Reading of the Word of God
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
This is the Gospel of the poor,
liberation for the imprisoned,
sight for the blind,
freedom for the oppressed.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
1 Chronicles 28, 1-10.20-21
David then summoned to Jerusalem all the officials of Israel -- the tribal chiefs, the senior officials in the royal service, the commanders of the thousands, the commanders of the hundreds and the overseers of all the property and livestock belonging to the king and to his sons -- including the court officials, the champions and all the men of standing.
King David then rose to his feet and said: 'My brothers and my people, listen to me. I have set my heart on building a settled home for the ark of the covenant of Yahweh, for the footstool for our God, but when I was ready to build it,
God said to me, "You must not build a house for my name, for you have been a man of war and have shed blood."
'Even so, out of my entire family, it was I whom Yahweh, God of Israel, chose to reign over Israel for ever. Having chosen Judah as leader, and my family out of the House of Judah, it pleased him out of all my father's sons to make me king of all Israel.
Out of all my sons -- for Yahweh has given me many -- he has chosen my son Solomon to sit on Yahweh's sovereign throne over Israel.
Furthermore, he has told me, "Solomon your son is the man to build my house and my courts, for I have chosen him to be my son and I shall be his father.
I shall make his sovereignty secure for ever if he sturdily carries out my commandments and ordinances as he does now."
'So now in the sight of all Israel, the assembly of Yahweh, and in the hearing of our God, I charge you to observe and adhere strictly to all the commandments of Yahweh your God, so that you may retain possession of this fine country and leave it to your sons after you as a heritage for ever.
'And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with an undivided heart and willing mind; for Yahweh scrutinises all hearts and understands whatever plans they may devise. If you seek him, he will let you find him; but forsake him and he will cast you off for ever.
So, since Yahweh has chosen you to build a house for his sanctuary, go resolutely to work!'
David then said to his son Solomon, 'Be resolute and courageous in your work, do not be afraid or disheartened, because Yahweh God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you before you have finished all the work to be done for the house of Yahweh.
And besides, there are the orders of priests and Levites for whatever is needed in connection with the house of God, and you have at your disposal every kind of craftsman for whatever has to be done, as well as the officials and all the people entirely at your command.'
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
The Son of Man came to serve,
whoever wants to be great
should become servant of all.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Chapter 28 reports David’s final speech to the Israelites. The king begins by introducing Solomon and says to everyone what he previously said in private to his son: “But God said to me, You may not build a house for my name, for you are a warrior and have shed blood.’” (v.3). The author, however, in order to underline David’s decisive involvement in the Temple’s construction, prefaces his statement with: “I had planned to build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the Lord ... and I made preparations for building” (v. 2). This wording calls to mind Psalm 132 (cited also in 2 Chr 6:41-42) in which we find the same terms: “Now rise up, O Lord God, and go to your resting-place, you and the ark of your might” (v. 41). Once again I think it is important to notice the link between the temple and rest, between prayer and peace. As a way to highlight that link, the Lord entrusts the construction of the temple to Solomon, a peaceful man who bears peace in his very name. David also rightly observes that Solomon too is chosen by God as his envoy. We should never forget that indeed the “royal throne” of Israel is of God. And it is the Lord himself who chooses his representatives. In Chronicles, this idea is made particularly clear. When referring to the words that Nathan would have spoken to David in the name of the Lord regarding Solomon, the author of Chronicles says: “I will confirm him in my house and in my kingdom for ever and his throne shall be established for ever” (17:14). Therefore, the house and the kingdom are the Lord’s, and He is the true king of Israel. Solomonas David before himis God’s representative seated on the throne of the Lord as king (9:8, 13:8). This is why the solidity of the kingdom is closely linked to Solomon’s obedience to the Lord’s commands, as the Lord says: “I will establish his kingdom for ever if he continues resolute in keeping my commandments and my ordinances, as he is today” (v. 7). David feels the responsibility to address the people of Israel so that they continue to obey the Lord’s precepts. An indissoluble bond exists between peace and faithfulness to the Lord’s commands and between peaceful ownership of the Earth and obedience to God’s covenant. After handing over to Solomon “the vestibule of the temple, and of its houses, its treasuries, its upper rooms, and its inner chambers, and of the room for the mercy seat” David exhorts him to “[b]e strong and of good courage” and “do it.” David knows well his son’s ability but the reason of his trust is in God: “[F]or the LORD God, even my God, is with you”. This conclusion manifests David’s great faith; this is the true treasure that he leaves to his son and to all who set themselves on building God’s house. It is a blessing that comes down even to us.
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
