Message of Abbot Paul - Saturday 11th November 2023
Abbot Paul • November 10, 2023
Today the Church celebrates the feast of St Martin of Tours, the 4th century soldier, monk and bishop, one of the most popular of all Christian saints, a man noted for his charity towards the poor and his love for Christ. The Gospel for the feast is taken from Matthew, (Mt 25: 31-40). in which Jesus speaks with his disciples on how the practice of charity will determine our place in the kingdom of heaven. “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, escorted by all the angels, then he will take his seat on his throne of glory. All the nations will be assembled before him and he will separate men one from another as the shepherd separates sheep from goats. He will place the sheep on his right hand and the goats on his left.” We know, then, that at the end of time the final judgement will take place in which Christ glorified will be assisted by his angels. We will be separated as a shepherd separates his sheep from his goats. The image is well-known and needs no explanation. Then comes the judgement, which likewise is straightforward enough.
“Then the King will say to those on his right hand, ‘Come, you whom my Father has blessed, take for your heritage the kingdom prepared for you since the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you made me welcome; naked and you clothed me, sick and you visited me, in prison and you came to see me.’ Then the virtuous will say to him in reply, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you; or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and make you welcome; naked and clothe you; sick or in prison and go to see you?’ And the King will answer, ‘I tell you solemnly, in so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me.’” The kingdom of heaven has been set apart from the beginning of time for those whom God has chosen. Jesus gives a list of the corporate acts of mercy, saying at each one that those chosen for the kingdom were present to assist him in the poor and needy. These are puzzled, not being aware of having served Christ directly or even in others, so Jesus tells them that whatever they did for the poor and needy, they did for him. “I tell you solemnly, in so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me.” This is, in fact, the story of St Martin, who cut his cloak in half in order to dress and keep warm a poor man. We pray today for the grace to follow his admirable example.
A homily by Abbot Brendan at a special Easter Mass for Pope Francis, attended by Catholics from across the Deanery.
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.
