Message of Abbot Paul - Tuesday - 14th May 2024
Abbot Paul • May 13, 2024
Today we keep the feast of St Matthias, chosen, as we heard in Sunday’s first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, to replace Judas Iscariot and so make up the number of twelve in the company of the Apostles. However, as we are reading the High Priestly Prayer of Jesus this week, I think it better to carry on with our daily meditation where we left off yesterday and hope to carry on tomorrow.
Our Gospel reading takes us to Chapter 17 of John and the High Priestly Prayer of Jesus, with which his discourse at the Last Supper concludes. Today we read the first eleven verses. Jesus raises his eyes to haven and says:
​“Father, the hour has come:
glorify your Son
so that your Son may glorify you;
and, through the power over all mankind that you have given him,
let him give eternal life to all those you have entrusted to him.
And eternal life is this:
To know you,
the only true God,
and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”
The hour of Jesus is his Passion, Death and Resurrection, by which he glorifies the Father and he, in turn, is glorified by the Father, who has given Jesus all power in heaven and on earth. The power or kingship of Jesus is the power to do good and to save. In fact, by his Cross and Resurrection, he will redeem the world. The gift the Father gives us in the Son is the gift of eternal life, which means to know the one true God and Jesus Christ his Son, our Saviour and Lord. This knowledge we acquire though the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit, living within us and guiding us into all truth.
Jesus also prays for his disciples, for each one of us too,
“I pray for them;
I am not praying for the world
but for those you have given me,
​​because they belong to you:
all I have is yours
and all you have is mine,
and in them I am glorified.
I am not in the world any longer,
but they are in the world,
and I am coming to you.”
Jesus prays for us, as he knows only too well that, although we believe that he was sent by the Father to be our Redeemer, nevertheless our faith is not always strong and we easily lose that faith and give in to the ways of the world and the prevalent spirit of relativism and cynicism. He prays for us because we belong to God and need to be protected from that world of sin and unbelief, that surrounds us. Jesus says that he is glorified in us, by the sincerity of our faith and the integrity of our lives. Jesus looks to what now lies ahead in his mission as Saviour, his Passion, Death and Resurrection and then his Ascension, while his disciples remain to struggle on earth. We, as they, need the gifts and charisms of the Holy Spirit to see us through and help us follow in the footsteps of Jesus, offering our lives too for the salvation of all God’s creation. So, as we prepare to celebrate the Solemnity of Pentecost, we pray for a further outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Come, O Holy Spirit, come. Amen.
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.
