Memory of St. Boniface, bishop and martyr. He announced the Gospel in Germany and was killed while celebrating the Eucharist (+754).
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Memory of St. Boniface, bishop and martyr. He announced the Gospel in Germany and was killed while celebrating the Eucharist (+754).
Reading of the Word of God
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Whoever lives and believes in me
will never die.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Acts 4,32-37
The whole group of believers was united, heart and soul; no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, as everything they owned was held in common.
The apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus with great power, and they were all accorded great respect.
None of their members was ever in want, as all those who owned land or houses would sell them, and bring the money from the sale of them,
to present it to the apostles; it was then distributed to any who might be in need.
There was a Levite of Cypriot origin called Joseph whom the apostles surnamed Barnabas (which means 'son of encouragement').
He owned a piece of land and he sold it and brought the money and presented it to the apostles.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
If you believe, you will see the glory of God,
thus says the Lord.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
The effects of the works of the Holy Spirit on the lives of the disciples were seen at once. Once again, the author of the Acts clearly and concisely sets forth the life of the community: all who welcomed the Gospel were of one heart and one soul, that is, they lived in full harmony. Luke wants to stress with special emphasis the radical unity of Christian community: clearly it was a dimension that he considered qualifying so that a community could define itself "apostolic." Probably in front of the risks of division among the members of the community, the evangelist thought it was important to remind all of the primacy of unity in the life of the community. The Gospel creates a new climate of communion among those who welcome it; it frees them from division that is a fruit of evil, the prince of division. Communion among the disciples is so deep that they share their properties. Luke notes: "No one claimed private ownership of any possessions, as everything they owned was held in common." The spirit of community is not limited to one particular area; it pervades the whole life of the community and expresses itself even to the point of sharing their goods. This image of community, which may seem utopian, shows all the disciples of past, present, and future, what path they should follow: the path of communion and of sharing. The transformation of the relationships between the believers is a clear fruit of the strength of resurrection that is now leavening the whole of creation. It is an especially decisive testimony for our present society, which transforms even the relations among people into commercial ones where giving and receiving are tightly connected. Gratuitousness has disappeared from human relationships. Only gratuitous love that comes from the Gospel opens to a new and generous vision of life and allows not considering as an exclusive property what we have. The example of Barnabas reported in Acts seems to be telling us that this path is not an impossible and in any way distant dream. It is, in truth, the Gospel that is able to change the lives and the hearts of the Lord’s disciples.
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
