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
Luke 18, 35-43
Now it happened that as he drew near to Jericho there was a blind man sitting at the side of the road begging.
When he heard the crowd going past he asked what it was all about,
and they told him that Jesus the Nazarene was passing by.
So he called out, 'Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me.'
The people in front scolded him and told him to keep quiet, but he only shouted all the louder, 'Son of David, have pity on me.'
Jesus stopped and ordered them to bring the man to him, and when he came up, asked him,
'What do you want me to do for you?' 'Sir,' he replied, 'let me see again.'
Jesus said to him, 'Receive your sight. Your faith has saved you.'
And instantly his sight returned and he followed him praising God, and all the people who saw it gave praise to God.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
The Son of Man came to serve,
whoever wants to be great
should become servant of all.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Jesus is about to arrive at the end of his journey. He is close to Jericho by now, the last city before Jerusalem. On the way there is a blind man begging for alms. Hearing the great commotion, he asks what is happening. They tell him that Jesus the Nazarene is passing by. The blind man needs someone to speak to him of Jesus because by himself he cannot see. We all need someone to communicate Jesus to us and speak to us of him, because we are focused on our world and ourselves, and are like blind men and women. That blind man, hearing the announcement of how close Jesus is, understands that he is different from the others who have passed by. He has heard many pass nearby, perhaps even leaving an offering and then continuing on their way! That day he understands that Jesus can heal him. Because of this he immediately begins to pray. It is a simple prayer, but genuine, because it comes from the need to regain his sight. "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" Unfortunately, as often happens even today, the crowd seeks to quiet him, perhaps so as not to bother the Teacher. But that blind man, who has intuited the goodness of that young prophet, cries out, or rather, prays, more strongly with the same words. We should not make up sophisticated or persuasive words when we turn to God as if He listens to us because of oratory skills. Jesus listens to that prayer because he feels it arises from a needy heart which has placed its trust in him. This is why he stops and has the man brought to him. Now they are face to face, one in front of the other. Jesus questions the blind man. The dialogue which ensues illustrates the centrality of the personal relationship which should be established between us and the Master. It is in this direct trust that the healing takes place. Jesus, as if to acknowledge his initiative, says to the blind man: "Receive your sight! Your faith has saved you!" That blind man begins to see and the first thing he sees - what a grace! is Jesus. It is an encounter which touches the blind man’s heart. He sees with the eyes of the heart too: he begins to follow Jesus. This blind man is truly the image of the perfect believer, of the one who recognizes his own blindness, prays with faith to the Lord, and lets himself be healed: he is an example for us all.
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
