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.
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.
