Message of Abbot Paul - Sunday 15th January 2023

Today I hope to celebrate Mass for the feast of St Wulstan in the parish church dedicated to him at Little Malvern, where Fr Patrick is Parish Priest. This is one of five incorporated parishes belonging to Belmont, the others being Abergavenny, Belmont, Weobley and Whitehaven. St Wulstan was a priest who became a Benedictine monk, and who studied at the abbeys of Evesham and Peterborough before serving in the abbey at Worcester that was attached to the cathedral. He became bishop in 1062 and remained in post until 1095, when he died, the only English bishop to retain his see for any length of time after the Norman Conquest.

 

​Our Gospel passage for today comes from John, (Jn 1: 29-34), and presents us with the testimony of John the Baptist. Let’s read the text. “Seeing Jesus coming towards him, John said, ‘Look, there is the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. This is the one I spoke of when I said: A man is coming after me who ranks before me because he existed before me. I did not know him myself, and yet it was to reveal him to Israel that I came baptising with water.’ John also declared, ‘I saw the Spirit coming down on him from heaven like a dove and resting on him. I did not know him myself, but he who sent me to baptise with water had said to me, “The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and rest is the one who is going to baptise with the Holy Spirit.” Yes, I have seen and I am the witness that he is the Chosen One of God.’”

 

​John points to Jesus as the Lamb of God, the Lamb who through his sacrifice on the cross will forgive the sins of those who come to him in repentance for Baptism. Here they will receive the forgiveness of sins and be blessed with the gift of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of life, who will make them God’s sons and daughters, his children and temples of the Holy Spirit. Through the Messiah, the Chosen One of God, the baptised will become one with each other in the Body of Christ as they enter into communion with God. Let us pray that we will always be conscious of our Christian dignity and centre our lives on Christ and the power of his Spirit, as we strive to become obedient to the Father’s will.