Reading of the Word of God
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
The Spirit of the Lord is upon you.
The child you shall bear will be holy.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Matthew 21,28-32
'What is your opinion? A man had two sons. He went and said to the first, "My boy, go and work in the vineyard today." He answered, "I will not go," but afterwards thought better of it and went. The man then went and said the same thing to the second who answered, "Certainly, sir," but did not go. Which of the two did the father's will?' They said, 'The first.' Jesus said to them, 'In truth I tell you, tax collectors and prostitutes are making their way into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you, showing the way of uprightness, but you did not believe him, and yet the tax collectors and prostitutes did. Even after seeing that, you refused to think better of it and believe in him.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Look down, O Lord, on your servants.
Be it unto us according to your word.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
The parable we just heard is unique to Matthew. Right after the high priests question him about his authority, the Lord tells the parable of the father who sends two sons to work in the vineyard. The first says "no" but then goes, while the second does just the opposite. Jesus concludes that obviously it is the first and not the second who does the father’s will. The first had said "no", but then repented and went into the vineyard. Who knows? Perhaps he remembered his father’s face, pained by the foolishness of his response. Or maybe he noticed what a deplorable state the vineyard was in. Either way, in the end he repents and goes. Repentance - as is underlined many times in the Bible - erases a great number of sins. It is not bad not to want to do something, it is bad to keep saying "no"; it is not bad to feel the bite of one’s own selfishness, it is bad to let oneself be dominated by it. This Gospel parable points out the stark difference between "doing" and "saying" that often characterize our lives. In fact, this contradiction does not divide some people from others, as if on one side there were those who do and on the other those who say. In truth, the words of the Gospel encourage us to look into our hearts and our lives. If we do so, we will immediately see that this parable divides us internally, that is, it is about the life of each one of us. How often do we only spend words? How often do we fill our mouths with "wisdom" while our days are empty of love? The Lord reminds us that what counts is behaviour, that is: love, mercy, friendship, and solidarity. He has already said the same thing elsewhere: "Not everyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord" will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only one who does the will of my Father in heaven" (Mt 7:21). Faith does not mean pronouncing doctrinally correct formulas, but putting into practice the Gospel of love with everyone, even our enemies. The world of today does not need many words; it needs men and women who can demonstrate the truth and beauty of the Gospel of love with their lives. Jesus did it first. He left heaven and came to earth as a child, strong only with his Father’s love.
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
