way and guide us from darkness into light, from sorrow into joy, from suffering to glory and from death to life. He is truly the Way, the Truth and the Life.

​Although we now celebrate the Apostles Philip and James on 3rd May, this was originally, and still is in Peru and many other countries, the Feast of the Finding of the Holy Cross, here we continue our reading of that final discourse Jesus gave to his disciples at the Last Supper, as recorded in John, (Jn 15: 12-17), and we continue where we left off yesterday. Jesus is speaking of the Father’s love, that the love he has for Jesus is reflected in the love that Jesus has for his disciples. He says, “This is my commandment: ​​​​love one another, as I have loved you.” Now that love which Jesus has for us, must be reciprocated in the love we have for others. We are to love others in the same way as Jesus loves us. He goes on, “A man can have no greater love than to lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends, if you do what I command you. I shall not call you servants any more, because a servant does not know his master’s business; I call you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have learnt from my Father.” But for Jesus, what does love mean, other than, ”to lay down ones life for ones friends’? Jesus proposes a sacrificial love than which no other love is greater. To love means to give oneself unconditionally to others, even to the shedding of our blood. That is how Jesus loves us and has given himself up for our forgiveness and salvation, that we might be reconciled with God through him. Not only are we loved and expected to love equally in return, but we are called, and truly are, friends of Jesus. We are friends with whom Jesus has shared everything the Father has taught the Son. Jesus opens up for us his knowledge of the Father’s heart. ​Jesus then reminds us that we have been called and chosen for a purpose. “You did not choose me: no, I chose you; and I commissioned you to go out and to bear fruit, fruit that will last; and then the Father will give you anything you ask him in my name. What I command you is to love one another.” Jesus chooses his disciples; they do not choose him, but we are commissioned for a special reason, to bear fruit that will last. That will be the proof of love for which God will give us anything we ask him in his name. The Christian life is born of love and leads to love, which is why Jesus repeats that commandment of love. We are to love one another with a perfect love, the love that casts out all fear, that unconditional love which comes to us from God. Lord, you have taught us many things. Teach us how to love according to your heart and mind Amen.

​Today we keep the feast of St Athanasius of Alexandria, the great theologian and Doctor of the Church, who also wrote the life of St Antony of Egypt, the Father of Christian Monasticism. It was Athanasius who, while still a deacon, saved the Church from falling into generalised heresy by combatting and overcoming the Arians at the Ecumenical Council of Nicaea. It was also Athanasius who, on one of his several exiles in Rome, brought monks from Egypt to Rome. These were soon followed by monk refugees from Syria, whom St Benedict met as a young boy in Nursia. The Universal Church owes a great debt to St Athanasius and we should get to know him better and venerate him more.​ ​One of the main differences between John and the three Synoptic Gospels is the number of long discourses given by Jesus, whether to his disciples, as after the feeding of the five thousand, or to the crowds in general. The only real parallel, in length at least, is the Sermon on the Mount, that we find in Matthew. The longest of the discourses in John is that of Jesus at the Last Supper, short sections of which we have been reading over the last ten days or so. Today we continue where we left off yesterday with the metaphor of the true vine. You will have noticed that in John the same words, phrases and ideas recur frequently. Jesus had been talking of the union that must exist between his disciples and himself and how this should reflect that union which exists between himself and the Father. As the branches are connected to the vine, so should we remain and make our home in him. Jesus now moves on to the theme of love. If God is love, as we read in John’s First Letter, (1 Jn 4: 7), then any relationship or union with him must be a loving one. “God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.” In the discourse Jesus says to his disciples (Jn 15: 9-11), “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my own joy may be in you and your joy be complete.” What powerful words these are. That the love with which the Father loves the Son should be reflected in the love with which the Son loves us is an amazing thought. God raises us to his level. Jesus calls his disciples friends and, in the Old Testament, Abraham was known as the friend of God. Friendship and love make people equals and, in Christ, God raises us up to be his beloved daughters and sons. He invites us to remain in his love, asking us to keep his commandments, which we long to keep because we know that we are loved and our only wish is to love God in return. What greater joy could there be than to remain in God’s love, to live knowing that we are loved by God. In that way, as Jesus says, not only his joy, but our joy too, will be complete. What more could we ask?

