Memorial of St. Stephen (1038), king of Hungary. He was converted to the Gospel and promoted the evangelization of his country Read more
Memorial of St. Stephen (1038), king of Hungary. He was converted to the Gospel and promoted the evangelization of his country
Reading of the Word of God
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Whoever lives and believes in me
will never die.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Matthew 19, 13-15
Then people brought little children to him, for him to lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples scolded them,
but Jesus said, 'Let the little children alone, and do not stop them from coming to me; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of Heaven belongs.'
Then he laid his hands on them and went on his way.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
If you believe, you will see the glory of God,
thus says the Lord.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
It is a beautiful and tender image to see Jesus surrounded by children. Even though the disciples had seen long lines of sick people brought to Jesus, now that they see a swarm of children crowd around him, they do not understand and try to keep them away. They apparently think all of the children, who are rambunctiously milling around that unique Teacher, must be a disturbance. But Jesus stops them and even rebukes them when he sees them scold the children: “Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.” And when the children draw near, he “lays his hands on them.” It is as if to say that he protects them, just as he protects and helps all the weak and defenceless. The millions of children who are abandoned come to mind, those who die of hunger or those who die in war, or the ones who are exploited and abused in societies of the rich world. These children are often alone and abandoned, with no one to take care of them and protect them. Unfortunately, they are sometimes seriously harmed in body and mind by the very people who are supposed to love and protect them. For Jesus they are all little children to love, to protect, and to bring up with great care. The disciples reproach them: not only do they not allow the children to approach Jesus, they want them to stop trying, as if it is inappropriate for those who are little or who do not count to ask for something. Jesus rebukes them. He does not want the disciples to send anyone away. He does not want them to be like the men and women of this world: strong towards the weak and cowardly towards the powerful. The children are given an example that we should observe closely, because “it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.” Adults need to learn from children how to have the simple and open spirit that is needed to welcome the kingdom of heaven, the Gospel message. It is contrary to the pride and the self-sufficiency that we adults often glory in. It is an invitation for us all to welcome the Gospel with openness and to kneel down and pay more attention to the many children of today so that they might not grow up in a school of violence and love only for oneself, but at a school of the Gospel of love. The way to be children is to be humble, simple, to ask for help, to depend on our father, and to trust our mother. How easily even the disciples can become arrogant and end up harming the little ones. It takes very little to humiliate them. Let us start with those who need protection and love, because that is what we are too.
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
