Reading of the Word of God
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Whoever lives and believes in me
will never die.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Luke 14,1.7-11
Now it happened that on a Sabbath day he had gone to share a meal in the house of one of the leading Pharisees; and they watched him closely. He then told the guests a parable, because he had noticed how they picked the places of honour. He said this, 'When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take your seat in the place of honour. A more distinguished person than you may have been invited, and the person who invited you both may come and say, "Give up your place to this man." And then, to your embarrassment, you will have to go and take the lowest place. No; when you are a guest, make your way to the lowest place and sit there, so that, when your host comes, he may say, "My friend, move up higher." Then, everyone with you at the table will see you honoured. For everyone who raises himself up will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be raised up.'
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
If you believe, you will see the glory of God,
thus says the Lord.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Jesus is still in the house of the Pharisee who invited him to dinner and has just healed the man with dropsy. He continues to teach to those present seeing how the guests were trying to take the best seats. We could say that this is nothing new. Still today it is a very common behaviour in life, and not only at the table. Everyone looks to put him or herself in the place of honour or at least to receive the most attention and consideration from others. Often, life's difficulties, instead of making the spirit of solidarity grow, impel us towards an even more hectic search for the first place. Jesus suggests to his listeners an attitude of humility and attention towards others and exhorts them to abstain from seeking the first place. The evangelist thinks of each one's place in front of God's eyes, in His kingdom. No one should think of his or herself above others. We can think of Jesus' attitude ; he who " did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave" (Phil 2:6-7). Jesus clarifies: it is the Lord who gives each one the dignity and honour he or she deserves. We cannot give our places by vaunting our merits. It is the Lord who shows us the place from which we witness the love he has given us. And, in any case, it is good that one of the rules of life is attentiveness to others, especially the weakest, before ourselves. The Lord turns his gaze particularly to the lesser ones. It is a sort of biblical law, the reversal of the world's criteria for judgment: the one who recognizes that he or she is humble and a sinner will be exalted by God, and the one who claims being recognized and given the best place risks excluding him or herself from the banquet. This is why Jesus states: "Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted." It is not just a Christian rule, it is also an attitude of exquisite human wisdom.
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.
