Memorial of Saint Polycarp, a disciple of the apostle John, bishop and martyr (155). Read more
Memorial of Saint Polycarp, a disciple of the apostle John, bishop and martyr (155).
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
Psalm 1,1-5
1 Happy are those
who do not follow the advice of the wicked,
or take the path that sinners tread,
or sit in the seat of scoffers;
2 but their delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law they meditate day and night.
3 They are like trees
planted by streams of water,
which yield their fruit in its season,
and their leaves do not wither.
In all that they do, they prosper.
4 The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgement,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
I give you a new commandment,
that you love one another.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
The psalmist opens the book of the Psalms with the beatitude of the believer who listens to the word of the Lord. Listening distinguishes the believer from the fool. It is not intelligence, culture, or the human qualities one might possess that make an individual a disciple, but only listening. The fool avoids listening to the Word of the Lord and, following only himself, deludes himself into thinking that he is living life to the fullest and freely. But the fool finds himself with a life that becomes like chaff’ scattered by the wind (the Hebrew word for “chaff” signifies a thing without weight or roots that flutters about and dissipates). For this reason, the psalmist notes, the wicked “will perish.” The righteous, instead, who do not heed the advice of the wicked and who do not “sit in the seat of scoffers,” find their joy in listening to the Lord. They love and meditate on the Law of the Lord day and night (the Hebrew word for “meditate” means to recite the sacred text, murmuring its words until they are committed to memory). The psalmist is trying to suggest that God whispers His Word in an effective manner so that it may reach the heart of every believer and remain there so it can bear fruit. The psalmist compares the righteous to a tree firmly planted by a stream that bears fruit in every season and condition, whose leaves are always green. Wisdom, knowledge and prudence blossom from a heart that listens to the Word of God, and saintly deeds flow from it. The Word of God, in fact, not only gains joy for whoever listens to it, but also is a force that pushes us to perform works of love. But those who stray from the Law of the Lord instead lead a sad, empty, and fruitless life. From the very first psalm, the Psalmist invites believers of every age to rediscover the primacy of listening because it is the foundation of our very lives. It is what Jesus will do at the beginning of his ministry of preaching, when he calls those who listen to his word and put it into practice “blessed”, because by doing so they are building their lives on solid rock.
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
