EVERYDAY PRAYER

Memory of the Poor
Word of god every day
Libretto DEL GIORNO
Memory of the Poor
Monday, September 24


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

Luke 8,16-18

'No one lights a lamp to cover it with a bowl or to put it under a bed. No, it is put on a lamp-stand so that people may see the light when they come in. For nothing is hidden but it will be made clear, nothing secret but it will be made known and brought to light. So take care how you listen; anyone who has, will be given more; anyone who has not, will be deprived even of what he thinks he has.'

 

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

The Son of Man came to serve,
whoever wants to be great
should become servant of all.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

Jesus explains the mystery of the Word of God with the example of the lamp. As the light of the lamp does not have the task of illuminating itself but everything which surrounds it, so must the Word of God illuminate every man and every woman. No one must remain in the dark; everyone has the right to the light. Believers are called to show the light of God to men and women of every generation. This is the reason that Christians cannot live for themselves but rather to show to all men and women of all parts of the world, of every historical era, the light of the Gospel. Jesus says: "No one after lighting a lamp hides it under a jar, or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a lamp stand, so that those who enter may see the light." The Gospel was given to us so that we in turn would show it to the men and women of our cities. Every community, every believer, can therefore be compared to that lamp stand of which Jesus speaks, a lamp which must be placed up high so that it allows the light of the Gospel to shine. The believer is asked to manifest the Word of the Lord, not his or her word. Jesus points out that for this the disciple is called above all to welcome the Word of God in his or her heart: "Then pay attention to how you listen." Whoever does not listen in fact cannot transmit anything of God, but only what is his or hers. But that person will be like a light that has been turned off and has no life. Whoever allows his or her heart to be taught by the Word of God will have a heart that is full of divine wisdom; that person will bear good fruit both for himself and for all. And this is the meaning of Jesus' words: "To who has, much will be given," or, who welcomes the Gospel in the heart will receive abundant wisdom. Gregory the Great says: "The Scriptures grow with whoever reads them," uniting in this way the interior growth of the disciple with the attentive use of Scripture. It will not be like that for whoever has a heart that is closed to the Word: they will remain in darkness because they are full only of themselves and their own sadness. "To who does not have, much will be taken even that which he believed he had." Yes, those who do not pay attention to the Gospel Word, will feel their heart evermore closed and will live without any more light. The Word of God, instead, if welcomed with faith in one's heart, transforms us and makes us men and women able to offer a light to whoever lives in darkness.

WORD OF GOD EVERY DAY: THE CALENDAR

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!

WORD OF GOD EVERY DAY: THE CALENDAR