Reading of the Word of God
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Whoever lives and believes in me
will never die.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Matthew 13,24-30
He put another parable before them, 'The kingdom of Heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everybody was asleep his enemy came, sowed darnel all among the wheat, and made off. When the new wheat sprouted and ripened, then the darnel appeared as well. The owner's labourers went to him and said, "Sir, was it not good seed that you sowed in your field? If so, where does the darnel come from?" He said to them, "Some enemy has done this." And the labourers said, "Do you want us to go and weed it out?" But he said, "No, because when you weed out the darnel you might pull up the wheat with it. Let them both grow till the harvest; and at harvest time I shall say to the reapers: First collect the darnel and tie it in bundles to be burnt, then gather the wheat into my barn." '
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
If you believe, you will see the glory of God,
thus says the Lord.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
The parable of the weeds has been perhaps among the clearest Gospel words at certain times in history when religious people saw the rights of truth most threatened and felt the need to defend them. It can be said that a long history of religious wars, waged by Christians, has mainly found in this scriptural text an obstacle capable of inducing reflection, rethinking and doubt. The master of the camp, in fact, has an absolutely singular behaviour. He realises that an enemy has sown weeds where he had sown the good seed. We might say that the story of Christian tolerance starts from this parable. It dries the wicked weed - really wicked - of Manichaeism, of distinction between good and bad people, between righteous and unfair people. This parable does not only invite us to an endless tolerance, but even to the respect for the enemy, even when it were an enemy not only personal but of the most righteous and holy cause, of God, of justice, of the nation, of freedom. There is the mystery of this enemy who sows weed amidst the wheat, while everyone was asleep. The weed is division, a useless plant that smothers the good plant. It is the mystery of evil to which we cannot answer with evil, but with the power of hope and defending the wheat till the moment it will bear fruit, and that is stronger than division that it still needs to be faced. This mystery also challenges us to be more vigilant, attentive; not to fall asleep so that evil may not continue to sow weeds. The choice of the householder, so different from our way of thinking and behaviour, establishes a culture of peace. Today, while tragic conflicts are multiplying, this Gospel word is an invitation to encounter and dialogue. This attitude is not a sign of weakness or concession. The Lord gives each human being the possibility to explore his heart deeply, find there the mark of God, of His justice, and change his or her life.
Prayer is the heart of the life of the Community of Sant'Egidio and is its absolute priority. At the end of the day, every the Community of Sant'Egidio, large or small, gathers around the Lord to listen to his Word. The Word of God and the prayer are, in fact, the very basis of the whole life of the Community. The disciples cannot do other than remain at the feet of Jesus, as did Mary of Bethany, to receive his love and learn his ways (Phil. 2:5).
So every evening, when the Community returns to the feet of the Lord, it repeats the words of the anonymous disciple: " Lord, teach us how to pray". Jesus, Master of prayer, continues to answer: "When you pray, say: Abba, Father". It is not a simple exhortation, it is much more. With these words Jesus lets the disciples participate in his own relationship with the Father. Therefore in prayer, the fact of being children of the Father who is in heaven, comes before the words we may say. So praying is above all a way of being! That is to say we are children who turn with faith to the Father, certain that they will be heard.
Jesus teaches us to call God "Our Father". And not simply "Father" or "My Father". Disciples, even when they pray on their own, are never isolated nor they are orphans; they are always members of the Lord's family.
In praying together, beside the mystery of being children of God, there is also the mystery of brotherhood, as the Father of the Church said: "You cannot have God as father without having the church as mother". When praying together, the Holy Spirit assembles the disciples in the upper room together with Mary, the Lord's mother, so that they may direct their gaze towards the Lord's face and learn from Him the secret of his Heart.
The Communities of Sant'Egidio all over the world gather in the various places of prayer and lay before the Lord the hopes and the sufferings of the tired, exhausted crowds of which the Gospel speaks ( Mat. 9: 3-7 ), In these ancient crowds we can see the huge masses of the modern cities, the millions of refugees who continue to flee their countries, the poor, relegated to the very fringe of life and all those who are waiting for someone to take care of them. Praying together includes the cry, the invocation, the aspiration, the desire for peace, the healing and salvation of the men and women of this world. Prayer is never in vain; it rises ceaselessly to the Lord so that anguish is turned into hope, tears into joy, despair into happiness, and solitude into communion. May the Kingdom of God come soon among people!
For the sick, in memory of the dead, for peace
