Memorial of the death of Gandhi. With him we remember all those who, in the name of non-violence, are peacemakers Read more
Memorial of the death of Gandhi. With him we remember all those who, in the name of non-violence, are peacemakers
Reading of the Word of God
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
I am the good shepherd,
my sheep listen to my voice,
and they become
one flock and one fold.
.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Mark 4, 21-25
He also said to them, 'Is a lamp brought in to be put under a tub or under the bed? Surely to be put on the lamp-stand?
For there is nothing hidden, but it must be disclosed, nothing kept secret except to be brought to light.
Anyone who has ears for listening should listen!'
He also said to them, 'Take notice of what you are hearing. The standard you use will be used for you -- and you will receive more besides;
anyone who has, will be given more; anyone who has not, will be deprived even of what he has.'
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
I give you a new commandment,
that you love one another.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
After sharing with the apostles and some disciples that he had entrusted to them the mystery of the kingdom of God, Jesus adds that this mystery should not be kept hidden; they should not keep it for themselves, as if they were a group of elected people who should bask in this privilege. Of course, they had to penetrate and comprehend it with all the commitment of their intelligence. But the mystery was for all men and women. They were to manifest it to all, spread it widely to the ends of the earth. Moreover, it is what Jesus himself did first. Since he left Nazareth and began his public preaching, he does not cease walking the streets and squares of Galilee to communicate to all the nearness of the kingdom of God, that is the Father’s love for all and particularly for the poor. Truly the light that was coming into the world - as it is written in the prologue of John’s Gospel - is no longer “under a bushel basket,” but it is on the lamp stand. And the crowds became aware of it to the point that they all flocked to him to be enlightened, to receive a light that illuminates the darkness of an often sad and difficult life. The image of the light that exists to enlighten others, not itself, describes well the life of Jesus. He who is the true light that enlightens every man and woman did not come for himself; he did not incarnate to realize himself, nor to assert his own personal project. Jesus came on earth to enlighten the footsteps of human beings towards salvation; he came so that all, listening to his words, can walk the streets of life until reaching the sky. The disciples, whom he continues to call over the centuries, from generation to generation, are invited to do the same: that is not to hide the light of the Gospel they have received or to have narrow measures in its communication to the world. Jesus warns, “The measure you give will be the measure you get.” It is the invitation to have a broad and merciful heart, like that of the Father who is in heaven. And the generosity of God was extensive with us: he gave us his own Son so that we welcome him and make him known to others. With a similar generosity we will be judged. Jesus explains to his disciples, “For to those who have, more will be given; and from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away.” Love and generosity, according to the Gospel of Jesus, cannot stand restrictions and boundaries: the believer’s heart is universal and open to 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
