Message of Abbot Paul - Wednesday 13th July
Abbot Paul • July 13, 2022
Yesterday was such a busy day at General Chapter that I was still doing some homework for today, when getting on for 10.30, I realised that I hadn’t written my message for today. It’s turning out to be an interesting Chapter, with a lot of fascinating conversations going on in between sessions. It was good to sing Vespers with Abbot Nicholas and the Downside community at their temporary home in Southgate. It was so peaceful and prayerful. Thinking of our Belmont organist, Jonathon Nicholls, I took some photographs of the famous new Buckfast organ, that I share with you. An unexpected effect of my coming to Devon has been the disappearance of my hay fever together with the painfully burning eyes and constant headaches. I suppose it must be the different vegetation and the proximity of the sea.
Our Gospel passage today continues our daily reading of Matthew, (Mt 11: 25-27). It consists of a short prayer of Jesus directed to his heavenly Father in the hearing of those around him. “I bless you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to mere children. Yes, Father, for that is what it has pleased you to do.” Jesus is referring to those who are humble and not proud, those with no pretensions to wisdom or religious knowledge, such as the scribes and Pharisees have. In other words, he is speaking of his disciples and followers. He goes on to say, “Everything has been entrusted to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, just as no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” Jesus speaks of his divine Sonship, for his disciples to know of it and experience it. Jesus is making the Father known to them, Jesus who is the incarnate Son of the Father, who makes the Father known by divine revelation. Today, we are these disciples of Jesus, who makes his Father known to us.
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.
