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 5,34-42
One member of the Sanhedrin, however, a Pharisee called Gamaliel, who was a teacher of the Law respected by the whole people, stood up and asked to have the men taken outside for a time. Then he addressed the Sanhedrin, 'Men of Israel, be careful how you deal with these people. Some time ago there arose Theudas. He claimed to be someone important, and collected about four hundred followers; but when he was killed, all his followers scattered and that was the end of them. And then there was Judas the Galilean, at the time of the census, who attracted crowds of supporters; but he was killed too, and all his followers dispersed. What I suggest, therefore, is that you leave these men alone and let them go. If this enterprise, this movement of theirs, is of human origin it will break up of its own accord; but if it does in fact come from God you will be unable to destroy them. Take care not to find yourselves fighting against God.' His advice was accepted; and they had the apostles called in, gave orders for them to be flogged, warned them not to speak in the name of Jesus and released them. And so they left the presence of the Sanhedrin, glad to have had the honour of suffering humiliation for the sake of the name. Every day they went on ceaselessly teaching and proclaiming the good news of Christ Jesus, both in the temple and in private houses.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
The Son of Man came to serve,
whoever wants to be great
should become servant of all.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Gamaliel (“reward of God”), a man esteemed by all, had recognized the injustice that was being committed against the apostles. And, in the middle of the Sanhedrin, he stood up to defend them. His speech is wise and full of religious wisdom: God guides the events of history and it is not a good idea to oppose god. Gamaliel is not driven by cunning or calculation, much less by envy. He speaks on this occasion because he is a man guided by a religious vision. We could say that he is a righteous man without prejudice, a man who lets himself be guided by faith. He says the members of the Sanhedrin: if their actions do not come from God, they will quickly end, but if they do, by opposing them you risk opposing God himself. The Sanhedrin accepted his advice and let the apostles go, first having them flogged and ordering them never to speak of Jesus again. This is what Pilate wanted to do with Jesus when he said, “I will therefore have him flogged and release him” (Lk 23:16). Unlike what happened to Jesus, the apostles were let free, but with the order “not to speak in the name of Jesus.” But how could the apostles be silent? How could they keep the Gospel for themselves? This is a reminder to us of our responsibility to preach the Gospel, even when it encounters opposition. In those moments the apostles easily remembered the words Jesus had said to them: “they will hand you over to councils; and you will be beaten in synagogues; and you will stand before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them” (Mk 13:9). How often instead does our laziness, our concentration on our own affairs, our resignation, and our habits block the preaching and the communication of the Gospel! We become accomplices of the spirit of this world. The apostles go out rejoicing not only because of the liberty that they had regained, but especially because “they were considered worthy to suffer dishonour for the sake of the name.” It is an example for us to be more generous and creative in communicating the Gospel. The author of Acts underlines that the apostles not only preached in the temple, but “at home.” The words of the Gospels resounded throughout Jerusalem. And from Jerusalem, their preaching quickly spread through Judea and Samaria. We too are asked to go everywhere to proclaim the Gospel of love.
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
