Message of Abbot Paul - Tuesday 28th June
Abbot Paul • June 28, 2022
Message from Fr Paul for Tuesday, 28th June 2022
The grave situation facing our Ukrainian brothers and sisters continues to escalate, causing ever more damage and destruction, the flattening of whole cities and the death of military on both sides as well as of innocent civilians. Is there no one with the ability and courage to put an end to this criminal activity, which serves no purpose for anyone save the inflated pride of certain individuals? What really upsets me at the moment is that we seem to have lost interest, to a large extent, in what is going on so close to home. It’s as though we have grown tired of hearing about the atrocities taking place in Ukraine and have turned to more interesting news elsewhere: chaos for holidaymakers at airports, rising prices, tennis and cricket, the antics of politicians, just to mention a few. Don’t get me wrong, all news has its importance, but it seems that we’ve grown tired of Ukraine and would rather not think about it. Added to which, those helping refugees in Poland, Romania, Moldova and Ukraine report that donations are down by a large percentage mark over previous months, making it very difficult to carry on.
We continue our reading of Matthew today, (Mt 8: 23-27), with the account of Jesus calming the storm. This is what he writes:
“Jesus got into the boat followed by his disciples. Without warning a storm broke over the lake, so violent that the waves were breaking right over the boat. But he was asleep. So they went to him and woke him saying, ‘Save us, Lord, we are going down!’ And he said to them, ‘Why are you so frightened, you men of little faith?’ And with that he stood up and rebuked the winds and the sea; and all was calm again. The men were astounded and said, ‘Whatever kind of man is this? Even the winds and the sea obey him.’”
Matthew’s account is short and succinct compared even to Mark. As we all know from experience, storms often break without warning and, at sea in particular or when travelling by air, and can be frightening. The boat that Jesus and his disciples were in would have been quite small. We can think of migrants crossing the English Channel or, worse still, the Mediterranean from Africa to Sicily. Jesus is asleep and the disciples are frightened. We can read the rest. Jesus calls them, “men of little faith.” Do they have no faith in him? Although he was asleep, as God often appears to be when we pray to him, did they think the boat would go down? When the going goes hard, we need more faith, not less, more trust in God, not less, and more love for one another, not less. Jesus doesn’t need to be awake for us to say, “Whatever kind of man is this? Even the winds and the sea obey him.”
Thinking of Ukraine and the many other problems affecting our world today calls for more faith, more prayer and, indeed, more generosity on our part.
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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.