Entries by Abbot David

Epiphany – 2026

3 February 2026in /by

6th January 2026 – 

Some of you may have seen the film ‘The Time Bandits’. In it the Supreme Being allows a map of time holes in creation to fall into the hands of his dwarf helpers. Their adventures become the various episodes depicted in the film. For most of the film the Supreme Being is depicted as a large bright head with a booming voice, but near the end he is seen as a kindly, elderly headmaster figure. Evil is also shown in human form as a capricious, self-centred individual who wants the map for his own corrupt and ungodly ends. Powerful beings belonging outside our usual existence, inhabiting the realm of our imagination, have been, throughout human history, portrayed as being present in our time and space; and there are, of course, many examples from classical literature.

The New Testament also tells of God, the Supreme Being, made visible in the person of Jesus Christ. The Birth of Jesus is declared to be the Word made flesh. In Him the Wisdom of God made man is seen and heard in history. Christianity, however, may be regarded by some as just another version of the ancient myths, a set of awesome stories that tell us a lot about the human condition, but still untrue for all that.

The author and spiritual writer C.S. Lewis, in an essay called ‘Myth Became Fact’ opens up an entirely different possibility based on two insights: First, all the myths of primitive religions were expressions of a deep yearning … that the mysterious God would come into intimate contact with mankind, and do so in such a way that He would repair the damages made by our sinfulness, and would grant to mankind a safe homeland that would last forever. And secondly, that Christianity, rather than being one myth alongside many others, is the fulfillment of all previous mythological religions. It is a myth, like the others, but this time a myth that is also a fact.

The Magi were seekers after wisdom and truth – of a myth that was also a fact. We are all a bit like them, we all want answers to fundamental questions. The Magi however, followed a star because it signified to them the birth of a significant person, and with such thinking they expected the birth of a king. Their search for wisdom is dignified and noble. King Herod, the other major character in the story, was only interested in the possibility of the birth of a likely rival. He plots and deceives and murders innocent children. His vision of life and truth is focused on himself, and he is fearful.

It is inspiring to consider the humility of the Magi, these wise and learned men, before the child Jesus; they offer gifts and pay homage but it does not diminish their eminence. Those who choose to follow Christ seek true wisdom, they search for the truth that is at the heart of faith and reason. When the Christ-child is found, even in the most unlikely of places, He is worshiped – for he embodies what is true. We seek to become what we worship.

Like the Magi we bring gifts – we offer ourselves to Christ and in doing so are not diminished but in fact we are made whole. Through our worship we are united to Christ who gives Himself to us and fills us with the Holy Spirit – the Lord and Giver of Life. Through Christ we see, hear and speak differently. Our life and our death gives praise to God even as the gold, frankincense and myrrh symbolised two thousand years ago.

Christmas Midnight – 2025

3 February 2026in /by

24th December 2025 – 

I think it is a reasonable thing to say that all of humanity yearns for something better. It is not important that this yearning sometimes looks back to the past – the desire for apparently better times – or whether it is projected into the future – for hoped-for better times. It is part of our human condition. At its simplest it is an individuals desire to be satisfied, to feel fulfilled. At a more complex level societies organize themselves in such a way that, at least for some, life will seem to be improved. Politics is an expression of this yearning. So also is education, and religion, and so too is the adoption of ’causes’ of one sort or another. Look at any of the situations in which we find ourselves – is there not an element of this yearning. Often it is the peaceful dreams of contentment – and yet when one looks at the troubles in the world – are not all of them the violent expression of these same dreams – a group, a nation, a race, a religion – wanting to improve their lot and seeing no other way than at the expense of others? Human beings seem to have a longing to be fulfilled, made whole – complete if you like. We want a situation or somewhere full of joy, where justice, truth, mercy – and peace are the reality.

