EVERYDAY PRAYER

Memory of the Saints and the Prophets
Word of god every day
Libretto DEL GIORNO
Memory of the Saints and the Prophets
Wednesday, March 22


Reading of the Word of God

Praise to you, o Lord, King of eternal glory

You are a chosen race,
a royal priesthood, a holy nation,
a people acquired by God
to proclaim his marvellous works.

Praise to you, o Lord, King of eternal glory

Matthew 5,17-19

'Do not imagine that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish but to complete them. In truth I tell you, till heaven and earth disappear, not one dot, not one little stroke, is to disappear from the Law until all its purpose is achieved. Therefore, anyone who infringes even one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be considered the least in the kingdom of Heaven; but the person who keeps them and teaches them will be considered great in the kingdom of Heaven.

 

Praise to you, o Lord, King of eternal glory

You will be holy,
because I am holy, thus says the Lord.

Praise to you, o Lord, King of eternal glory

The first reading of today’s Mass is from the first of Moses’ speeches in Deuteronomy (4:1.5-9), and it emphasizes the fulfilment of the law of the Lord: “So that you may live… You must observe them diligently, for this will show your wisdom and discernment to the peoples.” Scripture proposes a close relationship between the law and life, the observation of the commandments and human happiness. In the Gospel passage we heard, Jesus affirms, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfil.” He came to fulfil all the Scriptures of the Old Testament, from Abraham, to Moses, to the Prophets. What does it mean that Jesus is their fulfilment? It means that in each page of the Scripture, we may say in each “iota” (which is the smallest letter of the Greek alphabet) there is a reference to Jesus. Jesus becomes the key to interpret all of Holy Scripture, even the Old Testament. In Jesus, the story of the love of God that runs through every page of the Bible reaches its climax. This is why the fulfilment of the law is Gospel love, the love which led Jesus to the cross. Indeed, we could say that anyone who loves fulfils the Law of the Lord. We must listen to every page of the Bible, for they contain the story of God’s extraordinary love for men and women. We must cherish and meditate on every page with care and devotion. In fact, it is urgent for us to develop a new devotion for this holy Book that contains the Word of God. Just as there is devotion for the Eucharist, we should establish devotion for the Holy Scriptures. St. Francis’ example of exhorting the brothers to collect pieces of paper fallen to the ground because they could contain words of the Gospel is beautiful. Following the Teacher, the disciples should welcome each word of the Holy Scriptures into their hearts and carry them out in their daily lives.

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!