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 13,26-33
'My brothers, sons of Abraham's race, and all you godfearers, this message of salvation is meant for you. What the people of Jerusalem and their rulers did, though they did not realise it, was in fact to fulfil the prophecies read on every Sabbath. Though they found nothing to justify his execution, they condemned him and asked Pilate to have him put to death. When they had carried out everything that scripture foretells about him they took him down from the tree and buried him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead, and for many days he appeared to those who had accompanied him from Galilee to Jerusalem: and it is these same companions of his who are now his witnesses before our people. 'We have come here to tell you the good news that the promise made to our ancestors has come about. God has fulfilled it to their children by raising Jesus from the dead. As scripture says in the psalms: You are my son: today I have fathered you.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
The Son of Man came to serve,
whoever wants to be great
should become servant of all.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
We are still inside the synagogue in Antioch of Pisidia and Paul continues to preach. In this, the second part of his sermon, Paul addresses those present as "My brothers, you descendants of Abraham’s family." Later in his life - in the Letter to the Romans - Paul clearly expresses his deep convictions about Abraham’s paternity and the strength of his faith. But it is still on the basis of this Abrahamic paternity that the apostle addresses his Jewish listeners as "brothers." In reality, there is great spiritual depth in calling the Jews "brothers": Paul underlines the "fraternity" of Jews and Christians, a result of the fact that both groups are descended from Abraham. A fact that should never be forgotten, but appreciated ever more deeply. Of course this does not simplify their relationships, but it is an invitation to examine them in greater depth and entrust them to the spiritual wisdom of both parties. The apostle speaks clearly of the faults of the leaders of the people and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, who did not recognize Jesus and put him to death. However he also underlines that his death - as in a mysterious reflection - fulfilled the prophecies. There is a mystery to contemplate, even if it is difficult to unravel. It is the mystery at the heart of the relationship between Jews and Christians. Paul continues his speech by affirming the heart of the Christian message, that is, the resurrection of Jesus as the culmination of the history of salvation. This is the mystery that must be proclaimed. In summary, Paul affirms, "And we bring you the good news that what God promised to our ancestors he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising Jesus" (v. 32). Paul is speaking in the plural because he wants to emphasize the witness of the apostles and the many other disciples to whom Jesus appeared after the resurrection. And, as if to invite his listeners to read the passages of Holy Scripture in great depth, he quotes Psalm 2:7: "You are my Son; today I have begotten you." Peter had already cited this passage in his sermon on Pentecost. The resurrection becomes the definitive start of Jesus’ kingship over the kingdom of God.
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
