Message of Abbot Paul - Sunday 9th October 2022
Abbot Paul • October 9, 2022
Two of the most fascinating characters of the Old Testament are the prophets Elijah and Elisha, whom we read about in the books of the Kings. Our first reading today comes from 2 Kings, (2 Kgs 5: 14-17), part of the longer story of Naaman the Syrian, who was afflicted with leprosy, a common disfiguring disease in those days. Taking the advice of one of his Jewish servant girls, he came to the prophet Elisha to seek healing. After a long wait, he was curtly told by Elisha to bathe seven times in the river Jordan. To begin with, he refused, thinking he deserved better treatment than that, but eventually he relented and bathed in the Jordan. Our reading takes up the story at that point. He wants to give Elisha an expensive present for his healing, but the prophet rejects the gift. Finally, Naaman asks if he can take home with him to Damascus two mule loads of soil from Jerusalem, so that he can always pray to the God of Israel on holy ground. Naaman, a Syrian pagan is not only healed of his leprosy, but converted to the one true God and saved. As the the Responsorial Psalm says, “The Lord has shown his salvation to the nations.”
In our Gospel passage from Luke, (Lk 17: 11-19), Jesus is travelling to Jerusalem along the border between Samaria and Galilee. “As he entered one of the villages, ten lepers came to meet him. They stood some way off and called to him, ‘Jesus! Master! Take pity on us.’ When he saw them, he said, ‘Go and show yourselves to the priests.’” These lepers would have been standing just outside the gates of the village, as they weren’t allowed in. They ask for mercy; in other words, healing rather than material help. They will have heard of Jesus’ ability to cure the sick. Jesus simply tells them to go and show themselves to the priests, meaning that they were cleansed and should be certified as clean. Indeed, we read, “Now as they were going away, they were cleansed.” They all had faith in the word of Jesus and were healed. However, only one returned to thank Jesus, recognising him to be more than an ordinary miracle healer, in fact, the Son of God, the Messiah. “Finding himself cured, one of them turned back praising God at the top of his voice and threw himself at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. The man was a Samaritan. This made Jesus say, ‘Were not all ten made clean? The other nine, where are they? It seems that no one has come back to give praise to God, except this foreigner.’ And he said to the man, ‘Stand up and go on your way. Your faith has saved you.’”
The man, who turns back praising God and throws himself at the feet of Jesus, thanking him, is a Samaritan, a heretic regarded as a foreigner and hated by the Jews. He alone praises God, recognises Jesus to be the Saviour and Redeemer and thanks him for what he has done. Why go to the priests when he can thank Jesus, the Eternal High Priest. Jesus recognises him to be a man of faith and declares, “Stand up and go on your way. Your faith has saved you.” Faith, made manifest in his praise of God and thanking Jesus, saves him as well as heals him, which is why he is free to stand and go on his way, walking always in the presence of God. May we follow his example.
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.
