Message of Abbot Paul - Thursday 1st December 2022
Abbot Paul • December 1, 2022
When Jesus taught his disciples the Lord’s Prayer, he included a short phrase, essential to Christian life, that we repeat every time we say the prayer. “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Thy will be done by us, your children on earth, as it is done by the saints and angels in heaven, in this vale of tears as in the kingdom of heaven. Throughout his life on earth, Jesus insisted that this was the hallmark of a disciple, to do God’s will. Our Lady at the Annunciation said to the Angel Gabriel,
“Behold I am the handmaid of the Lord: let it be done unto me according to your word.” In other words, “Thy will be done on earth…” Jesus often says to the disciples that he has come to do not his own will, but the will of the Father who sent him. The Incarnation was an act of obedience not only on the part of Mary, but on the part of Jesus too, the obedience of God, where Father, Son and Holy Spirit are mutually obedient to one another. Obedience is the expression of that eternal love which binds the Holy Trinity together and is the very charism and essence of God who is love.
​Today’s Advent Gospel comes from Matthew, (Mt 7: 21, 24-27), where Jesus, once again, explains the conditions for entry into the kingdom.
“Jesus said to his disciples: ‘It is not those who say to me, “Lord, Lord,” who will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the person who does the will of my Father in heaven. Therefore, everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a sensible man who built his house on rock. Rain came down, floods rose, gales blew and hurled themselves against that house, and it did not fall: it was founded on rock. But everyone who listens to these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a stupid man who built his house on sand. Rain came down, floods rose, gales blew and struck that house, and it fell; and what a fall it had!’”
Nothing could be clearer. Those who do the Father’s will are those who will enter the kingdom of heaven, those who listen to the words of Jesus and act on them. Now as we all know, it’s possible to hear the words of Jesus and do nothing about them. It might be that occasionally this has happened to us. We have been struck by lethargy or a momentary lack of faith, (who knows?), but we haven’t acted on the words of Jesus and then regretted not doing so. Let us promise the Lord this Advent never to pass by an opportunity to do his will, but, as St Benedict teaches in the Holy Rule, to practise obedience without delay.
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.
