Reading of the Word of God
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
This is the Gospel of the poor,
liberation for the imprisoned,
sight for the blind,
freedom for the oppressed.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Matthew 17,21-26
When they were together in Galilee, Jesus said to them, 'The Son of man is going to be delivered into the power of men;
they will put him to death, and on the third day he will be raised up again.' And a great sadness came over them.
When they reached Capernaum, the collectors of the half-shekel came to Peter and said, 'Does your master not pay the half-shekel?'
'Yes,' he replied, and went into the house. But before he could speak, Jesus said, 'Simon, what is your opinion? From whom do earthly kings take toll or tribute? From their sons or from foreigners?'
And when he replied, 'From foreigners,' Jesus said, 'Well then, the sons are exempt.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
The Son of Man came to serve,
whoever wants to be great
should become servant of all.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
While Jesus and the disciples are returning to Capernaum, some tax collectors approach Peter to find out whether Jesus intends to pay the temple tax. This is not a tribute to Caesar, but the contribution every Israelite is required to make to provide for the operation of the temple. Even though he is "greater than the temple" (12:6), Jesus does not try to avoid this responsibility. He orders Peter to go catch a fish and take the silver coin needed for the temple from the mouth of the fish he hooks. He did not want to cause a scandal, and, as on other occasions, Jesus does not claim rights and privileges that could have been considered his due. He wants to edify the people, not scandalize them. This is why he acts differently than what might seem logical for him. His primary concern is still to gather and keep the people whom the Father has entrusted to him. The scrupulous attention Jesus gives to avoiding scandal, especially towards the least, should always inform the disciples’ way of speaking and acting. This wisdom requires great interior discipline, especially from those who have pastoral responsibilities, because everyone is more inclined to act impulsively and without reflecting. The Lord continues to show us that true wisdom is to build up the spiritual temple of the Christian community.
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
