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
Luke 8, 16-18
'No one lights a lamp to cover it with a bowl or to put it under a bed. No, it is put on a lamp-stand so that people may see the light when they come in.
For nothing is hidden but it will be made clear, nothing secret but it will be made known and brought to light.
So take care how you listen; anyone who has, will be given more; anyone who has not, will be deprived even of what he thinks he has.'
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
The Son of Man came to serve,
whoever wants to be great
should become servant of all.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
The Word of God is never a seed which is reserved for a few, or worse, which remains hidden in the heart of the one who receives it. By its nature it must grow until the cycle is complete, until it becomes a great tree. Jesus explains this mystery of the word of God with the example of the lamp. Just as the light of a lamp does not exist for itself, but rather to illuminate what is around it, so the Word of God should enlighten every man and every woman. And the believers are called to show everyone its light. They thus do not live for themselves but in order to manifest to all the light of the Gospel. Jesus says: "No one after lighting a lamp hides it under a jar, or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a lamp stand, so that those who enter may see the light." The Gospel is given to us so that we, in turn, give it to the men and women of our cities. Every community and every believer can thus be compared to the lamp stand spoken of by Jesus. The lamp is to be put in a high place, so that it might let the light of the Gospel shine for everyone. It is obviously not a matter of showing off oneself or one’s own natural wisdom, nor to show one’s gifts and capacity to astonish. The believer is asked to manifest the Word of the Lord, just that, not his own. This is why -Jesus points outthe disciple is called above all to receive the Word of God in his own heart: "Pay attention then how you listen." Those who do not listen in fact cannot transmit anything except themselves. But he or she will be like a light turned off and without life. Those who let themselves be trained in their heart by the Word of God will have a heart full of divine wisdom and will bear for themselves and for all good fruits. This is the meaning of Jesus’ words: "the one who has will be given," that is, whoever received the Gospel in his heart will receive abundant wisdom. It is the meaning of that phrase of Gregory the Great which says: "Scripture grows with the one who reads it." It will not be so, on the other hand, for the one whose heart is closed to the Word: he or she will remain darkness because he is full only of himself and of his own sadness. "From those who do not have, even what they seem to have will be taken away:" those who do not pay attention to the Gospel word will see their heart become more and more closed. The Word of God, if received with faith in one’s heart, transforms us, making us into men and women capable of offering light to those who live in the darkness of their own existence.
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
