Feast of the apostle James, son of Zebedee. He was the first of the Twelve to be martyred, and his body is venerated in Compostela. Lees meer
Feast of the apostle James, son of Zebedee. He was the first of the Twelve to be martyred, and his body is venerated in Compostela.
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 20,20-28
Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came with her sons to make a request of him, and bowed low; and he said to her, 'What is it you want?' She said to him, 'Promise that these two sons of mine may sit one at your right hand and the other at your left in your kingdom.' Jesus answered, 'You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?' They replied, 'We can.' He said to them, 'Very well; you shall drink my cup, but as for seats at my right hand and my left, these are not mine to grant; they belong to those to whom they have been allotted by my Father.' When the other ten heard this they were indignant with the two brothers. But Jesus called them to him and said, 'You know that among the gentiles the rulers lord it over them, and great men make their authority felt. Among you this is not to happen. No; anyone who wants to become great among you must be your servant, and anyone who wants to be first among you must be your slave, just as the Son of man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.'
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
Jesus met James along the shore of the lake of Galilee and called him and his brother John to follow him. James (called the "Greater" to distinguish him from the other James) begins his journey as a disciple by immediately listening to Jesus' call. Like the others, he did not always understand the loving plans the Lord had for his life, and like the others, he too gave in to the temptation of trying to secure his own position and role. But the first requirement of discipleship is to listen to the teacher, not to secure our own status. Unfortunately, it is quite easy to fall into the temptation of making ourselves our own teachers. This sometimes even happens in subtle ways, such as when we seek, as is often said, "self-realization." The episode narrated by Matthew shows how difficult it is for all of us to follow the Lord. The mother's request that her two sons sit at Jesus' right hand was not naive. And the jealous response of the others came immediately. Jesus patiently corrects them all and continues to speak to them. And James, who perhaps did not fully understand Jesus' response, continues to follow him and listen to him, even though Jesus corrects him when, out of zeal, he wants to send down fire from the skies and destroy the Samaritans who did not want to welcome Jesus. But the encounter with the risen Jesus and the infusion of the Holy Spirit made James a witness of the Gospel, to the point of shedding his blood. According to tradition, James was the first apostle to be martyred. On that day, he tasted the same cup from which Jesus had drunk; his life had become like his Teacher's: a life spent for others. That is what his Lord had asked him to do. And obeying until the end, James fulfilled the mission Jesus had entrusted to him.
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.
