Memorial of the dedication of the basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere where the Community of Sant'Egidio prays every day. Read more
Memorial of the dedication of the basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere where the Community of Sant’Egidio prays every day.
Reading of the Word of God
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
You are a chosen race,
a royal priesthood, a holy nation,
a people acquired by God
to proclaim his marvellous works.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Acts 23,12-22
When it was day, the Jews held a secret meeting at which they made a vow not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul. More than forty of them entered this pact, and they went to the chief priests and elders and told them, 'We have made a solemn vow to let nothing pass our lips until we have killed Paul. Now it is up to you and the Sanhedrin together to apply to the tribune to bring him down to you, as though you meant to examine his case more closely; we, on our side, are prepared to dispose of him before he reaches you.' But the son of Paul's sister heard of the ambush they were laying and made his way into the fortress and told Paul, who called one of the centurions and said, 'Take this young man to the tribune; he has something to tell him.' So the man took him to the tribune, and reported, 'The prisoner Paul summoned me and requested me to bring this young man to you; he has something to tell you.' Then the tribune took him by the hand and drew him aside and questioned him in private, 'What is it you have to tell me?' He replied, 'The Jews have made a plan to ask you to take Paul down to the Sanhedrin tomorrow, as though they meant to enquire more closely into his case. Do not believe them. There are more than forty of them lying in wait for him, and they have vowed not to eat or drink until they have got rid of him. They are ready now and only waiting for your order to be given.' The tribune let the young man go with this order, 'Tell no one that you have given me this information.'
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
You will be holy,
because I am holy, thus says the Lord.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
The day which begins is that which follows the vision in the night; the apostle well knows now where he will be taken, but not by the guards, by the Lord. The author refers to a plot organized by the defeated Jews, who bind themselves by a sworn oath accompanied by a curse, that they shall not eat or drink until they have killed Paul (21:31). The group of plotters go to “the chief priests and elders” to explain their plan, which requires that they directly intervene before the tribune so that he might allow them to judge the prisoner and thus reach a clear conclusion of the trial. They are nevertheless resolved to kill Paul even before the trial. But a nephew of Paul’s, the son of a married sister in Jerusalem, learns of the attempt and informs his uncle in prison. The tribune is directly informed by this nephew and considers the information accurate. He thus decides to protect the safety of Paul the “prisoner,” in this way proving himself to be a better judge than Pontius Pilate was for Jesus. He orders that Paul be “safely conducted” to the procurator Felix in Caesarea, protected by a military escort of unusual strength. Thus takes place for the apostle what he himself had written in the Letter to the Romans, “All things work together for good for those who love God” (8:28), revealing the deep spiritual meaning behind the Lord’s fatherly care for his children.
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
