Message of Abbot Paul - Tuesday - 21st May 2024
Abbot Paul • May 21, 2024
I apologise for the late arrival and brevity of today’s message, but much of yesterday was spent travelling to and from Birmingham Airport and a long wait for two of our Peruvian brethren to arrive on a connecting flight from Amsterdam. We finally got in to Belmont half an hour after midnight, exhausted but happy to have Br Mario and Br Wilmer safely with us. Today we return to Ordinary Time and we find ourselves in Week 7.
Today’s Gospel reading comes from Mark, (Mk 9: 30-37), and sees Jesus and his disciples making their way through Galilee. As they go, Jesus speaks privately with his disciples, so they keep clear of the crowds. He warns them that, “The Son of Man will be delivered into the hands of men; they will put him to death; and three days after he has been put to death he will rise again.” Mark comments that, “They did not understand him, but were afraid to ask.” As Jesus was teaching them, surely they had every right to ask questions, especially as they couldn’t understand what it was he was trying to explain. Often pride prevents us from asking the way and we get lost. At times, it’s fear or simply shyness. What was it with the disciples? Eventually they arrive back at Capernaum, where, in the house they seemed to have shared and used as a base for their activities, he asks them what they were discussing and arguing about among themselves on the road. They were ashamed to reply, because like squabbling children, they were arguing about which of them was the greatest. You can’t help feeling ashamed of them, or at least embarrassed for them, although, when we look back on our lives, we too can remember thinking such things. Jesus was always extremely patient with them. Mark relates that, “He sat down, called the Twelve to him and said, ‘If anyone wants to be first, he must make himself last of all and servant of all.’ He then took a little child, set him in front of them, put his arms round him, and said to them, ‘Anyone who welcomes one of these little children in my name, welcomes me; and anyone who welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.’” We, like the Twelve, must become childlike but not childish. Humility is a key Christian virtue and it must show itself in a life of service and in respect for others. Above all, the poor, the needy, the disadvantaged, the sick, little children and the vulnerable of all ages are to be honoured and respected for God is truly present in them. Let us pray that our behaviour as Christians and as disciples may always be as Jesus taught and asked of us. Amen.
Good Shepherd, Good Priest “I will seek the lost and bring back the strayed; I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak.” Those words, spoken by the Lord God through the prophet Ezekiel, describe the heart of God, the Good Shepherd — but they also describe the life and ministry of a good monk and priest. They could well be written of Fr Stephen’s years of service as a pastor in Abergavenny, Swansea, Hereford, and Weobley. In each of those places, he shared in the Shepherd’s work: seeking out the lost, binding up the wounded, strengthening the weary, and leading God’s people with quiet faithfulness. And like Jesus, the Good Shepherd, who came close to his people, Fr Stephen did not serve from a distance. He knew his people; he was among them. He shared their sorrows and their joys, their hopes and their disappointments. He bore their burdens with prayer and patience he brought the joy of the Gospel and the grace of the Sacraments. His mission amongst us is complete. He has served God’s good purpose. So today we ask Christ the Good Shepherd to take Stephen on his sacred shoulders and carry him home to the house of the Father. Bind up his wounds, give him eternal rest and lead him at last to the green pastures and still waters of eternal life.
Br Meinrad and Br Gildas attend a special service with the Benedictine community of St Paul's Outside the Walls with King Charles and Queen Camilla.
Honesty and Love Before God: Pharisee and Tax Collector; Pope and King - a homily by Abbot Brendan for the 30th Sunday of the Year.
We are sad to announce that Fr Stephen died on Monday 21st October 2055. He was 94. He died peacefully in hospital, having recently fractured his shoulder. He was a beloved member of the monastic community, who had settled back at Belmont after many years on Belmont parishes, including in Abergavenny, Swansea, Hereford and Weobley. He will be much missed. His Requiem Mass will be at Belmont on Wednesday, 5th November at 11.30am followed by burial in the monastic cemetery. The Reception of his Body into the Abbey Church will take place on Tuesday, 4th November, at 5.45pm.
With honoured guests we were delighted to open our doors again of our new guesthouse and conference centre: The Chapterhouse.
"A hymn to the human body." Abbot Brendan's Homily at the annual Mass celebrated at Rotherwas Chapel in Hereford that dates from the 1580s on the feast of the Assumption.
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.
