Memorial of the dedication of the Roman basilicas of Saint Peter's in the Vatican and Saint Paul's outside the walls Read more
Memorial of the dedication of the Roman basilicas of Saint Peter’s in the Vatican and Saint Paul’s outside the walls
Reading of the Word of God
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
The Spirit of the Lord is upon you.
The child you shall bear will be holy.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Luke 19, 1-10
He entered Jericho and was going through the town
and suddenly a man whose name was Zacchaeus made his appearance; he was one of the senior tax collectors and a wealthy man.
He kept trying to see which Jesus was, but he was too short and could not see him for the crowd;
so he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to catch a glimpse of Jesus who was to pass that way.
When Jesus reached the spot he looked up and spoke to him, 'Zacchaeus, come down. Hurry, because I am to stay at your house today.'
And he hurried down and welcomed him joyfully.
They all complained when they saw what was happening. 'He has gone to stay at a sinner's house,' they said.
But Zacchaeus stood his ground and said to the Lord, 'Look, sir, I am going to give half my property to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody I will pay him back four times the amount.'
And Jesus said to him, 'Today salvation has come to this house, because this man too is a son of Abraham;
for the Son of man has come to seek out and save what was lost.'
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Look down, O Lord, on your servants.
Be it unto us according to your word.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Jesus enters Jericho. Archaeologists say it is the most ancient city in the world, like a symbol of every city. Actually, Jericho is a decisive destination in “Jesus’ journey;” the last stop before Jerusalem. Situated on the border of Perea, it was a strategic point for the Roman authorities in Palestine. It was not difficult to find imperial officials, army men and tax collectors there. Jesus is not distracted when he enters the city; as we often are when we walk along the streets of our cities. He always pays attention to the people. He knows that everyone needs love and salvation. No one is a foreigner to his heart. He feels he is the shepherd of all. Only in the Gospel of Luke do we find the story of Zacchaeus, a tax collector, a noted sinner who nevertheless wanted to see Jesus. We could say that the evangelist wants to identify a sort of religious restlessness in the soul of that rich and sinful man. Zacchaeus, however, was small of stature. He was a little like us who are too close to the earth, too preoccupied with our material things, and walking looking down. Zacchaeus however had a spiritual restlessness that led him to climb a little higher for only then could he see Jesus. To do so, it is not enough just to make a slight adjustment, like standing on tip toe, but remaining where one is. To see Jesus we need to rise a little higher, to get out of the muffled confusion of the crowd, to go beyond the habits and customs in which we often get comfortable. If we remain with eyes focused of the hearth, we continue to be prisoners of ourselves and of the mentality of the world. Zacchaeus climbed a tree. This was enough. In fact, it was Jesus who saw him. If earlier Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus, then just the opposite happened. It was Jesus who raised his eyes and saw. Whoever seeks the Lordno matter how or where they are mthat person has already been found by Him. The entire spiritual tradition of the Church confirms that we would not seek Jesus if we had not already been found. Jesus, passing under the sycamore tree, raised his eyes, saw Zacchaeus and called him by name: he invited him to come down and asked him to host him in his house. This time the rich man did not go away sad; just the opposite, he came down in a hurry and welcomed Jesus in his house. After this encounter with Jesus, Zacchaeus was not as before: he was happy, had a new heart and was more generous. In fact, he decided to give half of his goods to the poor. He did not say, “I give all that I have.” Half was sufficient. Everyone, in fact, must find his and her measure. What counts is to follow the Lord. The story of Zacchaeus invites each of us to welcome the Lord and find our own measure in 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
