Reading of the Word of God
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Glory to God in the highest
and peace on earth to the people he loves.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
John 1, 35-42
The next day as John stood there again with two of his disciples, Jesus went past,
and John looked towards him and said, 'Look, there is the lamb of God.'
And the two disciples heard what he said and followed Jesus.
Jesus turned round, saw them following and said, 'What do you want?' They answered, 'Rabbi' -- which means Teacher-'where do you live?'
He replied, 'Come and see'; so they went and saw where he lived, and stayed with him that day. It was about the tenth hour.
One of these two who became followers of Jesus after hearing what John had said was Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter.
The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother and say to him, 'We have found the Messiah' -- which means the Christ-
and he took Simon to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, 'You are Simon son of John; you are to be called Cephas' -- which means Rock.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
John the Evangelist continues to tell us about the first steps of Jesus’ public mission that opened with his baptism on the Jordan River. This page describes the conversion of two disciples of the Baptist. Evidently, the extraordinary words of the Baptist that had indicated the Messiah to those present had affected the hearts of two of his followers. In fact, after having left their master, they begin to follow this young prophet of Nazareth. Their story is an example for all believers, even for us, when we open our hearts to the preaching of the Gospel. At the origin of every Christian experience, there is always a word that touches the heart, making it abandon its habits and certainties, even if they are religious. It is the beginning of an inner journey that leads to the knowledge of the mystery of love revealed by God. The two followers of the Baptist begin to follow Jesus. A little way down the road, Jesus turns around and asks them, “What are you looking for?” These are the first words spoken by Jesus in the fourth Gospel, but also the first question posed to whoever draws near the Gospel, “What are you looking for?” “What are your expectations?” The two disciples are taken aback by his question and respond with another, “Rabbi, where are you staying?” And Jesus says, “Come and see.” It is a dialogue that seems almost curt and abrupt. It is marked by two verbs: an invitation and a promise. Jesus does not delay by explaining; his mission does not require long, complex doctrinal explanations. He proposes an experience, “Come and see.” This is what happened. The evangelist writes that the two “came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him. It was about four o’clock on that day.” To stay at the house of Jesus meant to root themselves in his company, to enter into communion with him. The experience changed the lives of Andrew and John forever. Anyone who followed their example found their lives changed. This is what happened to Simon, Andrew’s brother. Upon encountering Jesus, Peter heard his name, that is his life, changed: he received the new vocation to be the “rock” for his brothers and sisters. And this is true for all believers who become “living rocks” of a new building, the Church.
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
