Reading of the Word of God
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
I am the good shepherd,
my sheep listen to my voice,
and they become
one flock and one fold.
.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Acts 5,34-42
One member of the Sanhedrin, however, a Pharisee called Gamaliel, who was a teacher of the Law respected by the whole people, stood up and asked to have the men taken outside for a time.
Then he addressed the Sanhedrin, 'Men of Israel, be careful how you deal with these people.
Some time ago there arose Theudas. He claimed to be someone important, and collected about four hundred followers; but when he was killed, all his followers scattered and that was the end of them.
And then there was Judas the Galilean, at the time of the census, who attracted crowds of supporters; but he was killed too, and all his followers dispersed.
What I suggest, therefore, is that you leave these men alone and let them go. If this enterprise, this movement of theirs, is of human origin it will break up of its own accord;
but if it does in fact come from God you will be unable to destroy them. Take care not to find yourselves fighting against God.' His advice was accepted;
and they had the apostles called in, gave orders for them to be flogged, warned them not to speak in the name of Jesus and released them.
And so they left the presence of the Sanhedrin, glad to have had the honour of suffering humiliation for the sake of the name.
Every day they went on ceaselessly teaching and proclaiming the good news of Christ Jesus, both in the temple and in private houses.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
I give you a new commandment,
that you love one another.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Gamaliel, a Pharisee man who was respected on all sides, saw the injustice that was being perpetrated against the apostles, and he arose to defend them before the whole Sanhedrin. His speech is wise and full of religious understanding. God guides the unfolding of history, and it is not a good idea to go against Him. Gamaliel is not acting on shrewdness or calculation, still less envy. In speaking on that occasion, he is moved by a religious vision. With great wisdom he sketches a brief story of people who have been considered "exalted:" he spoke of a certain Theudas and Judas the Galilean who had been killed and their followers had been dispersed. But Gamaliel also warned the Sanhedrin to act wisely on face of this new group that had appeared in the city: "If this plan or this undertaking is of human origin, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow themin that case you may even be found fighting against God!" The Sanhedrin accepted Gamaliel’s advice and let the apostles go but only after having them flogged and ordering them not to speak of Jesus. It is the same thing that Pilate had done to Jesus when he said, "I will therefore have him flogged and release him."(Lk 23:16) But how could they be silent and keep the Gospel to themselves? At the end of the first part of the story, the author of Acts notes that they not only talked about Jesus in the temple but also in people’s homes. And they continued to do so because they saw that needy people welcomed what they were saying with joy: the Gospel made people happy and gave comfort and hope to all those who needs and seeks it.
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
