Message of Abbot Paul - Monday 5th September
Abbot Paul • September 5, 2022
Message from Fr Paul for Monday, 5th September 2022
I was so pleased to be able to watch part of the Mass for the Beatification of Blessed John Paul I from St Peter’s Square in Rome yesterday morning. Although Pope for only 33 days, he was a pastor I deeply admired even before he became Patriarch of Venice and then Pope. I loved his writings and his homilies. He was a bishop in whom his teaching and his person were one, in fact one of the most transparently holy people I have ever known. I still enjoy reading that little book of his, Illustrissimi, conversations with famous people. May he soon go on to be declared a saint, for he is one of the candidates who truly deserves to be numbered among the saints of heaven.
Our Gospel passage from Luke, (Lk 6: 6-11), which we read today sees Jesus in conflict yet again with the scribes and Pharisees. What was it that they hated most about Jesus? It was probably their own inability to do the wonderful things he did, those merciful acts of healing and forgiveness. They were envious of his ability to work miracles and jealous of the affection in which the crowds and his disciples held him. Why else would they be angry that Jesus healed the man with the withered hand, even if it was on the Sabbath. Jesus was right, and they knew it, when he said to them, “I put it to you: is it against the law on the sabbath to do good, or to do evil; to save life, or to destroy it?” They knew the Law perfectly well and could not have been unaware that Jesus was right.
What does this teach us? Well, I’d say not to make excuses for not doing some good action, even on a Sunday, the Lord’s Day. Not to criticise others for doing well those things we would rather not do ourselves. To appreciate the good things that others do. Never to be envious or jealous of others. Above all, to realise that Jesus wants to heal us. We are that man with the withered hand. All we have to do is trust in Jesus and give ourselves to him. That hand, and all else, can be healed.
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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.