Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The Western and Eastern Churches remember the birth of John the Baptist, "the greatest among those born among women" who prepared the way to the Lord. Baca lebih lanjut
Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The Western and Eastern Churches remember the birth of John the Baptist, "the greatest among those born among women" who prepared the way to the Lord.
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
Luke 15,3-7
So he told them this parable: 'Which one of you with a hundred sheep, if he lost one, would fail to leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the missing one till he found it? And when he found it, would he not joyfully take it on his shoulders and then, when he got home, call together his friends and neighbours, saying to them, "Rejoice with me, I have found my sheep that was lost." In the same way, I tell you, there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner repenting than over ninety-nine upright people who have no need of repentance.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
The Son of Man came to serve,
whoever wants to be great
should become servant of all.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Today the Church celebrates the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the liturgy helps us to contemplate the mystery of God's love through the symbology of the heart of his Son who reveals himself to us as the good shepherd of his flock. The image of the shepherd is an image dear to the prophets and Ezekiel had already spoken of it: "For thus says the Lord God: I myself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out... I will bring them into their own land; and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel" (Ez 34:11.13). The Gospel of Luke, as if to give an answer to the words of the prophet, reports the words of Jesus who identifies himself with the good shepherd who loves his sheep so much that he gives his own life for them. As the Gospel of John says, Jesus loves them and knows them one by one (Jn 10:3). To him they are not an indistinct mass; in fact, he knows the voice, the name, the history, the needs of each of them, and on each he has placed all his affection and all his hope. He is not an official or a hired-hand; he is rather a father, a brother, a true friend, and a servant of his sheep. In a society like ours that has become virtual, anonymous and individualistic, it is easy to be forgotten and to disappear. But the heart of Jesus does not forget anyone. Jesus reminds that the good shepherd leaves the ninety-nine sheep in the sheepfold to come and look for the lost one. "I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed," said the prophet Ezekiel (Ez 34:16). Jesus - the good shepherd - does not abandon any of his sheep to their own destiny; Jesus always gathers them, keeps them and, perhaps not once but many times, had to leave the other ninety-nine sheep to find each one of us and put us on his shoulders and bring us home where he tells us again his commandment: "That you love one another as I have loved you" (Jn 15:12).
Doa merupakan jantung kehidupan Komunitas Sant'Egidio dan merupakan prioritas yang paling penting. Di penghujung hari, setiap Komunitas Sant'Egidio, besar maupun kecil, akan berkumpul di sekeliling Tuhan untuk mendengarkan sabda-Nya. Sesungguhnya Sabda Allah dan doa merupakan landasan seluruh kehidupan Komunitas. Para rasul tidak bisa tidak selain tetap di sekitar kaki Yesus, seperti yang dilakukan oleh Maria dari Bethani, untuk menerima kasih dan belajar cara-Nya (Fil. 2:5).
Sehingga setiap malam, ketika Komunitas kembali ke kaki Tuhan, Komunitas mengulangi kata-kata dari rasul tak bernama: "Tuhan ajarkanlah kami cara berdoa" Yesus, Sang Guru, terus menjawab: "Ketika kamu berdoa, katakanlah: Abba, Bapa". Hal itu bukanlah satu seruan sederhana. Dengan kata-kata ini, Yesus membiarkan para murid untuk berperan serta dalam hubungan mereka sendiri dengan Bapa. Oleh sebab itu, fakta bahwa sebagai anak-anak Bapa yang bertahta di surga, muncul sebelum kata-kata yang mungkin kita ucapkan. Jadi doa di atas segalanya merupakan cara untuk menjadi manusia. Ini untuk mengatakan bahwa kita anak-anak yang berpaling kepada Bapa dengan iman, dan yakin bahwa hal itu akan didengar.
Yesus mengajar kita memanggil Allah dengan sebutan "Bapa Kami" Tidak hanya "Bapa" atau "Bapaku" Para murid, meskipun mereka berdoa dengan cara mereka, tidak pernah terisolasi tidak juga menjadi yatim; mereka selalu menjadi anggota keluarga Tuhan.
Dalam doa bersama, di samping misteri anak Allah, ada juga misteri persaudaraan, seperti Bapa Gereja mengatakan: "Kamu tidak bisa memiliki Allah sebagai Bapa tanpa memiliki gereja sebagai ibu". Ketika berdoa bersama, Roh Kudus menyatukan para rasul di ruangan atas bersama dengan Maria, Bunda Allah, sehingga mereka dapat memusatkan pandangan mereka kepada wajah Tuhan dan belajar dari Dia rahasia hati-Nya.
Komunitas Sant'Egidio di seluruh dunia berkumpul bersama di berbagai tempat doa dan menghamparkan di hadapan Tuhan harapan dan penderitaan manusia yang lelah dan letih seperti yang di katakan oleh Injil (Mat. 9:37). Dalam kumpulan di masa lalu ini kita bisa melihat jumlah massa yang sangat besar di kota-kota modern ini, jutaan pengungsi yang terus melarikan diri dari negeri mereka, orang miskin yang terpinggirkan ke tepi kehidupan dan mereka yang menantikan seseorang yang akan merawat mereka. Berdoa bersama termasuk di dalamnya tangisan, seruan, permohonan, keinginan bagi damai, penyembuhan dan penebusan manusia di dunia ini. Doa tidak pernah sia-sia, doa terus menerus kepada Tuhan sehingga mengubah kecemasan menjadi harapan, air mata menjadi kegembiraan, putus asa menjadi kebahagiaan, dan kesepian menjadi persatuan. Semoga Kerajaan Allah hadir segera di antara manusia.
