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
Psalm 33, 10-15
10 The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;
he frustrates the plans of the peoples.
11 The counsel of the Lord stands for ever,
the thoughts of his heart to all generations.
12 Happy is the nation whose God is the Lord,
the people whom he has chosen as his heritage.
13 The Lord looks down from heaven;
he sees all humankind.
14 From where he sits enthroned he watches
all the inhabitants of the earth
15 he who fashions the hearts of them all,
and observes all their deeds.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
The Son of Man came to serve,
whoever wants to be great
should become servant of all.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
The six verses of psalm 33 that the liturgy places on our lips begin with an affirmation of God’s sovereignty over human history. Illuminated by the Spirit, the believer reads the human story in depth and recognizes the hand of God that accompanies it over the centuries. Men and women especially when they let themselves be led by their pride and thirst for domination believe they guide history. They are convinced that the conquests they have gained through the abuse of power are solid and lasting. In reality, these conquests have feet of clay. The psalmist reminds us, “The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing” (v. 10). The Lord alone is a solid rock on which we can build our future, whether personal or collective, because “The counsel of the Lord stands for ever” (v. 11). Every page of the Holy Scriptures tells of the faithfulness of God’s love for his creatures God’s bond with them is indissoluble; it will never be broken. But, unfortunately, our infidelities and betrayals are infinite, as we know from personal experience, but the Lord never abandons us, he never stops loving us and coming to help us. The words of the psalmist as he speaks of God on his throne in heaven are beautiful, and, more importantly, true: “He sees all humankind” (v. 13). The Lord is not far off, concentrated on himself and forgetful of men and women and his people, leaving them at the mercy of evil. No, the psalmist reiterates, “From where he sits enthroned he watches all the inhabitants of the earth” (v. 14), seeing into the depths of their hearts. And he remains steadfast in his love for us. Moreover, the psalmist reminds us that the Lord “who fashions the hearts of them all, and observes all their deeds” (v. 15). He is more intimate with us than we are with ourselves. But his gaze is not that of an implacable judge, ready to judge and condemn. No, God is a Father who looks upon his children to protect them, to save them from evil and oppression. God’s gaze, as the psalmist reminds us, is not a threatening gaze, ready to condemn. Of course the Lord sees sin and the weakness of men and women but he sees “to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine” (v. 19). God looks at us from heaven to save us, not to condemn us. Not only do the words of the psalm not sadden us, they bring joy to the hearts of believers, because they can sing of God’s faithfulness. This is the source of the beatitude of the people chosen by God to communicate his salvation to all: “Happy is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage” (v. 12). It is a beatitude that is closely linked to the missionary vocation that the Lord entrusts to his people: he has chosen them to bring his love to all.
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
