Homily for Sunday 33C, 16 November 2025: Luke 21:5-19

According to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, in Jerusalem in the days immediately preceding his Passion, our Lord spoke about terrible things to come. This is often referred to as his Eschatological Discourse. We always hear some part of it read at Mass at this time of year. The language our Lord used here was that of Jewish prophecy, and of inter-testamental Jewish apocalyptic. So sometimes it’s not easy to be sure, in any particular place, whether he’s being poetic or literal.

Ezk 47:1-2,8-9,12; 1 Cor 3:9c-11,16-17; Jn 2:13-22

Chapter 10 of St. John’s Gospel records the presence of Our Lord in the Jerusalem Temple during its solemn Dedication Feast (10:22). That annual celebration had been decreed by Judas Maccabeus, following his purification of the Temple in 164 B.C., after its pollution by the wicked King Antiochus Epiphanes. Jewish congregations also celebrated that Dedication feast in the synagogues of the diaspora.

Haggai 1:15-2:9; 1 Peter 2:4-9; John 2:13-22: 5 November 2025

Ten years ago today our former Abbot and current Bishop Hugh consecrated, or re-dedicated our Abbey Church. The memory of that great event remains fresh in the mind of many of us: so rich and glorious was the liturgy; so fraught with multi-layered symbolism.

If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, “Be uprooted and planted in the sea”, and it would obey you.

We have this saying of Our Lord in slightly different forms twice in the Gospel of St. Matthew, and also once in the Gospel of St. Mark. According to Matthew, our Lord twice says that faith will be able to move a mountain. We can tell a mountain to move from here to there, and it will move

Daniel 3:29-31; Amos 6:1-7; Luke 16:19-31

Omnia quae fecisti nobis Domine, in vero iudicio fecisti – All that you have done to us, O Lord, you have done with righteous judgement…

As usual we entered Mass today with words from the Old Testament. The text for this week’s Introit Chant is taken from the Prophet Daniel, according to its Greek version, somewhat freely adapted.

The quarterly magazine which generally includes a letter from Fr Abbot, a diary of recent activity at the Abbey, book reviews and articles by monks, oblates or visitors.