Memorial of Saint Wenceslaus (+929), venerated as a martyr in Bohemia. Memorial of William Quijano, young Salvadorian man of the Community of Sant'Egidio, killed by the violence of the maras. Lees meer
Memorial of Saint Wenceslaus (+929), venerated as a martyr in Bohemia. Memorial of William Quijano, young Salvadorian man of the Community of Sant'Egidio, killed by the violence of the maras.
Reading of the Word of God
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
This is the Gospel of the poor,
liberation for the imprisoned,
sight for the blind,
freedom for the oppressed.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Luke 9,18-22
Now it happened that he was praying alone, and his disciples came to him and he put this question to them, 'Who do the crowds say I am?' And they answered, 'Some say John the Baptist; others Elijah; others again one of the ancient prophets come back to life.' 'But you,' he said to them, 'who do you say I am?' It was Peter who spoke up. 'The Christ of God,' he said. But he gave them strict orders and charged them not to say this to anyone. He said, 'The Son of man is destined to suffer grievously, to be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes and to be put to death, and to be raised up on the third day.'
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
The Son of Man came to serve,
whoever wants to be great
should become servant of all.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Peter's profession of faith marks a turning point in the Gospel narratives: it prepares the beginning of Jesus' journey to Jerusalem. Luke does not specify the place where the scene takes place (Mark and Matthew put it in Caesarea of Philip) but rather he inserts it into a horizon of prayer, a scene which is repeated frequently in the third Gospel. The evangelist seems to want to describe the moment in which the Christian community gathers for common prayer: it is an indispensable time to live the personal encounter with Jesus. On that occasionnotes the textJesus asks the disciples what people think of him. The rumours, that which had also reached Herod, are reported to him. But Jesus wanted to hear what they, who had been with him for a while, thought of him. Jesus felt that group like it was his family, like those who were concretely fulfilling his teaching. For this reason, he wanted to know their hearts and what they thought of Him. On behalf of all of them Peter responds, "The Messiah of God." It is a solemn profession. And it is even clearer that the one described in Mark's parallel passage given that "of God" is added to the word "Messiah." Truly Peter is the first, the one who professes the true faith on behalf of all of them. He stands before us so that we all can respond with the same words to the question which Jesus continues to put even to us: "But who do you say that I am?" It is Jesus himself who asks our mind and heart to understand and love him as our Saviour, as the one who frees us from sin and death. Jesus does not oblige the disciples to keep secret who he is because he wants to hide. Rather, he does not want is mission to be mistaken by putting worldly and false tracks on it. He does not want his mission to be misunderstood. For this reason, it is good that the knowing is gradual. The difficulty of understanding his mission in depth emerges immediately when he adds what future awaits him in Jerusalem. Jesus' message is clear: to reach the resurrection one needs to pass through the cross. It is the mystery of Jesus' life, of the Church and of disciples of every age. The victory of good over evil passes always through the way of the cross.
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.