We who are gathered here tonight recognise that just over two thousand years ago, and as a fulfilment of many prophecies, a gift was given to us by the Creator, the Lord and Giver of Life. That gift was and is in the words of the carol – the hope of all the years. On the hills outside Bethlehem a birth was announced – in somewhat unusual circumstances. Shepherds hearing heavenly voices in the night would not necessarily be regarded as reliable. They did not know it was Christmas Day – nor could they have appreciated the real significance of the child they visited in some sort of animal shelter.

The celebration of this event over the past centuries has often been a time when usual values may be reversed. A time when strangers may even smile in the street, when prisoners may receive little extra privileges, when people give a little more attention and care to the lonely, the poor, the homeless, the fearful, and when children are especially cherished. Of course some will regard the angels’ promise of peace and goodwill as being fantasy! There was no more good will in first century Palestine, no more peace, than in our own world; indeed the baby born that day had to be smuggled out of the country, and became a refugee, so as to save its life. But the angelic message is our hope, our vision of a better and kindlier life. Recalling it every year is surely a sign of how we need and yearn for that hope.

It is difficult to escape the conclusion that had the angels attached their message to any other event – we would long since have forgotten it. The genius of the Christmas story is that it is centred upon the birth of a child – an experience so universal and so universally wonderful, that nobody is excluded from it. The new born baby is innocence itself, it commands no armies, levies no taxes, knows nothing of fame, wealth or cleverness, crime or virtue. At the manger all men and women are equal, all humbled by the recollection of their own origins. But merely by being born Jesus did not achieve what the angels had promised. The story moves on from his birth. There was also a death, no less awesome and no less central to the meaning of God’s gift. For our yearnings to be satisfied there has to be a death and a resurrection. In fact there needs to be an Easter in each of our lives.

1st Sunday of Advent (A) – 2025

1 December 2025in /by

30th November 2025 – 

Every year we read about supermarkets, Local Councils or Primary Schools calling Christmas a Winter Festival or some such name and seeing that most Christmas Cards have lost their Nativity themed scenes. Some object to all this as they recognise that Christianity is the basis of our culture and laws, and that something is deliberately or otherwise being undermined or lost, of course others are sad because they are genuinely people of faith. However, it’s not up to me or any other Christian to make people celebrate in a particular way – that would rather defeat the purpose of celebration – such as trying to force a person like someone else! But celebrations really should have some sort of purpose and meaning if they are not to slip into self-indulgence and excess. I wonder how many people feel there is a lot of expense and preparation for relatively little celebratory return. Everything rather centres on one day, the 25th December. All this is largely due to this countries post Reformation attitudes and especially a particularly puritanical approach by religious zealots! Spiritually and other Christmas celebrations should extend beyond the day itself.

I think it would be true to say that many people would not think of Christmas Day as a starting point of celebrations and even fewer that Christmas has a significance for every moment of their lives. But what others do is one thing, what we, as Christian do is quite another. You and I can enjoy what is on offer at this time of year, or at least much of it, but we should have a Christian purpose and meaning for our celebration. I firmly believe that if we adopt a proper Christian approach to Christmas then we will be happier, less out of pocket and will also not experience a sense of anti-climax on December 26th.

Today we have been told to be ready, because the Son of Man is coming – coming at a time we do not expect. So at this start of Advent our thoughts are clearly drawn away from the birth of Jesus. We have to think about our destiny and this helps to put Jesus’ birth into a proper context. Advent is a time for us to prepare for the day when we will fully understand what our destiny is, on what sacred scripture calls the Day of the Lord. When that Day comes we shall see and know the full meaning of our faith in Jesus Christ. But how are we to prepare for something that is not only in the future but seems so remote from us? During Advent it is important to recapture the truth that our God is Emmanuel – a name which means – God is with us. He is with us now for our future. We celebrate His human birth because it means He is with us as one like us.

It may help at this time to reflect on Mary. Think of her, over 2000 years ago, coming to the end of her pregnancy, preparing to show the world it’s Saviour. But remember that Mary’s Son, by the power of the Holy Spirit comes to birth in us, is incarnated in us. Thus the world sees its Saviour once again because of our faith. Through us He is seen praying, caring for the sick and helpless, being a good wife and husband, a loving mother and father, being an honest person going about their everyday work, or someone accompanying the suffering and the dying. So the question is ‘does Christ come to birth in us?’ Or do we terminate His life in us by our selfishness? Let us be alert, not made spiritually sleepy by the ways of this world, being open to the divine life which is with us, our Lord Emmanuel. Now that is something worth celebrating on more than one day!

