Message of Abbot Paul - Thursday 28th September 2023

Although we had been led to believe that Storm Agnes would be a nightmare, with hurricane winds and torrential rains, in fact, she was a gentle and mild-tempered lass, who invited Toby and me to the beach and blessed us with warm sunny weather most of the day. The main reason for visiting my mother yesterday was to take her to the vaccination centre for her Covid booster jab. Being Welsh, everyone is terribly kind, welcoming and caring. They asked if I’d like a jab too, but I had to tell them that I had just booked one in Hereford in mid-October and wouldn’t want to let the nurse down!

 

Today’s Gospel reading is as short as yesterday’s and comes from Luke (Lk 9: 7-9). You will remember that both Mark and Matthew have accounts of the martyrdom of John the Baptist, Mark’s far more detailed. Here in Luke, we only find the reaction of Herod (this is Herod Antipas, son of King Herod) to the news of all that was being accomplished by Jesus. He, like many others, thought that Jesus was, in fact, John risen from the dead. This is what Luke has to say, “Herod the tetrarch had heard about all that was being done by Jesus; and he was puzzled, because some people were saying that John had risen from the dead, others that Elijah had reappeared, still others that one of the ancient prophets had come back to life. But Herod said, ‘John? I beheaded him. So who is this I hear such reports about?’ And he was anxious to see Jesus.” Herod hears and is puzzled by what he hears, puzzled because of what others are saying about Jesus. Some reckon he is John come back to life, others Elijah or one of the great prophets. Herod’s reaction is to say that it can’t be John because he had him beheaded. This is why he was anxious to see him.

 

​Are we puzzled about Jesus? What do we really make of him? Are we anxious to hear him? These are legitimate questions we can ask ourselves, for unless we are really curious about Jesus, it’s unlikely that we’ll make a real effort to read and think seriously about what he has to say. Often a real interest in something or someone, even a journey into faith, begins with curiosity. Let us keep alive in us that spirit of curiosity that enabled us to grow from infants into adults.