Message of Abbot Paul - Thursday - 7th March 2024
Abbot Paul • March 6, 2024
​The enemies of Jesus often accused him of being in cahoots with the devil or Satan, especially when he healed people who were possessed by evil spirits. They could not understand where his power came from and doubted that it might come from God. It’s interesting to note that the evangelists never tried to cover this up when setting forth their Gospel narratives. They could easily have done so. Today’s Gospel reading from Luke, (Lk 11: 14-23), is no exception. “Jesus was casting out a devil and it was dumb; but when the devil had gone out the dumb man spoke, and the people were amazed. But some of them said, ‘It is through Beelzebul, the prince of devils, that he casts out devils.’” Now, it’s clear that most people looked on this act of liberation in a positive way: they were amazed. Often, they give thanks to God. However, a small minority disagree and say that Jesus casts out devils through the power of the prince of devils, Beelzebul. You can look up that name online and find extensive information. Suffice it to say that Beelzebub or Beelzebul is a name derived from a Philistine god and later adopted by some Abrahamic religions as a major demon. The name Beelzebub is associated with the Canaanite god Baal. In the New Testament, Beelzebub is another name for Satan.
Another small group of objectors asks for a sign. Jesus is not afraid to take them on. “Others asked him, as a test, for a sign from heaven; but, knowing what they were thinking, he said to them, ‘Every kingdom divided against itself is heading for ruin, and a household divided against itself collapses. So too with Satan: if he is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? – since you assert that it is through Beelzebul that I cast out devils. Now if it is through Beelzebul that I cast out devils, through whom do your own experts cast them out? Let them be your judges then. But if it is through the finger of God that I cast out devils, then know that the kingdom of God has overtaken you.” Jesus’ reply on the demand for a sign is to state the obvious, that a house or a nation divided by internal strife will fall apart. It follows that Satan is hardly going to assist Jesus in casting out evil spirits if Satan puts them there in the first place and is their lord and master. All this talk of Satan leads to that final statement of Jesus, which is the very heart of this Gospel passage and what really matters, that Jesus works his miracles of healing through the creative power of God and that the kingdom has come in Jesus, in fact, “has overtaken you.” Essentially, that is all that matters and all we really need to know.
There follows a short parable: “So long as a strong man fully armed guards his own palace, his goods are undisturbed; but when someone stronger than he is attacks and defeats him, the stronger man takes away all the weapons he relied on and shares out his spoil.” This illustrates what Jesus has been saying, but more important still is the final proverbial saying of Jesus, which we also find in other contexts: “He who is not with me is against me; and he who does not gather with me scatters.” The questions we need to ask ourselves today are whether we are for Jesus or against him, not so much in words but in the way we live and the things we do, and whether we gather or scatter, whether we build up or destroy his Church.
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.
