Message of Abbot Paul - Sunday 8th May
Abbot Paul • May 7, 2022
Message from Fr Paul for Sunday, 8th May 2022
To say that yesterday was a busy day would be an understatement, but it was an immensely enjoyable and rewarding day. It began with a good night’s sleep and a lie in, for I woke up around 4.30 BST but didn’t get up until 5 o’clock. I celebrated Mass for the nuns and preached, no short cuts here. The Covid rules are still much stricter in Spain, the celebrant and his assistants having to wear masks from the offertory until after communion. Sadly there are still many cases of Covid throughout the country. In the morning I met with the present abbess and mother general and the former abbess to discuss the situation in Peru concerning our community there and the future of the monastery in which they live, which was built by and is still owned by the Cistercian nuns. It was tiring, but went well. Then in the afternoon, a long meeting with the community, followed by a long tour of the part of the monastery where the nuns live and work. Most of the historic buildings are the patrimony of humanity, belong to the Spanish state and are open to the public. They are of immense cultural and religious interest and I spent a day visiting them on my first visit in 1997. However, the highlight of the day for me was seeing the storks who build their nests on the pinnacles and tower of the church. Sadly, one nest fell, but this evening the firemen arrived to help the couple rebuild their nest, attaching a steel frame base to support the nest. I was both moved and impressed, and the storks truly grateful.
Today is now known as Good Shepherd Sunday because of the Gospel passages from the tenth chapter of John that are read at Mass. In Year C we read verses 27 to 30, a short passage of great importance. Jesus begins by saying, “The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice. I know them and they follow me.” He has already called himself the good shepherd, as well as the door by which the sheep enter the sheepfold. Little wonder the sheep listen to his voice and follow him, just as you and I do. We trust in him and know that what he teaches us is the truth. Jesus goes on to say, “I give them eternal life; they will never be lost and no one will ever steal them from me.” We can never forget that Jesus gives us eternal life. He has come to give us life and not to take it from us. We can never get lost, no matter how hard we might try at times, because Jesus is with us and we belong to him. Jesus reminds us why this is. “The Father who gave them to me is greater than anyone, and no one can steal from the Father. The Father and I are one.” In Jesus we belong to God the Father and no one can steal us from the Father, not even the greatest of evils can steal us from our Father’s arms. The short sentence that ends our reading is the most important concerning the relationship of Jesus with the Father that we find in the New Testament. “The Father and l are one.” In Christ we, too, become one with the Father, hard though it might be to believe. We might be asking ourselves, why would the Father want to be one with me? He made us and he loves us and sent Jesus his Son among us to remind us of this eternal truth, that he wants us for himself and wants to give us all that is good for all eternity. So, let us give thanks today that Jesus is the Good Shepherd and we, the sheep of his flock.
From Francis to Leo: A special event with Christopher Lamb of CNN in conversation with Austin Ivereigh who commentated for the BBC on the transition from Pope Francis to Pope Leo.
On 12th June an Ecumenical Service was held at Hereford Cathedral to celebrate the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicea.
Archbishop Mark O'Toole, of Cardiff-Menevia presided at the Requiem Mass for Bishop Mark, while Abbot Brendan conducted his burial. Cardinal Vincent Nichols preached a homily full of warmth and affection for Bishop Mark which is reproduced below.
Bishop Mark Jabalé OSB RIP Given at his funeral by Dom Alexander Kenyon Baby Jean Pierre (Mark) Jabale was born on October 16th, 1933, in Alexandria, Egypt. As he said, himself, his background could be considered “cosmopolitan”: his father was Lebanese / French and his Mother, British / Greek / French. He also reminded people that he wasn’t Egyptian. Through his mother, Arlette, he was related to St. Jean Vianney, so it was, perhaps, no surprise that he followed in his priestly footsteps. His father, Jean, was MD of Fiat and Simca cars Europe and, maybe surprisingly or not, he did love a car – not, however, Italian cars, but German; he loved his Audis. Perhaps we should begin today by remembering his mother and father, his brothers Christian and Paul and his nieces, here today, Aline and Nathalie and Isabelle and their families – they were so dear to him and he to them and I know they miss him enormously. Young Jean wanted to join the Navy and came to England, to Belmont Abbey school but the Lord had other ideas – he ended up joining the rather land locked monastery, our dear, late Fr. Raymund opining that he wouldn’t last a month. After a rather uninspiring course of priestly studies (his words, not mine) he studied for a Licentiate in French literature in Fribourg, then a Dip Ed at Strawberry Hill and played Rugby there – the Papist Witch Doctor as he was affectionately known. Teaching followed, at Belmont, Housemaster, acting Headmaster, then to Alderwasley, our prep school in Derbyshire as Headmaster, and then back to Belmont soon after as Headmaster. In 1983 he went to Peru to build our first monastery there only to realise there was little money. So, he returned to the UK to put in a stint of fundraising with his usual zeal and determination. With his mission accomplished he was asked by Abbot Alan to return to Belmont as his prior in 1986 – Peru remained close to his heart. In 1993 he was elected Abbot. In his time as Abbot, he had to preside over the closure of the school, necessary but no less painful for him. In 2000 he was appointed coadjutor Bishop of Menevia and succeeded Bishop Mullins in 2001. He retired as Ordinary in 2008 and “retired” to Chipping Norton as parish priest, then Hendon, saying Mass for the nuns and helping with confirmations. After a spell at Archbishop’s House, Westminster, living with his great friend Cardinal Nichols, he came home to Belmont – it was as though he had never been away and he loved being back in the monastery, particularly praying the Office with the community. That’s the list, of sorts, but it doesn’t really say “who” he was. I haven’t mentioned his outstanding contribution to rowing – the 1979 coxless, lightweight four gold medal at the world championships in Bled, which almost didn’t happen as, at the last minute, he was told there was no money to send the crew. He begged, cajoled and got them there – the video footage of the final is compelling. He transformed Henley Royal Regatta, writing a computer programme for the race results – he was well ahead of his time. He coached the Oxford Boat, ran the Heads of the River Schools Regatta, and more. What an achievement from someone who had never sat in a boat but learned on the job, as he said, “from books, mainly”. It was his determination, his commitment, his love of people and his drive to share what he had that is, perhaps, one of the key things to celebrate about him. And it was underpinned by his rock-solid faith – nothing overly pious, nothing showy, but a faith and a love of the Lord built on granite. Even his occasional lack of patience (sorry Mark) extended to that faith; ‘why won’t God call me?”. At the risk of being irreverent my response was always “would you want you?”. But God did want him, and he knew it. God had a purpose for his Apostle during his life and he now rests with Him in eternity. His purpose was, simply, to bring the joy of the Lord into the lives of others, in many and varied ways. A few weeks before Mark died, Pope Francis died. When the late Pope was seriously ill the son of friends of mine who entertained Mark and I to lunch regularly, was distraught at overhearing mum and dad say the Pope may die. He couldn’t stop crying. “But darling”, they said, “you don’t know the Pope, why so very sad?”. “We do know him” came the reply, “it’s Mark”. “No, Mark isn’t the Pope”. “Oh, so when the Pope does die will Mark be Pope then?”. Mark loved that one. When Mark himself did die said son would only be pacified by picking flowers from the garden and bringing them to church for him. He wanted to show how much Mark meant to him and wanted to give a little something back. That is the real biography – a man loved, respected, a man who shared what he had, above all his faith, a man who touched so many lives and made them better.  Rest in peace our dear friend.
Our brethren in Peru were delighted with the election of Pope Leo.
