Reading of the Word of God
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Whoever lives and believes in me
will never die.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Ezekiel 18,1-10.13.30-32
The word of Yahweh was addressed to me as follows, 'Why do you keep repeating this proverb in the land of Israel: The parents have eaten unripe grapes; and the children's teeth are set on edge? 'As I live -- declares the Lord Yahweh -- you will have no further cause to repeat this proverb in Israel. Look, all life belongs to me; the father's life and the son's life, both alike belong to me. The one who has sinned is the one to die. 'But if a man is upright, his actions law-abiding and upright, and he does not eat on the mountains or raise his eyes to the foul idols of the House of Israel, does not defile his neighbour's wife or touch a woman during her periods, oppresses no one, returns the pledge on a debt, does not rob, gives his own food to the hungry, his clothes to those who lack clothing, does not lend for profit, does not charge interest, abstains from evil, gives honest judgement between one person and another, keeps my laws and sincerely respects my judgements -- someone like this is truly upright and will live -- declares the Lord Yahweh. 'But if he has a son prone to violence and bloodshed, who commits one of these misdeeds- lends for profit, or charges interest, such a person will by no means live; having committed all these appalling crimes he will die, and his blood be on his own head. So in future, House of Israel, I shall judge each of you by what that person does -- declares the Lord Yahweh. Repent, renounce all your crimes, avoid all occasions for guilt. Shake off all the crimes you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why die, House of Israel? I take no pleasure in the death of anyone -- declares the Lord Yahweh -- so repent and live!'
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
If you believe, you will see the glory of God,
thus says the Lord.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
This passage from the prophet is meant to awake a sense of personal responsibility - both towards God and towards human beings - in the conscience of the Israelites, who were in exile. They should not have let the sadness of the condition in which they were living lead them to some kind of resignation, or worse, of sin, placing the responsibility for their situation on others. The prophet reminds each believer that he or she is personally responsible for his or her own behaviour. Of course, there is also a generational responsibility, and every generation is called to build a new world in accordance with God’s plan. But even in the context of our generation we are all called to discover our own task, which the Lord entrusts to us and which we have a responsibility to carry out, obviously within the context of the plan for peace and salvation to which the Lord calls us. The Lord had already warned believers about their responsibility to choose between good and evil in the book of Deuteronomy: "See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity" (Deut 30:15), stressing that "Surely, this commandment...is not too hard for you, nor is it too far away" (Deut 30:11). The prophet uses concrete examples to explain which path the righteous person should follow and which he or she should abandon. It is significant that the link between worship and mercy is emphasized in this text, as well. These two dimensions are never separated in any biblical passage. Moreover, in every page of Scripture, the bond between God and his children, especially if they are weak, poor, or needy, can clearly be seen. It cannot be taken for granted that believers will behave according to the Lord’s will, however. Indeed, it is easy for us to stray from the Lord and his Word. That is why the prophet insists on the conversion of the believer: "Repent and turn from all your transgressions; otherwise iniquity will be your ruin. Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed against me, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit." These are instructions that everyone, including us, must take seriously. A wise Jew said, "If you want to change the world, start by changing your heart." It is from new hearts that a new world will be born.
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
