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
Proverbs 14, 20-35
The poor is detestable even to a friend, but many are they who love someone rich.
One who despises the needy is at fault, one who takes pity on the poor is blessed.
Plan evil -- isn't this to go astray? Those who plan for good can earn faithful love and constancy.
Hard work always yields its profit, idle talk brings only want.
The crown of the wise is their riches; the folly of fools is folly.
A truthful witness saves lives, whoever utters lies is a deceiver.
In the fear of Yahweh is powerful security; for his children he is a refuge.
The fear of Yahweh is a life-giving spring for eluding the snares of death.
Large population, monarch's glory; dwindling population, ruler's ruin.
Mastery of temper is high proof of intelligence, a quick temper makes folly worse than ever.
The life of the body is a tranquil heart, but envy is a cancer in the bones.
To oppress the weak insults the Creator, kindness to the needy honours the Creator.
For evil-doing, the wicked will be flung headlong, but in integrity the upright will find refuge.
Wisdom resides in an understanding heart; she is not to be found in the hearts of fools.
Uprightness makes a nation great, by sin whole races are disgraced.
A king shows favour to a wise minister, but anger to one who shames him.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
The Son of Man came to serve,
whoever wants to be great
should become servant of all.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Wisdom means also showing some behaviours whose judgment is up to the reader. At verse 20, for example, we read, "The poor is disliked by their neighbours, but the rich have many friends." This is an assessment that we, too, can share. Sometimes the poor fight among themselves while the wealthy attract many friends. Indeed, misery renders life bitter and makes relationships difficult yet riches attract people because of the advantages it offers. For everyone though, wisdom can be the real wealth because foolishness only begets folly: "The crown of the wise is their wisdom, but folly is the garland of fools." In this proverb, no distinction is made between the poor and the rich. Everyone can acquire wisdom. The passage refers twice to an important sentiment that at times seems to have disappeared from our habitual behaviours: kindness. Verse 21 says, "Those who despise their neighbours are sinners, but happy are those who are kind to the poor." At verse 31, "Those who oppress the poor insult their Maker, but those who are kind to the needy honour him." In both verses, kindness is requested towards the poor. Whoever is kind is blessed and happy. As the Beatitudes proclaim, "Blessed are the poor." Therefore, we could say that those who love the poor and are kind to them are also blessed. They participate in the same joy as the poor. Isn’t this what we experience when we become friends with the poor or seek to help them in their difficulties? The passage adds something even more profound: to be kind to the poor has something to do with God and it is not simply an act towards them. When we concern ourselves with the poor, we fulfil creation because we honour God, whereas when we oppress the poor, we offend the Lord. This, too, is wisdom! Finally, the passage speaks twice of "the fear of God" that we have already seen as considered the principle of wisdom. Verses 26-27 explain, "In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence, and one’s children will have a refuge. The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, so that one may avoid the snares of death." It is not from our own reasons and certainties but from the fear of the Lord that we gain strength and life. The fear of the Lord implies being dependent on Him and on his life-giving Word. Without this fear, everything becomes permissible since we become our own boss and adjudicator. At that point, not only do we not listen to God’s voice speaking to us, but we will not welcome the voice of others.
Prayer is the heart of the life of the Community of Sant'Egidio and is its absolute priority. At the end of the day, every the Community of Sant'Egidio, large or small, gathers around the Lord to listen to his Word. The Word of God and the prayer are, in fact, the very basis of the whole life of the Community. The disciples cannot do other than remain at the feet of Jesus, as did Mary of Bethany, to receive his love and learn his ways (Phil. 2:5).
So every evening, when the Community returns to the feet of the Lord, it repeats the words of the anonymous disciple: " Lord, teach us how to pray". Jesus, Master of prayer, continues to answer: "When you pray, say: Abba, Father". It is not a simple exhortation, it is much more. With these words Jesus lets the disciples participate in his own relationship with the Father. Therefore in prayer, the fact of being children of the Father who is in heaven, comes before the words we may say. So praying is above all a way of being! That is to say we are children who turn with faith to the Father, certain that they will be heard.
Jesus teaches us to call God "Our Father". And not simply "Father" or "My Father". Disciples, even when they pray on their own, are never isolated nor they are orphans; they are always members of the Lord's family.
In praying together, beside the mystery of being children of God, there is also the mystery of brotherhood, as the Father of the Church said: "You cannot have God as father without having the church as mother". When praying together, the Holy Spirit assembles the disciples in the upper room together with Mary, the Lord's mother, so that they may direct their gaze towards the Lord's face and learn from Him the secret of his Heart.
The Communities of Sant'Egidio all over the world gather in the various places of prayer and lay before the Lord the hopes and the sufferings of the tired, exhausted crowds of which the Gospel speaks ( Mat. 9: 3-7 ), In these ancient crowds we can see the huge masses of the modern cities, the millions of refugees who continue to flee their countries, the poor, relegated to the very fringe of life and all those who are waiting for someone to take care of them. Praying together includes the cry, the invocation, the aspiration, the desire for peace, the healing and salvation of the men and women of this world. Prayer is never in vain; it rises ceaselessly to the Lord so that anguish is turned into hope, tears into joy, despair into happiness, and solitude into communion. May the Kingdom of God come soon among people!
For the sick, in memory of the dead, for peace
