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
Hebrews 1, 1-6
At many moments in the past and by many means, God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets; but
in our time, the final days, he has spoken to us in the person of his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things and through whom he made the ages.
He is the reflection of God's glory and bears the impress of God's own being, sustaining all things by his powerful command; and now that he has purged sins away, he has taken his seat at the right hand of the divine Majesty on high.
So he is now as far above the angels as the title which he has inherited is higher than their own name.
To which of the angels, then, has God ever said: You are my Son, today I have fathered you, or: I shall be a father to him and he a son to me?
Again, when he brings the First-born into the world, he says: Let all the angels of God pay him homage.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
The Son of Man came to serve,
whoever wants to be great
should become servant of all.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
The Letter to the Hebrews - characteristic of a sermon addressed to first-generation Christians who were going through a particularly difficult moment - opens with a general overview of salvation history. It is immediately clear that the protagonist of this story is God himself. In fact, in ancient times, God decided to begin speaking to humanity in various ways, especially through the prophets. It is clear that the God of the Bible chose to enter into dialogue with men and women. God did not remain distant and alone. God wanted and continues to and wants to continue in dialogue. The Holy Scriptures are nothing other than the story of this dialogue that continues each time anyone opens them. In this sense, we can say that the spirituality of a believer consists, above all, in listening to the Word that God speaks to us. The believer is someone who listens. It is not a coincidence that the author of this Letter complains about the lazy way in which, as he has observed, Christians listen to the Scriptures. By not listening they “have become dull in understanding” (5:11). Listening to God was central for Israelites. In fact, their history began when God decided to speak to their fathers: “God, spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets.” The Lord never failed to speak his Word to the people of Israel, whether in happy or sad occasions. And in the history of the chosen people, there have been difficult, grievous moments when they became deaf to God's words. And this is the heart of the new time which God himself inaugurated: that the Lord, “in these last days...has spoken to us by a Son.” Driven by his boundless love, the Father in heaven sent to humanity the Word that “was with God...in the beginning,” as it is written in John's prologue. This Word, addressed to God and completely and utterly bound to him, has also been spoken to us: it became flesh and set up its tent among men and women. This is the mystery that has been revealed to us and which we must accept: in these last days, God has chosen to speak to us directly, without any intermediary, through his own Son. The letter opens with a hymn to the power of the Son, “reflection of the glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word.” It then continues with a Christological interpretation of the Psalms, starting with verse 5: “...to which of the angels did God ever say, 'You are my Son; today I have begotten you?' Or again, ' I will be his Father, and he will be my Son'?” This hymn about the glorification of Jesus, by contrast, brings to mind the hymn of Jesus' self-emptying found in the letter to the Philippians. The Letter to the Hebrews does not recall this self-abasing, but sings of Jesus' enthronement “at the right hand of the Majesty on high.” The Word that was the source of creation has become flesh. And through it, we can enter into a direct dialogue with God. This direct relationship with God frees us from loneliness and death. Listening to him, obeying him, and working according to his will comprises the mystery of our salvation and that of the world.
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
