Message of Abbot Paul - Tuesday - 28th May 2024
Abbot Paul • May 27, 2024
Yesterday was a wonderful day in so many ways. It was a particularly happy day spent with my dear friends Sandra and Vasili. We have been close friends since our student days in Thessaloniki in the mid sixties. In the morning Vasili and I drove down into the city to visit the excavations of the Roman agora, a couple of Byzantine churches, of which Thessaloniki has many, and a number of Ottoman buildings being restored at present. There is just so much to see in this amazing city, greatly loved by St Paul and his companions. On our return, I celebrated Mass for Sandra, who is a Catholic, and her delightful Filipino carer, Cheryl. It was powerfully prayerful: we felt the touch of God as we walked with Jesus. And so the day continued in God’s presence in the most extraordinary way, sitting in the garden and reminiscing over old photographs. As always, I also chatted with my mother, who enjoyed speaking with Sandra and Vasili. My mother loves chatting with my friends: she seems to be energised by them.
Our Gospel reading today comes from Mark, (Mk 10: 28-31), in which Peter questions Jesus on the reward he and his companions will receive for leaving everything that was dear to them in order to follow Jesus. He assures them that they will be repaid a hundred times over in this world, though not without persecutions, and, in the world to come, eternal life. Jesus caps this promise by saying, “Many who are first will be last, and the last first.” This is a warning we all need to heed, that we shouldn’t take things for granted, but truly dedicate our lives to the Lord.
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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.
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