Message of Abbot Paul - Sunday 18th June 2023

It’s hard to believe that we are already well into the second half of June and that in Just 3 days’ time, the days will begin to get shorter and we will be heading towards Winter and Christmas. Time flies is what they say and it certainly does. Our Summer Fete was highly successful yesterday afternoon and all the good folk I spoke with were thoroughly enjoying themselves. Even old schoolfriends came up from South Wales for the day. It was a really enjoyable afternoon and the good ladies who organised it and did so much of the work and the gentlemen who assisted, did a wonderful job and are to be congratulated and thanked. May the Lord bless them all abundantly.

 

We are now back in Ordinary Time and we are in the 11th Week, so just 23 weeks to go before Advent begins! Our Gospel passage from Matthew, (Mt 9: 36 – 10: 8), see Jesus speaking with his disciples about the mission they have ahead of them, how they are to undertake it and the need there is for more labourers in the harvest. “When Jesus saw the crowds, he felt sorry for them because they were harassed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to his harvest.’” We note the compassion of Jesus towards those who have no one to lead them. Today he is asking us to pray to the Lord of the harvest to send more labourers to his harvest. We are told the names of the Twelve apostles. “These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew; James the son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, the one who was to betray him.” We might find it hard to accept that among the Twelve there is included the one who was to betray Jesus, thus securing his crucifixion and death. Jesus then tells the Twelve how they are to carry out the mission to which they are called. Although Jesus himself will mix easily with Samaritans, at this stage he prefers his disciples not to do so, but to dedicate their mission to the twelve tribes of Israel. The rules of the game are serious and must be obeyed. “Do not turn your steps to pagan territory, and do not enter any Samaritan town; go rather to the lost sheep of the House of Israel. And as you go, proclaim that the kingdom of heaven is close at hand. Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out devils. You received without charge, give without charge.” Their preaching is to proclaim that the kingdom of heaven is very close at hand. In fact it will come with Jesus.