Christ the King – 2025

1 December 2025in /by

23rd November 2025 – 

All of us make mistakes, indeed we human beings often get things wrong! Our judgement is not that reliable. In fact faulty judgements concerning ourselves and certainly others is actually due to a weakness caused by sin. Certainly we recognise such a state in others if not always in ourselves! All of us are eager to notice and perhaps help others remove their faults without an overwhelming effort to remove flaws and limitations in our own lives! For all humanity’s lack of charity, meanness of spirit and even cruelty, our Creator does not lose patience – what is more, so that we might achieve what He wished for us, He offers forgiveness and reconciliation, and He devised a plan that would make it possible for men and women to share in the life of Divinity – to share His own life of pure justice and truth!

The way that Jesus has marked out means becoming like Him – Jesus leads, we follow. But being sinful means that we do not always keep step with Him. Consider a parent with their child. One minute they are walking hand in hand. The next moment the mother or father pauses and calls to the child to come on for the child has been distracted by something or other. Yet another time the child runs on ahead, and is told to wait as there may be dangers up ahead, perhaps the child is scolded for being reckless, and later of course, being tired, mum or dad may have to carry the child for a while. This in practice, reflects our journey with Jesus. Like a good parent Jesus keeps us close to Him so that we will arrive safely home at journeys end.

The reason that Jesus is so insistent on His Way, is because He knows there is no other that will get us to our intended destiny. He has paid too high a price to be half-hearted in His invitation or indecisive in His demands. Of course we know that Pilate asked Jesus: ‘Are you a King then?’ and He replied: ‘Yes, that is why I came’ (Jn 18:32). But the Kingdom Jesus came to establish is quite different to the kingdom of this world. But to follow Him is to enter into His Kingdom.

The Kingdom of God is opposed to the kingdom where the values of this world are worshipped and where the weak and unimportant are expendable, where we can see that Satan is indeed the ‘prince of this world’ (Jn 16:11). However, the Kingdom of God is with us now – it is wherever Jesus is, particularly, and according to His own words, it is present in the least – in the hungry, the homeless, the sick. Wherever the true dignity of the human being is recognised – where every stage of life is valued and life is seen as a great and wonderful gift – where there is compassion and mercy, where men and women strive for justice and truth, then the Kingdom of God is clearly present.

The Christian vocation, the vocation of all the baptised, is to proclaim the Kingdom of God. It is a priestly vocation, for it draws men and women to the Divine Life, it is a prophetic vocation for it speaks the Truth in opposition to the values and power of this world, it is a royal vocation for it seeks to establish the rule and dominion of love. Our King has summoned us to share in this priestly, prophetic and royal vocation, to be His Body – to give Him our feet, our hands, our tongues that all may see and desire to be part of His everlasting Kingdom, and hear from Him: ‘Indeed, I promise you, today you will be with me in paradise.’

Remembrance Sunday – 2025

1 December 2025in /by

9th November 2025 – 

Thankfully most of us do not experience actual warfare. Of course we see it in pictures and films, or read about it in the various forms of media or in books. Yet, today is still tremendously important whether we have actual experience of war or not. However, we remember today not only the two world wars, but also the other conflicts that have gone on around the world in which our armed forces have been involved. We also remember all those others who against their will were, and continue to be, caught up in the cruel and devastating violence of war. Remembrance must be all-embracing and far-reaching.

All of us are the sum of our memories. Our identity is shaped by our memories and past experiences. Some will have memories of active service in the armed forces. Some will have memories of those who were loved and lost. Some remember stories of relatives and friends living through the bombing of our towns and cities in Word War II. Some will remember when no-where on mainland Britain was safe from IRA bombs. And we all know the closeness of the current Islamicist terrorist guns and bombs or the threat of any crazed ideological group. Today we cannot hide from what we might have chosen to pass over at other times.

