Reading of the Word of God
Praise to you, o Lord, King of eternal glory
Whoever lives and believes in me
will never die.
Praise to you, o Lord, King of eternal glory
Ecclesiastes 11,1-8
Cast your bread on the water, eventually you will recover it.
Offer a share to seven or to eight people, you can never tell what disaster may occur.
When clouds are full of rain, they will shed it on the earth. If a tree falls, whether south or north, where it falls, there it will lie.
Keep watching the wind and you will never sow, keep staring at the clouds and you will never reap.
You do not understand how the wind blows, or how the embryo grows in a woman's womb: no more can you understand the work of God, the Creator of all.
In the morning, sow your seed, until evening, do not cease from labour, for of any two things you do not know which will succeed, or which of the two is the better.
How sweet light is, how delightful it is to see the sun!
However many years you live, enjoy them all, but remember, the days of darkness will be many: futility awaits you at the end.
Praise to you, o Lord, King of eternal glory
If you believe, you will see the glory of God,
thus says the Lord.
Praise to you, o Lord, King of eternal glory
Qohelet reminds the believer of the uncertainty of the future, and, therefore, of the precariousness of life: "You do not know what disaster may happen on earth" (v. 2). No one has guarantees over the future. Temptation could lead to resignation or desperation. Qohelet observes by way of example: there is the one who observes the wind and, waiting for the ideal moment, never sows, and another who, watching the clouds and seeking to predict the best time to gather, ends up never reaping (v. 4). It is true that at times one can reasonably foresee what will happen, as when dark and dense clouds are spotted, full of water, but it is likewise true that one cannot foresee if a falling tree will drop to the north or south (v. 3). In short, action in life always entails a measure of risk. Wisdom demands that however one acts, one invest in life. This is the meaning of "sending out your bread upon the waters" (v. 1), that is, try a risky economic investment or give generously to others and "divide seven ways, or even eight" (v. 2), that is, divide up one’s patrimony with separate investments so that if one goes badly there is the possibility that with another it goes well. We cannot know the future, which is in God’s hands. It is to say that we cannot know the very mystery of God: "Just as you do not know how the breath comes to the bones in the mother’s womb, so you do not know the work of God, who makes everything" (v. 5). Qohelet does not want to lead us to a resigned laziness or desperation. On the contrary, he exhorts to act: to plant the morning seed and to labour until evening (v. 6), even if we do not know the results. In every case, it is necessary to act with determination even though a tragedy may occur. The future is never totally determined (cf. 9:1), but we cannot hesitate. We must live, learning how to enjoy what we have in the present: "Even those who live many years, should rejoice in them all" (v. 8). The believer, in any case, knows that "all that comes is a breath of wind" (v. 8). This is why Qohelet continues to exhort that present life be enjoyed without, however, having false illusions. And he tells even the young disciple, perhaps even his: "Rejoice, young man, while you are young." Qohelet believes that each moment of life is a gift of God and should thus be enjoyed: "Know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment." Life is not a game without sense, nor only fatigue without joy. But youth passes quickly and Qohelet warns that life should be enjoyed though without the consumerist itch of the one who wants to be a frenetic consumer of everything.
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
