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 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
In order to explain the mystery of the Word of God Jesus uses 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 the heart and life of every disciple. No man and no woman must remain in the dark; everyone has the right to the light. Believers have the duty to show the light of God to the men and women of every generation. This is the reason that Christians cannot live for themselves. Disciples are sent by Jesus to show to all men and women the light of the Gospel. They are called above all to welcome the Word of God in their heart. Jesus warns: "Then pay attention to how you listen." It is not sufficient simply to listen. Jesus demands an attentive hearing that allows the Word of God to enter and reach one's heart. From the heart it must become real life in the community of people. Certainly we know well that those who do not listen cannot transmit anything of God, but at most something of themselves. But that person's life is like a light that has been turned off and has no life. On the contrary whoever allows his or her heart to be enlightened by the Word of God will have a heart that is full of divine wisdom; they will bear good fruit both for themselves and for all. And this is the meaning of Jesus' words: "To who has, much will be given," that is, who welcomes the Gospel in the heart will receive abundant wisdom. Gregory the Great said: "The Scriptures grow with whoever reads them," uniting in this way the growth of the Word together with that of the heart of the disciple.
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!
