Message of Abbot Paul - Sunday 16th October 2022
Abbot Paul • October 16, 2022
Although we have already offered prayers in thanksgiving for the harvest and sung our harvest hymns, a parishioner and her daughter kindly brought examples of home grown produce in fruit and vegetables, including chicken and duck eggs, to the abbey this morning and created a beautiful display at the memorial altar. If you come to Belmont in the next few days, I hope you will stop and admire the harvest altar and say a prayer of thanksgiving for this year’s harvest and another for our farmers, who are going through a difficult and uncertain time, perhaps even more so than other sectors.
Our Gospel today comes from Luke, (Lk 18: 1-8), and touches on the subject of perseverance in prayer, or as Jesus puts it, “the need to pray continually and never lose heart.” To emphasise his point, he tells his disciples the Parable of the Unjust Judge and the Widow. “There was a judge in a certain town who had neither fear of God nor respect for man. In the same town there was a widow who kept on coming to him and saying, ‘I want justice from you against my enemy!’ For a long time, he refused, but at last he said to himself, ‘Maybe I have neither fear of God nor respect for man, but since she keeps pestering me, I must give this widow her just rights, or she will persist in coming and worry me to death.’” The message is very clear. Although the judge is an unjust man who has no care for the rights of the poor, nevertheless the widow’s persistence wears him down until he gives in.
Obviously, God is not unjust, nor is he impatient. He is nothing like the unjust judge. However, this is the parable Jesus has chosen to explain the need of perseverance in prayer. He explains to his disciples, “You notice what the unjust judge has to say? Now will not God see justice done to his chosen who cry to him day and night even when he delays to help them? I promise you, he will see justice done to them, and done speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find any faith on earth?” Jesus admits that at times God delays in granting our requests, but that doesn’t mean to say that he’s not listening to us. God listens and “sees justice done speedily.” God being God knows what is best for us, so often he will answer our prayers in the way we least expect. God will always give us what is best for us, but at times that might mean waiting for the appropriate moment. However, Jesus does leave us with a question, and it’s about faith. When he returns at his Second Coming, will he find faith on earth? Will we remain faithful? That’s a question only each one of us can answer.
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.