It is easy to romanticise memories of war. Some films are humorous about what was devastating. Dad’s Army makes everything look funny and almost something that we would have wanted to be a part of. The arial bombardment of the Second World War can make us think of camaraderie and singing songs deep in shelters or on London Underground platforms. In that way Dame Vera Lynne still sings. We might even dare to think people enjoyed it. Of course, it wasn’t like that. It was the horrors of the destruction of countless ordinary people’s homes and the destruction of great civic and ecclesiastical buildings. For those of us who never lived through such horrors it is almost impossible to imagine what it must have been like to emerge from air raid shelters and find whole streets destroyed – perhaps even one’s own home.

This day does not glorify war, or, heaven forbid, aim to defend in any way the cruelty and the agony of warfare and terrorism. We are not here to label all wartime deaths as a sacrifice, for sacrifice suggests a degree of choice that was not present for many serving in the armed forces. We are here to remember all those people, of whatever country, who have died in the pursuit of freedom, justice and goodness. We are here to give thanks to God for this cause. We are here to acknowledge publicly and before God that countless people have given their lives for us, for our freedom and for others and their freedom, freedom to live, speak and think according to conscience and under our agreed laws.

We are always hopeful that there will be no more war. But we are not free from war and the pain of war. Our purpose today is to acknowledge that and to pray for peace. It would be a mistake for us to think that remembrance is simply about the past, about what has happened. Our remembrance is something that we make present here and now as we realise the significance for each of us. Today we acknowledge love laying down its life for others and we recognise that there is no greater love than to offer one’s life for another. Today we acknowledge our need for God’s grace, for alone and unaided we cannot bring about true peace, or justice that is merciful, or happiness that will last.

Corpus Christi – 2025

23 June 2025in /by

22nd June 2025 – 

Last Sunday was the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. God has revealed Himself as the living, loving God through the unfolding of the revelation of the three persons of the Trinity. For each one of us however Jesus Christ, is the one person of the Trinity we will focus on most. He was a human being – and yet by what he did we have come to know that he is Divine as well. Saint John’s Gospel tells us that Jesus is the Word of God made flesh. In the Creed we say that the Lord Jesus Christ, God from God and Light from Light, for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, and by the power of the Holy Spirit was born of the Virgin Mary, and became man.

Like every event the birth of Jesus was an moment in history and it has a time and place. It was when Augustus was Emperor in Rome. The place was the town called Bethlehem. While there Mary gave birth to a son and laid him in a manger. Shepherds came and glorified and praised God for all they heard and saw. Wise men came, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they worshiped him. Every year we see a depiction of that scene in our churches. We see the manger and the baby Jesus. Because of what Jesus did, namely his resurrection, the Christian faith teaches that in the manger in Bethlehem, present in the material of this world, lay the Divine Word as a little baby.

The Divine Word, with the Holy Spirit and some material of this world, are the three components that make the Incarnation possible, this is what we celebrate at Christmas every year. These three components are present in every Mass. The material of this world is bread and wine, the Holy Spirit is present through the priest and the Divine Word is made really present on the altar. We eat the consecrated bread and drink the consecrated wine and as St Augustine said “if we eat worthily we become what we eat” Sermons, [227]. Thus by what happens at the altar and by our Holy Communion, Jesus the Word, actually continues to have human flesh and human blood in every age. We become by the power of the Holy Spirit what Christ is by nature. And to paraphrase St Athanasius, God became flesh and blood so that our flesh and blood may be raised up to Divinity. (De Inc 54.3) God wants us to share His life, the Divine Life of the Trinity, and we have this real life by being united with Jesus, by being one with him.

