Reading of the Word of God
Praise to you, o Lord, King of eternal glory
I am the good shepherd,
my sheep listen to my voice,
and they become
one flock and one fold.
.
Praise to you, o Lord, King of eternal glory
Luke 11,14-23
He was driving out a devil and it was dumb; and it happened that when the devil had gone out the dumb man spoke, and the people were amazed. But some of them said, 'It is through Beelzebul, the prince of devils, that he drives devils out.' Others asked him, as a test, for a sign from heaven; but, knowing what they were thinking, he said to them, 'Any kingdom which is divided against itself is heading for ruin, and house collapses against house. So, too, with Satan: if he is divided against himself, how can his kingdom last?-since you claim that it is through Beelzebul that I drive devils out. Now if it is through Beelzebul that I drive devils out, through whom do your own sons drive them out? They shall be your judges, then. But if it is through the finger of God that I drive devils out, then the kingdom of God has indeed caught you unawares. So long as a strong man fully armed guards his own home, his goods are undisturbed; but when someone stronger than himself attacks and defeats him, the stronger man takes away all the weapons he relied on and shares out his spoil. 'Anyone who is not with me is against me; and anyone who does not gather in with me throws away.
Praise to you, o Lord, King of eternal glory
I give you a new commandment,
that you love one another.
Praise to you, o Lord, King of eternal glory
The Gospel passage tells the episode when Jesus casted out from a man a spirit that made him mute. The healing amazed the crowd. It was clearly a messianic gesture; Satan was chased away and deprived of his power over men and women. But, if the crowd was amazed, others were irritated by Jesus' fame and devised a way to discredit him. They even went so far as to accuse him of serving God's adversary, Beelzebub, the leader of demons. Still others asked for a sign to be convinced that his power came from above. It was, however, evident the power that Jesus exercised against Satan, which the evangelist Luke repeatedly described as a world of evil spirits taking possession of people's souls and condemning them to a violent, hard life, separated from others. The devil - which means division - appears as the inspirer of all division. Even the divisions we see multiplying in our time among men and women, among peoples and among nations. The devil, the prince of evil, does not cease to operate so that enmity spread everywhere. Jesus responds to those who accuse him of being at the service of the devil by showing the contradiction into which they fall. His action of liberation of men and women is all in opposition to Satan and his servants. For indeed the Lord works only good and spreads only love. Jesus confirms his action of being sent by God to free men and women from all slavery by telling a very short parable. Jesus reminds his listeners that we are in a struggle against evil, but finally one "stronger" than evil has come. There is no doubt that life is a struggle between good and evil. A struggle that begins in the heart of every human being. Here is the first battlefield. And Jesus came to dwell among us as one who is stronger than evil. He can guard the house; he can guard the heart of each one of us when it is put to the test by temptations. That is why he invites us to trust him and to accept his Word. He himself will dwell in us and defend us from all evil.
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.
