Message of Abbot Paul - Monday 6th December
St Nicholas
Message from Fr Paul for Monday, 6th December 2021
Although the past few days have been particularly busy, I have followed the visit of the Holy Father, Pope Francis, to Cyprus and Greece with great interest and look forward to reading the texts of his messages, allocutions and homilies and those of his Greek Orthodox brothers in the episcopate, as well as those of the civil leaders of these countries. Last night, before writing this message, I was able to take part in the lovely Mass celebrated by the Holy Father in Athens for the Catholic community in Greece thanks to Vatican Radio and YouTube. I found it peacefully prayerful, spiritually nourishing and deeply moving in its humility and simplicity. May his presence in these biblical lands help strengthen the bonds of friendship and charity with our Orthodox brothers and sisters and our desire to work together for the good of our planet. I was so grateful that he was able to fit in a visit to the vast migrant camp on Lesbos, where he listened and prayed and called for a more humane and Christian treatment for those seeking justice and the chance to live a new life.
Today, the feast of St Nicholas, we pray for all those who bear the name of this great Greek bishop, especially our own Fr Nicholas, now Abbot of Downside. St Nicholas passed to his eternal reward on this day in the year 343. Our Gospel reading is taken from Luke, (Lk 5: 17-26), and recounts that wonderful story from the life of Jesus of the healing of a paralysed man, who was lowered down through a hole in the roof by a group of friends. This took place in the presence of a crowd of Pharisees and doctors of the Law (scribes), which Luke describes as having come “from every village in Galilee, from Judaea and from Jerusalem.” This gave rise to a debate on the identity of Jesus. Who was he and, on whose authority could he forgive sin? They accuse him of blasphemy, for “who can forgive sins but God alone?” These are their thoughts and not their words, but Jesus can read their minds and hearts, and so to prove that he, the Son of Man, can forgive sin, he proceeds to heal the paralysed man. “I order you: get up, and pick up your stretcher and go home,” he tells the man, who immediately, before their very eyes, gets up, picks up his sleeping mat and goes home praising God. They are all astounded and praise God. All agree that they have witnessed something quite remarkable, a miracle. Jesus is true to his word. He fulfils the prophecies of old that declare him to be the longed-for Messiah, he who has come to save his people from their sins. May he come among us, heal us and forgive our sins today.
