Reading of the Word of God
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Whoever lives and believes in me
will never die.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Matthew 23,1-12
Then addressing the crowds and his disciples Jesus said, 'The scribes and the Pharisees occupy the chair of Moses. You must therefore do and observe what they tell you; but do not be guided by what they do, since they do not practise what they preach. They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on people's shoulders, but will they lift a finger to move them? Not they! Everything they do is done to attract attention, like wearing broader headbands and longer tassels, like wanting to take the place of honour at banquets and the front seats in the synagogues, being greeted respectfully in the market squares and having people call them Rabbi. 'You, however, must not allow yourselves to be called Rabbi, since you have only one Master, and you are all brothers. You must call no one on earth your father, since you have only one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor must you allow yourselves to be called teachers, for you have only one Teacher, the Christ. The greatest among you must be your servant. Anyone who raises himself up will be humbled, and anyone who humbles himself will be raised up.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
If you believe, you will see the glory of God,
thus says the Lord.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Jesus is in the temple and preaches his last discourse to the crowds. On the one hand Jesus violently attacks the "scribes and Pharisees," and on the other he urges the crowds not to let themselves be tricked by their teaching. He presents himself as their true shepherd who wants to keep the mercenaries away. Jesus does not attack their doctrines which, he actually says are just and should be protected. But the behaviour of the scribes and Pharisees is another thing. They demonstrate an empty and cold religiosity, made only of exterior practices. Jesus tells the crowds who listen to him that the scribes and Pharisees even broaden their phylacteries, which were little cases containing small rolls of parchment with biblical passages. These were tied to their left arm and on their forehead, but did not bear any consequences in their lives. Exterior ostentation kills the interior meaning of the traditions. An analogous reflection should be made on the habit of the Pharisees to seek the first places at table and the first seats in the synagogues. Finally, Jesus argues about the "academic" and official titles that the scribes and priests required of the people and the disciples. Among these Jesus highlights the most known: "rabbi" that is "my teacher." Even in this case Jesus does not reject the mission of teaching; but he wants to underline the singularity of his Word. The Word of God generates faith in us, and from this Word comes God's paternity over our lives. The Gospel, not our words or our plans, has authority over our lives. The temptation of the Pharisees is to bend the Word of God to suit their own ambitions and to an aged humanity. It is the temptation of reducing the Gospel to our traditions as well as those of the world. Jesus denounces this temptation and asks us to do likewise. For this reason, Jesus ends this passage by calling us to listen and to serve. Whoever wants to be great in the community must be the first to listen to the Gospel and put it into practice.
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.
