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
Hebrews 11, 17-40
It was by faith that Abraham, when put to the test, offered up Isaac. He offered to sacrifice his only son even though he had yet to receive what had been promised,
and he had been told: Isaac is the one through whom your name will be carried on.
He was confident that God had the power even to raise the dead; and so, figuratively speaking, he was given back Isaac from the dead.
It was by faith that this same Isaac gave his blessing to Jacob and Esau for the still distant future.
By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph's sons, bowed in reverence, as he leant on his staff.
It was by faith that, when he was about to die, Joseph mentioned the Exodus of the Israelites and gave instructions about his own remains.
It was by faith that Moses, when he was born, was kept hidden by his parents for three months; because they saw that he was a fine child; they were not afraid of the royal edict.
It was by faith that, when he was grown up, Moses refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter
and chose to be ill-treated in company with God's people rather than to enjoy the transitory pleasures of sin.
He considered that the humiliations offered to the Anointed were something more precious than all the treasures of Egypt, because he had his eyes fixed on the reward.
It was by faith that he left Egypt without fear of the king's anger; he held to his purpose like someone who could see the Invisible.
It was by faith that he kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood to prevent the Destroyer from touching any of their first-born sons.
It was by faith they crossed the Red Sea as easily as dry land, while the Egyptians, trying to do the same, were drowned.
It was through faith that the walls of Jericho fell down when the people had marched round them for seven days.
It was by faith that Rahab the prostitute welcomed the spies and so was not killed with the unbelievers.
What more shall I say? There is not time for me to give an account of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, or of David, Samuel and the prophets.
These were men who through faith conquered kingdoms, did what was upright and earned the promises. They could keep a lion's mouth shut,
put out blazing fires and emerge unscathed from battle. They were weak people who were given strength to be brave in war and drive back foreign invaders.
Some returned to their wives from the dead by resurrection; and others submitted to torture, refusing release so that they would rise again to a better life.
Some had to bear being pilloried and flogged, or even chained up in prison.
They were stoned, or sawn in half, or killed by the sword; they were homeless, and wore only the skins of sheep and goats; they were in want and hardship, and maltreated.
They were too good for the world and they wandered in deserts and mountains and in caves and ravines.
These all won acknowledgement through their faith, but they did not receive what was promised,
since God had made provision for us to have something better, and they were not to reach perfection except with us.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
I give you a new commandment,
that you love one another.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
With the episode of the sacrifice of Isaac, the author of this Letter continues a list of examples of believers. The episode shows Abraham obedient to God, even if he does not understand the profound meaning of the request that has been made to him. Believers are indeed those who entrust themselves to God even if they do not understand, knowing however that they will not be abandoned. Abraham believes that, if God asks of him the sacrifice of Isaac, God will also be able to give him back to him again. In fact the author notes “God is able even to raise someone from the dead” (11:19). This faith, so solid, also moved the patriarchs Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. They blessed their children from their deathbeds, assuring them of the promise of God. Also the life of Moses was marked by faith. His parents demonstrated a strong faith; they did not obey Pharaoh and they saved their little child from death. Then Moses, though raised in the Egyptian court, refused to be the adopted son of Pharaoh’s daughter and to enjoy the comforts of a luxurious life, in order to follow the fate of his people persecuted and reduced into slavery. He chose “the abuse suffered for the Christ” (see 13:13) as the Letter says with a deliberate updating of the Old Testament narrative. This is why Moses confronted Pharaoh, and without fear, led his people out from Egypt. In this story of Moses, Christians are able to rediscover their history. They, too, were threatened with severe punishment by the imperial laws and had to endure injustice and humiliation. But faith allows people to overcome difficulties. It was thus with the Israelites who crossed the sea on dry ground while the Egyptians were drowned. It was also thus when the walls of Jericho fell down and only the prostitute was saved for she had received the spies, whereas all the other inhabitants of the city were swept away. Without a precise chronological or logical order, the author then summarizes the “successes” achieved by faith: heroic enterprises, military victories, political successes and resurrection of the dead. It is an invitation to believers to remember the power of faith which acts in history. Moreover, even Jesus said that faith as small as a seed “can move mountains” (see Mk 11:23). This is why Christians must not be resigned when faced with the violence of evil: faith is stronger. Even when violence befalls them, faith will save them. The author recalls, as in a martyrology, believers who have been persecuted. They accepted death for their faith, for their bond with the Lord. He concludes, “Yet all these, though they were commended for their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better so that they would not, without us, be made perfect” (11:39-40). The promise of an eternal homeland was given to the believers of the old covenant, but no one was able to attain it then. Only Jesus, the high priest and Son of God, has opened access to it for them and for us.
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
