EVERYDAY PRAYER

Memory of Jesus crucified
Word of god every day
Libretto DEL GIORNO
Memory of Jesus crucified

Song

Lord, remember us when you come into your kingdom.

Blessed are the poor in spirit,
theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who suffer,
they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
they shall inherit the earth.

Through the tree Adam was exiled,
but through the tree of the cross
the thief entered Paradise.
Adam disobeyed your will.
The thief crucified with you
confessed in you the hidden God.

Lord, remember us when you come into your kingdom.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice,
for in the kingdom to come
they will be satisfied.

From the disciple the transgressors of the Law
bought the creator of the Law,
and led him like a criminal
before Pilate, and they cried out:
"Crucify him! Crucify him!"
because he called himself the Son of God.

The Lord nourished them with manna
at the time of their journey in the desert.
But we imitate
the crucified thief
and with his little faith we cry out:

Lord, remember us when you come into your kingdom.

Blessed are the merciful,
for they shall find
mercy.

The crowd loudly cried out:
"Crucify Jesus the Nazarene."
In their folly, incited by their leaders,
they sought salvation for Barabbas.
We raise our voices on high,
and with the crucified thief we cry out:

Lord, remember us when you come into your kingdom.

Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they shall see
God.

You were led to the slaughter,
like a lamb before its shearers.
In your heart there was no hatred,
only love and forgiveness for all.
You did not call upon legions of angels,
but you entrusted yourself to the Father.

Lord, remember us when you come into your kingdom.

Blessed are the people of peace,
they shall be called
children of God.

You were crucified, O Lord,
because you brought true peace
that the world does not know.
Blessed are the feet of those who bring peace,
even if nailed and pierced,
O Christ, Son of the living God.

Lord, remember us when you come into your Kingdom.

Blessed are those persecuted for the cause of justice.
Blessed are you when they insult you,
persecute you and speak lies about you.
Rejoice and exult,
your reward will be great in heaven.

On the cross you bound the tyrant,
the enemy who persecutes humanity,
ransoming us from the chains of death and of evil,
liberating us so that we may live,
O Lord, friend of the people.

Lord, remember us when you come into your kingdom.

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!