Reading of the Word of God
Praise to you, o Lord, King of eternal glory
Whoever lives and believes in me
will never die.
Praise to you, o Lord, King of eternal glory
Proverbs 31, 1-31
The sayings of Lemuel king of Massa, taught him by his mother:
What, my son! What, son of my womb! What, son of my vows!
Do not expend your energy on women nor your wealth on those who ruin kings.
Not for kings, O Lemuel, not for kings the drinking of wine, not for princes the love of liquor,
for fear that in liquor they forget what they have decreed and pervert the course of justice against all the poor.
Procure strong drink for someone about to die, wine for him whose heart is heavy:
let him drink and forget his misfortune, and remember his misery no more.
Make your views heard, on behalf of the dumb, on behalf of all the unwanted;
make your views heard, pronounce an upright verdict, defend the cause of the poor and the wretched.
The truly capable woman -- who can find her? She is far beyond the price of pearls.
Her husband's heart has confidence in her, from her he will derive no little profit.
Advantage and not hurt she brings him all the days of her life.
She selects wool and flax, she does her work with eager hands.
He She is like those merchant vessels, bringing her food from far away.
She gets up while it is still dark giving her household their food, giving orders to her serving girls.
She sets her mind on a field, then she buys it; with what her hands have earned she plants a vineyard.
She puts her back into her work and shows how strong her arms can be.
She knows that her affairs are going well; her lamp does not go out at night.
She sets her hands to the distaff, her fingers grasp the spindle.
She holds out her hands to the poor, she opens her arms to the needy.
Snow may come, she has no fears for her household, with all her servants warmly clothed.
She makes her own quilts, she is dressed in fine linen and purple.
Her husband is respected at the city gates, taking his seat among the elders of the land.
She weaves materials and sells them, she supplies the merchant with sashes.
She is clothed in strength and dignity, she can laugh at the day to come.
When she opens her mouth, she does so wisely; on her tongue is kindly instruction.
She keeps good watch on the conduct of her household, no bread of idleness for her.
Her children stand up and proclaim her blessed, her husband, too, sings her praises:
'Many women have done admirable things, but you surpass them all!'
Charm is deceitful, and beauty empty; the woman who fears Yahweh is the one to praise.
Give her a share in what her hands have worked for, and let her works tell her praises at the city gates.
Praise to you, o Lord, King of eternal glory
If you believe, you will see the glory of God,
thus says the Lord.
Praise to you, o Lord, King of eternal glory
The book ends with a final collection of proverbs attributed to a certain Lemuel. As in other passages, a mother speaks, portrayed as a natural mother but also as Wisdom, a mother who instructs her children. The final instructions are about dangers we might meet. The first named are women, with a probable reference to the king’s concubines. Secondly is wine that distracts form the duties of government. If anything, wine may help those who live a difficult moment. Finally, there is an invitation regarding the mouth, that is, the use of words: "Speak out for those who cannot speak, for the rights of all the destitute. Speak out, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy." In a society devoted to pleasure and frivolity the true danger is forgetting the poor. We understand the final invitation that once more, as in the entire book, exhorts to care about the poor. In the conclusion the issue of a showy woman returns. The Word of God never fails to enter the private life of individuals, even, for example, when choosing a woman who then will become a wife and will care for her small community which at that time meant a large family. What are the virtues mentioned in the text? Diligence and ability to manage domestic life (vv. 15-19): "She looks well to the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness" (v. 27). Generosity towards the needy: "She opens her hand to the poor, and reaches out her hands to the needy" (v. 20). Foresight and dignity that she does not boast about, but that she lives (vv. 21-25): "Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come." Wisdom in speaking: "She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue" (v. 26). What is the foundation of these virtues? As in the entire book, there is only one foundation for every life guided by wisdom: "Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised" (v. 30). "Fear of God" is truly the only principle of wisdom. The book of Proverbs ends in the same way it started. Let us ask the Lord to grant us the fear of God so that we may become wise in all the choices of our life.
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
