Message of Abbot Paul - Wednesday - 21st February 2024
Abbot Paul • February 20, 2024
Whereas yesterday’s message was quite a long one, today’s will be short. I returned quite late last night from a pastoral afternoon and evening in Leominster. Unfortunately, my hay fever has flared again, caused as usual in February by catkins in particular and tree pollens in general. It’s a real nuisance, as you never know when a sneezing fit will come on, especially in the middle of the night. The result can be quite painful and draining. I bought a forbidden antihistamine to keep at the side of my bed, just in case. I find it’s mere presence nearby has a soothing effect!
Today’s Gospel passage is taken from Luke, (Lk 11: 29-32), and contains two interesting comparisons that Jesus makes with figures from the Old Testament, the prophet Jonah and the Queen of Sheba. “The crowds got even bigger, and Jesus addressed them: ‘This is a wicked generation; it is asking for a sign.’” Jesus was always being asked to prove who he was, just as John the Baptist before him. It was because of the authority with which he spoke and the miracles he performed, even more so because he told those he healed that their sins were forgiven them. As though all he did wasn’t sign enough, the crowds kept pressing him, encouraged by the scribes and Pharisees. So Jesus says, “The only sign it will be given is the sign of Jonah. For just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. On Judgement Day the Queen of the South will rise up with the men of this generation and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and there is something greater than Solomon here. On Judgement Day the men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation and condemn it, because when Jonah preached, they repented; and there is something greater than Jonah here.” Although Jesus says he will give only one sign, nevertheless he gives a second, that of the “Queen of the South.” The fact is that she came from afar to witness the wisdom and majesty of Solomon and yet in Jesus there is wisdom and majesty far greater than in Solomon. Likewise with Jonah, when the people of Nineveh heard him preach, they repented, and yet Jesus is far greater than Jonah, he is far more than a prophet, he is the incarnate Son of God.
Lord, we thank you for the great men and women of the Old Testament, who have so much to teach us. Grant us their humility and spirit of obedience and their desire to do your will and seek your face. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for coming among us and for opening our hearts to receive the gift of divine wisdom. Amen.
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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.