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
2 Corinthians 9, 6-15
But remember: anyone who sows sparsely will reap sparsely as well -- and anyone who sows generously will reap generously as well.
Each one should give as much as he has decided on his own initiative, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
God is perfectly able to enrich you with every grace, so that you always have enough for every conceivable need, and your resources overflow in all kinds of good work.
As scripture says: To the needy he gave without stint, his uprightness stands firm for ever.
The one who so freely provides seed for the sower and food to eat will provide you with ample store of seed for sowing and make the harvest of your uprightness a bigger one:
you will be rich enough in every way for every kind of generosity that makes people thank God for what we have done.
For the help provided by this contribution not only satisfies the needs of God's holy people, but also overflows into widespread thanksgiving to God;
because when you have proved your quality by this help, they will give glory to God for the obedience which you show in professing the gospel of Christ, as well as for the generosity of your fellowship towards them and towards all.
At the same time, their prayer for you will express the affection they feel for you because of the unbounded grace God has given you.
Thanks be to God for his gift that is beyond all telling!
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
The Son of Man came to serve,
whoever wants to be great
should become servant of all.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
With this passage, Paul concludes the section that deals with the collection for the community of Jerusalem. These are two fine chapters and Paul brings them to a close, insisting on liberality in giving and on the joy in doing so. A narrow measure is a sign of a heart full of itself, of petty hearts, of men and women who are afraid of losing what they possess. But in this manner they decisively distance themselves from the Gospel. Indeed, already in Deuteronomy, apropos of a needy brother, it is written, “Give generously and, when you give to them, your heart shall not be saddened” (15:10). And the psalmist whom Paul quotes sings: “He gives liberally, he gives to the poor; his righteousness endures for ever” (v. 9). Generosity and joy in giving, which characterize Christian solidarity, free the heart from the slavery of possessions and render it more conformed to that of Jesus, who “did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself,” as Paul wrote to the Philippians (2:6-7). Generosity enriches the one who gives; he is doubly blessed in turn by the grace of God and the prayer of those who receive. It is a common belief among the Fathers of the Church that the poor will be our intercessors before God. The alms which are placed in their hands become for us a treasure stored in heaven. Yes, what is given to the poor goes back into the hands of God, in heaven. For this reason the apostle suggests that the collection is a sacred service that is offered to God himself. It is not to be taken as a simple act of solidarity and of sharing, but as an act of response to the grace of God, from whom we have received all. Jesus has said, “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back” (Lk 6:38). We are not afraid to give with largess and joy, because in giving we will be rewarded with the grace of God. The Lord has given us his goods not in order that we may keep them for ourselves, but in order that we may be able to give them with generously and freely for the joy of all, particularly of the poor.
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
