​It’s good to be back at Belmont, but after the warmth of Peru, this cold, damp weather leaves a lot to be desired. I was blessed in having friends meet me at the airport yesterday and taking me home so that I could have a good rest before coming back to the monastery and a rather heavy weekend when suffering from jetlag. Apart from waking up to drink water and take my medication, I rested in bed until gone 1pm, something quite unheard of for me and impossible in the monastery. The journey home was tiring and I’d had little rest in Peru with a full programme most days. I give thanks to God for the warmth and love of the Peruvian people, both in the monastery and outside. I apologise for not writing a proper message yesterday. ​​Whereas the Synoptic Gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke, contain parables that often begin like this, “The kingdom of heaven can be compared to….”, John‘s Gospel is not graced in the same way with parables. In John. we find a simpler, more direct way of saying things, as in today’s Gospel passage, (Jn 15: 1-8), where Jesus begins by saying, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that bears no fruit he cuts away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes to make it bear even more.” This is a metaphor, the simple way in which Jesus says complex and complicated things. He doesn’t say I am like a vine, but I am the true vine. This is yet another one of the famous I AM sayings in John. Jesus talks of his relationship with the Father and with his disciples or followers. Jesus is the vine, while the Father’s task is to tend the vine, cutting off branches that bear no fruit and pruning those that do. Either way, for the vine and for the branches, it is a painful process. You could say that Christ’s Passion and Death are that cutting away and pruning. If we, as the branches, are to bear much fruit, then we must accept a regular pruning, and if we bear no fruit, then we should expect to be cut away. However, we will be given chance after chance. Hence the importance of what he says next. “Make your home in me, as I make mine in you. As a branch cannot bear fruit all by itself, but must remain part of the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me.” Abide in me, remain in me, stay with me, be with me always, be united to me. As a branch alone cannot survive without the vine, neither can we have life and bear fruit if we are not one with Jesus. Just as he and the Father are one, so must we be one with him. This is more than a plea for unity, it’s a statement of what must be, if God’s will is to be fulfilled. ​​To hammer home his point, Jesus continues by saying, “I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me, with me in him, bears fruit in plenty; for cut off from me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me is like a branch that has been thrown away – he withers; these branches are collected and thrown on the fire, and they are burnt.” Jesus’ words are kind and inviting. He promises us an abundance of fruit, if we remain with him and abide in him. However, he never beats around the bush. The alternative is grim indeed and, sadly, many choose it. He is telling us straight: either you are with me or you can’t be part of me, you’re against me, but the choice is yours. You choose your own fate. He ends on a positive note, because both he and the Father want us to be true disciples and to bear much fruit. He says, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask what you will and you shall get it. It is to the glory of my Father that you should bear much fruit, and then you will be my disciples.” First of all, we are given the assurance that whatever we ask for in prayer will be given us, provided we abide in Jesus and keep his commandments, thereby syntonising with the will of God. Secondly, by the fruits we bear, we will give glory to God and become more truly Christ’s disciples. This is more than we can understand or believe. Not even in our wildest dreams could we believe this to be true, and yet they are the words of Jesus spoken at the Last Supper, that most solemn moment of his life here on earth with his disciples. If we take these words of Jesus to heart and live by them, then God will be with us always, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

I do apologise for the lack of a message today. I was travelling all day yesterday, sleeping for much of the time. The journey back from Peru was not without its complications. We left Lima two and a half hours behind schedule due to an incident on board that involved police, security and airport staff. This resulted in a very late arrival in Paris and a four minute mile dash through that vast airport to catch my connection. Miraculously, I made it and am still breathing, but my luggage didn’t. No doubt it will arrive by taxi on Monday. Normal service, I hope, will be restored tomorrow. This comes with my best wishes and prayers for a wonderful day. Fr Paul

Yesterday was my last day in Peru and I’m glad to say it went very well. After Terce I had a very productive meeting with the community and reassured them that the new abbot would have as much care and interest for our Peruvian foundation as I had. Lurin is very much part of Belmont and the English Congregation and we all look forward to the day it becomes an independent monastery in its own right. Packing was easy as I had practically nothing to bring back, as I usually go out with vast amounts of luggage for the brethren and come back empty handed other than for a few small presents, I’m sitting in one of the lounges at Lima Airport writing this message and will need to send it off before my flight leaves. A new runway and terminal are almost ready and Lima has become the busiest and most important hub in South America. You can catch a flight here for almost anywhere, apart from London! Let’s not kid ourselves: we’re not as important as we used to be! Today’s Gospel reading comes from John, (Jn 14: 1-6), one of the best known readings in the Bible. Jesus is speaking with his disciples during the Last Supper. “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God still, and trust in me. There are many rooms in my Father’s house; if there were not, I should have told you. I am now going to prepare a place for you, and after I have gone and prepared a place for you, I shall return to take you with me; so that where I am, you may be too. You know the way to the place where I am going.” Jesus wishes to assure his disciples of his love for them and of his desire to have them at his side for all eternity. However, Thomas finds the argument difficult to follow and says, “Lord, we do not know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” To this Jesus replies, “I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” This is as simple to understand as it is true. Jesus is the Way in that he teaches by example, but also gives us the means of walking with him on the way of truth that leads to life. Jesus is the Truth in that he teaches God’s truth, showing us the will of God and the commandment of God, the rule of love, but he is also the Truth in that he incarnates the truth he has learned from the Father and passes onto us. Jesus is the Life, for he is the Source of life, the Word through which all things were made and have their being. But, even more, by his Cross and Resurrection, he has restored us to life and opened for us the gates of eternal life. Hence, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God still and trust in me.”

