Message of Abbot Paul - Wednesday 28th June 2023
Abbot Paul • June 27, 2023
Today, the eve of the great Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, the Church remembers St Irenaeus, Bishop, Martyr and Doctor. Born in Smyrna, modern day Izmir in Turkey. sometime between 120 and 140, he heard St Polycarp preach, who in turn had hear St John the Evangelist, so in Irenaeus we have a direct connection with the age of the Apostles. He was Greek, of course, and brought up in a Christian family. He lived at a time of persecution and a time when the Church was fighting against heresy on all sides. There was, as yet, no real central authority and the first councils had not yet been called to deal with heresy and divisions in the Church. He became a priest and was sent to Gaul where he was eventually elected Bishop of Lyon. He was probably martyred for being a Christian and a bishop in the year 202. His great theological work is intitled Against the Heresies in which he refuted Gnosticism by offering the three pillars of orthodoxy (right belief): the Scriptures, Tradition and the Teaching of the Apostles and their Successors. I must confess that he is one of my favourites among the saints, a man to whom the Church owes a great debt for the clarity and purity of her faith.
​Our Gospel passage today comes from Matthew, (Mt 7: 15-20), continuing our reading of the Sermon on the Mount, in which Jesus warns his disciples against the dishonesty and hypocrisy of others, concluding with the famous proverb, “By their fruits you will know them.” Here is what Jesus has to say. “Beware of false prophets who come to you disguised as sheep but underneath are ravenous wolves. You will be able to tell them by their fruits. Can people pick grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles? In the same way, a sound tree produces good fruit but a rotten tree bad fruit. A sound tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor a rotten tree bear good fruit. Any tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown on the fire. I repeat, you will be able to tell them by their fruits.” This is a warning that applies to every area of human life. I leave you to apply the words of Jesus where you see fit.
A homily by Abbot Brendan at a special Easter Mass for Pope Francis, attended by Catholics from across the Deanery.
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.
