EVERYDAY PRAYER

Prayer of the Christmas season
Word of god every day

Prayer of the Christmas season

Memory of the holy prophet David to whom some of the psalms are attributed. For centuries the psalms have nourished the prayer both of Jews and Christians. Memory of Thomas Becket, defender of justice and of the dignity of the Church.
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Libretto DEL GIORNO
Prayer of the Christmas season

Memory of the holy prophet David to whom some of the psalms are attributed. For centuries the psalms have nourished the prayer both of Jews and Christians. Memory of Thomas Becket, defender of justice and of the dignity of the Church.


Reading of the Word of God

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

Glory to God in the highest
and peace on earth to the people he loves.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

Luke 2,22-35

And when the day came for them to be purified in keeping with the Law of Moses, they took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord-

observing what is written in the Law of the Lord: Every first-born male must be consecrated to the Lord-

and also to offer in sacrifice, in accordance with what is prescribed in the Law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.

Now in Jerusalem there was a man named Simeon. He was an upright and devout man; he looked forward to the restoration of Israel and the Holy Spirit rested on him.

It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death until he had set eyes on the Christ of the Lord.

Prompted by the Spirit he came to the Temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the Law required,

he took him into his arms and blessed God; and he said:

Now, Master, you are letting your servant go in peace as you promised;

for my eyes have seen the salvation

which you have made ready in the sight of the nations;

a light of revelation for the gentiles and glory for your people Israel.

As the child's father and mother were wondering at the things that were being said about him,

Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, 'Look, he is destined for the fall and for the rise of many in Israel, destined to be a sign that is opposed-

and a sword will pierce your soul too -- so that the secret thoughts of many may be laid bare.'

 

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

The Gospel presents us with the splendid scene of the encounter between the old Simeon and the new-born Jesus. The evangelist tells us that Mary and Joseph went to Jerusalem to visit the temple where, according to the Mosaic Law, they offered to the Lord their firstborn. But that morning the old Simeon also went to the temple. There was a double pilgrimage to the temple: the one of the small family from Nazareth and the one of the elderly Simeon. We could say that they both were motivated from heaven. Mary and Joseph were pushed by the Law while Simeon by the Spirit. As noted by the evangelist, Simeon, "guided by the Spirit," went to the temple. Simeon often allowed the Spirit to guide him. This is what we perceive when the Evangelist uses the words "righteous and devout" to describe him. He was not a man who followed his instinct, his habits, and his natural intuition; nor did he simply rely on the performance of outward religious rites. As Luke writes, he was "guided" by the Spirit. He was a spiritual man, a believer who let himself to be guided by God and His will, and who everyday searched through the eyes of the heart the "signs" of God. Simeon was not satisfied with only himself. He awaited the Lord every day and he looked at what happened around him. In his searching for God, he had "perceived" that he would not have died without having seen the Messiah. That day, the eyes of his heart lit up by seeing the little family from Nazareth with a child. Yes, when you are trained to seek God, that vision arrives. Simeon took in his arms that small creature and recited one of the most beautiful prayers that the Scripture has left to us: "Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation." We can imagine the eyes of this elderly man, focused on this baby, and his heart filled with joy and emotion that amazed both Mary and Joseph. He is among the first who met that child and among the first who understood his extraordinary mission. He is the light to the Gentiles. Simeon, accustomed to the look of faith, was able to see in depth and he announced to Mary that "sword" that pierced her soul. Perhaps Mary remembered those words, when the soldier's lance pierced not only the heart of her child but also hers. We must keep and ponder in our hearts this passage of the Gospel in order to have the feelings of the elderly Simeon.

WORD OF GOD EVERY DAY: THE CALENDAR

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!

WORD OF GOD EVERY DAY: THE CALENDAR