Anniversary of the inauguration of the pastoral ministry Benedict XVI. Read more
Anniversary of the inauguration of the pastoral ministry Benedict XVI.
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
Titus 1, 10-16
And in fact there are many people who are insubordinate, who talk nonsense and try to make others believe it, particularly among those of the circumcision.
They must be silenced: people of this kind upset whole families, by teaching things that they ought not to, and doing it for the sake of sordid gain.
It was one of themselves, one of their own prophets, who said, 'Cretans were never anything but liars, dangerous animals, all greed and laziness';
and that is a true statement. So be severe in correcting them, and make them sound in the faith
so that they stop taking notice of Jewish myths and the orders of people who turn away from the truth.
To those who are pure themselves, everything is pure; but to those who have been corrupted and lack faith, nothing can be pure -- the corruption is both in their minds and in their consciences.
They claim to know God but by their works they deny him; they are outrageously rebellious and quite untrustworthy for any good work.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
The Son of Man came to serve,
whoever wants to be great
should become servant of all.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Paul knows that there are some in Crete who are putting the unity of the community at risk with their personal visions. Even though these people are part of the community, they oppose its doctrine and established rules. The apostle calls them "idle talkers" because their words are empty chatter; nonetheless they are dangerous "deceivers" because they corrupt the believers by pretending to have greater understanding and a more ascetic life. Paul asks Titus not let them speak in the assembly because their goal is not the edification of the community but their own personal advantage. Their work is based on the evil tradition of the Cretans who let themselves be swept away by their capacity for falsehood, brutality, and laziness. Paul, who has had personal experience with these people, warns Titus that he has to resist this tendency towards error and keep the Christians "sound in the faith." Only "sound teaching" (1 Tim 1:10) can guarantee a good life. The "Jewish myths" to which Paul refers are perhaps the Gnostic-leaning doctrines related to Jewish precepts about purification and food. Repeating the teaching of the Gospel, the apostle affirms that "to the pure all things are pure" (Mk 7:14). Whoever has a pure heart and mind sees nothing evil in creation, because "everything created by God is good" (1 Tim 4:4). But when someone’s mind and heart are contaminated by pride and a spirit of violence, their entire lives are infected. The true wise person is the disciple who listens to the Word of God and tries to put it into practice. Whoever boasts about knowing God but does not listen to the Gospel and denies it with his or her actions, is far from salvation.
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
