Message of Abbot Paul - Sunday 3rd July

Message from Fr Paul for Sunday, 3rd July 2022

 Today we welcome back to Belmont our Ukrainian guests who come for the celebration of the Divine Liturgy at 3pm, followed by a social gathering in the Parish Centre. When the war began almost six months’ ago and the first refugees started fleeing their homeland as the enemy advanced and destroyed all they could see, we talked blithely of these refugees being able to return to their homes in a matter of months. Sadly, tragically, it no longer looks like that. The war drags on, ever more towns and villages are destroyed and innocent people killed. If things carry on like this, there will be very little of Ukraine left. It’s a horrific situation and one that makes me ashamed. The West has failed to protect the Ukrainian people, who only want to live in peace with their neighbours. Let’s keep praying and never losing hope that their dream might yet be possible.

Our Gospel passage today comes from Matthew, (Mt 10: 3-12, 17-20), in which Jesus sends out seventy-two disciples to go ahead and prepare people for his coming, for “the kingdom of God is very near you.” He sends them out saying, “The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to his harvest. Start off now, but remember, I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Carry no purse, no haversack, no sandals. Salute no one on the road.” A whole series of other instructions follow. Essentially, these disciples are to rely on Divine Providence and the generosity of those who welcome them to their homes. Their greeting is always to be one of peace and their behaviour is to reflect that greeting. They are to announce that, “The kingdom of God is very near to you.” Thus, they are to prepare their hearers for the coming of Jesus who heralds in the kingdom of God. On their return, it’s clear that these disciples are encouraged by their success and become overconfident, proud even, so Jesus warns them, “Do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you; rejoice rather that your names are written in heaven.” They should not be congratulating themselves for their apparent success, rather, they should be giving thanks to God for using them as his instruments.

Now we often think of this passage of the Gospel as referring to priests or other ordained ministers and missionaries, which is fine, but not the whole story. The mission of evangelisation, of proclaiming the Gospel is not reserved to the clergy, it is the vocation that all baptised Christians share. Just think how, at the end of each Mass, we are all sent forth to proclaim the Gospel by the way we live our lives. Very often the witness and testimony of lay people is far more effective than that of the clergy. No matter where we are or what we’re doing, Christ is with us and we proclaim his death and resurrection and his love for all people simply by being who we are. Filled with the Holy Spirit and sent by Jesus, our names are written in heaven and so, even without knowing it, we are proclaiming to those around us, “The kingdom of God is very near to you.”