Message of Abbot Paul - Thursday 9th June
Abbot Paul • June 8, 2022
Message from Fr Paul for Thursday, 9th June 2022
Last night we held a meeting in the Parish Centre to organise the Belmont Parish Fete which takes place on Saturday, June 25th, beginning at 2pm. Yet again, it was interesting to see that only women turned up for the meeting, highly organised and motivated women with great experience at running these events. The only gentlemen present were Fr Augustine and myself. The facts speak for themselves, no need to comment! I can see it’s going to be a fantastic event this year, with something for everyone. You are all invited, and if you’d like to help in anyway, you’re more than welcome to join in with the team, and you don’t have to be a lady!
Although the Church in England and Wales has taken up the celebration of the feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Eternal High Priest, on the Thursday after Pentecost, I’ll just say a few words about the Gospel of the Feria so as not to interrupt our reading of the Sermon on the Mount from Matthew, (Mt 5: 20-26). “Jesus said to his disciples: ‘If your virtue goes no deeper than that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven.” This is a very important saying of Jesus, for in it he recognises the virtue or active goodness of the scribes and Pharisees, who aimed for perfection according to their own reading of the Law. They kept the letter, if not the spirit of the Law, so often got things wrong, but at least they did try. Jesus warns the disciples that if their virtue goes no deeper, then neither will they enter the kingdom of heaven. He then goes on to give examples of what he means. “You have learnt how it was said to our ancestors: You must not kill; and if anyone does kill, he must answer for it before the court. But I say this to you: anyone who is angry with his brother will answer for it before the court; if a man calls his brother “Fool” he will answer for it before the Sanhedrin; and if a man calls him “Renegade” he will answer for it in hell fire. So then, if you are bringing your offering to the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar, go and be reconciled with your brother first, and then come back and present your offering. Come to terms with your opponent in good time while you are still on the way to the court with him, or he may hand you over to the judge and the judge to the officer, and you will be thrown into prison. I tell you solemnly, you will not get out till you have paid the last penny.”
In the Parables and in his teaching in general, Jesus will often use exaggeration to make a point or to bring out his meaning. Here he takes the commandment, “Thou shalt not kill.” For Jesus, this commandment is far more than an injunction about murder, the killing of the body. For Jesus this commandment includes anger, detraction, taking a person’s name in vain, lying about them or insulting them, in other words, killing their good name. He also suggests how they should behave if they are at loggerheads with a neighbour or have offended someone or, perhaps, been offended. Before they offer sacrifice at the altar, they are to be reconciled. That is the meaning of the sign or kiss of peace before Communion at Mass. Let us pray, as disciples of Jesus, for the grace to follow his teaching and so bring peace to our lives and the lives of others, especially our families and those among whom we live and work.
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.
