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
John 14, 21-26
Whoever holds to my commandments and keeps them is the one who loves me; and whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I shall love him and reveal myself to him.'
Judas -- not Judas Iscariot -- said to him, 'Lord, what has happened, that you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?'
Jesus replied: Anyone who loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we shall come to him and make a home in him.
Anyone who does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not my own: it is the word of the Father who sent me.
I have said these things to you while still with you;
but the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all I have said to you.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
The Son of Man came to serve,
whoever wants to be great
should become servant of all.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
The Gospel passage that we heard continues Jesus’ farewell speech to disciples during the last supper. He is about to leave them, but his love needs not to stop. He says to them: "They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me." This seems obvious: following anyone’s teachings, in general, is a sign of respect and appreciation. Jesus stresses, however, that living the Gospel requires more than just formal respect; it requires diving into it with one’s whole life. And this requires love. The Gospel is not one among many ideologies that influence people’s behaviour at one time or another; it is love itself. To be sure, Gospel love is not only the motive for observing Jesus’ commandments; it is the very substance of his commandments. Being Christian, therefore, does not mean belonging to a particular society or culture, but binding our life, wherever we are, to Jesus. The author of the Book of Wisdom already noted this: "Wisdom is easily discerned by those who love her, and is found by those who seek her. The love of her is the keeping of her laws" (6:12.18). Jesus continues, saying that love also attracts the heart of the Father who is in heaven and who will manifest himself to whomever loves him. Each believer is called to live this spiritual experience. Judas asks him to reveal himself to everyone in a showy way. Poor Judas who still reasons within the commonly held messianic categories! Jesus does not respond directly to Judas’ question, but takes the occasion to clarify what it will mean to see him after the resurrection. Love will move the disciples to put the Gospel in practice and they will become the dwelling place of Jesus and the Father: "Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them." Without love the Gospel will be nothing more than a mute word and we will find ourselves alone with ourselves, distant from God, and prey to evil. Jesus warns his disciples about this risk and promises them the Advocate, who the Father will infuse in their hearts. The Holy Spirit will accompany the disciples throughout history, teaching them everything and reminding them of Jesus’ wordsthe precious legacy to pass from generation to generation. Through the workings of the Spirit who always helps us to understand the Gospel more profoundly, the Lord continues to be present in our midst working for the good of humanity.
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
