Message of Abbot Paul - Sunday 15th January 2023
Abbot Paul • January 15, 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.
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.
