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
Acts 5,34-42
One member of the Sanhedrin, however, a Pharisee called Gamaliel, who was a teacher of the Law respected by the whole people, stood up and asked to have the men taken outside for a time. Then he addressed the Sanhedrin, 'Men of Israel, be careful how you deal with these people. Some time ago there arose Theudas. He claimed to be someone important, and collected about four hundred followers; but when he was killed, all his followers scattered and that was the end of them. And then there was Judas the Galilean, at the time of the census, who attracted crowds of supporters; but he was killed too, and all his followers dispersed. What I suggest, therefore, is that you leave these men alone and let them go. If this enterprise, this movement of theirs, is of human origin it will break up of its own accord; but if it does in fact come from God you will be unable to destroy them. Take care not to find yourselves fighting against God.' His advice was accepted; and they had the apostles called in, gave orders for them to be flogged, warned them not to speak in the name of Jesus and released them. And so they left the presence of the Sanhedrin, glad to have had the honour of suffering humiliation for the sake of the name. Every day they went on ceaselessly teaching and proclaiming the good news of Christ Jesus, both in the temple and in private houses.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
The Son of Man came to serve,
whoever wants to be great
should become servant of all.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
The apostles are standing before the Sanhedrin, accused of continuing to preach in Jesus’ name. The apostles’ answer enraged the members of the Sanhedrin so much that they were about to have them put to death. Gamaliel, a kind Pharisee respected by all the people, stands up against the injustice being done to the apostles. In the middle of the assembly, he rises to his feet and speaks to defend them. One can imagine that he took part in the meetings of the Sanhedrin when they tried everything to accuse and silence Jesus. And it is not hard to imagine that he might have been friends with Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea. His speech is wise and full of religious wisdom: he reminds those who are present that it is God who guides history and it is not a good idea to oppose God. Gamaliel is not driven by shrewdness or calculations, and even less by jealousy, the feeling that had insinuated itself into the hearts of the majority of the Sanhedrin’s members. He is a Jewish believer who feels responsible for helping his colleagues to see and so to save this group of Jesus’ followers. And he makes a very straightforward speech to the Sanhedrin: if these men’s efforts do not come from God, they will soon end, but if they do come from God, by opposing them you risk opposing God himself. Touched by Gamaliel’s wisdom, the Sanhedrin accepts his advice and lets the apostles go, but first having them flogged and ordering them not to speak of Jesus any more. In truth, they seem to be carrying out what Pilate had proposed to do with Jesus when he said, "I will therefore have him flogged and release him" (Luke 23:16). But in reality the apostles could not be silent and keep the Gospel of Jesus’ love to themselves. Instead, they went out rejoicing that they had been able to suffer even a little of what Jesus had suffered. With a final comment, which closes this episode, Luke emphasizes that the apostles continued to proclaim that Jesus was the saviour every day, in the temple and in people’s homes. And they saw that people received their proclamation with joy. Their preaching was true good news that gave comfort and hope to those to whom they spoke.
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
