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
1 Peter 1,3-9
Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in his great mercy has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and into a heritage that can never be spoilt or soiled and never fade away. It is reserved in heaven for you who are being kept safe by God's power through faith until the salvation which has been prepared is revealed at the final point of time. This is a great joy to you, even though for a short time yet you must bear all sorts of trials; so that the worth of your faith, more valuable than gold, which is perishable even if it has been tested by fire, may be proved -- to your praise and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed. You have not seen him, yet you love him; and still without seeing him you believe in him and so are already filled with a joy so glorious that it cannot be described; and you are sure of the goal of your faith, that is, the salvation of your souls.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
The Son of Man came to serve,
whoever wants to be great
should become servant of all.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
The letter begins with the name that the apostle had received from Jesus: Peter. To be a "rock" was an attribute generally reserved for God, but Jesus also bestows it to a poor and weak man such as Simon after he had made his profession of faith. And Peter, to whom Jesus gave the task of feeding his sheep, with this letter from Rome, addresses the Christians of the scattered communities in the region of modern day Turkey to support them in faith as they were suffering from persecution. His letter expresses the universal love that characterizes Jesus’ disciples starting from the "first" apostle. Peter calls Christians "chosen" by God and, perhaps for this reason, "exiles", that is, foreigners to this world. They are, in fact, called to participate in the new community of believers born of Jesus’ resurrection, regenerated: "into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you." The apostle blesses God for the great gift he has given believers, that is, the assurance of a hope that goes beyond death, that reaches the very life of God. Christian hope, Peter says, is not an empty or random promise. It is a gift given now though it will be fulfilled in the future. It is the seed of the resurrection deposited in the heart of believers who, exactly because of the resurrection become first fruits of the redemption. Up until now, they hope for those in desperation, and they take part in their tribulations to free the greatest number of people possible from the slavery of sin. The apostle exhorts the believers to have before their eyes the final objective, certain that the Lord takes protects them from the assaults of evil, until the full manifestation of the Kingdom. The apostle invites Christians, who are tried by the opposition of the world, to not get discouraged, rather to exult: "In this you rejoice, even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials." The trials which life brings are to purify the life of the disciples, just like fire purifies gold, freeing it from impurities. Already in the book of Wisdom we read, "But the souls of the righteous are in the hands of God... because God tested them and found them worthy of himself; like gold in the furnace he tried them" (3: 1-7). Such purification is to render disciples like Jesus. Therefore they should turn their gazes to him. The apostle writes to them, "Although you have not seen him, you love him" but there are the eyes of the heart which lead us to see the very face of Jesus. While writing, Peter wanted perhaps that Christians could experience what he himself lived when, in the night of the betrayal he met eyes with the Teacher, or when on the shores of Lake Galilee he was questioned on love: "Simon, son of John do you love me more than these?" and he responded: "Lord you know that I love you" (Jn 21: 15-17). To have our gazes fixed toward the face of Jesus is the source of an "unspeakable joy" and sustenance to achieve the "salvation of souls." The apostle intends salvation of the entire Christian community, of which every disciple must take care. Yes, the salvation of the community must be the first concern of every believer, as it was for the ancient prophets, who for this reason seek and meditate "day and night" on the Holy Scriptures (Ps 1: 2). This same Spirit that guided the prophets is at work also today: every time believers welcome the Gospel in their heart they are guided by the spirit to understand that mystery of salvation held hidden and which the Father revealed to his children.
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
