Message of Abbot Paul - Tuesday 27th September 2022

Yesterday was such a busy day what with interviews and meetings that I ran out of time to write a message for today. In fact, it was the busiest workday of the Visitation of our Peruvian monastery so far and tomorrow looks to be similar. At least we are hoping to get the work done by Wednesday lunchtime, with the help of God. You won’t be surprised to hear that people here are suffering the same price rises as in the U.K. The strange thing Is that even locally produced guano fertiliser has tripled in price, taking advantage of the steep hikes in imported fertilisers from Ukraine and the U.S. You have to wonder about a large percentage of the population that lives below the breadline, and the same goes for many other countries in the world. Peru should be one of the richest countries in Latin America, but misgovernment and corruption, as well as greed put an end to that hope. I realise that the situation in the U.K. is critical, so I won’t bore you with any more news of Peru. I hadn’t meant to write the above, but I worry for our Peruvian brethren, as you can imagine.

Our Gospel reading for today from Luke, (Lk 9: 51-56), marks that key moment in the life and ministry of Jesus when, “Jesus resolutely took the road to Jerusalem.” Luke comments that Jesus was thinking not of his Crucifixion or Resurrection at this stage, but of his Ascension. He sends disciples ahead of him to announce his coming to towns and villages on the way. Two enter a Samaritan village and are rejected because they are making their way to Jerusalem. When James and John ask Jesus whether they should invoke fire from heaven to punish and kill the inhabitants, Jesus rebukes them. No punishment, no revenge, Jesus orders them to move on. Two questions for our reflection. Do we resolutely take the road with Jesus every day of our lives? Do we harbour feelings of hatred or revenge in our hearts rather than follow the example of Jesus?