Message of Abbot Paul - Wednesday 15th June
Abbot Paul • June 14, 2022
Message from Fr Paul for Wednesday, 15th June 2022
Today, Toby will be going on a short holiday at Cosy Toes, our excellent kennels just two miles down the A465, so that I can be free to look after my mother as she undergoes surgery and takes a few days’ respite care. No doubt I will be given instructions on how to feed the hundreds of birds that use her garden as an all-day restaurant, as well as on how to fend off the squirrels with their magnificent tails and cheeky faces. Some dogs don’t like going into kennels, but Toby loves it and can’t wait to get in. He adores the ladies who look after him and enjoys the company of other dogs. I would like to thank you all for the prayers that are being offered up for my mum. I hope and pray that all goes well and that very soon pain will be a thing of the past. I am more than aware of becoming an old man, but I can’t honestly think of my mother as an old woman. Although physically frail, she has the will power and the mind of a much younger person.
We continue our reading of the Sermon on the Mount with the Gospel passage we usually hear on Ash Wednesday, (Matthew 6: 1-6; 16-18), where Jesus speaks of almsgiving, prayer and fasting. All three follow the same pattern. Jesus wants his disciples to be generous and to give themselves fully to all three religious activities, that derive from Judaism but have become the very bedrock of Christian spirituality. However, he warns us that we will derive no spiritual reward unless we accomplish these religious practises with humility, faith and purity of heart and never in an ostentatious or proud way, showing off for the benefit of others. It’s sufficient to take just one as an example. Let’s take almsgiving, which comes first in the Gospel narrative.
“Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Be careful not to parade your good deeds before men to attract their notice; by doing this you will lose all reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give alms, do not have it trumpeted before you; this is what the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win men’s admiration. I tell you solemnly, they have had their reward. But when you give alms, your left hand must not know what your right is doing; your almsgiving must be secret, and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.’”
So then, we are not to parade our good deeds for others to see, nor should we try to attract their attention. Only God and our own conscience should know. Hypocrisy is a grave sin in Jesus’ book and to be avoided at all costs. True religion and the depth and quality of our faith are known to God alone. Not even we should be aware of it, lest we become filled with an exaggerated view of our own goodness, worth and self-importance. Almsgiving is not about me, but about alleviating the needs of those we help. In fact, Jesus wants his disciples to grow in humility, the mother of all virtues, so that we might thereby grow in faith, hope and love. In all things may God be glorified. Amen.
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.
