Message of Abbot Paul - Tuesday 17th May
Abbot Paul • May 16, 2022
Message from Fr Paul for Tuesday, 17th May 2022
One of the joys of Spring and Summer is feeding our goldish, koi, orfes and other fish. For some unknown reason, most of our goldfish are white rather than red. I’ve not been able to discover why that it. They seem to get bigger by the day and are a great attraction for our local grey herons and, sadly, for the occasional wild mink. There are also otters nearby, but they tend not to come to our ornamental pond. We keep a net in place day and night to protect the fish. I would be happy to give some of our white fish away, but they are quite big now. The bigger brutes we will keep! Whenever I mention fish to Toby, he rushes to the pond by a roundabout route, for it also involves a game with a football. I’m fascinated by the daily rituals we go through both with Toby and with the fish.
Our Gospel reading from John today, (Jn 14: 27-31), takes us further into the Farewell Discourse of Jesus at the Last Supper. Speaking with his disciples, he says,
“Peace I bequeath to you, my own peace I give you,
a peace the world cannot give,
this is my gift to you.
Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.
You heard me say: I am going away, and shall return.
If you loved me, you would have been glad to know
that I am going to the Father,
for the Father is greater than I.
I have told you this now before it happens,
so that when it does happen you may believe.”
The peace that Jesus gives us is not the absence of war, or of noise, or
of disagreement. It is not the absence of pain and hurt, of abuse and violence, nor the absence of anxiety and worry, of fear and doubt. Rather, it is that peace of mind, that inner calm, the presence of Christ in our hearts, that enables us to remain at peace within ourselves, with the world and with God in the midst of suffering and turmoil. One of the desert fathers described the peace of Christ which passes all understanding as the ability to put our hand into the very heart of the flames of Hell and not flinch, for Christ is with us with the Father and the Holy Spirit. It is Christ’s gift and only he can give it. This is why he can say, “Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid”. When I read these words of Jesus, I realise how far I am from that peace and unworthy of his gifts. The important thing is that we’re getting there, slowly, patiently, lovingly. That’s all that matters.
Jesus then warns his disciples of his impending death, but assures them that, “The prince of this world has no power over me.” The victory of the forces of evil and death will be apparent and momentary, but unreal and unsubstantial, for Christ shares the Father’s life and what he is doing is the Father’s will.
“The world must be brought to know
that I love the Father
and that I am doing exactly what the Father told me.”
So all that is to come, not only his Passion and Death, but also his Resurrection and Ascension and the Sending Forth of the Holy Spirit is the Father’s will. Jesus asks us, as he asked his disciples, to believe by following in his footsteps and opening our hearts to all God’s most precious gifts.
From Francis to Leo: A special event with Christopher Lamb of CNN in conversation with Austin Ivereigh who commentated for the BBC on the transition from Pope Francis to Pope Leo.
On 12th June an Ecumenical Service was held at Hereford Cathedral to celebrate the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicea.
Archbishop Mark O'Toole, of Cardiff-Menevia presided at the Requiem Mass for Bishop Mark, while Abbot Brendan conducted his burial. Cardinal Vincent Nichols preached a homily full of warmth and affection for Bishop Mark which is reproduced below.
Bishop Mark Jabalé OSB RIP Given at his funeral by Dom Alexander Kenyon Baby Jean Pierre (Mark) Jabale was born on October 16th, 1933, in Alexandria, Egypt. As he said, himself, his background could be considered “cosmopolitan”: his father was Lebanese / French and his Mother, British / Greek / French. He also reminded people that he wasn’t Egyptian. Through his mother, Arlette, he was related to St. Jean Vianney, so it was, perhaps, no surprise that he followed in his priestly footsteps. His father, Jean, was MD of Fiat and Simca cars Europe and, maybe surprisingly or not, he did love a car – not, however, Italian cars, but German; he loved his Audis. Perhaps we should begin today by remembering his mother and father, his brothers Christian and Paul and his nieces, here today, Aline and Nathalie and Isabelle and their families – they were so dear to him and he to them and I know they miss him enormously. Young Jean wanted to join the Navy and came to England, to Belmont Abbey school but the Lord had other ideas – he ended up joining the rather land locked monastery, our dear, late Fr. Raymund opining that he wouldn’t last a month. After a rather uninspiring course of priestly studies (his words, not mine) he studied for a Licentiate in French literature in Fribourg, then a Dip Ed at Strawberry Hill and played Rugby there – the Papist Witch Doctor as he was affectionately known. Teaching followed, at Belmont, Housemaster, acting Headmaster, then to Alderwasley, our prep school in Derbyshire as Headmaster, and then back to Belmont soon after as Headmaster. In 1983 he went to Peru to build our first monastery there only to realise there was little money. So, he returned to the UK to put in a stint of fundraising with his usual zeal and determination. With his mission accomplished he was asked by Abbot Alan to return to Belmont as his prior in 1986 – Peru remained close to his heart. In 1993 he was elected Abbot. In his time as Abbot, he had to preside over the closure of the school, necessary but no less painful for him. In 2000 he was appointed coadjutor Bishop of Menevia and succeeded Bishop Mullins in 2001. He retired as Ordinary in 2008 and “retired” to Chipping Norton as parish priest, then Hendon, saying Mass for the nuns and helping with confirmations. After a spell at Archbishop’s House, Westminster, living with his great friend Cardinal Nichols, he came home to Belmont – it was as though he had never been away and he loved being back in the monastery, particularly praying the Office with the community. That’s the list, of sorts, but it doesn’t really say “who” he was. I haven’t mentioned his outstanding contribution to rowing – the 1979 coxless, lightweight four gold medal at the world championships in Bled, which almost didn’t happen as, at the last minute, he was told there was no money to send the crew. He begged, cajoled and got them there – the video footage of the final is compelling. He transformed Henley Royal Regatta, writing a computer programme for the race results – he was well ahead of his time. He coached the Oxford Boat, ran the Heads of the River Schools Regatta, and more. What an achievement from someone who had never sat in a boat but learned on the job, as he said, “from books, mainly”. It was his determination, his commitment, his love of people and his drive to share what he had that is, perhaps, one of the key things to celebrate about him. And it was underpinned by his rock-solid faith – nothing overly pious, nothing showy, but a faith and a love of the Lord built on granite. Even his occasional lack of patience (sorry Mark) extended to that faith; ‘why won’t God call me?”. At the risk of being irreverent my response was always “would you want you?”. But God did want him, and he knew it. God had a purpose for his Apostle during his life and he now rests with Him in eternity. His purpose was, simply, to bring the joy of the Lord into the lives of others, in many and varied ways. A few weeks before Mark died, Pope Francis died. When the late Pope was seriously ill the son of friends of mine who entertained Mark and I to lunch regularly, was distraught at overhearing mum and dad say the Pope may die. He couldn’t stop crying. “But darling”, they said, “you don’t know the Pope, why so very sad?”. “We do know him” came the reply, “it’s Mark”. “No, Mark isn’t the Pope”. “Oh, so when the Pope does die will Mark be Pope then?”. Mark loved that one. When Mark himself did die said son would only be pacified by picking flowers from the garden and bringing them to church for him. He wanted to show how much Mark meant to him and wanted to give a little something back. That is the real biography – a man loved, respected, a man who shared what he had, above all his faith, a man who touched so many lives and made them better.  Rest in peace our dear friend.
Our brethren in Peru were delighted with the election of Pope Leo.
