Message of Abbot Paul - Sunday - Epiphany - 7th January 2024
Abbot Paul • January 6, 2024
Just as Advent is my favourite season of the year, so the Epiphany is my favourite feast in the Church’s calendar. Which is your favourite? There’s a fullness, a completeness about the Epiphany that’s lacking in Christmas, in that it commemorates three great mysteries in which Christ reveals himself to the world. Added to which, of course, there’s been no commercial appropriation of the feast among those for whom the faith aspect means nothing, as has happened, sadly, with Christmas. The three mysteries, as you know, are the coming of the Magi, following the light of a star, to worship with their prophetic gifts the child born to be king. The second is the Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan by John the Baptist, in which Christ sanctifies the waters of baptism and reveals his true identity to the world. The third Is the changing of water into wine at the Wedding Feast of Cana at the behest of Our Lady, the first miracle that shows Jesus to be the Messiah, Saviour and Author of life. The word Epiphany means manifestation or revelation.
Our Gospel reading comes from Matthew, (2: 1-12), and tells the story of the visit of the Magi to the stable at Bethlehem. “After Jesus had been born at Bethlehem in Judaea during the reign of King Herod, some wise men came to Jerusalem from the east. ‘Where is the infant king of the Jews?‘ they asked. ‘We saw his star as it rose and have come to worship him’” It’s strange how we have always presumed that there were three Wise Men, when no number is given. In Christian tradition they have even been given names: Melchior, Caspar and Balthasar. Herod, of course, is petrified at the news and summons his chief priests and scribes to discuss the matter and immediately links the birth of this child with the Messiah, Christ. Next, he summons the Wise Men and politely invites them to return once they have visited the child, but they can sense that there is something not quite right in his interest in the child and so decide to return home by another route. They continue following the star. “The sight of the star filled them with delight and, going into the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary and falling to their knees they did him homage.” It is then that they present their gifts. “Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.”
What do these gifts signify? Again, we are well aware of their significance: gold represents wealth and power, so a kingdom, an empire, that this child is born to be the true king; frankincense represents worship and the temple, that this child is God incarnate; myrrh represents death, the spices used for burial, that this child is born to die, to sacrifice his life that others might live. The gifts point to the Easter mystery: passion, death and resurrection. This is why the Epiphany is known as Easter in Winter. But there are two other epiphanies or manifestations celebrated today, the Baptism of Jesus and the transformation of water into wine. These again point to the Paschal mystery: Cana pointing towards the Last Supper, where wine becomes the Blood of Christ, shed on the Cross for our salvation; the Baptism, as through our own baptism we enter into the mystery of Christ’s death and resurrection, dying with him in order to rise with him, the Lamb of God. All this I find very exciting and a cause for great rejoicing for Christians for whom Jesus is the very centre of our lives. As we thank God today for the Epiphany of Jesus and rejoice in his loving mercy, let us commit our lives to him as did the Magi in making that arduous trip to Bethlehem. May the search for Christ lie at the heart of our lives, our reason for living. Amen.
Our brethren in Peru were delighted with the election of Pope Leo.
Bishop Mark Jabalé OSB Bishop Mark died peacefully on 9th May. Requiem Mass & Burial Thursday 5th June, 12 noon, Belmont Abbey John Peter Jabale was born on 16th October 1933 in Alexandria, Egypt of mainly European heritage. His father was Lebanese/French, and his mother British/Greek/French. He attended the Lycée Français in Alexandria until 1948, when he was sent to England, having expressed a desire to join the Navy. He enrolled at Belmont Abbey School and, upon leaving school, joined the Abbey, taking the religious name Mark. He was ordained to the priesthood on 13 July 1958. He was then sent to the University of Fribourg, Switzerland, where he obtained a Licentiate in French Literature, writing his thesis on Joseph de Maistre, the French counter-revolutionary. He later completed a Diploma in Education at St Mary’s, Strawberry Hill, where he also played rugby for the University. From 1964, he taught sport and served as a housemaster at the school. In 1969, he was appointed Headmaster of Alderwasley School in Derbyshire, though he held that post for only half a term before being recalled to Belmont to serve as Headmaster there, a role he held—apart from a sabbatical—until 1983. From 1964 he was teaching sport and then was a housemaster in the School. In 1969 he was appointed Headmaster of Alderwasley School, Derbyshire, but filled that post for only half a term. He was called back to Belmont to be Headmaster where he served, apart from a sabbatical, until 1983. Fr Mark was a rowing coach of considerable repute. During his sabbatical in 1979, he assisted Dan Topolski in coaching the Oxford crew for the Boat Race. His greatest coaching triumph came when he led a lightweight coxless four to a gold medal at the World Rowing Championships in Bled, Yugoslavia — the only gold medal won by Great Britain that year. The following year, he was invited to coach for the Olympics, but he declined in order to remain committed to Belmont. He was a steward of Henley Royal Regatta and was responsible for setting up and programming its first computerised systems. He was ahead of may in seeing the potential of new technology. In 1983, he was sent to Peru to purchase land and build a new monastery, which included raising funds in the UK. The new monastery was blessed, and the first Mass was celebrated there by the Archbishop of Piura, Oscar Cantuarias Pastor, in June 1986 together with Abbot Jerome, Fr Paul, Fr Luke, Fr David as well as Fr Mark. Dom Mark returned to Belmont as Prior and was elected the 10th Abbot of Belmont in 1993. He later wrote: “My first and most painful task proved to be the overseeing of the closure of the school.” Together with the bursar, John Hubert, he negotiated with the local NHS for the 4 houses to be leased to them. In 2000, he was appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Menevia by Pope John Paul II and was ordained bishop in St Joseph’s Cathedral, Swansea, on 7 December 2000. He succeeded Bishop Daniel Mullins as the 10th Bishop of Menevia on 12 June 2001. During his episcopate, he held several important offices: Chairman of the Department for Christian Life and Worship, Trustee and Visitator of the three foreign seminaries — the Venerable English College (Rome), the Beda College (Rome), and the Royal English College (Valladolid). He was also Bishop-in-Charge of on-going formation for diocesan priests. Upon reaching the age of 75, Bishop Jabale submitted his resignation to the Holy Father on 16 October 2008 and was succeeded by Bishop Tom Burns. He then moved to Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, and was inducted as Parish Priest of Holy Trinity Catholic Church in March 2009, a post he held until 2014. At the age of 81, he retired to Hendon in London, where he celebrated daily Mass at a local convent, assisted in various parishes, and continued to help with confirmations in the diocese. In October 2019, he moved to Archbishop’s House, Westminster, for nine months. Finally, he returned to Belmont in 2020 as a much-cherished member of the community. He described himself as “very happy.” He remained there until his death in Hereford County Hospital on 9 May 2025, aged 91. He had been a monk of Belmont for 73 years, a priest for 67 years and a bishop for 24 years. Condolences came from Pope Leo XIV:
A homily by Abbot Brendan at a special Easter Mass for Pope Francis, attended by Catholics from across the Deanery.
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.