Memorial of Saint Maximilian Kobe, a priest martyr for love, who accepted death in the concentration camp of Auschwitz to save the life of another man in 1941. Lees meer
Memorial of Saint Maximilian Kobe, a priest martyr for love, who accepted death in the concentration camp of Auschwitz to save the life of another man in 1941.
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
Matthew 18,1-5.10.12-14
At this time the disciples came to Jesus and said, 'Who is the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven?' So he called a little child to him whom he set among them. Then he said, 'In truth I tell you, unless you change and become like little children you will never enter the kingdom of Heaven. And so, the one who makes himself as little as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven. 'Anyone who welcomes one little child like this in my name welcomes me. 'See that you never despise any of these little ones, for I tell you that theirin heaven are continually in the presence of my Father in heaven. 'Tell me. Suppose a man has a hundred sheep and one of them strays; will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hillside and go in search of the stray? In truth I tell you, if he finds it, it gives him more joy than do the ninety-nine that did not stray at all. Similarly, it is never the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Look down, O Lord, on your servants.
Be it unto us according to your word.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Jesus sets out for Jerusalem, where death and resurrection await him. The Evangelist notes that "at that time the disciples came to Jesus" and asked him: "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" Their question reveals how distant they are from their teacher. In the parallel passage in Mark (9:33-37) we see the same scene: it is a situation that repeats itself even among today's disciples. How often we forget about the Gospel because of our own worries or our obsession with being first! Jesus takes a child and places him "among them," at the centre of the scene, and turns to the disciples and says: "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." With these words begins the fourth, long sermon by Jesus to his disciples, a splendid reflection on the life of the Christian community. The beginning is already paradoxical: the disciple is not like an adult, a mature individual, as we tend to think, but a child, in need of help and nourishment, a son or a daughter. The disciple is a son or daughter who must remain as such, in need of help, care and being accompanied. Only those who consider themselves children first can be fathers in the community of believers. In the Kingdom of God, we always and in every way remain children. And Jesus warns the disciples not to scorn the little ones: their angels are always before God. That is to say that God protects them. In this line of thought, Jesus then tells the extraordinary parable of the lost sheep to explain exactly how God loves his children. He does the impossible so that not a single one of his little ones is lost. This concern should be more evident in our Christian communities: the salvation of our brothers and sisters should be our number one priority. In the past, it was said that the first duty of priests, but I would say of the entire Christian community, was the "salvation of souls." It ought to be so again today, because that is God's main concern.
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.