For the past two thousand years since the birth of the Church Catholics have risked their lives just to be at Mass. Extraordinary Cathedrals and churches have been built because of what happens inside those buildings at Holy Mass. Today, millions throughout the world will bear witness in Corpus Christi celebrations carrying the Body of Christ out of the church buildings. The procession of the Blessed Sacrament is profoundly symbolic for it reminds us when we come to worship at Holy Mass that we take Christ with us wherever we go. Christ is always our food for the journey, He is with us always!

Feast of the Most Holy and Undivided Trinity – 2025

16 June 2025in /by

15th June 2025 – 

Orthodox Catholic Christians believe that the Trinity and the Incarnation are of greatest importance for understanding who God is and who we are. But if we find it difficult to understand God, it is, of course, equally difficult to fully understand another person. How do we come to some sort of understanding of other human beings? Surely it is through ties of friendship and love. Now Saint John tells us God is love, therefore the key to understanding God is a loving friendship with him. Such a relationship is the basis of faith. Of course we have to have an idea of what love is in the way that God is love. Through Jesus Christ such an idea is communicated to us. This Divine Idea is created anew in each human being. We know of its presence because it drives every human being to seek what is good. Sadly when that urge turns in on itself we identify it as selfishness and sometime as evil. This leads us away from the goodness of God and so damages our relationships, whether human or divine.

Our journey to our proper fulfilment as human beings relies on faith in the Most Blessed Trinity and in the belief that God became man in the person of Jesus Christ. We need the action of God’s power to change us and raise us up in Christ. It is not possible to do this by human means alone. This action of God is his free gift of the Holy Spirit. In Jesus we see the perfect revelation of God’s love. By being united with Jesus, through the power of the Holy Spirit, we come to a share in the Divine Life of God our Father. The revelation of the Trinity allows us to grasp the wonder of our destiny. It allows us to see, through Jesus of Nazareth, true God and true man, the nature of divinity as love. Through the transforming power of the Holy Spirit we are able to grow in that sacrificial love revealed by Jesus Christ on the cross and be clothed in the mantle of divinity ourselves.

Where does our belief in the Trinity come from? Saint Augustine firmly places our Christian belief in the Trinity in the scriptures. What we find in the New Testament is the expression of the faith of the writers who were responding to the experience of Divine Revelation. That is why our faith rests on the faith of the Apostles and that is why the Catholic Church, the body of faithful Christians that can trace an historic line back to first disciples, is termed an Apostolic Church. Through the faith of the early Church we come to know that God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit by the unfolding of this truth in the events presented to us in the pages of the Bible. Our faith is rooted in the experience represented by events, visible realities in time and space, which the Scriptures record. If we love God we presumably wish to know Him better. God, our faith declares is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This then is what we desire to know better if we genuinely desire to know God better.

The offer Christianity makes is that we, by the power of the Holy Spirit, are being made sons and daughters of God, heirs of God, co-heirs with Christ, sharing His suffering so as to share His glory. For Jesus, the Divine Word made visible, became what we are in order to make us what He is Himself, and so enable us to be sharers in the Divine Life of the Trinity!

1st Sunday of Lent (C) – 2025

10 March 2025in /by

1st of Lent (C)

How much do people really notice about what is going on around them. Indeed it might be said that all of us can be quite indifferent and sometimes wilfully ignorant of the activity around us. The careful observer will naturally see more in the ordinary, everyday environment than others might. Someone who is enthusiastic about nature, or a frequent visitor to the countryside, could probably point out the amazing diversity of life more easily than a casual rambler. Of course being guided and with careful observation there is so much to discover – so much to notice. Everything is there as it was before; it just took someone who knew how – to help others be aware of what surrounds them. Just because something is there does not mean we will see it and understand it.

Today, St. Paul says to us, “The Word is near you, …it is on your lips and in your heart.” Paul is talking about the presence of God in Christ, and how we come to know that presence by faith. Christ is near, is part of our world; yet we usually need to train ourselves to recognize him. The place to begin looking is where we find ourselves now. Instead of keeping our eyes open and trying, with measured persistence, to recognise what we seek in our own surroundings, human beings have a tendency to be restless – grasping at things that may feel good but do not do us any good. We would like to think there is a place where the search for spiritual contentment is not so difficult to find or understand.

