The prayer for peace is held in the Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere. Többet
The prayer for peace is held in the Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere.
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 11,29-32
The crowds got even bigger and he addressed them, 'This is an evil generation; it is asking for a sign. The only sign it will be given is the sign of Jonah. For just as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of man be a sign to this generation. On Judgement Day the Queen of the South will stand up against the people of this generation and be their condemnation, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, look, there is something greater than Solomon here. On Judgement Day the men of Nineveh will appear against this generation and be its condemnation, because when Jonah preached they repented; and, look, there is something greater than Jonah here.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
The Son of Man came to serve,
whoever wants to be great
should become servant of all.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
In general, faith does not come after wondrous signs; if anything, faith is required for miracles to occur. There are still many people today who are looking for wondrous signs to nourish their faith. And when something extraordinary happens, many people rush to see it. And if these "signs" occur, they are certainly gifts from the Lord. But we must pay more attention than we normally do to the "sign" of signs, which the Lord has given to all, the "sign of Jonah." The early community read these words in light of the Resurrection: "For just as Jonah was for three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so for three days and three nights the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth." (Mt 12:40). The "sign" of Jonah is therefore the proclamation of the central message of the Gospel, that is, the mystery of the death and resurrection of Jesus. Just as the inhabitants of Nineveh converted after hearing the preaching of Jonah, even though he did not perform any miracles, so too must people convert today, with the only difference being that someone "greater than Jonah" has come. We must communicate the resurrection of Jesus to the world which is that good has triumphed over evil, life over death, and love over hatred. This proclamation is the heart of Jesus' story: he came to the earth to give his life to the point of dying on the cross for our salvation, and the Father raised him from the dead. This Gospel (good news) is much more valuable than the wisdom of Solomon and much stronger than the preaching of Jonah. Yes, "something greater than Jonah is here", the Gospel repeats to us today. This "sign" should not remain hidden among closed-in, esoteric groups. It must shine on people of every nation and every age. Christians - from the greatest to the least, with no exceptions - are called to be the lamp-stands of this good news. But how many times have we instead put this good news "under a bushel basket" out of laziness? How many times have we let ourselves be overcome by the obsession with self that empties the strength of the Gospel? The tasks Jesus entrusted to his disciples and his Church are essential for the salvation of humanity. We need to simultaneously be aware and humble witnesses of this fact.
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!
