Message of Abbot Paul - Wednesday - 3rd January 2024
Abbot Paul • January 2, 2024
It’s barely two weeks since the shortest day of the year and yet the evenings are already lengthening notably, as was patently visible yesterday, especially as the rains came to an end, the sun attempted an appearance and there was a double rainbow over the abbey church. One can’t help but feel that Spring is on its way, although Winter has hardly begun. Daffodils are up everywhere and soon we’ll be welcoming snowdrops and primroses, although we’re promised another cold spell by the weekend.
Today we keep the optional Memoria of the Holy Name of Jesus and the month of January is traditionally dedicated to the Holy Name. It’s a devotion that dates from the late Middle Ages and quickly became very popular. It reminds us that we are still in Christmastide and that the name of Jesus was given him by the angel even before he was conceived in Mary’s womb, as Luke informs us in his Gospel. We also remember that wonderful text of Paul in Philippians 2: 10-11: “At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Our Gospel reading for today is taken from John, (Jn 1: 29-34), and recounts the witness that John the Baptist gave of Jesus. Here is what John wrote.
“Seeing Jesus coming towards him, John said, ‘Look, there is the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. This is the one I spoke of when I said: A man is coming after me who ranks before me because he existed before me. I did not know him myself, and yet it was to reveal him to Israel that I came baptising with water.’ John also declared, ‘I saw the Spirit coming down on him from heaven like a dove and resting on him. I did not know him myself, but he who sent me to baptise with water had said to me, “The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and rest is the one who is going to baptise with the Holy Spirit.” Yes, I have seen and I am the witness that he is the Chosen One of God.’” John is indeed the witness that Jesus is the Chosen One of God, the Messiah, who will baptise with water and the Holy Spirit and who will give his life as Lamb of God in order to take way the sins of the world and bring salvation to those who believe in him. These words of the Baptist are the very ones we repeat three times at Mass during the Breaking of Bread and again as we prepare for Holy Communion. John the Baptist, a man of humility and deep faith, was inspired by God to bear witness to Jesus, bearing witness to what he saw and heard. Let us pray for that same gift of faith and understanding, and the courage always to bear witness to Jesus in our daily lives.
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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.
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