EVERYDAY PRAYER

Sunday Vigil
Word of god every day

Sunday Vigil

Memorial of the Saint Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. The Ethiopian Church, one of the first among the African churches, venerates St. Michael as her protector. Read more

Libretto DEL GIORNO
Sunday Vigil
Saturday, September 29

Memorial of the Saint Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. The Ethiopian Church, one of the first among the African churches, venerates St. Michael as her protector.


Reading of the Word of God

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

Whoever lives and believes in me
will never die.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

Luke 9,43b-45

'For your part, you must have these words constantly in mind: The Son of man is going to be delivered into the power of men.' But they did not understand what he said; it was hidden from them so that they should not see the meaning of it, and they were afraid to ask him about it.

 

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

If you believe, you will see the glory of God,
thus says the Lord.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

The Gospel passage we just heard contains the second foretelling of the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus. It is like he is obliged to repeat it. Indeed, the moment of his death and resurrection represent his "hour," the moment of his glory which passes through the cross. But it truly was difficult for the disciples to understand this statement. Like all Jews at that time, they could not accept the figure of a servant-Messiah, and certainly not a defeated one. They expecting a Messiah who could conquer the way the world conquers: one who would defeat their enemies and free Israel from slavery. This idea was reinforced when Jesus healed a boy by freeing him from the demonic spirit that possessed him. The wonder caused by this healing led Jesus to gather the disciples and clarify the nature of his path one more time again. One again he insists, "Let these words sink into your ears: The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into human hands." In the language of the Bible, "to be betrayed into human hands," refers to the painful and cruel fate of someone abandoned by God and left at the mercy of the power and judgment of human beings. And this is exactly what will happen. But despite this clarity, the disciples do not understand. This could be said of us, we who are often distant, like the disciples of that time, from the thoughts and concerns of Jesus and especially distant from the sense he had of himself and his mission. It is not that the disciples do not understand his words, but they risk not understanding the very substance of his mission: that salvation comes through his death. How could they accept a defeated Messiah? This is a scandal for the Jews and foolishness for the pagans, the apostle Paul will say. And even for us today this path seems to be senseless. And yet it is from the cross that salvation is born. Redemption from the slavery of sin comes from a love that knows no limits. Salvation is not gained through human power or force, but only through love for all, a love that goes as far as to give its own life for its enemies. The evangelist notes that the disciples still could not understand Jesus' words and remained in silence, without asking for any further explanation. It is an attitude of harshness and mistrust. They do not accept their ignorance and prefer to stay in the dark. Nonetheless, Jesus does not abandon them. He continues to instruct them, hoping that little by little they will understand the Gospel. So, it is for us today. We have to let ourselves be guided and instructed.

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