Sunday Vigil
Memorial of the prophet Elijah who was taken into heaven and left his mantle to Elisha.
Reading of the Word of God
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Whoever lives and believes in me
will never die.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Matthew 12,14-21
At this the Pharisees went out and began to plot against him, discussing how to destroy him. Jesus knew this and withdrew from the district. Many followed him and he cured them all but warned them not to make him known. This was to fulfil what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: Look! My servant whom I have chosen, my beloved, in whom my soul delights, I will send my Spirit upon him, and he will present judgement to the nations; he will not brawl or cry out, his voice is not heard in the streets, he will not break the crushed reed, or snuff the faltering wick, until he has made judgement victorious; in him the nations will put their hope.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
If you believe, you will see the glory of God,
thus says the Lord.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
The healing of a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath, leads people to prepare a plot to kill Jesus. It is the envy of evil in front of goodness which has no limits. Jesus realizes this and withdraws to a secluded place. His aim is not to be quiet; in fact, he cures all the sick people brought to him. Rather, he does not want to show off. He has not come among men and women to be praised and admired. So, through a long quotation from Isaiah, he presents himself as "a servant," a good, humble, meek servant, not as a strong or powerful man as the powerful people of the world. The true identity of Jesus, and consequently of all Christians, is considered ruinous and unseemly, hence all men and women try to avoid it. However, the greatest becomes a servant, because this is the only way human life finds meaning and future. Only if we learn to give freely, to think of others, not to be afraid of loving, we will find our "I". This is the way of humility. It is not wating ourselves, quite the contrary. The path of service makes us useful, better, stronger in facing our weakness. It reveals the beauty which is always hidden in our neighbours.