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
Mark 8, 11-13
The Pharisees came up and started a discussion with him; they demanded of him a sign from heaven, to put him to the test.
And with a profound sigh he said, 'Why does this generation demand a sign? In truth I tell you, no sign shall be given to this generation.'
And, leaving them again, he re-embarked and went away to the other side.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
The Son of Man came to serve,
whoever wants to be great
should become servant of all.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
The evangelist Mark continues to make us follow Jesus, who is back in Jewish territory, in his homeland. And, paradoxically, now the scene changes. The Pharisees approach him, not like the poor and the weak who seek him for help. They, instead, secure in their position, want to fight him. They ask for a sign that may confirm unequivocally his claims and the works that he continues to perform. It is really paradoxical: they see the miracles, they hear words of love, but their mind does not understand. The reason is clear: their hearts are hardened. For this reason, even though they have eyes, they do not see the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves, they do not recognize the healing of the sick, and they do not understand his words of mercy. What more did they want? In truth, all those signs lead directly toward the recognition of the one true “sign”, Jesus himself. But they do not accept that such a good man is the Messiah who saves. They do not receive his words and his Gospel in their heart. The preaching and the miracles that bring the weak and the poor to Jesus, carry the Pharisees away from him. Their eyes were satisfied from their practices and their observances, and they could not see with the eyes of the heart the signs of love he was performing in front of them. It is a risk that even the disciples of Jesus can run whenever they become satisfied by their condition and their religious practices. It is also the risk of our communities, when they close in on themselves, when they are content with the things they do without looking at the wounds of the poor, of the many who are on our doorstep and whom we do not always see. Many were around Jesus, many were healed by him, but we can be blind when we are used to looking only at ourselves and when we live in our own little world, which becomes a justification both of our actions and of our habits. It is not enough to feel good and just. The Gospel, which every day always questions the self-sufficiency and security of our generation, is the sign that we are given of the presence of the Lord in our lives. Before the Gospel we are called to ask ourselves to recognize Jesus as the ultimate sign of the life and love that come from the Father.
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
