Reading of the Word of God
Praise to you, o Lord, King of eternal glory
You are a chosen race,
a royal priesthood, a holy nation,
a people acquired by God
to proclaim his marvellous works.
Praise to you, o Lord, King of eternal glory
Matthew 5, 17-19
'Do not imagine that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish but to complete them.
In truth I tell you, till heaven and earth disappear, not one dot, not one little stroke, is to disappear from the Law until all its purpose is achieved.
Therefore, anyone who infringes even one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be considered the least in the kingdom of Heaven; but the person who keeps them and teaches them will be considered great in the kingdom of Heaven.
Praise to you, o Lord, King of eternal glory
You will be holy,
because I am holy, thus says the Lord.
Praise to you, o Lord, King of eternal glory
The passage of the first reading of today’s Mass is from the first of Moses’ speeches in Deuteronomy (4:1.5-9), and it emphasizes the fulfilment of the law of the Lord: “So that you may live You must observe them diligently, for this will show your wisdom and discernment to the peoples.” But everything is originated from listening to the Word of God: “So now, Israel, give heed to the statutes and ordinances that I am teaching you to observe, so that you may live to enter and occupy the land ” Scriptures tightly connect listening and observing the commandments with human life and happiness. Faith arises from listening, as will be repeated by the apostle Paul in the letter to the Romans (10:17). Jesus, in the Gospel passage we read, affirms, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfil.” He came to fulfil all the Scriptures of the Old Testament, from Abraham to Moses and to the Prophets. What does it mean that he is their fulfilment? It means that in each page of the Scripture, we may say in each “iota” (which is the smallest letter of the Jewish alphabet) there is a reference to Jesus. The Old Testament is neither abolished nor surpassed, it keeps its permanent value, but for us Christians, Jesus becomes the key to interpret the whole Holy Scriptures, even the Old Testament. In Jesus, the story of the love of God that crosses all the pages of the Bible finds its climax. This is why the fulfilment of the law is the Gospel love, that love which led Jesus to the cross. And we may also say that the one who loves fulfils the law of the Lord. Each page of the Bible is to be heard, for it contains the story of this extraordinary love of God for men and women. Each page is to be meditated and kept with care and devotion. Better a new devotion should arise for this holy Book that contains the Word of God. As well as there is devotion for the Eucharist, devotion for the Holy Scriptures should be established. St. Francis’ example of exhorting the brothers to collect pieces of paper fallen to the ground because they could contain words of the Gospel, is beautiful. Following the Teacher, disciples should receive each word of the Holy Scriptures in their hearts and fulfil them in their everyday life.
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
