Message of Abbot Paul - Wednesday 14th September 2022
Abbot Paul • September 13, 2022
Message from Fr Paul for Wednesday, 14th September 2022
Today the Church celebrates the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in thanksgiving for the gift of Redemption and Salvation won for us by Jesus Christ, Incarnate Son of God, on the wood of the Cross. At Belmont we have an important, historic relic of the True Cross, which will be on display for our veneration today, as it is on Good Friday.
The Gospel chosen for today comes from John, (Jn 3: 13-17), part of the discourse of Jesus to Nicodemus, a leading Jew, who came to him by night to ask what he should do to be saved. Jesus says:
“No one has gone up to heaven
except the one who came down from heaven,
the Son of Man who is in heaven;
and the Son of Man must be lifted up
as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert,
so that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.
Yes, God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him may not be lost
but may have eternal life.
For God sent his Son into the world
not to condemn the world,
but so that through him the world might be saved.”
Jesus describes himself as the Son of Man who has come down from heaven, and yet remains in heaven. He must be lifted up just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness in order that those who believe in him may not perish but have eternal life. God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, that those who believe in him might not be lost but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to condemn the world but to save it. God loves us and shows us the depth of his love in his beloved Son. Who would not give thanks today on this wonderful feast?
Today Fr Michael returns to Belmont to be Prior and Novice Master in succession to Fr Brendan, not exactly the retirement he was hoping for, while Fr Brendan goes down into Hereford to become Parish Priest of St Francis Xavier and Dean of Herefordshire. I know you will pray for them both, that the Lord will bless and accompany them in their new ministries, granting them courage, wisdom, patience, compassion, good humour and personal holiness.
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Monday 1st to Thursday 4th December 2025. Our first Advent retreat in our newly opened guesthouse
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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