Message of Abbot Paul - Wednesday 4th January 2023
Abbot Paul • January 3, 2023
You will have seen on television or on the Internet the vast crowds queuing in St Peter’s Square and filing through the vast basilica to pay their last respects and say a prayer before the body of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. Although we are not physically present in Rome, in the silence of our hearts we can accompany the pilgrims as they wait and pray. Tomorrow, we can be spiritually present at his Requiem, praying for the repose of his soul, and we can make a spiritual communion. No matter how great and wonderful a man he was, he still needs our humble prayers to see him safely on his journey to heaven. If you have any difficulty seeing the funeral on Thursday morning, then the Vatican Channel on YouTube or Facebook will be live-streaming the Requiem Mass celebrated by Pope Francis.
​Our Gospel today continues our reading this week of John’s Gospel, (Jn 1: 35-42), in which some of John the Baptist’s disciples become the first disciples of Jesus. This is a fascinating passage as it offers a viable alternative to how Jesus came across his first disciples. John explains that they had first been followers of John the Baptist, as Jesus himself could well have been.
“As John stood with two of his disciples, Jesus passed, and John stared hard at him and said, ‘Look, there is the lamb of God.’ Hearing this, the two disciples followed Jesus. Jesus turned round, saw them following and said, ‘What do you want?’ They answered, ‘Rabbi,’ – which means Teacher – ‘where do you live?’ ‘Come and see’ he replied; so they went and saw where he lived, and stayed with him the rest of that day. It was about the tenth hour.
One of these two who became followers of Jesus after hearing what John had said was Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter. Early next morning, Andrew met his brother and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ – which means the Christ – and he took Simon to Jesus. Jesus looked hard at him and said, ‘You are Simon son of John; you are to be called Cephas’ – meaning Rock.”
We must not forget that it was the Baptist who pointed to Jesus as the Lamb of God, the one on whom the Spirit descended after his baptism, indeed the one who would baptise with the Holy Spirit, and not only with water as a sign of repentance. Again, John points to Jesus as the Lamb of God, only this time to two of his disciples, who, to begin with, are not mentioned by name. Soon we are told that the first to follow Jesus was Andrew, who the following day called his brother, Simon Peter, to go with him to see Jesus again, telling him, “We have found the Messiah, which means the Christ.” When Jesus sees Peter he says to him, “You are Simon son of John; you are to be called Cephas’ – meaning Rock.” Andrew had been fascinated by Jesus, even accepting his invitation to go and see where he was living. How are we to evangelise today if not by following Andrew’s example and sharing with others what we have discovered ourselves. Would Peter have come to faith without Andrew? Faith is a living flame, that sets fire to people’s hearts. We must not be afraid to pass on this flame.
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.
