EVERYDAY PRAYER

Memory of the Church
Word of god every day
Libretto DEL GIORNO
Memory of the Church


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

John 13, 16-20

'In all truth I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, no messenger is greater than the one who sent him.

'Now that you know this, blessed are you if you behave accordingly.

I am not speaking about all of you: I know the ones I have chosen; but what scripture says must be fulfilled: 'He who shares my table takes advantage of me.

I tell you this now, before it happens, so that when it does happen you may believe that I am He.

In all truth I tell you, whoever welcomes the one I send, welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me, welcomes the one who sent me.'

 

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

I give you a new commandment,
that you love one another.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

The Gospel passage we heard brings us into the upper room. Jesus had just finished washing his disciples’ feet. He wanted that it be a teaching that showed how far his love goes. He wanted this type of love to exist between them as the highest possible qualification for whoever wanted to be his disciple. Solemnly he tells them: "Servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them." Disciples of past and present are called to behave according to this logic that Jesus showed in such a lively manner by washing the feet of the apostles. It was the most evident way to comment on the teaching of loving one another to the point of giving one’s own life. And in this responsibility of giving oneself is hidden the joy of the faithful: "If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them." In this, we see a Christianity that finds its joy in loving others, in spending its life for the Gospel. Not that this comes without a labour and sacrifice, but communicating the Gospel gives us the greatest joy because we are participating in God’s great plan of love on this earth. Unfortunately, Jesus’ disciples don’t always live in this spirit. We, too, allow ourselves to become overpowered by an egocentric and lazy lifestyle. And in so doing, we distort the Gospel and the power of change loses its strength. Judas is a tragic example of a life gone adrift. Although he had followed Jesus closely, so much so that he had "eaten bread" from the same dish, Judas ends up selling him for a few coins. Jesus, however, knowing the weakness of his disciples, warns them of the difficulties that they will face so that they will be able to resist the snares of evil. What matters is remaining connected to Jesus. The evangelist seems to suggest the solemnity of Jesus’ epiphany: "I tell you this now, before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe that I am he." The phrase "I am he" harkens to the voice Moses heard from the burning bush. Essentially, by listening to Jesus, we are listening to the very voice of the Father in heaven.

WORD OF GOD EVERY DAY: THE CALENDAR

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!

WORD OF GOD EVERY DAY: THE CALENDAR