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 17,26-37
'As it was in Noah's day, so will it also be in the days of the Son of man. People were eating and drinking, marrying wives and husbands, right up to the day Noah went into the ark, and the Flood came and destroyed them all. It will be the same as it was in Lot's day: people were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, but the day Lot left Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and it destroyed them all. It will be the same when the day comes for the Son of man to be revealed. 'When that Day comes, no one on the housetop, with his possessions in the house, must come down to collect them, nor must anyone in the fields turn back. Remember Lot's wife. Anyone who tries to preserve his life will lose it; and anyone who loses it will keep it safe. I tell you, on that night, when two are in one bed, one will be taken, the other left; when two women are grinding corn together, one will be taken, the other left.' The disciples spoke up and asked, 'Where, Lord?' He said, 'Where the body is, there too will the vultures gather.'
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
The Son of Man came to serve,
whoever wants to be great
should become servant of all.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
To the Pharisees who had asked Jesus about the kingdom of heaven, he continues to speak of an unexpected event that takes one by surprise. Therefore, he urges all to be prepared without losing time. With two examples from the Old Testament, the punishment of the flood and the destruction of Sodom, Jesus warns against resigning to evil, to closing oneself in self-seeking, to a trite and empty life, filled only with oneself or with racing after personal satisfactions. Whoever is folded upon him or herself, whether from laziness or stubbornness, will never succeed in giving space to another and will not welcome the "day" of the coming of the Son of Man. Jesus puts the disciples on guard because "on that day" (v. 31) and "on that night" (v. 34), one needs to be watchful. And vigilance implies freedom from attachment to things and one's traditions. Detachment from the world, from things, possessions - no matter how small or large - in brief, from "stuff," is a definitive condition for welcoming in one's heart the coming kingdom of God. And detachment must happen even from what we account as our supreme good: life that in truth we sometimes waste or throw away. Jesus clarifies well the way of salvation or, if you will, the meaning of our existence: "Those why try to make their life secure will lose it, but those who lose their life will keep it" (v. 33). What does it mean? The evangelist Luke previously reported these words with the addition "for my sake" (9:24). Jesus asks his disciples to spend their lives, their entire lives, in serving the Gospel, in following Jesus and partaking in his way of love, and in this way, save life and even make it grow. If we remain with the Lord, we will gather with him the fruits of the kingdom. Instead, those who remain only with themselves, spend their lives only on themselves, lose and gather nothing. Indeed, if two are in the same bed or are working together, one will be taken to heaven and the other sent to hell. All depends on the heart and on where we have directed it. On that day, the disciples, like vultures who run after prey, will gather around the Lord to welcome salvation.
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.
