Message of Abbot Paul - Tuesday 16th May 2023

The Belmont Parish, being essentially and mostly rural, has always belonged to Churches Together in Ewyas Harold and District. In fact, for forty years or more, there was a Catholic church in Ewyas Harold, dedicated to St John Kemble, and previous to that a chapel at Grosmont, dedicated to St Joseph. As a novice, I accompanied Fr Luke every Sunday and prepared the children for First Communion after Mass when he took Holy Communion to the sick. I have always been worried that the Catholic Church in this country is overly urban and shows little concern for rural ministry. There was a time that Belmont had four “Mass Centres” (Broad Oak, Ewyas Harold, Glentrothy and Peterchurch), as well as serving other villages and small towns, such as Hay-on-Wye, that then became parishes in their own right. All this to let you know that last night I was present at the AGM of Churches or Christians Together in Ewyas Harold, resulting in a shortened message today. I can assure you that it was not a short meeting.

 

​Our Gospel passage comes from John, continuing on from yesterday’s reading, (Jn 16: 5-11), where Jesus explains why he is about to leave his disciples and what the Spirit will do when he comes.

“Now I am going to the one who sent me.

Not one of you has asked, “Where are you going?”

Yet you are sad at heart because I have told you this.

Still, I must tell you the truth:

it is for your own good that I am going

because unless I go,

the Advocate will not come to you;

but if I do go,

I will send him to you.”

Jesus explains that the coming of the Spirit is dependent on his going from them. Although they are sad at the very thought of Jesus leaving them, yet they will rejoice when the Spirit, the Advocate, the Paraclete comes.

“And when he comes,

he will show the world how wrong it was,

about sin,

and about who was in the right,

and about judgement:

about sin: proved by their refusal to believe in me;

about who was in the right:

proved by my going to the Father and your seeing me no more;

about judgement:

proved by the prince of this world being already condemned.”

Jesus has already told his disciples that the Paraclete will be the Spirit of truth, who brings them the knowledge that will lead them to the whole truth, a truth that gives them deep understanding of right and wrong, of justice and righteousness, above all of God’s intentions and of his plan for the salvation of the world.