Feast of the Saint Apostles Peter and Paul, martyrs in Rome around the years 60-70.
Remembrance of blessed Raymond Lull (1235-1316). A Catalan close to the spirit of Saint Francis, he loved the Muslims and promoted dialogue among believers.
Baca lebih lanjut
Feast of the Saint Apostles Peter and Paul, martyrs in Rome around the years 60-70.
Remembrance of blessed Raymond Lull (1235-1316). A Catalan close to the spirit of Saint Francis, he loved the Muslims and promoted dialogue among believers.
Reading of the Word of God
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
If we die with him, we shall live with him,
if with him we endure, with him we shall reign.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Matthew 16,13-19
When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi he put this question to his disciples, 'Who do people say the Son of man is?' And they said, 'Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.' 'But you,' he said, 'who do you say I am?' Then Simon Peter spoke up and said, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.' Jesus replied, 'Simon son of Jonah, you are a blessed man! Because it was no human agency that revealed this to you but my Father in heaven. So I now say to you: You are Peter and on this rock I will build my community. And the gates of the underworld can never overpower it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of Heaven: whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.'
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
If we die with him, we shall live with him,
if with him we endure, with him we shall reign.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Today we celebrate the feast of the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, a feast that accompanies the almost two-thousand-year story of the Church, in particular of the Roman Church, where they witnessed to their faith in the last years of their lives till martyrdom. Tradition wants it to have occurred for both on June 29, 67. The apostle Peter was crucified on the Vatican hill and Paul was beheaded on the Ostiense way. Their stories as believers were different but for both the encounter with Jesus meant the change of their name and story.
Jesus called Peter while he was mending his nets along the shores of the Sea of Galilee. He was a simple fisherman and yet felt the desire of a new world. As soon as Jesus called him to a greater life and to fish for people, not fish, he "immediately left his nets and followed him." We find him among the Twelve. Peter felt steady and certain of himself of this belonging. And yet, the true Peter - the disciple to whom Jesus entrusts his flock -is the one who is weak, who lets the Spirit of God touch him, and who is the first to proclaim, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God," as we read in the Gospel (Mt 16:16). The Lord made of Peter's weakness the "rock" of the spiritual building to which we all belong.
We see Paul as a young man standing near those who are stoning Stephen. He was guarding the cloaks of those who were casting the stones. He was a zealous combatant against the young Christian community, and asked to be authorized to persecute it beyond Jerusalem. But on the road to Damascus, the Lord threw him down from the horse of self-assuredness and pride. Finding himself face down in the dust, Paul raised his eyes to heaven and saw the Lord who told him: "Why do you persecute me?" Paul felt his heart touched. Tears did not flow from his eyes, but they were blinded. He allowed others to leaf him by hand to Damascus. There, after hearing the Gospel, he opened his eyes again and started preaching love for all, tearing down the walls of divisions: there was no more Jew or Greek, slave or freeperson. In today's feast the Church remembers them together, as if to hold both of their precious testimonies together in unity. With their different gifts and charisms, both marked one Church of Christ. Their characteristics are a part not only of the faith and life of the Christian community of Rome, but of the entire Church in the sense that the Catholic Church breaths with the spirit of these two witnesses: the humble and steadfast faith of Peter and the large and missionary heart of Paul. Today, when in the hearts of so many boundaries that separate us from one another are once again being drawn, their witness does not cease to preach that boundless love that alone can save our world from the sad drift of conflict into which it seems to be heading and from which the first to suffer are the poor. We need the strength of Peter's faith and the universality of Paul's faith to show everyone the way to salvation.
Doa merupakan jantung kehidupan Komunitas Sant'Egidio dan merupakan prioritas yang paling penting. Di penghujung hari, setiap Komunitas Sant'Egidio, besar maupun kecil, akan berkumpul di sekeliling Tuhan untuk mendengarkan sabda-Nya. Sesungguhnya Sabda Allah dan doa merupakan landasan seluruh kehidupan Komunitas. Para rasul tidak bisa tidak selain tetap di sekitar kaki Yesus, seperti yang dilakukan oleh Maria dari Bethani, untuk menerima kasih dan belajar cara-Nya (Fil. 2:5).
Sehingga setiap malam, ketika Komunitas kembali ke kaki Tuhan, Komunitas mengulangi kata-kata dari rasul tak bernama: "Tuhan ajarkanlah kami cara berdoa" Yesus, Sang Guru, terus menjawab: "Ketika kamu berdoa, katakanlah: Abba, Bapa". Hal itu bukanlah satu seruan sederhana. Dengan kata-kata ini, Yesus membiarkan para murid untuk berperan serta dalam hubungan mereka sendiri dengan Bapa. Oleh sebab itu, fakta bahwa sebagai anak-anak Bapa yang bertahta di surga, muncul sebelum kata-kata yang mungkin kita ucapkan. Jadi doa di atas segalanya merupakan cara untuk menjadi manusia. Ini untuk mengatakan bahwa kita anak-anak yang berpaling kepada Bapa dengan iman, dan yakin bahwa hal itu akan didengar.
Yesus mengajar kita memanggil Allah dengan sebutan "Bapa Kami" Tidak hanya "Bapa" atau "Bapaku" Para murid, meskipun mereka berdoa dengan cara mereka, tidak pernah terisolasi tidak juga menjadi yatim; mereka selalu menjadi anggota keluarga Tuhan.
Dalam doa bersama, di samping misteri anak Allah, ada juga misteri persaudaraan, seperti Bapa Gereja mengatakan: "Kamu tidak bisa memiliki Allah sebagai Bapa tanpa memiliki gereja sebagai ibu". Ketika berdoa bersama, Roh Kudus menyatukan para rasul di ruangan atas bersama dengan Maria, Bunda Allah, sehingga mereka dapat memusatkan pandangan mereka kepada wajah Tuhan dan belajar dari Dia rahasia hati-Nya.
Komunitas Sant'Egidio di seluruh dunia berkumpul bersama di berbagai tempat doa dan menghamparkan di hadapan Tuhan harapan dan penderitaan manusia yang lelah dan letih seperti yang di katakan oleh Injil (Mat. 9:37). Dalam kumpulan di masa lalu ini kita bisa melihat jumlah massa yang sangat besar di kota-kota modern ini, jutaan pengungsi yang terus melarikan diri dari negeri mereka, orang miskin yang terpinggirkan ke tepi kehidupan dan mereka yang menantikan seseorang yang akan merawat mereka. Berdoa bersama termasuk di dalamnya tangisan, seruan, permohonan, keinginan bagi damai, penyembuhan dan penebusan manusia di dunia ini. Doa tidak pernah sia-sia, doa terus menerus kepada Tuhan sehingga mengubah kecemasan menjadi harapan, air mata menjadi kegembiraan, putus asa menjadi kebahagiaan, dan kesepian menjadi persatuan. Semoga Kerajaan Allah hadir segera di antara manusia.
