EVERYDAY PRAYER

Memory of the Saints and the Prophets
Word of god every day
Libretto DEL GIORNO
Memory of the Saints and the Prophets
Wednesday, November 7


Reading of the Word of God

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

You are a chosen race,
a royal priesthood, a holy nation,
a people acquired by God
to proclaim his marvellous works.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

2 Chronicles 19, 4-11

Jehoshaphat resided in Jerusalem but regularly went on progress among the people, from Beersheba to the highlands of Ephraim, to convert them to Yahweh, God of their ancestors.

He also appointed judges in the country in every one of the fortified towns of Judah,

saying to the judges, 'Be careful what you do, since you are judging not by any human power but in the name of Yahweh, who will be with you when you pronounce sentence.

This being so, let fear of Yahweh govern you; be careful what you do, for Yahweh our God will not tolerate malpractice, partiality or the taking of bribes.'

Jehoshaphat also appointed some of the Levites, priests and heads of Israelite families in Jerusalem to settle disputes. They lived in Jerusalem

and Jehoshaphat gave them the following charge: 'In fear of Yahweh and with conscientious integrity, this is how you are to act:

whatever case your brothers living in other towns refer to you, whether involving blood feuds or law and commandment, statutes and judgements, you are to instruct them in such manner that they do not incur guilt before Yahweh and that you and your brothers do not incur his anger. If you act thus, you will not incur guilt.

Amariah the chief priest himself will be your president in all religious cases, and Zebadiah son of Ishmael, leader of the House of Judah, in all civil ones, while the Levites will act as officers of the court. Be firm, put this into practice and may Yahweh protect the right!'

 

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

You will be holy,
because I am holy, thus says the Lord.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

After the disastrous experience at war as Ahab’s ally, Jehoshaphat is about to carry on his reform programme in Jerusalem. This time he tackles the justice reform. The Chronicler aims at presenting Jehoshaphat as the next David, or rather the next Moses. Jehoshaphat goes out again among his people. He wants to bring them back to the God of their fathers: he knows God forgives those who come back to him as he promised to Solomon. He appoints judges so that they help the people to be faithful to the law. They must dwell in all the fortified cities in Judah together with a royal garrison in strategic places, accessible for all the population. They are on behalf of God and not on behalf of the king. They must be a sign of the justice and the impartiality of the Lord in their behaviour and in their judgement, without being tempted by favouritism: “Consider what you are doing, for you judge not on behalf of human beings but on the Lord’s behalf; he is with you in giving judgement” (vv. 6-7). These are lofty instructions and one should tremble in implementing them. For this reason the Chronicler exhorts to let the “fear” of the Lord guide them in the execution of the duty, so that they refuse corruption and grant equity. The situation is different in Jerusalem: there they distinguish whether it “matters the Lord” or “the king” (v. 11). Maybe it doesn’t deal with religious or secular matters as we mean today, but with ritual issues. The judges of Jerusalem constitute a sort of Supreme Court, to whom the cases unsettled in other local courts are transferred. Jehoshaphat urges Jerusalem judges to honour their role as representatives of the Lord, acting faithfully and devoting themselves entirely to justice. Their duty is not only judge but also teach their brothers, that is local judges, so that they don’t stray from the law of the Lord, so that the wrath of God may come upon them and their brothers. If justice prevails in the country, the Lord will dwell among the inhabitants. Jehoshaphat’s wisdom is clear: he understands how important is to govern the life of the people of God so that unavoidable quarrels won’t jeopardize the city unity. Hence, he provides for a certain separation of powers: he appoints Amariah for the jurisdiction over religious matters and Zebadiah, leader of the most ancient family of Judah, for the jurisdiction over all civil suits concerning the king. Levites have subordinate roles: they are bailiffs and scribes. The fair king expects judges to be just as God is just. The city, as justice is practised, will be worthy of Lord’s kindness and protection.

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