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 17,1-6
He said to his disciples, 'Causes of falling are sure to come, but alas for the one through whom they occur! It would be better for such a person to be thrown into the sea with a millstone round the neck than to be the downfall of a single one of these little ones. Keep watch on yourselves! 'If your brother does something wrong, rebuke him and, if he is sorry, forgive him. And if he wrongs you seven times a day and seven times comes back to you and says, "I am sorry," you must forgive him.' The apostles said to the Lord, 'Increase our faith.' The Lord replied, 'If you had faith like a mustard seed you could say to this mulberry tree, "Be uprooted and planted in the sea," and it would obey you.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
The Son of Man came to serve,
whoever wants to be great
should become servant of all.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Jesus warns his disciples of creating scandal, that is, of being "a stumbling block." He believes scandal to be so serious that, for the one who creates it, it would be better to be thrown into the sea with a millstone around the neck. Perhaps the first scandal to be avoided is to contradict the Gospel with one's life. If our behaviour is far from and even contrary to the Gospel, we not only betray the Lord but we also become accomplices of the princes of this world in favour of a sad and violent life. For this reason, Jesus asks his disciples, "Be on your guard!" The apostle Paul, aware of this danger, warns the elders of Ephesus, saying, "Keep watch over yourselves and over all the flock" (Acts 20:28). Vigilance over oneself, one's behaviour, and one's fidelity to the Gospel is the first task of every disciple and even more so of those who have pastoral responsibility. Jesus adds that being able to pardon is even part of the disciple's wisdom. We all know how weak we are and how easy it is to fall into sin. Jesus purposely gives us the strength to pardon. The ability to pardon is not spontaneous. Indeed, pardon is really rare today. Unfortunately, vengeance has more room in everyday life. It is urgent that mercy and pardon flourish over the ease with which sin is affirmed. To pardon "seven times," as Jesus asks, means to forgive always. Obviously, it is not a question of condescending to sin. Jesus always demands repentance for a fault committed and the consequent change of life. But the readiness to forgive must never be lacking. Mercy is the sign of God's presence among people. Understanding that mercy does not originate from inside themselves, the disciples realize that the instinct to remain in hate or at least indifference is strong, even for them. And so they ask the Lord, "Increase our faith." Jesus - perhaps surprising even us - answers that even a little faith, as small as that of a mustard seed, is enough. This little bit of faith, of trust in God, is capable of performing miracles. Let us ask the Lord for it, and we will be able to strip the bitter herbs from the hearts of people and cast them into the depths of the sea.
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.
