Message of Abbot Paul - Thursday 11th August

Message from Fr Paul for Thursday, 11th August 2022

 Today we remember St Clare of Assisi, close friend and collaborator of St Francis. She loved and admired Francis and very much wanted to follow the friars’ mendicant way of life, but that was impossible for a woman at the time. So, she and her companions had no alternative but to take the only model of religious life available for women in 13th century Italy, that of Benedictine and Cistercian nuns, yet to make a special charism of poverty and to take Franciscan rather than monastic vows. Nevertheless, the life of the Poor Clares was enclosed and highly regulated by men. However, they observed an inner freedom within the confines of the enclosure and prayed earnestly for the mission of their Franciscan brothers. Clare wrote the Rule of Life for her Order, the first such document to have been written by a woman. She died on this day 1253. The Poor Clares have always remained faithful to their vocation although the austerity of their rule has been somewhat mitigated. In Herefordshire, we have our own community of Poor Clares, at Much Birch, formerly at Lower Bullingham, and Belmont monks have celebrated Mass for them and heard their confessions unfailingly since 1880. Let us pray especially for them today.

 Our Gospel reading today comes from Matthew, (Mt 18:21 – 19:1), and presents us with the answer of Jesus to a question put to him by Peter, who “went up to Jesus and said, ‘Lord, how often must I forgive my brother if he wrongs me? As often as seven times?’ Jesus answered, ‘Not seven, I tell you, but seventy-seven times.” Jesus had often spoken about the centrality of forgiveness in their lives, but now the disciples want to know more. They are probably surprised by his answer. Jesus is not only asking his disciples to be perfect in God’s eyes and to reflect his goodness, but to go way beyond perfection and become disposed to forgive always and from the depths of their hearts, with absolutely no reservations or conditions. To illustrate what he is saying, Jesus tells them a parable, that of the Wicked Servant, who was happy enough to have his own enormous debt cancelled, but refused to cancel that of a lesser servant, who owed him a small amount of money. Jesus tells his disciples that his heavenly Father will treat them as the king in the parable treated the wicked servant when he found out what he had done. “And that is how my heavenly Father will deal with you unless you each forgive your brother from your heart.” This is what Jesus is trying to get across to us today, forgiveness from the heart, true forgiveness. Anything less is a sham.

 We ask St Clare to pray for us today and always, that we might be able to fulfil the teaching of Jesus in every aspect of our lives, but especially to forgive from the heart all those who sin against us or offend us in any way.