Memorial of Saint Philip Neri (†1595), "apostle of Rome." Lees meer
Memorial of Saint Philip Neri (†1595), "apostle of Rome."
Reading of the Word of God
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
The Spirit of the Lord is upon you.
The child you shall bear will be holy.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Acts 20,17-27
From Miletus he sent for the elders of the church of Ephesus. When they arrived he addressed these words to them: 'You know what my way of life has been ever since the first day I set foot among you in Asia, how I have served the Lord in all humility, with all the sorrows and trials that came to me through the plots of the Jews. I have not hesitated to do anything that would be helpful to you; I have preached to you and instructed you both in public and in your homes, urging both Jews and Greeks to turn to God and to believe in our Lord Jesus. 'And now you see me on my way to Jerusalem in captivity to the Spirit; I have no idea what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit, in town after town, has made it clear to me that imprisonment and persecution await me. But I do not place any value on my own life, provided that I complete the mission the Lord Jesus gave me -- to bear witness to the good news of God's grace. 'I now feel sure that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom will ever see my face again. And so on this very day I swear that my conscience is clear as far as all of you are concerned, for I have without faltering put before you the whole of God's purpose.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Look down, O Lord, on your servants.
Be it unto us according to your word.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
After landing at Miletus, the apostle sends for the presbyters of the community of Ephesus to come and meet him. The apostle wants to greet them and to leave them their "spiritual last will" since they will be responsible for the community; he starts with the witness of his very life: "You yourselves know how I lived among you." The apostle knows well that "shepherds" must be "examples to the flock." Paul shows himself as the model of a shepherd reminding the presbyters, how he himself lived during his three years of ministry in Ephesus. He sums up the essence of the pastor in one word: "servant." He says to the elders, "You yourselves know how I lived among you...serving the Lord with all humility and with tears, enduring the trials that came to me." Paul thus sees his ministry as a "service to the Lord." Thus Jesus has shown us the way, even the way to communicate the Gospel. Indeed, gentleness opens people's hearts and disposes them to listen to the Gospel and to encounter God. Paul tells them that he will go to Jerusalem, not on a whim, but "as a captive of the Spirit." He then confides the elders of Ephesus that he will go to Jerusalem not out of a caprice but because he "is pushed by the Spirit." He does not know what will happen to him, but is aware of the fact that his service to the Lord will bring opposition and trials: he speaks "tribulation" and even mentions death. "Martyrdom" is essential to the Gospel. Albert Schweitzer, the famous Protestant biblical scholar of the last century who went to live in a leper hospital in Africa, wrote: "We must again become capable of feeling in ourselves the heroism that there is in Jesus...Only then will our Christianity and our conception of the world rediscover the heroic and be given life by it." Msgr. Romero said that being a "martyr" means "giving one's own life" for the Lord and for others, whether with blood or in another way. What matters is spending oneself completely to communicate the Gospel.
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.
