Memory of the death of Gandhi. With him we remember all those who, in the name of non-violence, are peacemakers.
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Memory of the death of Gandhi. With him we remember all those who, in the name of non-violence, are peacemakers.
Reading of the Word of God
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Whoever lives and believes in me
will never die.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Tobit 6,1-9
And she dried her tears.
The boy left with the angel, and the dog followed behind. The two walked on, and when the first evening came they camped beside the Tigris.
The boy had gone down to the river to wash his feet, when a great fish leapt out of the water and tried to swallow his foot. The boy gave a shout
and the angel said, 'Catch the fish; do not let it go.' The boy mastered the fish and pulled it onto the bank.
The angel said, 'Cut it open; take out gall, heart and liver; set these aside and throw the entrails away, for gall and heart and liver have curative properties.'
The boy cut the fish open and took out gall and heart and liver. He fried part of the fish for his meal and kept some for salting. Then they walked on again together until they were nearly in Media.
Then the boy asked the angel this question, 'Brother Azarias, what can the fish's heart, liver and gall cure?'
He replied, 'You burn the fish's heart and liver, and their smoke is used in the case of a man or woman plagued by a demon or evil spirit; any such affliction disappears for good, leaving no trace.
As regards the gall, this is used as an eye ointment for anyone having white spots on his eyes; after using it, you have only to blow on the spots to cure them.'
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
If you believe, you will see the glory of God,
thus says the Lord.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
This passage describes the Tobias’ and Azariah’s journey towards Ecbatana. We, the readers, know about Azariah’s angelic identity. Tobias, on the other hand, continues not to notice it. For his part, the angel educates the young Tobias both with words and example. The author begins the description of the first day of the voyage. The principle event of this first part of the journey is the episode with the fish: in it, we can see the unavoidable obstacles that cross our paths. Tobias cries out and is immediately invited by the angel not to be afraid and to catch hold of the fish (a large fish is also Leviathan, who, with the sea, symbolizes - in the Bible - the essence of evil, both internal and external). Tobias obeys the angel’s instructions and succeeds in catching the fish. The angel’s word was doubly strong: it gave Tobias strength and allowed him to overcome the evil that had fallen upon him and was keeping him from walking on God’s path. Moreover, the angel makes Tobias discover that good can be drawn out of evil: not only was he freed, but he can now heal others, too. We note that the story does not have Azariah-Raphael intervene in a miraculous way. The companion urges Tobias not to succumb to evil, not to give in to the fish’s bite. Tobias listens and obeys. It is what happens every time the angel of the Word of God urges us to do good and fight evil. The Lord stands beside his children and rejoices when they obey his Word. The ancient desert fathers said: "It is impossible for God and his angels not to be present when a man is tempted and asks for help." Azariah was certainly nearby Tobias, but more importantly, he was in his heart when he listened to him and put what he said into practice. Tobias eats a part of the fish and keeps the other part according to what the angel suggests to him. The story then reaches its climax with the meeting between Tobias and Sarah, whom Azariah presents as the woman that only he can marry. Upon hearing the angel’s words, Tobias shows his fear and his perplexity. But Azariah-Raphael encourages him and invites him not to be afraid. First of all, he should not be afraid of obeying his father’s advice; secondly, the smoke from the fish’s liver and heart burned on the embers of the incense will surely put the demon to flight. Lastly and most importantly, Tobias and Sarah have to pray to the Lord to help them and save them from the evil one. Azariah-Raphael, almost echoing the conversation between Gabriel and Mary, tells him: "Do not be afraid, for she was set apart for you before the world was made." They do not meet by chance: the Lord guides their steps so that his work may be fulfilled. This is certainly true for two people who contract a marriage, but it is also true for that special encounter between sisters and brothers that constitutes the bonds of the Christian community. The Lord has predestined us to form his family.
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!
For the sick, in memory of the dead, for peace