​It’s somewhat difficult to write a short message on a Gospel text twice in one week. Today’s Gospel passage, (Jn 15: 1-8), was also read on Sunday. It’s that part of Jesus’ farewell discourse at the Last Supper, where he compares the union that must exist between his disciples and himself to a vine and its branches. It’s a beautiful image with a vivid metaphor to describe that most intimate union between God and ourselves in, through and with Christ Jesus. At key moments in his ministry, Christ emphasized his equality with God in the clearest possible terminology. The strongest affirmations of his divinity employed the name for God used when the Father first revealed himself to Moses, "I AM" or “I AM WHO I AM” (Exodus 3:14). Jesus has already said, "I am the Light of the world" (John 8:12); "I am the Bread of Life" (John 6:35); "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life" (John 14:6); and "I am the Door" (John 10:9), “I am the Good Shepherd” (Jn 10:11) and, my favourite, “Before Abraham was, I am” (Jn 8: 58). Now, the night before his Passion and Death, he tells them, "I am the Vine." Like the other great "I am" passages recorded in the Gospel of John, it points to his divinity. Each one is a metaphor that elevates Jesus to the level of Creator, Sustainer, Saviour and Lord, all titles that can be claimed by God alone. ​“Jesus said to his disciples: ‘I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that bears no fruit he cuts away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes to make it bear even more. You are pruned already, by means of the word that I have spoken to you. Make your home in me, as I make mine in you. As a branch cannot bear fruit all by itself, but must remain part of the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me.’” Jesus says that his disciples are like branches that bear fruit but need pruning. There is no such thing as a fruitless Christian. Every Christian bears some fruit. You may have to look hard to find even a small grape, but if you look hard enough, you will find something. It is the essence of the Christian life to bear fruit and, in Matthew, Jesus says, “By their fruits you will know them.” (Mt 7: 16). The Greek word Jesus uses for “to prune” also means “to cleanse”, so this gives us an indication of what pruning really means for Jesus, “who came to save his people from their sins.” Pruning is necessary in our spiritual lives. The Father removes our sins and all superfluous things that limit our fruitfulness. One of the best ways to cleanse us is to allow suffering to come into our lives. He prunes us with a vinedresser's knife, which is the word of God. Sometimes it hurts, and we question what he is doing. It may seem we are the only branch getting pruned, while other branches need it more. But the Vinedresser knows what he is doing. Spiritual pruning can take many forms. it may be sickness, hardships or loss of material possessions. It may be persecution or slander from non-Christians. For some it is the loss of a loved one or grief in a relationship. Or it may be a combination of some or all of these. Whatever the method, the effect is to narrow our focus and improve the quality of our fruit. Whatever the method of pruning God uses, we can be assured that he cares for us and wants us to bear much fruit. He wants to free us from what drains our life and energy. He continues his care throughout our lives to keep us spiritually healthy and productive. ​Above all, what is truly essential is that we remain united to Christ and “live in him”. Just as he is united with the Father and is one with him. “I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me, with me in him, bears fruit in plenty; for cut off from me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me is like a branch that has been thrown away – he withers; these branches are collected and thrown on the fire, and they are burnt. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask what you will and you shall get it. It is to the glory of my Father that you should bear much fruit, and then you will be my disciples.” Jesus shares his very life with us by giving us the gift of the Holy Spirit, feeding us with his Body and Blood and instructing us with his Word. In this way, we will be united with Jesus and in him with the Father, whose greatest desire is that we should bear much fruit. God has no other desire than what is best for us.

​It’s interesting to note that, as we come to the end of Eastertide, we are still reading Jesus’ farewell discourse to his disciples given at the Last Supper, (Jn 14: 27-31). They can sense that things are coming to a head and Jesus is preparing them, as he has been doing all along, for his ultimate destiny, his Passion, Death and Resurrection. He says to his disciples, “Peace I bequeath to you, my own peace I give you, a peace the world cannot give, this is my gift to you.” Jesus utters the word ‘peace’ three times; it is his gift to the disciples, which only he can give and is not a worldly peace. It is not the absence of conflict or of war, the absence of noise, disorder, or chaos. It is the peace that comes from a clear conscience, a living faith and the joy of the Holy Spirit. It is the peace of heart and mind that comes with forgiveness of sin and union with God in Christ. He continues, “Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid. You heard me say: I am going away, and shall return. If you loved me, you would have been glad to know that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. I have told you this now before it happens, so that when it does happen you may believe.” Reading their hearts, he is aware of their fear and confusion, their anxiety for the future. Without Jesus, what will become of them? Jesus comforts them, assuring them that he will return to be with them, even if beforehand he must leave them to return to the Father. It will be a test of their love for him. Nevertheless, he has warned them, so that they will not be taken by surprise when the time, which is at hand, comes. ​John presents the Passion of Christ as a conflict between good and evil, God and the powers of darkness. Jesus says, “I shall not talk with you any longer, because the prince of this world is on his way. He has no power over me, but the world must be brought to know that I love the Father and that I am doing exactly what the Father told me.” The prince of this world is more than Judas, the high priests and Pontius Pilate. They are simply agents, puppets of Satan, the source of evil, death and destruction, the lord of chaos. But he has no power over Jesus, who loves the Father and is doing the Father’s will. The disciples must understand that what is about to happen is all part of God’s plan for the salvation of the world. Although we love the Passion story, we still ask why God had to save us in this way, through sacrifice, suffering and death? The Byzantine Easter chant celebrates Christ’s Death and Resurrection in this way. “Χριστός ανέστη εκ νεκρών, θανάτω θάνατον πατήσας, και τοις εν τοις μνήμασι ζωήν χαρισάμενος.” Here is a translation, “Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and to those in the tombs, granting life.” Yes, in his Resurrection, Christ Jesus has trampled down death with death, thereby assuring us of eternal life. This faith gave the martyrs courage and peace to face the pain and desolation of martyrdom. May it give us the grace to live our faith boldly today, sharing God’s love and loving kindness with all we meet.

