Memorial of St. Seraphim of Sarov, a Russian monk and staretz (†1833). He communicated peace by witnessing the Easter joy and the action of the Holy Spirit Read more
Memorial of St. Seraphim of Sarov, a Russian monk and staretz (†1833). He communicated peace by witnessing the Easter joy and the action of the Holy Spirit
Reading of the Word of God
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Whoever lives and believes in me
will never die.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Jeremiah 26,11-16.24
The priests and prophets then said to the chief men and all the people, 'This man deserves to die, since he has prophesied against this city, as you have heard with your own ears.' Jeremiah, however, replied to all the chief men and all the people as follows, 'Yahweh himself sent me to prophesy against this Temple and this city all the things you have heard. So now amend your behaviour and actions, listen to the voice of Yahweh your God, and Yahweh will relent about the disaster that he has decreed for you. For myself, I am, as you see, in your hands. Do whatever you please or think right with me. But be sure of this, that if you put me to death, you will be bringing innocent blood on yourselves, on this city and on its inhabitants, since Yahweh has truly sent me to you to say all this for you to hear.' The chief men and all the people then said to the priests and prophets, 'This man does not deserve to die: he has spoken to us in the name of Yahweh our God.' But Jeremiah had a protector in Ahikam son of Shaphan, so he was not handed over to the people to be put to death.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
If you believe, you will see the glory of God,
thus says the Lord.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Two things appear clearly in this passage, where the prophet Jeremiah is accused because he spoke out against the religious practices of the temple. Prophecy has never had an easy life at any time in history. The words of men and women of faith who are not afraid to communicate the Word of God are often met with harshness, because they reveal the evil in society and in each one of us. And the hostile reaction to Jeremiah rises from the heart of his own people. But the prophet does not let himself be intimidated. He knows that he is proclaiming what the Lord has revealed to him. The Word of God reveals what is hidden. It reveals sin, injustice, and lies. This is an important part of prophecy. And it bothers the people who think they are in the right. But prophecy does not just contain a denunciation of evil. There is also a very strong invitation to a change of heart, a transformation of attitudes. The Word of God never gives up on proposing the path of change: "Now therefore amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of the Lord your God, and the Lord will change his mind about the disaster that he has pronounced against you." The Lord wants the good for each one of us, even when he speaks harsh words to us. God's intention is always to change our lives. There is always hope for change in God's words. And the condemnation of our behaviour is never the last word. God's highest law is to forgive those who repent. Jeremiah was spared from the violence of the believers of his time. But not all those who have proclaimed the Gospel have been spared from death. Many men and women of faith have lost their lives because of their faithfulness to the Lord. They are the martyrs of the past and of our time. They remained faithful to the end. And the Lord has welcomed them and rewarded them with the crown of glory in his kingdom. Let us remember them so that our lives will always be an expression of faithfulness to the great gift of God's love and of His word of eternal life.
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
