Message of Abbot Paul - Thursday 10th March
Message from Fr Paul for Thursday, 10th March 2022
Yesterday was one of those days, meetings, not entirely pleasant, all morning and a funeral in the afternoon, by the end of which I was ready to drop. But then it was time to prepare Toby’s supper and take him out for a short walk. Interestingly, he must have guessed I needed some fresh air, so he decided to take me round the wood for the first time in many months. It was lovely to see primroses and daffodils, precursors to my absolute favourites, wood anemones and bluebells. On returning to his room, he had supper, whilst I sat in the armchair and immediately fell asleep. It’s becoming a habit, my falling asleep. Would that be a sign of old age?
Today’s Gospel passage comes from the Sermon on the Mount, (Mt 7: 7-12), where Jesus speaks of the generosity of God and of how our behaviour should reflect that generosity. He is so good to us; how can we not be good to others? Let’s hear what Jesus tells his disciples. “Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For the one who asks always receives; the one who searches always finds; the one who knocks will always have the door opened to him. Is there a man among you who would hand his son a stone when he asked for bread? Or would hand him a snake when he asked for a fish? If you, then, who are evil, know how to give your children what is good, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him! So always treat others as you would like them to treat you; that is the meaning of the Law and the Prophets.”
Jesus is telling us that we should not be afraid to ask, seek and knock. Unless we ask, we will not receive; unless we search, we will not find; and unless we knock, no one will answer. God is pure loving kindness and he is always ready to answer our prayers. Jesus then gives two examples of how we human beings behave. If our children ask us for bread, we give them bread or something better, and the same if they fancy fish for supper. We always try to give our children what they want, or at least what is good for them. God is like that too. He will always give us what is good for us, although at times we might prefer something else. The conclusion to this section might not be what we expected, for he goes on to say that we should treat others as we would like them to treat us. Still, it’s a very good point and something we should not forget. The Law and the Prophets teach us to love our neighbour and here Jesus takes on the mantle of both Law and Prophets, for he is the incarnation of both.
Lord, thank you for all your gifts. May our gratitude for your generosity overflow into generosity to others. Amen.
