Memory of Nunzia, a mentally disabled woman who died in Naples; with her we remember all the mentally disabled people who have fallen asleep in the Lord. Read more
Memory of Nunzia, a mentally disabled woman who died in Naples; with her we remember all the mentally disabled people who have fallen asleep in the Lord.
Reading of the Word of God
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Whoever lives and believes in me
will never die.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Matthew 14, 1-12
At that time Herod the tetrarch heard about the reputation of Jesus
and said to his court, 'This is John the Baptist himself; he has risen from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.'
Now it was Herod who had arrested John, chained him up and put him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife.
For John had told him, 'It is against the Law for you to have her.'
He had wanted to kill him but was afraid of the people, who regarded John as a prophet.
Then, during the celebrations for Herod's birthday, the daughter of Herodias danced before the company and so delighted Herod
that he promised on oath to give her anything she asked.
Prompted by her mother she said, 'Give me John the Baptist's head, here, on a dish.'
The king was distressed but, thinking of the oaths he had sworn and of his guests, he ordered it to be given her,
and sent and had John beheaded in the prison.
The head was brought in on a dish and given to the girl, who took it to her mother.
John's disciples came and took the body and buried it; then they went off to tell Jesus.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
If you believe, you will see the glory of God,
thus says the Lord.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Tetrarch Herod belongs to the same royal dynasty as the Herod of Jesus’ childhood and feared that Jesus was John the Baptist raised from the dead. Once again the Herod of the time is afraid of loosing his power. His predecessor feared the news that the Magi brought to him, news that the Scriptures confirmed. The Word of God never leaves status quo intact. It asks for a change in one’s life, in one’s behaviour and ways of thinking. At the time of Jesus’ infancy, Herod, in order to keep his power, orders the cruel massacre of the innocent children. Defending onself easily leads to eliminating whoever one sees as an adversary. Hence Jesus asks that we cut out every negative thought from its root: if it is left to grow, it can end up eliminating the other. Even this Herod, the son of the other, is swept up in the vortex of violence. Undoubtedly the clarity of John’s words when he reproached him for his evil conduct affected the tetrarch He therefore imprisoned him thinking that this way he would never have to listen to his voice again. He did not want to kill him, however. But because of Salome’s insistence and his pride, Herod ended up doing what he did not want to do. He had the prophet beheaded. It seems that on a whim the prophetic word, which brings renewal and healing to many, can be silenced. But is it not like this today, when we allow ourselves to follow our whims and not listen anymore? Jesus learned of Baptist’s death with bitterness. It clearly warned him about the danger of prophesying. But Jesus did not stop, even if continuing to preach love would bring him to the cross. This is the path of witnessing all the way to the end. The millions of martyrs of the 20th century exemplify the witness to the Gospel that we should cherish with great care and admiration.
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
