Memorial of Zechariah and of Elizabeth, who in her old age conceived John the Baptist Read more
Memorial of Zechariah and of Elizabeth, who in her old age conceived John the Baptist
Reading of the Word of God
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
You are a chosen race,
a royal priesthood, a holy nation,
a people acquired by God
to proclaim his marvellous works.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Luke 14, 25-33
Great crowds accompanied him on his way and he turned and spoke to them.
'Anyone who comes to me without hating father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, yes and his own life too, cannot be my disciple.
No one who does not carry his cross and come after me can be my disciple.
'And indeed, which of you here, intending to build a tower, would not first sit down and work out the cost to see if he had enough to complete it?
Otherwise, if he laid the foundation and then found himself unable to finish the work, anyone who saw it would start making fun of him and saying,
"Here is someone who started to build and was unable to finish."
Or again, what king marching to war against another king would not first sit down and consider whether with ten thousand men he could stand up to the other who was advancing against him with twenty thousand?
If not, then while the other king was still a long way off, he would send envoys to sue for peace.
So in the same way, none of you can be my disciple without giving up all that he owns.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
You will be holy,
because I am holy, thus says the Lord.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
After a long pause at the house of the head of the Pharisees, Jesus continues on his way to Jerusalem. The evangelist notes that a large crowd followed him. Their enthusiasm is surprising, understandably. How could one not be fascinated by a man who was so good, who sought in any way possible to console and comfort all, particularly those with problems or in need of healing? Before the great crowd that followed him, Jesus felt the need to clarify what it means to follow, to be his disciple. He had previously spoken about this when he said: “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves...” (Lk 9:23). By repeating this, Jesus is showing the importance he attributes to the choice to follow him. Jesus demands an exclusive bond that is stronger than the one among family members. The evangelist Luke makes a long list of people who should not be loved more than Jesus. The list may sound strange, but in this way Jesus is underlining the exclusivity of the love he requires. It must be absolutely clear that the choice to follow Jesus must come before every affection, before everything of this world. It is not an exaggeration and far less a whim, as we often make or pretend. Here, it deals with the highest choice that a human being is called to make. And it is in this context that the word “hate” must be understood: Jesus means it in the sense of not preferring anyone else to him. Undoubtedly, it is a radical choice, and as such requires cuts and divisions from so many bad instincts and evil thoughts that are in the heart of everyone. Exclusive love for Jesus is the foundation of the life of a disciple. “To take up the cross” is equivalent to being ready for death. What Jesus asks of his disciples he has above all asked of himself. If he claims an exclusive love even unto death, it is because he loves us even unto death, death upon a cross. Jesus took the cross of love for us upon his shoulders. It is impossible to understand the Gospel without understanding the great love with which Jesus loves us. If it was true for Jesus, it is also for us. Without this love that leads to death, as so many martyrs of yesterday and today demonstrate, life is not settled; indeed it is like building a tower without a foundation or undertaking a battle without an adequate army. The claim of a radical love constitutes the substance of the Gospel as well the life of a disciple. Facing a waiting world, disciples are responsible for this kind of love
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
