Message of Abbot Paul - Thursday 16th February 2023
Abbot Paul • February 16, 2023
In today’s Gospel we read Mark’s version, (Mk 8: 27-33), of that pivotal moment in the life and ministry of Jesus when his disciples declare their faith in him, spoken through Peter, to be the Messiah and Son of God incarnate. It took place at Caesarea Philippi and also marks the halfway point in the Gospel story. “Jesus and his disciples left for the villages round Caesarea Philippi. On the way he put this question to his disciples, ‘Who do people say I am?’ And they told him. ‘John the Baptist,’ they said ‘others Elijah; others again, one of the prophets.’ ‘But you,’ he asked ‘who do you say I am?’ Peter spoke up and said to him, ‘You are the Christ.’ And he gave them strict orders not to tell anyone about him.” Before asking who they think he is, Jesus asks his disciples what others have to say about him. We have become accustomed to the list: John the Baptist, Elijah or another of the prophets come back to life. It is then that Jesus asks them about their own position on the question of his identity. As we know, Peter, in the name of the Twelve, speaks up, “You are the Christ.” In other Gospels this is expanded to say, “the Son of the living God.” This comes together with the constatation of Jesus that their faith is the result of divine revelation, but in Mark, Peter simply says, “You are the Christ“. Jesus does no more than to tell them to keep silent on the matter.
​Jesus then goes on to speak of his forthcoming passion, death and resurrection. This is not quite the Messiah they were hoping for and believed him to be, a Messiah “to be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and to be put to death, and after three days to rise again.” Yet Jesus says all this quite openly, even so it’s obvious that the disciples have difficulty understanding this and Peter remonstrates against what Jesus teaches, forcing Jesus to rebuke Peter saying, “Get behind me, Satan! Because the way you think is not God’s way but man’s.” Comparing this with our own fluctuating faith, it’s easy to imagine how one moment Peter is declaring his faith in Jesus as the Messiah and the next, Jesus is accusing him of being like Satan. We, too, can fluctuate between extremes.
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.
