Message of Abbot Paul - Wednesday 23rd March
Message from Fr Paul for Wednesday, 23rd March 2022
It’s not often that I’m at a loss for words, but I find the war in Ukraine and fear of what it might turn into, what with the possibility of chemical weapons being used by Mr Putin and those who follow him, occupy my heart and mind day and night. The thought of our friends, and what they are going through at this very moment, fills me with horror. The injustice of it all: people living peaceful, happy and productive lives, content with their lot and the progress of their country, suddenly being plunged for no logical reason into a nightmare scenario. Ten million refugees, whose world has been destroyed at the whim of a dictator in the 21st century, and in Europe of all continents. How can this be? Whatever happened to our hopes for the new millennium? Can we even remember what they were? It was said of the First World War that it was ‘the war to end all wars.’ If this war isn’t stopped soon, it could well become the war to end all things, to bring our world to a tragic end. I know that many of our daily readers love to read news of Toby, but when I look at him, I think of all those pets whose lives have smashed to pieces in Ukraine, not to mention the surrogate babies waiting for their adoptive parents to take them home to a new life. There are no words to describe this tragedy. Forgive me if I keep writing about this, but it really breaks my heart. This coming Friday, 25th March, we have another Rosary Vigil for Ukraine at Belmont from 9am to 9pm, with the consecration of Ukraine and Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary at 4pm (GMT) to coincide with the Holy Father’s consecration ceremony in Rome at 5pm. Do join us if you can. It will also be live streamed, the Mass being at 12 noon.
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Our short Gospel passage today comes from Matthew, (Mt 5: 17-19), early on in the Sermon on the Mount. Here it is: “Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Do not imagine that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish but to complete them. I tell you solemnly, till heaven and earth disappear, not one dot, not one little stroke, shall disappear from the Law until its purpose is achieved. Therefore, the man who infringes even one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be considered the least in the kingdom of heaven; but the man who keeps them and teaches them will be considered great in the kingdom of heaven.’” Jesus states quite categorically that he has not come to abolish the Law of Moses, the Law of the Old Covenant, but rather to complete and fulfil that Law, giving it its true meaning, the meaning that God intended when the Law was given to Moses at Sinai during the Exodus from slavery in Egypt to freedom in the Promised Land. It is in the Sermon on the Mount that we find Jesus’ teaching and explanation of how the Law is to be kept. He wants his disciples to go deep down into the very heart of the Law, a Law of love and of conversion to divine values, in order to conform ourselves to the very heart and mind of God, so as to become holy as God our Father is holy. Let us pray for that intention today and let us also pray for the conversion to God’s Law of love of those responsible for the war in Ukraine. It’s not too late to stop that war and set about putting things right. For God all things are possible.