​Today we celebrate the feast of an extraordinary woman, St Catherine of Siena, who died on this day in the year 1380 aged just 33, exhausted by her vigorous fasting. Although always depicted in a Dominican habit, she wasn’t an enclosed nun but a lay associate of the Order. She was a mystic, a writer and a religious-cum-political activist, if that’s the right term. She was canonised on 29th June 1461 and was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope St Paul VI in 1970. She is also a Patron of Europe. Catherine is one of the outstanding figures of medieval Catholicism, by the strong influence she had on the history of the papacy and her prolific writing. She was behind the return of the Pope from Avignon to Rome, and then carried out many missions entrusted to her by the Pope, something quite rare for a woman in the Middle Ages. Her Dialogue of Divine Providence, hundreds of letters, and dozens of prayers, also give her a prominent place in the history of spirituality as well as of Italian literature. She led a fascinating life from the moment of her birth until the Lord took her to himself. A good biography and immersion into her writings would be powerfully rewarding. She really is a most attractive figure. ​The short Gospel passage chosen for her feast comes from Matthew, (Mt 11: 25-30), those lovely words of Jesus addressed to his heavenly Father. “I bless you, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to mere children. Yes, Father, for that is what it pleased you to do. Everything has been entrusted to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, just as no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” Catherine was a mere child, just five years old, when she had her first mystical experience, a vision of Christ in glory. At the age of seven, she vowed to give her whole life to God. When in her teens, her parents wanted her to marry, but she refused, knowing that her vocation was to go beyond domestic duties and motherhood. Nor did she want to become a nun. She chose instead to live an active and prayerful life outside the convent walls following the model of the Dominicans. Just as the Father entrusted all things to Jesus, so she believed that God had entrusted her with an important mission, that of purifying and uniting the Church, and she wasn’t afraid to stand up and preach to the crowds or even to tell popes and princes what and what not to do. ​Jesus continues with words of encouragement and consolation, words that were the very basis of Catherine’s life of devotion and service. “Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest. Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Yes, my yoke is easy and my burden light.” Jesus invites us all, as he did his beloved servant Catherine, to come to him for rest and support. We all get tired and overburdened, but Jesus is always with us to support and carry us. Our lives can be fruitful in weakness as well as in strength, but we must learn from Jesus to be both gentle and humble, opening our hearts to him and offering him our lives. Catherine was an exceptional woman, but in many ways, she was also quite ordinary, like you and me. Let us never lose courage or hope and let us ask her to pray for us and our loved ones. Catherine shines brightly among the mystics and spiritual writers of the Church. She remains a greatly respected figure for her writings and political boldness to "speak truth to power," it being exceptional for a woman, at that time, to have had such influence in politics and on world history. We pray for such women today.

