EVERYDAY PRAYER

Memory of the Church
Word of god every day
Libretto DEL GIORNO
Memory of the Church
Thursday, June 26


Reading of the Word of God

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

I am the good shepherd,
my sheep listen to my voice,
and they become
one flock and one fold.
.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

Matthew 7, 21-29

'It is not anyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord," who will enter the kingdom of Heaven, but the person who does the will of my Father in heaven.

When the day comes many will say to me, "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, drive out demons in your name, work many miracles in your name?"

Then I shall tell them to their faces: I have never known you; away from me, all evil doers!

'Therefore, everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a sensible man who built his house on rock.

Rain came down, floods rose, gales blew and hurled themselves against that house, and it did not fall: it was founded on rock.

But everyone who listens to these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a stupid man who built his house on sand.

Rain came down, floods rose, gales blew and struck that house, and it fell; and what a fall it had!'

Jesus had now finished what he wanted to say, and his teaching made a deep impression on the people

because he taught them with authority, unlike their own scribes.

 

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

I give you a new commandment,
that you love one another.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

These words conclude the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus’ first great sermon in Matthew’s Gospel. At the beginning of it we encounter strong words: only those who do “the will of my Father” will be worthy of the Kingdom, not those who simply call on the name of the Lord. John Chrysostom condemned the passivity with which the Christians of his time participated in the Sunday Liturgy, because they got nothing from it that changed their lives. He said: “Do you think that spiritual fervour consists of the simple act of repeatedly coming to the celebration of the Divine Liturgy? It counts for nothing, unless you receive fruit from it: if we do not gather anything, it is better to stay home!” And, almost paradoxically, he added, “The church is a like a dyer: if you keep leaving without having been dyed at least a little, what use is it to keep coming?” Faith inevitably brings change to our heart and our behaviours. And what it means to do the will of the Father is explained several times in the Gospel, as when Jesus declares, “And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day.” (Jn 6:39). The Father’s will is to save everyone. This is why Jesus came, and we are called to join him in fulfilling this dream. This is why it is essential for us to compare our lives with this dream, which can be seen quite clearly in the Gospel. For the disciples, it means putting the words of the Gospel into practice, as Jesus himself says, “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock,” while “everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand.” The example continues: “The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against” those two houses. These are the storms of life that we all experience. The first house, built on rock, stood strong; the other, built on sand, collapsed. Jesus presents two powerful images, comparing those who listen to the Gospel to builders. We do not listen to the Gospel as a literary exercise or to feel good. The words of the Gospel are given to us so that we can build our lives on a solid and stable foundation. This is why Jesus invites us to listen to the Gospel and, especially, to put it into practice. The disciples must be nourished by this word every day, so that they do not build their lives on themselves - on their arrogance and their convictions, which, like the sand are inconstant and changing - but on God’s dream, which Jesus started to make real. This dream and the word of the Gospel are the foundation on which we should build our lives. The Gospel is the very word of God and has the same authority as the Father. Indeed, Jesus did not teach like the scribes but with authority, the authority of the Father who is in heaven.

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