Memorial of Saint Stanislaw, bishop of Krakow and martyr (+1071). He defended the poor, the dignity of men and women, and the freedom of the Gospel and the Church. Read more
Memorial of Saint Stanislaw, bishop of Krakow and martyr (+1071). He defended the poor, the dignity of men and women, and the freedom of the Gospel and the Church.
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
Acts 6,8-15
Stephen was filled with grace and power and began to work miracles and great signs among the people. Then certain people came forward to debate with Stephen, some from Cyrene and Alexandria who were members of the synagogue called the Synagogue of Freedmen, and others from Cilicia and Asia. They found they could not stand up against him because of his wisdom, and the Spirit that prompted what he said. So they procured some men to say, 'We heard him using blasphemous language against Moses and against God.' Having turned the people against him as well as the elders and scribes, they took Stephen by surprise, and arrested him and brought him before the Sanhedrin. There they put up false witnesses to say, 'This man is always making speeches against this Holy Place and the Law. We have heard him say that Jesus, this Nazarene, is going to destroy this Place and alter the traditions that Moses handed down to us.' The members of the Sanhedrin all looked intently at Stephen, and his face appeared to them like the face of an angel.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
The Son of Man came to serve,
whoever wants to be great
should become servant of all.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Stephen was the first of the seven deacons chosen from among the Hellenist Jews. He immediately made himself known for his strong witness: he "did great wonders and signs among the people," Luke writes. And in debates, no one could "withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke." Two entire chapters of Acts tell his story; he was an exemplary figure in the first community. And it is worth noting that the service of "waiting at tables" for which the deacons were chosen was not limited to this. Every believer must serve both tables, the table of the poor and the table of the Word and Eucharist. There are no exclusive specializations, with some preaching and some doing charity. Every Christian must do both. And it is important to note that Luke emphasizes the deeds done by Stephen "among the people." Even the members of the Sanhedrin were amazed at Stephen’s missionary work: "And all who sat in the council looked intently at him, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel." We could say that in that important assembly, Stephen reminded them of Moses, whose ministry was surrounded with such splendour that the children of Israel could not see his face on account of the light that shone from it (Ex 34:29 ff). Like Moses, Stephen was a witness of God’s love, truly an angel sent by the Lord. So should be every disciple. In imitation of the Teacher, Stephen was first arrested and then judged before the Sanhedrin. And during the trial he is condemned by false accusations. The story of the disciples always retraces the Teacher’s. And in this difficult moment of his life, Stephen is sustained by the strength of the Lord’s spirit, which never abandons anyone, especially in the time of trial.
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
