Memorial of Saint Polycarp, disciple of the apostle John, bishop and martyr (+155). Lees meer
Memorial of Saint Polycarp, disciple of the apostle John, bishop and martyr (+155).
Reading of the Word of God
Praise to you, o Lord, King of eternal glory
The Spirit of the Lord is upon you.
The child you shall bear will be holy.
Praise to you, o Lord, King of eternal glory
Matthew 6,7-15
'In your prayers do not babble as the gentiles do, for they think that by using many words they will make themselves heard. Do not be like them; your Father knows what you need before you ask him. So you should pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be held holy, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven those who are in debt to us. And do not put us to the test, but save us from the Evil One. 'Yes, if you forgive others their failings, your heavenly Father will forgive you yours; but if you do not forgive others, your Father will not forgive your failings either.
Praise to you, o Lord, King of eternal glory
Look down, O Lord, on your servants.
Be it unto us according to your word.
Praise to you, o Lord, King of eternal glory
Today Jesus gives us his prayer: the Our Father. First he warns us that prayer is not a matter of multiplying our words, as if their number mattered and not the heart that speaks them. He wants to show us the way to pray directly, immediately reaching God's heart. Jesus involves us in his very intimacy with the Father. He is not "lowering" God; instead we are the ones who are lifted up to the very heart of God "in heaven," so that we can call him "Dad." Even though the Father is still in "the highest heavens," he is the one who has loved us forever and who wants our salvation and that of the entire world. And so, it is decisive that Jesus makes us as the fulfilment of the Father's will. And God's will is that no one is lost. No one. This is why Jesus makes us ask: "Your kingdom come." And it may come soon so that finally God's holiness will be recognized and all people will live in justice and peace everywhere, in heaven and on earth. In the second part of the prayer Jesus has us asking the Father to look over our daily lives: we ask him for bread, for our body and our heart. And then he has us daring a very demanding request: "And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors." It is a request that might seem difficult and unrealistic; how could we admit that human forgiveness is the model for the divine? In truth, Jesus helps us expressing extraordinary wisdom in prayer. We understand this from the following verses: "For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." This language is incomprehensible for a society, like ours, in which forgiveness is rare, if not forbidden, and where resentment is a weed we do not manage to uproot. But perhaps this is the very reason we need to learn to pray more with the "Our Father." It is the prayer that saves us because it makes us the universal fraternity as we turn to God and we invoke him as Father of all.
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.
