Message of Abbot Paul - Wednesday 19th January
Message from Fr Paul for Wednesday, 19th January 2022
I forgot to mention yesterday that it was the first day in the Week of Prayer of Christian Unity that runs each year from 18tth to 25th January, the last day being the feast of the Conversion of St Paul. It’s not as popular now as it once was because much that it set out to do at the beginning has been achieved. Christians of the various denominations now pray together in each other’s churches and there are many projects that we now do together. While full unity has still to be achieved, Christians have come much closer to one another and recognise each other to be true followers of Christ. Nevertheless, it remains important to continue praying and working towards that unity for which Christ prayed and which he still desires.
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Today in England we celebrate the feast of the great Bishop of Worcester, St Wulstan, deeply loved in his lifetime and ever since. How sad it is that his shrine in Worcester Cathedral was destroyed at the Reformation, like so many others in England and Wales. He was born in Warwickshire in 1008 and died in Worcester, after serving as bishop since 1062, in 1095. His life spanned the eleventh century and he was the only English-born bishop to retain his see at the Norman Conquest, after which a programme of ethnic cleansing of all church and state leaders took place. A social reformer, Wulfstan struggled to bridge the gap between the old and new regimes, and to alleviate the suffering of the poor. He was, of course, a Benedictine. He studied in the monasteries at Evesham and Peterborough before entering the monastery at Worcester Cathedral shortly after his ordination. We ask his prayers for the Church in England today, that we may have some share in his religious fervour and devotion, showing in practical ways that we are followers of Jesus.
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Our Gospel passage today comes from Mark, (Mk 3: 1-6), and tells us of another healing on the sabbath day. Let’s read what Mark says: “Jesus went into a synagogue, and there was a man there who had a withered hand. And they were watching him to see if he would cure him on the sabbath day, hoping for something to use against him. He said to the man with the withered hand, ‘Stand up out in the middle!’ Then he said to them, ‘Is it against the law on the sabbath day to do good, or to do evil; to save life, or to kill?’ But they said nothing. Then, grieved to find them so obstinate, he looked angrily round at them, and said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ He stretched it out and his hand was better. The Pharisees went out and at once began to plot with the Herodians against him, discussing how to destroy him.”
What always amazes and saddens us about the Pharisees is their lack of charity, mercy and willingness to put an end to the suffering of the sick, the possessed and the poor. All they seem to care about is the strict adherence to their interpretation of the Law. This episode takes place early on in Jesus’ ministry and yet all that matters to them is to catch him out on some minor technicality of legal observance, so that the religious authorities can arrest him and put him behind bars. Yet, when Jesus questions them, they refuse to answer, for they must surely know deep down that they are wrong and he is right, but their blindness refuses to see this and their pride forbids them from accepting the word of Jesus. He is “grieved to find them so obstinate,” a telling phrase, and yet his question to them was so poignant. “Is it against the law on the sabbath day to do good, or to do evil; to save life, or to kill?” When they see the miracle of healing their only thought is to collaborate with his enemies in order to destroy him. They have no compassion for the sick man.
Lord, grant us a merciful heart and a humble spirit. Teach us not to judge others but to help them, not to kill but to give life. May we faithfully follow the way of Jesus and live according to his truth. Amen.
