In the Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere the Community of Sant'Egidio prays for peace. Read more
In the Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere the Community of Sant’Egidio prays for peace.
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 3,27-35
Refuse no kindness to those who have a right to it, if it is in your power to perform it. Do not say to your neighbour, 'Go away! Come another time! I will give it you tomorrow,' if you can do it now. Do not plot harm against your neighbour who is living unsuspecting beside you. Do not pick a groundless quarrel with anyone who has done you no harm. Do not envy the man of violence, never model your conduct on his; for the wilful wrong-doer is abhorrent to Yahweh, who confides only in the honest. Yahweh's curse lies on the house of the wicked, but he blesses the home of the upright. He mocks those who mock, but accords his favour to the humble. Glory is the portion of the wise, all that fools inherit is contempt.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
The Son of Man came to serve,
whoever wants to be great
should become servant of all.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Today the liturgy presents us with a passage taken from the book of Proverbs, which contains a broad collection of the wisdom of Israel. The text opens with the appellation "my child," as if to remind us of the one condition in which we can obtain salvation. The first part describes the happy consequences of holding fast to wisdom: security, serenity, sweet sleep, the absence of fear. Indeed, "The Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught." In the second part (v. 27-35) the text first enters into the merits of relationships with one’s neighbour. It first invites the reader to respond generously to requests for help: "Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it. Do not say to your neighbour, Go, and come again; tomorrow I will give it’when you have it with you." Next comes a series of invitations related to life together: do not plan evil against those who live near you and trust, do not quarrel, do not envy the violent person because of his or her success. Those who follow God’s counsel have nothing to fear, because God hates evil and the wicked will not prosper. Consequently, we should live with goodness and generosity, without letting ourselves be overwhelmed by envy and jealousy. The friendship of the Lord is for the righteous and "to the humble he shows favour." The themes of violence and arrogance often return in Proverbs and are contrasted with goodness and humility. The daily temptation is to respond to violence with violence, as our society conditions us to do, imagining that victory is found in imposing ourselves on others. But we know that "All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted." Wisdom teaches humility and the ability to relate to others with kindness and generosity, because only in giving can we find joy and peace of heart.
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
