EVERYDAY PRAYER

Memory of the Mother of the Lord
Word of god every day

Memory of the Mother of the Lord

Memory of the deportation of the Jews of Rome during the Second World War Read more

Libretto DEL GIORNO
Memory of the Mother of the Lord
Tuesday, October 16

Memory of the deportation of the Jews of Rome during the Second World War


Reading of the Word of God

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

The Spirit of the Lord is upon you.
The child you shall bear will be holy.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

2 Chronicles 5, 1-10

Thus all the work done by Solomon for the Temple of Yahweh was completed, and Solomon brought in the gifts which his father David had consecrated; and he had the silver, the gold and all the utensils put into the treasuries of the Temple of God.

Solomon then assembled the elders of Israel to Jerusalem, all the tribal chiefs, the princes of the families of Israel, to bring the ark of the covenant of Yahweh up from the City of David, that is, Zion.

All the men of Israel assembled round the king at the time of the feast, that is, in the seventh month.

When all the elders of Israel had arrived, the Levites took up the ark;

they brought up the ark and the Tent of Meeting and all the sacred utensils which were in the Tent; the levitical priests brought them up.

King Solomon and the whole assembly of Israel present with him before the ark sacrificed countless, innumerable sheep and oxen.

The priests brought the ark of the covenant of Yahweh to its place, in the Debir of the Temple, that is, in the Holy of Holies, under the wings of the winged creatures;

for they spread their wings over the place where the ark stood, forming a canopy over the ark and its shafts.

The shafts were so long, however, that the ends of the shafts of the ark could be seen in front of the Holy Place in front of the Debir, though they could not be seen from outside. They are still there today.

There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets which Moses had placed in it at Horeb, when Yahweh made a covenant with the Israelites when they came out of Egypt.

 

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

Look down, O Lord, on your servants.
Be it unto us according to your word.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

This page is an introduction to the great event of the dedication of the temple of Jerusalem. The Ark, which contains the two tablets of the Law, is introduced into the temple. The work had finally been completed and Solomon has all that serves to receive and welcome the Ark of the Law and to conduct ritual worship. Everything must be ready and nothing can be improvised. The external environment must be worthy and must signify the dignity of the true dwelling place of God which is in fact his people who welcome and venerate him. Solomon, in fact, “assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the leaders of the ancestral houses of the people of Israel, in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of the city of David, which is Zion." He knows well that the true place where the law of the Lord ought to live is the heart of his people. So the Ark begins its entry when “all the elders of Israel came.” It is then that “the Levites carried the ark. So they brought up the ark, the tent of meeting, and all the holy vessels that were in the tent.” It is a liturgy that still today is celebrated both in Jewish ritual and in Christian churches. When the people have gathered together, the Holy Scriptures enter solemnly in the midst of the assembly, and are placed on high, ready to be opened and proclaimed to the assembly. Through them God himself continues to speak to his people while sacrifices are offered on the altar. The assembly, in a unanimous manner, lift up to the Lord prayer like the incense which rises from the altar. The Ark is then introduced by the priests "in the most holy place, under the wings of the cherubim." The introduction of the “ark” in the most holy place recalls the entrance of the Word of God into the hearts of the assembly of believers, the true most holy place. It is to the heart of believers that indeed the Word of God is directed. For the Covenant of God with his people is rooted in our hearts. The Law recalls the heart. And, if listened to, it makes of many one people, a single family. Moses – Deuteronomy narrates – a little before he died, after having written the law, gave this order to the elders of the people: “Assemble the people, men and women, and children as well as the foreigners residing in your towns, so that they may listen, learn to fear the Lord your God, and to observe diligently all the words of this law, and so that their children, who have not known it, may hear and learn to fear the Lord your God” (31.12-13). The sacred author emphasizes that in the ark "there was nothing except the two tablets that Moses had placed on Horeb, where the Lord made a covenant with the Israelites when they left Egypt." It is like saying that for believers solely the Word of God must be enough and must be obeyed.

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