Yesterday was my last full day in Peru and what a day it was. In addition to all the usual things we do every day in a monastery, the services and periods of reading and prayer, a full programme had been arranged for me. In the morning after Mass, a 20 minute car trip along the PanAmerican Highway to Punta Hermosa, an exclusive beach resort, which many people have now made their permanent home, to have breakfast with a dear friend of the monastic community and of the Cistercian nuns before us. Apart from the wonderful company of a deeply religious lady and retired diplomat, I have never been served such a splendid breakfast in my entire life. It was quite spectacular and included everything you could think of, yet all beautifully understated in its presentation. All this on a balcony overlooking the beach and ocean. In the afternoon I had the visit of a dear friend for a heart to heart. I served him lunch, but couldn’t bring myself to eat anymore after the breakfast I’d had. The monks had arranged early Vespers, so that a party could take place in my honour. This also involved our oblates and friends of the community, a professional singer with two guitarists and two young professional dancers. There was the most amazing programme of Peruvian music and dancing, plus songs and poems by the monks. As always in Peru, the noise was well above safety levels and my ears are still ringing. Will I ever hear properly again? There were speeches, food and drink in abundance and general dancing of the traditional Peruvian huayno from the Andes. So it’s really very late indeed as I sit to write these few words. I shall leave the Gospel commentary for today, if you don’t mind, as I need to get to bed. Tomorrow, i.e. today is going to be a very long day indeed.

Although yesterday began all cloudy and grey, with a touch of dampness in the air, it ended in glorious sunshine and blue skies. At 11 o’clock we had the solemn Mass for the First Profession of Br Miguel Rimarachin Pinedo, with a large number of guests: Br Miguel’s family from Cutervo, Cajamarca, oblates, friends of the monastery and people devoted to St Benedict. This was followed by the most delicious lunch prepared in our kitchens, served with chicha morada, a drink made with purple maize. There was a lot of animated conversation as old friendships were renewed and new friends made. I sat at a table with a very old friend, who many years’ ago had been the Peruvian Ambassador to the United Kingdom. Celebrating these important events and preaching, and simply being the host, I still find to be really exhausting if exhilarating, even after being Abbot for so long! An interesting fact, I am half way through my 24th year as Abbot, and Br Miguel recently celebrated his 24th birthday. One of the particular joys of this visit has been meeting up with my old servers from the parish of Tambogrande, where I served as parish priest from 1981 to 1986, probably, until now, the happiest years of my life. They are all now in their late 50s and early 60s, yet have retained my most incredible affection and respect for Fr Luke, Fr David and myself. They’re talking about organising a reunion next year. That would be amazing. Today is my last full day in Peru. How the days have flown by! Our Gospel passage comes from John, (Jn 12: 44-50), in which Jesus speaks openly of his relationship with the Father and of how his word ultimately derives from the Father. “Whoever believes in me believes not in me but in the one who sent me, and whoever sees me, sees the one who sent me.” In other words, to believe in Jesus is to believe in God and to look upon Jesus and truly see him is the see and know God the Father, for Christ and the Father are One, the one true God in the unity of the Holy Spirit. He continues, “I who am the light have come into the world, so that whoever believes in me need stay in the dark no longer.” To walk with Jesus is to walk in and with the light of grace, the dawn of salvation, the new life of the resurrection, the glorious beauty of the truth. Jesus then goes on to repeat the words he spoke to Nicodemus, “I have come not to condemn the world, but to save the world.” This means that anyone who rejects Jesus and the word of life he speaks, that comes from the Father, will be judged by the very word that is rejected. Nevertheless, the hope and prayer of Jesus is that all people will receive and believe in the word with open hearts, for it’s the word that leads to eternal life.

Today we keep the feast of St George, the warrior saint, who shed his blood for Christ, patron saint of England and of many other countries, towns, villages and churches throughout the Christian world, including in Peru. Today we will celebrate the First Profession of Br Miguel Rimarachin Pinedo, so a day of rejoicing for the monastic community in Lurin. Yesterday, among many other things, I visited our bishop, Mgr. Carlos Garcia Camader. We spent a couple of hours together talking about many aspects of Church life in Peru and England, sharing experiences and looking with hope to the future. Mgr. Carlos has been a great supporter of the monastery and holds the monks in high esteem. This is a very lively diocese, with an amazing pastoral and social outreach on a grand scale. It also has a thriving seminary with many good vocations. Mgr. Carlos asks for your prayers and ours. I’m running late today (Monday) and am feeling very tired, with a big day to get through, rejoicing I hasten to add, tomorrow (Tuesday). I’ll be very brief in looking at the Gospel reading from John, (Jn 10: 22-30). Jesus is in Jerusalem for the festival of Dedication and he’s walking up and down in the Portico of Solomon in the Temple. People are wondering aloud whether he is the Messiah or not. “If you are the Christ, tell us plainly,” they say. He replies that he has told them and has also given them many signs. What is lacking? They might not know him, but his sheep do and he gives them eternal life. This is the Father’s will. He ends by saying, “The Father and I are one.” What more can he say? If he and the Father are one, then who is he?