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
1 Peter 1, 6-12
This is a great joy to you, even though for a short time yet you must bear all sorts of trials;
so that the worth of your faith, more valuable than gold, which is perishable even if it has been tested by fire, may be proved -- to your praise and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed.
You have not seen him, yet you love him; and still without seeing him you believe in him and so are already filled with a joy so glorious that it cannot be described;
and you are sure of the goal of your faith, that is, the salvation of your souls.
This salvation was the subject of the search and investigation of the prophets who spoke of the grace you were to receive,
searching out the time and circumstances for which the Spirit of Christ, bearing witness in them, was revealing the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow them.
It was revealed to them that it was for your sake and not their own that they were acting as servants delivering the message which has now been announced to you by those who preached to you the gospel through the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even the angels long to catch a glimpse of these things.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
The Son of Man came to serve,
whoever wants to be great
should become servant of all.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
The apostle invites the Christians, tested by the opposition of the world, not to be discouraged, but to rejoice: "In this you rejoice, even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials". The trials are given so as to purify the life of the disciples, as a fire purifies gold, cleansing it of impurities. The Book of Wisdom had already written: "The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God... because God tested them and found them worthy of himself; like gold in the furnace he tried them" (33:1-7). Such purification is aimed at rendering the disciples like Jesus. For this, our gaze should be turned toward him. Peter insists that faith causes joy even in difficulties. Sadness is often the fruit of hopelessness and love for oneself. The rich young man went away sad because he was worried for his riches. The Apostle writes to them, "Although you have not seen him, you love" God; but there are the eyes of the heart that allow us to see Jesus’ face. While the apostle was writing, he wanted the Christians to be able to experience what he himself lived the night of his betrayal when his Teacher looked at him or when Jesus, on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, questioned him about his love: "Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?" And he responded, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you" (Jn 21:15-17). Having one’s gaze fixed on the face of Jesus is a source of "unspeakable joy" and support in order to achieve "the salvation of our souls." The apostle means the salvation of the entire Christian community, which every disciple, truly, should care about. Yes, the salvation of the community should be the first concern of every believer, as it was also the concern of the ancient prophets, who searched and meditated "day and night" (Ps 1:2) on Holy Scripture. The same Spirit that guided the prophets continues its work today. By accepting in their heart the preaching of the Gospel, the believers are guided by the Spirit to understand the mystery of salvation that was kept hidden and that now the Father has revealed to his own children.
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
