Message of Abbot Paul - Sunday 4th December 2022
Abbot Paul • December 4, 2022
Although there is no strict and hard rule, it seems to me that the first week of Advent is dedicated to the teaching of the Prophets, while focussing on Jesus’ preaching on the end of the time and the last judgement. This second week, John the Baptist comes to the fore with his proclamation that the kingdom of God is at hand. The third week moves towards Our Lady and the Incarnation, whereas the fourth week takes its lead from the infancy narratives, especially that of Luke. Today then, we hear of the preaching of John the Baptist according to Matthew, (Mt 3: 1-12). In Luke we can read the infancy narratives of Jesus and John intertwined and we learn that they are closely related. In Matthew, John simply “appears.”
​We read: “In due course John the Baptist appeared; he preached in the wilderness of Judaea and this was his message: ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand.’ This was the man the prophet Isaiah spoke of when he said:
A voice cries in the wilderness:
Prepare a way for the Lord,
make his paths straight.
This man John wore a garment made of camel-hair with a leather belt round his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey.”
Like the prophets of old or the first monks in the desert of Egypt, John is a wild and frightening figure, yet he attracted large crowds and, among them, we know were Jesus and those who would become his disciples. His message was a call to repentance, for the kingdom of heaven was close at hand, by for John meant that the Messiah was about to appear. He himself is only a voice crying in the wilderness, but soon the Messiah will be with them. He has particularly savage words for the Pharisees and Sadducees, religious leaders in Israel, because of their hypocrisy and pretence at repentance. They might think they are and even proclaim that they are sons of Abraham, but as John says, “God can raise children for Abraham from these stones.” This is a very powerful statement indeed, in fact Jesus will go out towards sinners and pagans and incorporate them, through faith and baptism, into his mystical body, the Church.
​John then goes on to talk about the Messiah: “I baptise you in water for repentance, but the one who follows me is more powerful than I am, and I am not fit to carry his sandals; he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing-fan is in his hand; he will clear his threshing-floor and gather his wheat into the barn; but the chaff he will burn in a fire that will never go out.” Again, powerful words. Jesus will indeed baptise with the Holy Spirit and with fire, not a simple, symbolic baptism of repentance, but the gift of the Spirit that will consecrate and transform people into children of God and fire that will eradicate sin and restore purity of heart.
​Today God wants us to heed John’s message, but also to become like John, prophets in the wilderness of our world, proclaiming the coming of the kingdom as we prepare a way for the Lord, both in ourselves and in all those we meet for whatever reason. By the lives we live, we can proclaim the coming of the Lord.
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.
