Memorial of Martha. She welcomed the Lord Jesus into her home. Lees meer
Memorial of Martha. She welcomed the Lord Jesus into her home.
Reading of the Word of God
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
I am the good shepherd,
my sheep listen to my voice,
and they become
one flock and one fold.
.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Luke 10,38-42
In the course of their journey he came to a village, and a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. She had a sister called Mary, who sat down at the Lord's feet and listened to him speaking. Now Martha, who was distracted with all the serving, came to him and said, 'Lord, do you not care that my sister is leaving me to do the serving all by myself? Please tell her to help me.' But the Lord answered, 'Martha, Martha,' he said, 'you worry and fret about so many things, and yet few are needed, indeed only one. It is Mary who has chosen the better part, and it is not to be taken from her.'
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
I give you a new commandment,
that you love one another.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Today the Church remembers Martha, the sister of Mary and Lazarus. By remembering her we understand the power of the Gospel, which changes Martha's heart and life. Martha is the woman who is hospitable and she certainly performs a very beautiful gesture in welcoming those who proclaim God's message. She is setting the table for them. This "hospitality service," worries her quite a bit. The evangelist notes it in order to introduce a decisive teaching for those who want to follow Jesus. Martha has also a sister, Mary who is described as opposite to her. Martha is so busy that she almost forgets Jesus; Mary instead is described at Jesus' feet listening to his words. The words that the evangelist uses are those proper to describe the attitude of the disciple in front of Jesus. Therefore it is a paradigmatic scene: Mary is the disciple because she listens to the Lord. The evangelist shows Martha's behaviour opposite to Mary's. Listening to Jesus is the first qualification of the disciple. Martha is so concentrated on her work that it keeps her from listening to Jesus. Irritated by Mary's attitude, she turns to Jesus and rebukes him because he did not care about her. It is the vindictive attitude of those who do not think what they do is appreciated. We could say that Martha fell into the temptation of feeling at the centre and she is envious of Mary who is at Jesus' feet. Martha probably thinks it is wrong to do nothing for the guest. In reality she has not understood yet who Jesus is. Whenever we focus on ourselves, we flee from listening to the Lord. The best part is the part that no one can take away: the bond with Jesus. Mary sat in front of the Teacher and listened to his words. Martha learned the lesson Jesus had taught her, continued to welcome Jesus into her house, and opened her heart to him. When Jesus came to visit the tomb of Lazarus, who had died, she was the first to notice the Teacher and ran to him. She had learned to run towards the Teacher who knew how to love her, her sister, and Lazarus like no one else. Today, the Gospel asks us too to not let ourselves be wrapped up in our cares, but to go outside our house and run towards the Teacher who can save us from death.
Het gebed is het hart van het leven van de Gemeenschap van Sant’Egidio. Het is haar eerste “werk”. Aan het einde van de dag komt elke Gemeenschap, of die nu klein of groot is, samen bij de Heer om het Woord te beluisteren en zich tot Hem te richten in het gebed. De leerlingen kunnen niet anders dan aan de voeten van Jezus zitten, zoals Maria van Bethanië, om het “betere deel” te kiezen (Lc 10, 42) en van Hem zijn gezindheid te leren (vgl. Fil 2, 5).
Elke keer dat de Gemeenschap zich tot de Heer richt, maakt ze zich die vraag eigen van de anonieme leerling: “Heer, leer ons bidden!” (Lc 11, 1). En Jezus, meester in het gebed, antwoordt: “Wanneer jullie bidden, zeg dan: Abba, Vader”.
Wanneer we bidden, ook in de geslotenheid van ons eigen hart, zijn we nooit alleen of verweesd. Integendeel, we zijn leden van de familie van de Heer. In het gemeenschappelijk gebed wordt naast het mysterie van het kindschap, ook dat van de broederschap en zusterschap duidelijk.
De Gemeenschappen van Sant’Egidio, verspreid over de wereld, verzamelen zich op de verschillende plaatsen die gekozen zijn voor het gebed en brengen de hoop en het verdriet van de “uitgeputte en hulpeloze mensenmenigte” waarover het Evangelie spreekt (Mt 9, 37) bij de Heer. Deze oude menigte omvat de inwoners van onze hedendaagse steden, de armen die zich bevinden in de marge van het leven, en iedereen die wacht om als dagloner te worden aangenomen (vgl. Mt 20).
Het gemeenschappelijk gebed verzamelt de schreeuw, de hoop, het verlangen naar vrede, genezing, zin en redding, die beleefd worden door de mannen en vrouwen van deze wereld. Het gebed is nooit leeg. Het stijgt onophoudelijk op naar de Heer opdat verdriet verandert in vreugde, wanhoop in blijheid, angst in hoop, eenzaamheid in gemeenschap. En het rijk Gods zal spoedig temidden van de mensen komen.
