EVERYDAY PRAYER

Memory of the Mother of the Lord
Word of god every day
Libretto DEL GIORNO
Memory of the Mother of the Lord
Tuesday, September 22


Reading of the Word of God

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

The Spirit of the Lord is upon you.
The child you shall bear will be holy.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

Proverbs 21,1-6.10-13

Like flowing water is a king's heart in Yahweh's hand; he directs it wherever he pleases. All actions are straight in the doer's own eyes, but it is Yahweh who weighs hearts. To do what is upright and just is more pleasing to Yahweh than sacrifice. Haughty eye, proud heart, lamp of the wicked, nothing but sin. The hardworking is thoughtful, and all is gain; too much haste, and all that comes of it is want. To make a fortune with the help of a lying tongue: such is the idle fantasy of those who look for death. The soul of the wicked is intent on evil, to such a person no neighbour can ever do right. When a cynic is punished, simpletons grow wiser, but someone of understanding acquires knowledge by instruction. The Upright One watches the house of the wicked; he hurls the wicked to destruction. Whoever refuses to listen to the cry of the weak, will in turn plead and not be heard.

 

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

Look down, O Lord, on your servants.
Be it unto us according to your word.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

If believers want wisdom of the heart, they must humbly learn to discern each day what is right before the eyes of God-and practice it. This is the meaning of the collection of proverbs which the liturgy brings to our attention. The sacred author warns: "All deeds are right in the sight of the doer." In reality, this is not so, because it is the Lord who establishes whether these paths lead to life or death: "But the Lord weighs the heart." A wise man or woman is the one who seeks the signs of this world with God's very eyes, allowing themselves to be illuminated by the Word of God on which they should nourish themselves every day. Not only is it impossible to divide sacrifice from action for justice and righteousness, but the author says that such actions are even superior to sacrifice. Wisdom-which flows directly from God-requires pity mercy: "The souls of the wicked desire evil their neighbours find no mercy in their eyes." What is clear is the condemnation of a proud and hard heart which is not moved by those in need. The conclusion is even stronger and it highlights what was said before. The sacred author reminds us of the importance of attention for the poorest. The cry of the poor never leaves God indifferent. The believer must learn well the importance of God's preference for the poor: the very relationship with God depends on it. In fact: "If you close your ear to the cry of the poor, you will cry out and not be heard."

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