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 5, 33-36
You sent messengers to John, and he gave his testimony to the truth-
not that I depend on human testimony; no, it is for your salvation that I mention it.
John was a lamp lit and shining and for a time you were content to enjoy the light that he gave.
But my testimony is greater than John's: the deeds my Father has given me to perform, these same deeds of mine testify that the Father has sent me.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
The Son of Man came to serve,
whoever wants to be great
should become servant of all.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
In this time of preparation for Christmas the Gospel continues to make us contemplate the figure of the Baptist. Today, through John the evangelist, we are given the words that Jesus said to the crowd while he taught in the temple. Jesus reminded them that they themselves had sent messengers from John while “he testified to the truth” (Jn 1:19-34). The austere prophet had risen to prepare the way for the Messiah. He was not the light, rather he who had to give witness to the light that was coming to illuminate the world, that is Jesus, as we read in the prologue to the fourth Gospel (Jn 1:8). Jesus wants to highlight that John’s witness was important. It is sufficient to think, we could add, that two of his disciples on hearing him say that Jesus “was the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world” (Jn 1:29) chose to leave him to follow the young prophet of Nazareth. But Jesus claims that there is a witness in his favour that is a lot greater than the Baptist. It is the witness that comes from the Father himself in heaven. Jesus invites the people to reflect on the works he has undertaken: it is the Father that has commanded him to fulfil them. It is a theme that returns often in the fourth Gospel. For example, during his sermon to the temple, during the feast of the Dedication, Jesus says to the crowd, “The works that I do in my Father’s name testify to me” (Jn 10:25); and in the last supper with the disciples, “Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves” (Jn 14:11). Jesus’ mission is not one of personal self-centeredness, but of a mission received from on high that he must bring to completion. It is on this wavelength that the disciples of Jesus and his Church rest. We have not been called to exalt ourselves or to fulfil our personal projects. The mission of the disciple and of the entire church community is to fulfil the works of the Father. The Gospel warns us against a religious individualism made of practices and rites that make us feel right with our conscience. It is a typical pharisaic attitude. It is good to watch our self-centeredness carefully. Better still, it is a good rule to fear it because it makes us always put ourselves first, even in matters of faith. The work of the Father is one and we are all called to welcome it in our hearts and to commit ourselves to fulfil it: to help men and women of this world to know and to love Jesus. This is the way that saves us from the slavery of sin and even from death.
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
