The prayer for peace is held in the Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere.
Feast of Saint Joseph, Mary's husband, who in humility "took the child with him."
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The prayer for peace is held in the Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere.
Feast of Saint Joseph, Mary's husband, who in humility "took the child with him."
Reading of the Word of God
Praise to you, o Lord, King of eternal glory
This is the Gospel of the poor,
liberation for the imprisoned,
sight for the blind,
freedom for the oppressed.
Praise to you, o Lord, King of eternal glory
Matthew 1,16.18-21
and Jacob fathered Joseph the husband of Mary; of her was born Jesus who is called Christ. This is how Jesus Christ came to be born. His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph; but before they came to live together she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being an upright man and wanting to spare her disgrace, decided to divorce her informally. He had made up his mind to do this when suddenly the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, 'Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because she has conceived what is in her by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son and you must name him Jesus, because he is the one who is to save his people from their sins.'
Praise to you, o Lord, King of eternal glory
The Son of Man came to serve,
whoever wants to be great
should become servant of all.
Praise to you, o Lord, King of eternal glory
Today the Church celebrates the feast of Joseph, Mary's husband. He is a silent and important character at the beginning. His story is guided by dreams, and his greatness is in making God's dream of the future of our humanity his own. The Word of God interprets the dreams of people. And Joseph's dream, like that of so many men and women is to have a family, not to be alone. It is also the dream of so many families fleeing war, seeking a future of peace. So many dreams that seem unattainable; there is always a law that seems to say, it is not possible. So it was also for Joseph, a just man, but who thought of sending Mary away in secret, because the law condemned women who were expecting children before marriage. A cold law that does not know how to interpret people's dreams. That is why God sends his angel for Joseph to dream again: "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary, your wife, with you. For the child conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." So, Joseph takes Mary and her son and takes them with him! How beautiful is this expression: "he takes with him!" You are not alone! I take you with me! True love is that which is shared with others: Joseph makes room in his heart for Mary and for the one who is to come. Do not be afraid, the angel told him. We are so often afraid to take responsibility, to care for others. The Gospel frees us from fear and helps us to make God's dream for the world our own. And out of love we can all change. Let it be the same for us: let us take the Lord who is born as a child with us, so that he may change our hearts, make them wider and more welcoming, so that we may learn to love as he has loved us.
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.
