Reading of the Word of God
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Whoever lives and believes in me
will never die.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Matthew 8,5-17
When he went into Capernaum a centurion came up and pleaded with him. 'Sir,' he said, 'my servant is lying at home paralysed and in great pain.' Jesus said to him, 'I will come myself and cure him.' The centurion replied, 'Sir, I am not worthy to have you under my roof; just give the word and my servant will be cured. For I am under authority myself and have soldiers under me; and I say to one man, "Go," and he goes; to another, "Come here," and he comes; to my servant, "Do this," and he does it.' When Jesus heard this he was astonished and said to those following him, 'In truth I tell you, in no one in Israel have I found faith as great as this. And I tell you that many will come from east and west and sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob at the feast in the kingdom of Heaven; but the children of the kingdom will be thrown out into the darkness outside, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.' And to the centurion Jesus said, 'Go back, then; let this be done for you, as your faith demands.' And the servant was cured at that moment. And going into Peter's house Jesus found Peter's mother-in-law in bed and feverish. He touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and began to serve him. That evening they brought him many who were possessed by devils. He drove out the spirits with a command and cured all who were sick. This was to fulfil what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: He himself bore our sicknesses away and carried our diseases.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
If you believe, you will see the glory of God,
thus says the Lord.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Jesus is coming back into Capernaum and a centurion comes towards him. He is a person who is foreign to the religion and traditions of Israel. This officer has a servant who is at home sick and wracked with pain. And he has decided to speak to Jesus. His heart is full of pain because of his servant's condition. When he has come near to Jesus, he does not ask for his servant to be healed, he just solemnly explains the situation. And seeing the pain in this man's eyes, Jesus is moved and says, "I will come and cure him." But with spontaneous honesty, the centurion says he is not worthy to have the Teacher come into his house. He feels ashamed in front of such a good man. And he speaks those splendid words that we repeat today in the holy liturgy, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only speak the word, and my servant will be healed." Twice the centurion addresses Jesus with the title of "Lord." A non-believer, he addresses him with a religious term, in the sense that it reveals his total trust in Jesus: one word is enough for his servant to be healed. Truly this centurion is an example for us. Jesus' comment on his faith could be applied to us, too: "Truly I tell you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith." And he said to the centurion, "Go; let it be done for you according to your faith." "And," the evangelist notes, "the servant was healed in that hour." There is a strength of healing that comes from love that knows now limits or distances. All of Jesus' activity in Capernaum is marked by his closeness to the sick. In this world so deeply marked by Covid 19, he is truly an example. And the day ends with the extraordinary scene of Jesus who heals the many who are "possessed by demons" and are brought to the door of his house. It is a scene that questions our communities: are they like that house in Capernaum whose doors are open to those who need comfort, healing, and salvation? Should not the words of the prophet Isaiah noted by the evangelist not come true in our time: "He took our infirmities and bore our diseases."
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.
