Message of Abbot Paul - Thursday 27th April 2023
Abbot Paul • April 27, 2023
​I suppose we’re still in April, but isn’t it cold, even when the sun is shining? And I keep saying to myself, less than two months to go and the days will be drawing in. Worse still, the social, political and economic climate is no better. I always tend to look on the bright side and I’m a bit of an optimist, even so I get the feeling that the situation is bleak and not getting better. This feeling is even stronger when I speak with our brethren in Peru and in other parts of Latin America, and when I think of the civil war in Sudan (how else can we describe it?) and the ongoing war in Ukraine, my heart sinks. I have a close friend in Odessa, we speak several times a day, and at night I hear the sirens warning the inhabitants of impending air strikes. It reminds me of recordings I heard as a child of the bombing raids on London and other large towns and cities in the U.K. Whatever happened to the hopes we had at the beginning of the Third Millennium? Lord, have mercy and forgive us our sins.
​Today we continue our reading of John, (Jn 6: 44-51), Jesus’ Discourse on the Bread of Life. He begins by saying, “No one can come to me unless he is drawn by the Father who sent me, and I will raise him up at the last day.” This is not a declaration of predestination, but rather that the Father created us through the Son in order that we might come to the Son and be raised to eternal life in him. God wills our salvation and that through Christ we should hear his voice and know his teaching, that leads to Christ and salvation. “To hear the teaching of the Father, and learn from it, is to come to me.” Jesus reiterates that, “everybody who believes has eternal life.” To believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the Lord, means that eternal life is his gift to us.
​It’s at this point that Jesus says once more, “I am the bread of life.” This is one of the great I AM sayings in John, I AM being the name revealed to Moses at the Burning Bush, God’s name, the very source of being, life itself. In giving us the bread of life, Jesus gives us himself. That is what he promises those who believe in him. “Your fathers ate the manna in the desert and they are dead; but this is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that a man may eat it and not die.” The bread that comes down from heaven and is Christ, God incarnate, gives life for he is the bread of life, unlike the manna in the desert that was mere food and only fed the people of Israel for a moment, one day at a time. Jesus then qualifies his statement, “I am the bread of life,” for he says, “I am the living bread which has come down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live for ever; and the bread that I shall give is my flesh, for the life of the world.” Not simply bread now, but living bread, living bread come down from heaven, bread that gives eternal life, and moreover, bread that is the flesh of Christ, given for the life of the world, the body of Christ, Jesus living bread.
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.
