Memorial of Zechariah and of Elizabeth, who in her old age conceived John the Baptist. Read more
Memorial of Zechariah and of Elizabeth, who in her old age conceived John the Baptist.
Reading of the Word of God
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
I am the good shepherd,
my sheep listen to my voice,
and they become
one flock and one fold.
.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Romans 14, 7-12
For none of us lives for himself and none of us dies for himself;
while we are alive, we are living for the Lord, and when we die, we die for the Lord: and so, alive or dead, we belong to the Lord.
It was for this purpose that Christ both died and came to life again: so that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.
Why, then, does one of you make himself judge over his brother, and why does another among you despise his brother? All of us will have to stand in front of the judgement-seat of God:
as scripture says: By my own life says the Lord, every knee shall bow before me, every tongue shall give glory to God.
It is to God, then, that each of us will have to give an account of himself.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
I give you a new commandment,
that you love one another.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
This passage is centred on the attention we are to have toward the "weak" in the community, that is, toward those whose faith is not solid and who may have religious scruples about what food to eat. Certainly, there were?both in Rome and in Corinth?some in the community who were "strong," who believed themselves to be free from every tradition and some "weak" who were still living according to the norms of the Judeo-Christian environment. The dispute centred above all on the issue of food purity. Indeed, the seriousness of the situation revealed itself in the strong reciprocal accusations that the two groups made. Paul has severe words for those who judge and despise others. These, in fact, weaken the community, not loving that which builds it up, and in so doing dissipate the energy of communion. The apostle calls Christians to the primacy of brotherhood and communion: disciples are called, first of all, to live for the Lord and his Gospel and not for themselves or their own ideas. The Gospel, and only the Gospel, is the source and very reason for communion among believers. Observances are not what unite. And neither does "strength" of pride nor the "weakness" of a defeatist [or submissive] life, preserve the communion of the Christian community. That which preserves is always and only the love of God?welcomed into the community and practiced. Taking care of and defending this fraternal love?that we receive from on high?is a priority duty. And for this it is the most precious thing to preserve. From this, in fact?says Jesus?they will recognize that we are his disciples.
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
