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.
A homily by Abbot Brendan at a special Easter Mass for Pope Francis, attended by Catholics from across the Deanery.
Pope Francis RIP Pope 2013-2025 Born 1936, Died 2025 We are deeply saddened at the passing of Pope Francis. As the successor of St Peter he has been a spiritual father and shepherd to the church in our day, challenging us, and calling as to reach out to those on the peripheries. He was the first Jesuit Pope, but took the name Francis after the Poor Man of Assisi who modelled for him a closeness to the poor, a concern for those on the margins of society and a care for all of creation In his preaching Pope Francis always spoke of the joy of the Gospel and encouraged us to reflect the joy of our faith in our lives. He showed the compassion of Jesus to everyone. He worked tirelessly for the unity of the church and travelled even to non-Christian countries promoting a message of peace. He has left a great legacy. With the presence of the Apostolic Nuncio with the community over Easter we were able to express our closeness to the Holy Father in his final suffering. There will be a special Mass at Belmont this Thursday 24th April at 11am to pray for Pope Francis as he makes his final journey to the house of the Father. On the day of his funeral, the Office of the Dead will be sung, and Mass that day will be a Requiem. May the angels lead him into paradise; may the martyrs receive him at his arrival and lead him to the holy city Jerusalem. May choirs of angels receive him and with Lazarus, the poor man grant him eternal rest." (The In Paradisum, words from the Funeral Liturgy)
We were were honoured and delighted to be joined by the Apostolic Nuncio to celebrate Easter. His Excellency Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendía is the representative of the Holy See in Great Britain, and therefore of the Holy Father. His presence on Easter Sunday morning brought us more consciously in communion with Pope Francis, the successor of St Peter, as we heard the Gospel story of Peter running to the tomb. His patron saint is St Michael, so afterwards, at a festive lunch we were able to present him with some Belmont cufflinks with the monastery coat of arms - very similar to his as Archbishop. We were able to pray for him and his work in this country.
