EVERYDAY PRAYER

Liturgy of the Sunday
Word of god every day

Liturgy of the Sunday

Nineteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
Memorial of St. Lawrence, deacon and martyr (†258). He reorganized the service to the poor in Rome. Prayer for the poor and for those who serve them in the name of the Gospel
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Libretto DEL GIORNO
Liturgy of the Sunday
Sunday, August 10

Homily

Dopo la moltiplicazione dei pani e dei pesci, Gesù disse ai suoi discepoli di salire sulla barca e di precederlo all’altra riva, mentre lui avrebbe continuato a parlare con la folla. Potremmo definirla l’icona della misericordia: Gesù solo con la folla che lo attornia. Ma segue subito un’altra icona, o meglio l’altra faccia della stessa icona: Gesù, sul monte, solo davanti al Padre. Direi che è impossibile separare queste dAfter the multiplication of the loaves and fishes, Jesus told the disciples to get into the boat and go ahead of him to the other shore; meanwhile he continued to speak to the crowd. We could call this the icon of mercy: Jesus with the crowd gathered around him. Another icon follows immediately, or better, the other face of the same icon: Jesus, on the mountain, alone before the Father. I would say that it is impossible to separate these two images; they make up one icon, and one explains the other. In the image of Jesus alone before God is fixed the extraordinary and unique relationship that joins Jesus to the Father. And from this relationship with the Father comes everything else.
The disciples are in the middle of the sea, and they too are alone, away from Jesus and the crowd. They are alone with themselves. How different these two ways of being alone: Jesus alone on the mountain in the presence of God and the disciples alone on the rough seas. The evangelist almost seems to suggest that when people are alone with themselves, it is normal for storms to arise. Indeed, the disciples had already gone through a similar experience (Mt 8:23-27) in the middle of the lake when Jesus was asleep. We can only imagine what might happen now that he is gone. When we are alone with ourselves, we cannot avoid the storm of life. The disciples spend the night in fear, struggling against the rough seas and the opposite wind.
When it is almost dawn, Jesus, walking on the waters, draws near to the boat, which struggles amidst serious difficulties. Upon seeing him, the disciples are afraid he is a ghost. Fear of ghosts is added to the fear of the waves. They still have not understood who Jesus is. He has to speak to reassure them himself: “Take heart, it is I.” It is a reassuring voice that they have heard many times. But their fear is still stronger and their doubts remain. Speaking for them all, Peter asks for proof, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” They know what this sign means. It is not just a miraculous act, it is a “sign” that points directly to God, as is written in Psalm 77.
The second scene opens. Jesus says to Peter, “Come!” Peter obeys Jesus and begins to walk on the waves. But the doubt and fear that are still deeply rooted in his heart take the upper hand, and Peter is about to be swallowed up by the waves. At this point, Peter truly despairs and cries out, “Lord, save me!” They are only three words, perhaps shouted out in an unseemly way, but they are full of hope. And “Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him [Peter], saying to him, ‘You of little faith, why did you doubt?’” (v. 31)
This scene gives a good sense of what it means to be a disciple. Throughout the history of the Church, this episode has always been seen as the typical image of doubt, which indeed is not uncommon in the lives of the disciples. In fact, as the Gospel itself reminds us, doubt often marks the disciple’s life, just as it marks the experience of every believer.
We can all feel close to Peter and identify with his doubts, uncertainties, and fears. But we have to understand where we can talk about certainty in faith. Certainty is not to be found on the human side; we are all weak, fragile, doubtful, and even treacherous. Certainty is found on God’s side. God will never abandon us to our sad fate; He will never let us be swept away by the raging sea of evil; He will never allow the raging waves of wickedness to swallow us up. What matters – and here we have to imitate Peter – is for us to cry out: “Lord, save me!” In this simple prayer is hidden the simple and deep mystery of our faith: Jesus is the only one who can save us.
ue immagini: esse fanno parte della stessa icona; l’una rende ragione dell’altra. Nell’immagine di Gesù solo davanti a Dio è come fissato quel singolarissimo e unico rapporto che lega Gesù al Padre. Dal rapporto con il Padre sgorga tutto quel che segue.
I discepoli sono in mezzo alle acque, anche loro soli, senza Gesù e senza la folla: sono soli con loro stessi. Quanto sono diverse queste due solitudini; quella di Gesù sul monte alla presenza di Dio e quella dei discepoli sulle acque agitate. L’evangelista sembra quasi suggerire che è logico, quando si è soli con se stessi, che sorgano tempeste. I discepoli, del resto, avevano già sperimentato una situazione analoga (Mt 8,23-27) in mezzo al lago mentre Gesù dormiva; figuriamoci ora che è assente. Quando si è soli con se stessi non è possibile sottrarsi alla tempesta della vita. I discepoli passano così quella notte: nella paura e nella lotta contro le onde agitate e il vento contrario.
Quasi all’alba, Gesù, camminando sulle acque, si avvicina verso quella barca che lotta tra gravi difficoltà. I discepoli, al vederlo, hanno paura: pensano sia un fantasma. Alla paura delle onde si aggiunge quella del fantasma. Non hanno ancora compreso chi è Gesù. Egli stesso deve intervenire per rassicurarli: “Coraggio, sono io, non abbiate paura”. È una voce rassicurante, sentita tante volte. Eppure la loro paura è più forte; e il dubbio persiste. Pietro, a nome di tutti, chiede una prova: “Signore, se sei tu, comandami di venire verso di te sulle acque”. Essi sanno bene cosa significa questo segno. Non è, appunto, un semplice atto miracoloso, ma un “segno” che rinvia direttamente a Dio, come era scritto nel Salmo 77.
Si apre la seconda scena. Gesù dice a Pietro: “Vieni!”. Pietro obbedisce al comando di Gesù e inizia a camminare sulle onde. Ma il dubbio e la paura, ancora ben radicati nel suo cuore, prendono il sopravvento e l’apostolo sta per essere inghiottito dalle onde. A questo punto, davvero disperato, Pietro grida: “Signore, salvami!”. Due sole parole, gridate forse in modo scomposto, ma piene di speranza. E “Gesù tese la mano, lo afferrò e gli disse: «Uomo di poca fede, perché hai dubitato?»” (v. 31). È una scena che delinea bene lo statuto del discepolo. Nella storia della Chiesa, questo episodio ha sempre costituito l’immagine tipica del dubbio; esso in effetti non è per nulla insolito nella vita dei discepoli. Anzi, come il Vangelo stesso ci ricorda, ne scandisce spesso la vita. Come pure scandisce l’esperienza di ogni credente.
Tutti possiamo sentirci vicini a Pietro, riconoscerci nei suoi dubbi, nelle sue incertezze e nelle sue paure. Ma c’è da comprendere bene in che versante si deve parlare di certezza nella fede. La certezza non la si deve cercare dalla parte dell’uomo; noi tutti infatti siamo deboli, fragili, dubbiosi ed anche traditori. La certezza va cercata dalla parte di Dio: egli non ci abbandonerà al nostro destino triste, non ci lascerà travolgere dal mare impetuoso del male, non permetterà che le onde impetuose della cattiveria ci inghiottano. Quel che conta – e in questo dobbiamo imitare Pietro – è gridare come lui: “Signore, salvami!”. In questa semplice preghiera è nascosto il mistero semplice e profondo della fede: Gesù è l’unico che può salvarci.

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