Reading of the Word of God
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Whoever lives and believes in me
will never die.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Matthew 6,24-34
'No one can be the slave of two masters: he will either hate the first and love the second, or be attached to the first and despise the second. You cannot be the slave both of God and of money. 'That is why I am telling you not to worry about your life and what you are to eat, nor about your body and what you are to wear. Surely life is more than food, and the body more than clothing! Look at the birds in the sky. They do not sow or reap or gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they are? Can any of you, however much you worry, add one single cubit to your span of life? And why worry about clothing? Think of the flowers growing in the fields; they never have to work or spin; yet I assure you that not even Solomon in all his royal robes was clothed like one of these. Now if that is how God clothes the wild flowers growing in the field which are there today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow, will he not much more look after you, you who have so little faith? So do not worry; do not say, "What are we to eat? What are we to drink? What are we to wear?" It is the gentiles who set their hearts on all these things. Your heavenly Father knows you need them all. Set your hearts on his kingdom first, and on God's saving justice, and all these other things will be given you as well. So do not worry about tomorrow: tomorrow will take care of itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.'
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
If you believe, you will see the glory of God,
thus says the Lord.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
"You cannot serve God and riches," says Jesus to his disciples. This is a warning for all of us. Jesus personifies riches (the term "mammon" is the Greek form of the Aramaic "mammona" which means riches) saying that they behave like an absolute master which leaves no escape. Riches are truly a dictator even if they do not have a face, or obviously, a soul. An implacable dictatorship steals the soul of those who are subject to it, and is the origin of conflicts, disorder, hatreds and wars which still today continue to make life bitter for men and women. Even God, in a certain sense, is a master who does not allow rivals. The Lord is love and asks a free response from us. Jesus knows that if the soul binds itself to God it will grow in love, in justice and in the commitment to fight for the freedom and progress of allno one excluded, starting from the poorest. For this reason, it is not possible to serve God and riches at the same time, the Gospel and money. The heart cannot be divided. God calls us to an exclusive love and He lives this call in the relationship with men and women. He is a jealous God, but not just for himself; he is jealous also for ushe does not accept our being devoured by evil. For this reason, he came down to free Israel from slavery, and with an even stronger love, He sent His son to free us from sin and death. So, to trust in the Lord means being free from the slavery of things, knowing that he will not leave us lack for anything. Often, we busy ourselves with things of this earthfor "what you will eat or drink... for your body, what you will wear." We get possessed by these things. The difficulties of work, of a just and deserved compensation often transform into anxiety for us and for those who are close to us. The Lord does not invite people to be idle. "If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat" writes the apostle Paul. But it is necessary to remain free from every excess of anxiety in full faith that the Lord God knows our lives and desires good for us. And good does not at all mean a quantity of goods. The Lord is a true Father who takes care of His children and provides for their necessities. And if many remain hungry and naked it is because others do not seek the kingdom of God and its justice, but only their own advantage. The true worry for the disciples, says Jesus, must be that of the Kingdom, that is, the communication of the Gospel, the edification of the community and service to the poor. The disciple that seeks this "justice," which is that of the Kingdom, is sustained and defended by the Lord throughout life.
Het gebed is het hart van het leven van de Gemeenschap van Sant’Egidio. Het is haar eerste “werk”. Aan het einde van de dag komt elke Gemeenschap, of die nu klein of groot is, samen bij de Heer om het Woord te beluisteren en zich tot Hem te richten in het gebed. De leerlingen kunnen niet anders dan aan de voeten van Jezus zitten, zoals Maria van Bethanië, om het “betere deel” te kiezen (Lc 10, 42) en van Hem zijn gezindheid te leren (vgl. Fil 2, 5).
Elke keer dat de Gemeenschap zich tot de Heer richt, maakt ze zich die vraag eigen van de anonieme leerling: “Heer, leer ons bidden!” (Lc 11, 1). En Jezus, meester in het gebed, antwoordt: “Wanneer jullie bidden, zeg dan: Abba, Vader”.
Wanneer we bidden, ook in de geslotenheid van ons eigen hart, zijn we nooit alleen of verweesd. Integendeel, we zijn leden van de familie van de Heer. In het gemeenschappelijk gebed wordt naast het mysterie van het kindschap, ook dat van de broederschap en zusterschap duidelijk.
De Gemeenschappen van Sant’Egidio, verspreid over de wereld, verzamelen zich op de verschillende plaatsen die gekozen zijn voor het gebed en brengen de hoop en het verdriet van de “uitgeputte en hulpeloze mensenmenigte” waarover het Evangelie spreekt (Mt 9, 37) bij de Heer. Deze oude menigte omvat de inwoners van onze hedendaagse steden, de armen die zich bevinden in de marge van het leven, en iedereen die wacht om als dagloner te worden aangenomen (vgl. Mt 20).
Het gemeenschappelijk gebed verzamelt de schreeuw, de hoop, het verlangen naar vrede, genezing, zin en redding, die beleefd worden door de mannen en vrouwen van deze wereld. Het gebed is nooit leeg. Het stijgt onophoudelijk op naar de Heer opdat verdriet verandert in vreugde, wanhoop in blijheid, angst in hoop, eenzaamheid in gemeenschap. En het rijk Gods zal spoedig temidden van de mensen komen.
