Message of Abbot Paul - Saturday - 20th January 2024
Abbot Paul • January 19, 2024
Today’s short Gospel passage from Mark (Mk 3: 20-21), tells us briefly of the reaction of his family to Jesus and his ministry. Mark doesn’t beat around the bush, but packs his punches! “Jesus went home, and once more such a crowd collected that they could not even have a meal. When his relatives heard of this, they set out to take charge of him, convinced he was out of his mind.” It’s difficult to place this short passage in its original context. It would seem that home is Capernaum, where Jesus had set up his base, rather than Nazareth, where he was brought up. Such crowds gather that it’s impossible for Jesus and his disciples to have a meal together. There would have been demands for healing and, as we know, crowds can easily get out of hand.
Mark gives no indication as to who these relatives of Jesus are. Matthew and Luke tell us that Mary his mother came with his brothers and sisters, possibly cousins or children of Joseph by an earlier marriage, as tradition explains. It’s possible that they had been told about Jesus’ activity by people from Nazareth who had been healed by him. They arrive with the intention of taking him back, “convinced that he is out of his mind.” If I tell you that my old school and university friends think that I’m out of my mind because of what I do, then that helps us understand how Jesus’ family felt. They might have admired him, but they also thought him out of his mind. In Mark there is no conversation between Jesus and his relatives; all we know is that their embassy is a failure, as in verse 22 we find the scribes or teachers of the Law arrive from Jerusalem and judge him to be possessed by “the prince of demons.” This accusation is followed by a discussion between Jesus and the scribes on the source of his power to cast our evil spirits.
This Gospel account urges us to pray for vocations to the priesthood and religious life, that the Lord will call men and women to listen to his voice asking them to swim against the current and serve him and his people in the heart of the Church.
Let us also pray that he will help us all fulfil the vocation to which each one of us has been called.
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.
