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
Matthew 14, 13-21
When Jesus received this news he withdrew by boat to a lonely place where they could be by themselves. But the crowds heard of this and, leaving the towns, went after him on foot.
So as he stepped ashore he saw a large crowd; and he took pity on them and healed their sick.
When evening came, the disciples went to him and said, 'This is a lonely place, and time has slipped by; so send the people away, and they can go to the villages to buy themselves some food.'
Jesus replied, 'There is no need for them to go: give them something to eat yourselves.'
But they answered, 'All we have with us is five loaves and two fish.'
So he said, 'Bring them here to me.'
He gave orders that the people were to sit down on the grass; then he took the five loaves and the two fish, raised his eyes to heaven and said the blessing. And breaking the loaves he handed them to his disciples, who gave them to the crowds.
They all ate as much as they wanted, and they collected the scraps left over, twelve baskets full.
Now about five thousand men had eaten, to say nothing of women and children.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
The Son of Man came to serve,
whoever wants to be great
should become servant of all.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
The story of the multiplication of the loaves is told six times in the Gospels (twice in Matthew and Mark and once each in Luke and John). It had evidently made a great impression on the community of the first disciples, so much so that it is one of the few Gospel passages common to all four evangelists. We could say that it is one of the Gospel passages that epitomize Jesus’ mission. We are already struck at the beginning of the story by the tenderness and compassion shown by the prophet from Nazareth for the people who continue to follow him. This time, after he set off in a boat, they hurried to the other shore where he would land. And in fact, as soon as he comes ashore, Jesus sees a large crowd before him. It is made up of harried people, exhausted by their labours and in search of someone to take care of them. Jesus’ heart cannot help but be moved: he first heals the sick and then begins to speak. He speaks until evening, and everyone stays to listen. What the crowd really needed was not bread, but true words for their lives. This is why they spent the whole day listening to Jesus. Truly, “One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Nonetheless, the Lord knows that people do need bread to live. Indeed it is written, “Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink... but strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Mt 6:25-34). This is what happens in the story of the multiplication of the loaves. The disciples, thinking themselves more considerate than Jesus, interrupt him: “This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” This is a normal, almost thoughtful suggestion. But Jesus replied, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” The Lord knows that the disciples have very little on hand: barely five loaves and two fish. And yet they are to provide for the crowd’s needs without sending them away. The miracle begins here: from our weakness that is trustingly placed in the Lord’s hands. And it is transformed into wealth. Poverty becomes abundance. The miracle is performed by the Lord, but not without the disciples’ help. The Lord needs our hands, even if they are weak, and our resources, even if they are modest. He makes our weakness strong and enriches our poverty. This is the meaning of the twelve baskets that were left over: each disciple - each one of the twelve - is given one of the baskets so that he or she might feel the serious but sweet responsibility of distributing the bread that God’s mercy has multiplied in his or her hands.
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
