Message of Abbot Paul - Sunday 24th September 2023
Abbot Paul • September 23, 2023
Many parishes, especially in rural settings, will be celebrating their Mass of Thanksgiving for the Harvest around this time. It’s an ancient Christian practice in all parts of the world to pray when seed is sown in early Spiring and then to give thanks when the harvest is collected in the Autumn. There are special texts in the Missal to use at these times of year. The Harvest Festival also reminds us of how important it is to give thanks to Almighty God for the gifts of food and drink, of work and remuneration, signs of God’s love for his people and of his immense generosity towards us. May we always remember to say grace before and after meals, even if it’s just a quick snack taken on the go.
Today’s Gospel from Matthew (Mt 20: 1-16) is the parable of the labourers in the vineyard, a moving story that reminds me so much of our life in Peru, where Fr Luke, Fr David and I noticed on our very first morning in the parish of Tambogrande how the town square was full of working men and boys from 3am onwards, waiting to be taken on and given work for the day on farms round about. The Spanish word for these workers is ‘jornalero’ which literally means someone taken on for the day. In fact, we soon discovered that, in many ways, we had been transplanted into biblical times in the lifestyle and customs of our new neighbours and parishioners, from whom we had so much to learn about being Christian. Our text reads, “Jesus said to his disciples: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner going out at daybreak to hire workers for his vineyard. He made an agreement with the workers for one denarius a day, and sent them to his vineyard.” In the course of the day, as more men are needed to finish the day’s workload, more are contracted. This goes on from the first to the eleventh hour and the wage promised is a denarius. In Peru in the 80s, the going rate was under £1 a day. Today, as a result of the pandemic and climate change, there is little or no work, so that pittance now seems to have been a good wage. But to go back to the parable: at sunset the landowner appears and settles up with the day’s workers and to each he gives a denarius.
“When the first came, they expected to get more, but they too received one denarius each. They took it, but grumbled at the landowner. ‘The men who came last,’ they said, ‘have done only one hour, and you have treated them the same as us, though we have done a heavy day’s work in all the heat.’ He answered one of them and said, ‘My friend, I am not being unjust to you; did we not agree on one denarius? Take your earnings and go. I choose to pay the last comer as much as I pay you. Have I no right to do what I like with my own? Why be envious because I am generous?’ Thus, the last will be first, and the first, last.” It does seem unfair, but this is a parable, not real life, and it’s about God and the kingdom of heaven. God is generous and in heaven there will be no class system, no rich and poor, no privileged and oppressed. All will be blessed with the beatific vision. When we see God face to face, there will be nothing to complain about, but God would like us to set about living the values of his kingdom here and now. We mustn’t wait until eternal life for there to be true justice and perfect charity in our world. Christians are really supposed to make a difference. Lord, help us today to live as you would want us to, to act justly at all times and to remember that you taught us to pray, “Thy kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.” Let us also remember those who, even today, are not paid a just wage and all those who have lost or will lose their jobs as a result of the economic turndown caused by Covid, the war in Ukraine and, above all, climate change all over the world and in the United Kingdom as well. Lord, look with mercy and kindness on your people, and thank you for all your gifts, especially the gift of the harvest and the gift of food.
Let us also remember that in England today we keep the feast of Our Lady of Walsingham, as in other countries they keep Our Lady of Ransom, a particularly important feast in Peru, where I lived and worked so happily for twenty years. May Our Lady pray for us all and protect her children with her maternal care. Amen.
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We are sad to announce that Fr Stephen died on Monday 21st October 2055. He was 94. He died peacefully in hospital, having recently fractured his shoulder. He was a beloved member of the monastic community, who had settled back at Belmont after many years on Belmont parishes, including in Abergavenny, Swansea, Hereford and Weobley. He will be much missed. His Requiem Mass will be at Belmont on Wednesday, 5th November at 11.30am followed by burial in the monastic cemetery. The Reception of his Body into the Abbey Church will take place on Tuesday, 4th November, at 5.45pm.
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