Memorial of Lazarus of Bethany. Prayer for all those who are gravely ill and for the dying. Memorial of those who have died of AIDS Read more
Memorial of Lazarus of Bethany. Prayer for all those who are gravely ill and for the dying. Memorial of those who have died of AIDS
Reading of the Word of God
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
The Spirit of the Lord is upon you.
The child you shall bear will be holy.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Matthew 21, 28-32
'What is your opinion? A man had two sons. He went and said to the first, "My boy, go and work in the vineyard today."
He answered, "I will not go," but afterwards thought better of it and went.
The man then went and said the same thing to the second who answered, "Certainly, sir," but did not go.
Which of the two did the father's will?' They said, 'The first.' Jesus said to them, 'In truth I tell you, tax collectors and prostitutes are making their way into the kingdom of God before you.
For John came to you, showing the way of uprightness, but you did not believe him, and yet the tax collectors and prostitutes did. Even after seeing that, you refused to think better of it and believe in him.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Look down, O Lord, on your servants.
Be it unto us according to your word.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
The parable that we have heard is unique to Matthew. Immediately after having his authority questioned by the high priests, the Lord proclaims the parable of the father which sends his two sons to work in the vineyard. The second one says “yes” but then does not go, while the first son does the exact opposite. And Jesus concludes that it is obviously the first son and not the second who fulfils the father’s will. In fact, the first had said “no,” but then repented and went to the vineyard. Who knows, maybe the pained face of his father came back to his mind because of the stupidity of his response, or maybe he understood the deplorable state to which the vineyard was reduced. The conclusion is his repentance for his first response and the decision to obey the father. Repentancein the Bible it is emphasized many timeserases a great number of sins. It is not bad to not want to do it; it is bad to continue to say “no.” It is not bad to feel the bite of one’s selfishness; it is bad to allow oneself to be dominated by it. This gospel parable exposes the juxtaposition between “saying” and “doing” which often characterizes our way of behaving. It is a juxtaposition that divides people, as if on one side there are those that do and on the other, those that say. A little ahead Jesus will make obvious the “cancer” of the Pharisaic doctrine and piety exactly in the contrast between saying and doing: “...Therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practise what they teach” (23:3). This is the worst danger in serving God and people. The words of the Gospel push us to examine our lives well. And maybe we realize that this parable regards each of us. How often do we love only in word? How often do we fill our mouths with talk, but then our days are empty of commitment and attention? How often are we ready to accuse others for their bad behaviour while we are more than indulgent with ourselves? The Lord reminds us that what matters is behaviour, or rather that what counts is to really love, to be merciful in deeds, to be friends and truly in solidarity with the poor. It is not those who make great speeches to be saved but rather those who do good works. Jesus said it at the beginning of his preaching: “Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord”, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only one who does the will of my Father in heaven” (Mt 7:21). Faith does not consist mostly in pronouncing correct formulas, but in putting the Gospel of love into practice, and with everyone, even with enemies. Today the world does not need a lot of words but rather men and women that know how to show with their lives the truth and beauty of the Gospel of love. Jesus did it first: he left the heavens and came to the earth and became a child to be strong only in the love of the Father.
Prayer is the heart of the life of the Community of Sant'Egidio and is its absolute priority. At the end of the day, every the Community of Sant'Egidio, large or small, gathers around the Lord to listen to his Word. The Word of God and the prayer are, in fact, the very basis of the whole life of the Community. The disciples cannot do other than remain at the feet of Jesus, as did Mary of Bethany, to receive his love and learn his ways (Phil. 2:5).
So every evening, when the Community returns to the feet of the Lord, it repeats the words of the anonymous disciple: " Lord, teach us how to pray". Jesus, Master of prayer, continues to answer: "When you pray, say: Abba, Father". It is not a simple exhortation, it is much more. With these words Jesus lets the disciples participate in his own relationship with the Father. Therefore in prayer, the fact of being children of the Father who is in heaven, comes before the words we may say. So praying is above all a way of being! That is to say we are children who turn with faith to the Father, certain that they will be heard.
Jesus teaches us to call God "Our Father". And not simply "Father" or "My Father". Disciples, even when they pray on their own, are never isolated nor they are orphans; they are always members of the Lord's family.
In praying together, beside the mystery of being children of God, there is also the mystery of brotherhood, as the Father of the Church said: "You cannot have God as father without having the church as mother". When praying together, the Holy Spirit assembles the disciples in the upper room together with Mary, the Lord's mother, so that they may direct their gaze towards the Lord's face and learn from Him the secret of his Heart.
The Communities of Sant'Egidio all over the world gather in the various places of prayer and lay before the Lord the hopes and the sufferings of the tired, exhausted crowds of which the Gospel speaks ( Mat. 9: 3-7 ), In these ancient crowds we can see the huge masses of the modern cities, the millions of refugees who continue to flee their countries, the poor, relegated to the very fringe of life and all those who are waiting for someone to take care of them. Praying together includes the cry, the invocation, the aspiration, the desire for peace, the healing and salvation of the men and women of this world. Prayer is never in vain; it rises ceaselessly to the Lord so that anguish is turned into hope, tears into joy, despair into happiness, and solitude into communion. May the Kingdom of God come soon among people!
For the sick, in memory of the dead, for peace
