Reading of the Word of God
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
You are a chosen race,
a royal priesthood, a holy nation,
a people acquired by God
to proclaim his marvellous works.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Revelation 4,1-11
Then, in my vision, I saw a door open in heaven and heard the same voice speaking to me, the voice like a trumpet, saying, 'Come up here: I will show you what is to take place in the future.'
With that, I fell into ecstasy and I saw a throne standing in heaven, and the One who was sitting on the throne,
and the One sitting there looked like a diamond and a ruby. There was a rainbow encircling the throne, and this looked like an emerald.
Round the throne in a circle were twenty-four thrones, and on them twenty-four elders sitting, dressed in white robes with golden crowns on their heads.
Flashes of lightning were coming from the throne, and the sound of peals of thunder, and in front of the throne there were seven flaming lamps burning, the seven Spirits of God.
In front of the throne was a sea as transparent as crystal. In the middle of the throne and around it, were four living creatures all studded with eyes, in front and behind.
The first living creature was like a lion, the second like a bull, the third living creature had a human face, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle.
Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was studded with eyes all the way round as well as inside; and day and night they never stopped singing: Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God, the Almighty; who was, and is and is to come.'
Every time the living creatures glorified and honoured and gave thanks to the One sitting on the throne, who lives for ever and ever,
the twenty-four elders prostrated themselves before him to worship the One who lives for ever and ever, and threw down their crowns in front of the throne, saying:
You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honour and power, for you made the whole universe; by your will, when it did not exist, it was created.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
You will be holy,
because I am holy, thus says the Lord.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
With a new vision, John brings us into the central part of his revelation, a true theophany that uses images drawn from the temple and scenes from the First Testament - starting with creation and extending to the God’s manifestation on Sinai - to depict the revelation of God’s plan for history. Even if they are often tormented and dramatic, the lives of individual human beings and of entire peoples are not at the mercy of blind destiny. On the contrary, they are in the strong and merciful hands of God, who is placed at the centre of this vision and at the centre of human experience itself. The throne of God is surrounded by twenty-four elders. They can be seen as the combined representation of the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve apostles, as if to indicate the completeness of the people of God in the heavenly Jerusalem. John then sees "around the throne, and on each side of the throne...four living creatures" that together chant a liturgical hymn addressed to the Lord of creation and history (v. 8-11) that opens with the "trisagion," the triple repetition of the word "Holy" that is lifted up to the one seated on the throne and taken from the story of the calling of Isaiah (6:3). This heavenly liturgy reflects the earthly liturgy that communities of believers celebrate every Sunday in anticipation of the Sunday on which the sun with never set, when we will stand face to face with God. Because of the images with which they are represented, the four living creatures seem to recall the signs of the Zodiac, but, beginning with Irenaeus from Lyon, the tradition of the Church has made them the symbols of the four evangelists. In effect, we can compare the "eyes" that fill them "all around and inside" to the light of the Gospel that illuminates our hearts so we can understand the mystery of God’s love. With our eyes illuminated by the four gospels we can approach the throne of heaven and join in the song of all those who want to "see" the face of God.
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
