Message of Abbot Paul - Thursday 30th June
Abbot Paul • June 30, 2022
Message from Fr Paul for Thursday, 30th June 2022
I will be brief today, as yesterday was a busy day and it’s late as I write these few words. Today we also begin our annual Conventual Chapter, a sort of monastic AGM, when the solemnly professed monks, who form the Monastic Chapter, gather together to examine each area of our life and work, both as a community audit and to see how we can make improvements in every area of our life. I ask for your prayers. Indeed, I am very grateful for your prayers, as I know that all the readers of this message pray for us every day. Thank you and may God reward you.
Our Gospel passage for today comes from Matthew, (Mt 9: 1-8), the healing and forgiving of a paralytic and the debate with the scribes, who accuse Jesus of blasphemy. It’s a beautifully moving account.
“Jesus got in the boat, crossed the water and came to his own town. Then some people appeared, bringing him a paralytic stretched out on a bed. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, ‘Courage, my child, your sins are forgiven.’ And at this some scribes said to themselves, ‘This man is blaspheming.’ Knowing what was in their minds Jesus said, ‘Why do you have such wicked thoughts in your hearts? Now, which of these is easier to say, “Your sins are forgiven,” or to say, “Get up and walk”? But to prove to you that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,’ – he said to the paralytic – ‘get up, and pick up your bed and go off home.’ And the man got up and went home. A feeling of awe came over the crowd when they saw this, and they praised God for giving such power to men.”
The passage shows us clearly that Jesus has power to heal and to forgive and that this power comes from God. It’s good to see his friends, neighbours and family bringing the paralytic out into the presence of Jesus. They know that Jesus has the power to help this man and bring him healing. It is their faith that Jesus sees. When Jesus says to the man, “Your sins are forgiven,“ we know at once that there will be trouble. The scribes accuse him of blasphemy, because God alone can forgive. He knows what they are saying to each other, so to test them, Jesus asks them which is it easier to do, to forgive or to heal? To show them that the Son of Man has power to forgive on earth, he orders the man to stand up, pick up his sleeping mat and walk, which the man does. He is no longer a paralytic, either of body or of soul. Jesus has power to forgive us too, for we are often like paralytics, spiritually at least. We too can be filled with awe, as was that crowd, if we allow Jesus to heal our souls and forgive our sins.
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Good Shepherd, Good Priest “I will seek the lost and bring back the strayed; I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak.” Those words, spoken by the Lord God through the prophet Ezekiel, describe the heart of God, the Good Shepherd — but they also describe the life and ministry of a good monk and priest. They could well be written of Fr Stephen’s years of service as a pastor in Abergavenny, Swansea, Hereford, and Weobley. In each of those places, he shared in the Shepherd’s work: seeking out the lost, binding up the wounded, strengthening the weary, and leading God’s people with quiet faithfulness. And like Jesus, the Good Shepherd, who came close to his people, Fr Stephen did not serve from a distance. He knew his people; he was among them. He shared their sorrows and their joys, their hopes and their disappointments. He bore their burdens with prayer and patience he brought the joy of the Gospel and the grace of the Sacraments. His mission amongst us is complete. He has served God’s good purpose. So today we ask Christ the Good Shepherd to take Stephen on his sacred shoulders and carry him home to the house of the Father. Bind up his wounds, give him eternal rest and lead him at last to the green pastures and still waters of eternal life.