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 15,30-41
The party left and went down to Antioch, where they summoned the whole community and delivered the letter. The community read it and were delighted with the encouragement it gave them. Judas and Silas, being themselves prophets, spoke for a long time, encouraging and strengthening the brothers. These two spent some time there, and then the brothers wished them peace andwent back to those who had sent them. Paul and Barnabas, however, stayed on in Antioch, and there with many others they taught and proclaimed the good news, the word of the Lord. On a later occasion Paul said to Barnabas, 'Let us go back and visit the brothers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord, so that we can see how they are doing.' Barnabas suggested taking John Mark, but Paul was not in favour of taking along the man who had deserted them in Pamphylia and had refused to share in their work. There was sharp disagreement so that they parted company, and Barnabas sailed off with Mark to Cyprus. Before Paul left, he chose Silas to accompany him and was commended by the brothers to the grace of God. He travelled through Syria and Cilicia, consolidating the churches.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
The Son of Man came to serve,
whoever wants to be great
should become servant of all.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Paul and Barnabas’ return to Antioch, with two authoritative brothers sent from Jerusalem, was certainly more serene. The letter that Judas and Silas were carrying on behalf of the mother church caused joy and comfort in Antioch and relieved the tension that had risen with the community in Jerusalem. It is an example of how freedom of preaching and communion among all were harmonized in the first community. With this decision of a council, Luke makes a turn in the Christian mission. The focal point is not Jerusalem any more, with the apostolic council and Peter, but rather the diffusion of the Word that Paul was operating in Europe. Even for him the situation evolves. In his heart he urgently feels the universality of the proclamation of the Gospel. We could say that, two thousand years ago, Paul first perceives the globalization of the Gospel message. In order to obey this perspective, even if at high personal cost, Paul renounces Barnabas’ company. Paul takes Silas with him. He does not want to go by himself. It is not only a practical decision. He wants to literally obey Jesus’ command that sent the disciples two by two. On his side, even Barnabas chose Mark as a new companion for the mission. Both Barnabas and Paul know well that they cannot be solitary heroes. Paul, as well as Barnabas, remains the disciple chosen by the Lord to evangelize the Gentiles, not in pride and self-sufficiency, but in the humility of being “two by two.” In the Christian community there can certainly be differences in judgments and evaluations, as it happened in this case between Paul and Barnabas, and yet this should not be an occasion of scandal for us; most of all it should not decrease the urgency of the universality of the preaching of the Gospel. It is naive to think that there would not be tensions in a Christian community. What should always prevail is that there cannot be a solitary mission. We are always sent “two by two” in order to witness first of all fraternity and mutual 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
