Message of Abbot Paul - Sunday 11th December 2022
Abbot Paul • December 10, 2022
Yesterday was such a bitterly cold and icy day, that l didn’t venture out of doors until just before midday, when I walked gingerly to the church for the Requiem Mass of Dame Mary Groves. Birds here are unbelievably friendly and quite fearless. On the way to church, a robin came up for a chat so close, I bent down so he could nibble at my forefinger with his beak. Then, further along a song thrush wanted to chat. It’s quite extraordinary, considering the vast number of tourists who visit Kylemore.
Dame Mary’s Requiem was a most moving celebration. Because of the ice and closed roads, there was no congregation to join the nuns other than by live streaming. Only the undertakers and a couple Kylemore men were there to carry the coffin. The cemetery is about half a mile from the nuns’ church. I was surprised by the number of nun’s graves and interested to see how Irish burial customs differ from our own. Dame Mary and two other Oulton nuns transferred to Kylemore in 1992. Interestingly, you could say they were coming home, as the Abbey of Ypres, that of the Irish Dames, which eventually became Kylemore, was founded from the Abbey of Ghent in 1665. Ghent, which had been founded from Brussels in 1624, eventually became Oulton. Brussels had been founded by Lady Mary Percy in 1598. Kylemore is an ancient community and we should pray for its perseverance into the future.
Today is Gaudete Sunday, a day of special rejoicing on the third Sunday of Advent. I’m not quite sure what it can mean to modern Christians, as sadly we no longer fast and really keep vigil during Advent. Still, we now look forward to Christmas. In today’s Gospel from Matthew, (Mt 11: 2-11), Jesus gives his testimony of John the Baptist. “Of all the children born of women, a greater than John the Baptist has never been seen; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he is.” We also hear from St James today who tells his readers, “Do not lose heart, because the Lord’s coming will be soon.” Let us take these words to heart and pray for the Lord’s return, his Second Coming at the end of time.
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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.