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Memory of Jesus crucified
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Memory of Jesus crucified

Memorial of St. Athanasius (295-373), bishop of Alexandria in Egypt Read more

Libretto DEL GIORNO
Memory of Jesus crucified
Friday, May 2

Memorial of St. Athanasius (295-373), bishop of Alexandria in Egypt


Reading of the Word of God

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

This is the Gospel of the poor,
liberation for the imprisoned,
sight for the blind,
freedom for the oppressed.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

John 6, 1-15

After this, Jesus crossed the Sea of Galilee -- or of Tiberias-

and a large crowd followed him, impressed by the signs he had done in curing the sick.

Jesus climbed the hillside and sat down there with his disciples.

The time of the Jewish Passover was near.

Looking up, Jesus saw the crowds approaching and said to Philip, 'Where can we buy some bread for these people to eat?'

He said this only to put Philip to the test; he himself knew exactly what he was going to do.

Philip answered, 'Two hundred denarii would not buy enough to give them a little piece each.'

One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said,

'Here is a small boy with five barley loaves and two fish; but what is that among so many?'

Jesus said to them, 'Make the people sit down.' There was plenty of grass there, and as many as five thousand men sat down.

Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to those who were sitting there; he then did the same with the fish, distributing as much as they wanted.

When they had eaten enough he said to the disciples, 'Pick up the pieces left over, so that nothing is wasted.'

So they picked them up and filled twelve large baskets with scraps left over from the meal of five barley loaves.

Seeing the sign that he had done, the people said, 'This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world.'

Jesus, as he realised they were about to come and take him by force and make him king, fled back to the hills alone.

 

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

The Son of Man came to serve,
whoever wants to be great
should become servant of all.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

The Gospel passage shows the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves according to the Gospel of John. The evangelist notes the large crowd that followed Jesus because of the “signs” that he performed on the sick. The crowds sensed that Jesus was a good and strong man, who helped and healed those who had lost health and hope. Jesus, for his part, was aware of the thirst of love that rose up from people. The evangelist writes, as if to emphasize his attitude of mercy, that Jesus “looks up” and sees the crowd that comes to meet them. It is not like us, as we usually keep our eyes turned only towards ourselves and towards our business. Jesus asks us to rise up, with him, and to turn our eyes from the concentration that we have on ourselves so that we can become aware of those who are suffering and in need of help. It is not the disciples who realize the need to eat that those crowds have; rather, it is Jesus who realizes this and asks Philip where to buy bread to feed all the people. The apostle Philip cannot do other than to note the impossibility of finding the bread for so many people. It was the most obvious observation, but also the most resigned. Andrew, who was present during the conversation, comes forward and says that there are only five barley loaves and two fish: practically nothing. For them, therefore, the matter is closed. But they did not yet understand that “what is impossible to men is possible to God.” We, too, should remember often these words, rather than quietly resign in the face of difficulties. But Jesus, who is guided by passionate love for people, does not resign. He orders the disciples to make the crowd sit. We can see the scene of a great banquet where all are freely satisfied. The evangelist recalls the celebration of the Eucharist in Jesus’ gesture and words. The loaves put in the hands of Jesus, the compassionate one, are enough for everyone. Unlike the narrative of the Synoptic Gospels, here the evangelist makes Jesus act alone; it is he who takes the loaves of bread, multiplies them, and distributes them. It is as if to underline that there is a direct relationship between the shepherd and the sheep. Beautiful are the words of Pope Francis to priests, which we can all welcome: “We need to go out ... in the ‘periphery’ where there is suffering, there is bloodshed, there is blindness of that want to see, there are so many prisoners of evil bosses...Those who do not get out themselves, instead of being mediators, gradually become intermediaries, managers. I ask you: be shepherds with the smell of the sheep.” We have to go to the periphery, to those who are waiting for love, justice, and peace. Let us put our few loaves in Jesus’ hands, and the miracle will happen. The hands of Jesus - it is he who multiplies and distributes - do not keep anything for themselves, are used to open up, to be generous. He multiplies our weakness. The miracle continues if we, like the boy, leave the narrowness of the disciples and put into the hands of the Lord the poor barley loaves that we possess. The crowd had wanted to proclaim Jesus as king, but he instead fled to the mountain alone. Jesus does not want to cheapen the urgency of bread, but rather emphasizes the need to be nourished with eternal bread: friendship with him.

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!