EVERYDAY PRAYER

Memory of the Poor
Word of god every day

Memory of the Poor

Memory of St. Jerome, doctor of the Church, who died in Bethlehem in 420. He translated the Bible into the Latin language. Prayer that the voice of the Scripture may be heard in every language. Read more

Libretto DEL GIORNO
Memory of the Poor
Monday, September 30

Memory of St. Jerome, doctor of the Church, who died in Bethlehem in 420. He translated the Bible into the Latin language. Prayer that the voice of the Scripture may be heard in every language.


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 Maccabees 1, 1-15

Alexander of Macedon son of Philip had come from the land of Kittim and defeated Darius king of the Persians and Medes, whom he succeeded as ruler, at first of Hellas.

He undertook many campaigns, gained possession of many fortresses, and put the local kings to death.

So he advanced to the ends of the earth, plundering nation after nation; the earth grew silent before him, and his ambitious heart swelled with pride.

He assembled very powerful forces and subdued provinces, nations and princes, and they became his tributaries.

But the time came when Alexander took to his bed, in the knowledge that he was dying.

He summoned his officers, noblemen who had been brought up with him from his youth, and divided his kingdom among them while he was still alive.

Alexander had reigned twelve years when he died.

Each of his officers established himself in his own region.

All assumed crowns after his death, they and their heirs after them for many years, bringing increasing evils on the world.

From these there grew a wicked offshoot, Antiochus Epiphanes son of King Antiochus; once a hostage in Rome, he became king in the 107th year of the kingdom of the Greeks.

It was then that there emerged from Israel a set of renegades who led many people astray. 'Come,' they said, 'let us ally ourselves with the gentiles surrounding us, for since we separated ourselves from them many misfortunes have overtaken us.'

This proposal proved acceptable,

and a number of the people eagerly approached the king, who authorised them to practise the gentiles' observances.

So they built a gymnasium in Jerusalem, such as the gentiles have,

disguised their circumcision, and abandoned the holy covenant, submitting to gentile rule as willing slaves of impiety.

 

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

The Son of Man came to serve,
whoever wants to be great
should become servant of all.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

We begin with the first book of Maccabees. The author, an educated Jew of the time of the experiences of the three Maccabee brothers, delineates already in the first two chapters the perspective of the entire narration: the people of Israel defend the Law from the pollution of the neighbouring peoples who wish to impose pagan traditions on them. Therefore, the author praises the behaviour of the believers who refuse every concession to the Hellenic mentality, even to the point of death. The believers are seen as martyrs. The first book of Maccabees, which includes Israel’s history from 167 B.C. to 134 B.C., opens with a brief historical summary on Alexander the Macedonian (Alexander the Great) who had his empire stretching throughout the East, “until the ends of the Earth.” In order to combine the diverse peoples into one civilization, Alexander made Greek the official language of his empire and ordered that centres of Hellenist civilization be built, both building new cities and reconfiguring the existing ones to conform to the Greek model. Hellenism grew in theatres and gymnasiums, and temples and Greek divinities spread all over. As a way to demonstrate the hegemonic strength and cultural influence of Alexander, he observes, “the earth became quiet before him.” Yet pride for such enormous power would take possession of the Emperor’s heart, and divine justice would check him: Alexander fell sick and died. Beforehand, however, he divided up his kingdom between his officials, one of whom, Antiochus Epiphanes “a sinful root”, who among his enterprises, would eventually sack Jerusalem. During the reign of Antiochus, a few renegade men of Israel (literally “transgressors of the Law”) seduced other Jews into accepting the Hellenist attitude and lifestyle. “Let us go and make a covenant with the Gentiles round about us, for since we separated from them many disasters have come upon us.” The initiative of the Hellenisation of Jewish customs was also the work of a part of Jewish society who wished to be like all the citizens of the other nations. This sort of assimilation had already occurred Samuel’s time when the people wanted a king “like all other nations” (1 Sam 8:5, 20). In Jerusalem, a gymnasium was built that had at its core a “gymnasium”, a clear expression of Hellenistic culture. For the Jews, however, there was the issue of circumcision. While the Greeks would exercise and perform naked, the Jews sought to hide their circumcision. Such an attitude, however, meant hiding their covenant with God, which was the foundation of Israel’s existence. Defending their connection with God above everything else was the people of Israel’s reason for living. Only on the solid basis of their alliance with God could they have relationships with other peoples, otherwise they would jeopardize the very reason of being as a people of Israel. This is a lesson that speaks to us today when we adapt worldly attitudes that only seem to give in to ourselves. As believers, we are called to stay faithful to God and friends to men and women, especially to the poor.

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