Memorial of Saint Gregory the Great (540-604), Pope and Doctor of the Church. Read more
Memorial of Saint Gregory the Great (540-604), Pope and Doctor of the Church.
Reading of the Word of God
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Whoever lives and believes in me
will never die.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
1 Corinthians 4,6b-15
Who made you so important? What have you got that was not given to you? And if it was given to you, why are you boasting as though it were your own? You already have everything -- you are rich already -- you have come into your kingdom, without any help from us! Well, I wish you were kings and we could be kings with you! For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on show right at the end, like men condemned to death: we have been exhibited as a spectacle to the whole universe, both angelic and human. Here we are, fools for Christ's sake, while you are the clever ones in Christ; we are weak, while you are strong; you are honoured, while we are disgraced. To this day, we go short of food and drink and clothes, we are beaten up and we have no homes; we earn our living by labouring with our own hands; when we are cursed, we answer with a blessing; when we are hounded, we endure it passively; when we are insulted, we give a courteous answer. We are treated even now as the dregs of the world, the very lowest scum. I am writing all this not to make you ashamed but simply to remind you, as my dear children; for even though you might have ten thousand slaves to look after you in Christ, you still have no more than one father, and it was I who fathered you in Christ Jesus, by the gospel.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
If you believe, you will see the glory of God,
thus says the Lord.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
In defence of the authenticity of his apostolic service, Paul lists the difficulties and trials he has suffered in order to remain faithful to the preaching of the Gospel. Such faithfulness and steadfastness are born from the apostle’s firm intention to abide by what is written without looking for gratification or recognition: "Learn through us (me and Apollos) the meaning of the saying, Nothing beyond what is written’, so that none of you will be puffed up in favour of one against another." Everything that we receive as a special gift needs to be given back to God, who works through each individual for the good of all. It is a matter of de-centring from ourselves or our groups and re-centring on Jesus. To the self-satisfaction of the Corinthians, Paul opposes the humility, labours, and suffering of the apostles. And, in an ironic twist, he accuses them of being having "all you want" and being "rich," in reference to the charisms and the self-sufficiency that they show off: they are "wise," "strong," and "held in honour." The apostles, however, are "fools for the sake of Christ", "weak" and "in disrepute," "the rubbish of the world" and "the dregs of all things." The apostle condemns the Corinthians’ self-sufficient attitude. This temptation often seizes the disciples of Jesus when they forget their permanent condition as children who need to listen to and obey the Word of God. Unfortunately, we often feel rich and satisfied, as if we have already made it. But we must beware! Those who think they no longer need the preaching of the Gospel, those who believe they are more wise and knowledgeable than the apostle are already on the road to the rupture of communion. In contrast to the boasting of the Corinthians and all those who, like them, think they are all set, the apostle claims the last place, which is where the world puts them. It is the place of persecution and humiliation, but also the place of pastoral work and a tireless commitment to preaching despite human ingratitude. In fact, in God’s eyes he is in the first place. It is the place occupied by Jesus, who was rejected by men and women but welcomed by God. The apostle’s "foolishness," weakness, and suffering should make the Christians of Corinth think, because they, instead, have let their pride puff them up to the point of breaking the unity of the community.
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