​It’s good to be back at Belmont, but after the warmth of Peru, this cold, damp weather leaves a lot to be desired. I was blessed in having friends meet me at the airport yesterday and taking me home so that I could have a good rest before coming back to the monastery and a rather heavy weekend when suffering from jetlag. Apart from waking up to drink water and take my medication, I rested in bed until gone 1pm, something quite unheard of for me and impossible in the monastery. The journey home was tiring and I’d had little rest in Peru with a full programme most days. I give thanks to God for the warmth and love of the Peruvian people, both in the monastery and outside. I apologise for not writing a proper message yesterday. ​​Whereas the Synoptic Gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke, contain parables that often begin like this, “The kingdom of heaven can be compared to….”, John‘s Gospel is not graced in the same way with parables. In John. we find a simpler, more direct way of saying things, as in today’s Gospel passage, (Jn 15: 1-8), where Jesus begins by saying, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that bears no fruit he cuts away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes to make it bear even more.” This is a metaphor, the simple way in which Jesus says complex and complicated things. He doesn’t say I am like a vine, but I am the true vine. This is yet another one of the famous I AM sayings in John. Jesus talks of his relationship with the Father and with his disciples or followers. Jesus is the vine, while the Father’s task is to tend the vine, cutting off branches that bear no fruit and pruning those that do. Either way, for the vine and for the branches, it is a painful process. You could say that Christ’s Passion and Death are that cutting away and pruning. If we, as the branches, are to bear much fruit, then we must accept a regular pruning, and if we bear no fruit, then we should expect to be cut away. However, we will be given chance after chance. Hence the importance of what he says next. “Make your home in me, as I make mine in you. As a branch cannot bear fruit all by itself, but must remain part of the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me.” Abide in me, remain in me, stay with me, be with me always, be united to me. As a branch alone cannot survive without the vine, neither can we have life and bear fruit if we are not one with Jesus. Just as he and the Father are one, so must we be one with him. This is more than a plea for unity, it’s a statement of what must be, if God’s will is to be fulfilled. ​​To hammer home his point, Jesus continues by saying, “I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me, with me in him, bears fruit in plenty; for cut off from me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me is like a branch that has been thrown away – he withers; these branches are collected and thrown on the fire, and they are burnt.” Jesus’ words are kind and inviting. He promises us an abundance of fruit, if we remain with him and abide in him. However, he never beats around the bush. The alternative is grim indeed and, sadly, many choose it. He is telling us straight: either you are with me or you can’t be part of me, you’re against me, but the choice is yours. You choose your own fate. He ends on a positive note, because both he and the Father want us to be true disciples and to bear much fruit. He says, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask what you will and you shall get it. It is to the glory of my Father that you should bear much fruit, and then you will be my disciples.” First of all, we are given the assurance that whatever we ask for in prayer will be given us, provided we abide in Jesus and keep his commandments, thereby syntonising with the will of God. Secondly, by the fruits we bear, we will give glory to God and become more truly Christ’s disciples. This is more than we can understand or believe. Not even in our wildest dreams could we believe this to be true, and yet they are the words of Jesus spoken at the Last Supper, that most solemn moment of his life here on earth with his disciples. If we take these words of Jesus to heart and live by them, then God will be with us always, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

I do apologise for the lack of a message today. I was travelling all day yesterday, sleeping for much of the time. The journey back from Peru was not without its complications. We left Lima two and a half hours behind schedule due to an incident on board that involved police, security and airport staff. This resulted in a very late arrival in Paris and a four minute mile dash through that vast airport to catch my connection. Miraculously, I made it and am still breathing, but my luggage didn’t. No doubt it will arrive by taxi on Monday. Normal service, I hope, will be restored tomorrow. This comes with my best wishes and prayers for a wonderful day. Fr Paul

Yesterday was my last day in Peru and I’m glad to say it went very well. After Terce I had a very productive meeting with the community and reassured them that the new abbot would have as much care and interest for our Peruvian foundation as I had. Lurin is very much part of Belmont and the English Congregation and we all look forward to the day it becomes an independent monastery in its own right. Packing was easy as I had practically nothing to bring back, as I usually go out with vast amounts of luggage for the brethren and come back empty handed other than for a few small presents, I’m sitting in one of the lounges at Lima Airport writing this message and will need to send it off before my flight leaves. A new runway and terminal are almost ready and Lima has become the busiest and most important hub in South America. You can catch a flight here for almost anywhere, apart from London! Let’s not kid ourselves: we’re not as important as we used to be! Today’s Gospel reading comes from John, (Jn 14: 1-6), one of the best known readings in the Bible. Jesus is speaking with his disciples during the Last Supper. “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God still, and trust in me. There are many rooms in my Father’s house; if there were not, I should have told you. I am now going to prepare a place for you, and after I have gone and prepared a place for you, I shall return to take you with me; so that where I am, you may be too. You know the way to the place where I am going.” Jesus wishes to assure his disciples of his love for them and of his desire to have them at his side for all eternity. However, Thomas finds the argument difficult to follow and says, “Lord, we do not know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” To this Jesus replies, “I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” This is as simple to understand as it is true. Jesus is the Way in that he teaches by example, but also gives us the means of walking with him on the way of truth that leads to life. Jesus is the Truth in that he teaches God’s truth, showing us the will of God and the commandment of God, the rule of love, but he is also the Truth in that he incarnates the truth he has learned from the Father and passes onto us. Jesus is the Life, for he is the Source of life, the Word through which all things were made and have their being. But, even more, by his Cross and Resurrection, he has restored us to life and opened for us the gates of eternal life. Hence, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God still and trust in me.”