But scripture says: The Word is near you, in your heart and in your lips. The original passage St. Paul is quoting, [from the book of Deuteronomy (Dt. 30:12)], adds, “It is not beyond your strength or beyond your reach. It is not in heaven, so that you need to wonder: ‘Who will ascend into heaven for us to get it and proclaim it to us so we may hear it and keep it?'” No, the Word is near us: Christ is all around: Jesus is the Word.

On Ash Wednesday we were invited to observe Lent, by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, self-denial, and consideration of others; and by reading and meditating on God’s holy Word. This is not an invitation to do something unusual or extreme. It is an invitation to train ourselves, so that our eyes can learn to see what is already here.

The Lenten disciplines which our Ash Wednesday invitation recommended are some of the ways of noticing God in the ordinary circumstances of our lives. They are not the only ways, but they are among the most reliable. That is why they are recommended each Lent. So during this Lent – listen to the Lord in Sacred Scripture, talk to Him in prayer, improve the discipline and order of your life and consider your relations with others. Always remember that the Word is near, in your heart, where you live, in the people around you.

Presentation – 2025

3 February 2025in /by

2nd February 2025 – After Jesus’ birth, Mary fulfils the Jewish rite of purification after childbirth. This rite, points to the fact that children are gifts from God.  Like all godly parents, Mary and Joseph raised their son in the knowledge of God.  He, in turn, was obedient to them and grew in wisdom and grace. The Lord’s favour is with those who listen to his word and act upon it. 
 
Simeon’s encounter with the baby Jesus and his mother in the temple reveals that he was a just and devout man who was in tune with the Holy Spirit. He believed that the Lord would return to his temple in Jerusalem and renew his chosen people. The Holy Spirit also revealed to him that the Messiah would bring salvation to the all nations.  The Holy Spirit reveals the presence of the Lord to those who are receptive and sincerely wish to receive him. 
 
We know that Jesus is the new temple (John 1:14; 2:19-22). In the Old Testament God manifested his presence in the “pillar of cloud” by day and the “pillar of fire” by night as he led the Hebrews through the wilderness following their freedom from slavery In Egypt. When the first temple was built in Jerusalem God’s glory came to rest there among His people (1 Kings 8).  After the first temple was destroyed, the prophet Ezekiel saw God’s glory leave it (Ezekiel 10).  But God promised one day to fill it with even greater glory (Haggai 2:1-9; Zechariah 8-9).  That promise is fulfilled when the “King of Glory” himself comes to his temple (Psalm 24:7-10; Malachi 3:1). Through Jesus’ coming in the flesh and through his saving death, resurrection, and ascension we are made living temples of his Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 3:16-17) because by the gift of grace we become what Christ is by nature. The Divine presence is now spread throughout the whole world.
 
Simeon blessed Mary and Joseph and he prophesied to Mary about the destiny of this child and the suffering she would undergo for His sake.  There is a certain paradox for those blessed by the Lord.  Mary was given the blessedness of being the mother of the Son of God.  That blessedness also would become a sword which pierced her heart as her Son died upon the cross.  She received both a crown of joy and a cross of sorrow.  But her joy was not diminished by her sorrow because her joy was upheld by her faith and hope in God and his promises.  Jesus promised his disciples that “no one will take your joy from you” (John 16:22).  The Lord gives us a joy which enables us to bear our sorrow or pain and which neither life nor death can take way. 
 
Simeon was not alone in recognizing the Lord’s presence in the temple.  Anna, too, was filled with the Holy Spirit.  Anna was pre-eminently a woman of great hope and expectation that God would fulfil all his promises. She is a model of godliness to all believers as we advance in age.  Advancing age and the trials of life can easily make us yearn for the past if we do not place our hope in God and his promises. Anna never ceased to worship God in faith and to pray with hope.  This hope is the desire for the Kingdom of Heaven and blessings of eternal life. With Christ as our light let us be a beacon of hope for all who search for the justice and truth of God.