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 4,7-15
But we hold this treasure in pots of earthenware, so that the immensity of the power is God's and not our own. We are subjected to every kind of hardship, but never distressed; we see no way out but we never despair; we are pursued but never cut off; knocked down, but still have some life in us; always we carry with us in our body the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus, too, may be visible in our body. Indeed, while we are still alive, we are continually being handed over to death, for the sake of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus, too, may be visible in our mortal flesh. In us, then, death is at work; in you, life. But as we have the same spirit of faith as is described in scripture -- I believed and therefore I spoke -we, too, believe and therefore we, too, speak, realising that he who raised up the Lord Jesus will raise us up with Jesus in our turn, and bring us to himself -- and you as well. You see, everything is for your benefit, so that as grace spreads, so, to the glory of God, thanksgiving may also overflow among more and more people.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
The Son of Man came to serve,
whoever wants to be great
should become servant of all.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Paul, who did not hesitate to extol the apostolic ministry that has the task to communicate to the world the mystery of Christ, is aware of his and of our weakness. Thus, he affirms: "We have this treasure in clay jars." Jesus entrusted his Gospel to the poor hands of his disciples, of his poor community. The contrast between the wealth of the Gospel and the poverty of the disciples makes extremely clear that the authority and the very power of the ministry does not come from men and women, from their power, abilities and strategies, but from God. The apostle reviews his life within this light. He understands that in spite of the tribulations, threats, dangers, difficulties, he has never been abandoned by God. Indeed, in the weakness of his existence "the very life of Jesus" was manifested. In persecution and in abandonment, Paul sees himself similar to Jesus, who was "well acquainted with grief." It is faith that renders the disciple strong even in the face of opposition and adversity. So, Paul does not withdraw when faced by difficulties and dangers, but always proclaims the Gospel to all: "I believed, and so I spoke." We, disciples of the Lord, clothed with the power of faith, are called to communicate the Lord Jesus to all through our lives: in our poor life must however shine the same life of Jesus. Thus, we have the responsibility of not hindering the Word of God so that it may reach the hearts of men and women. The Apostle exhorts us not to lose heart or to be discouraged when confronted by the weakness and evil that strike our lives and that of the world. If on the one hand we experience a weakening of the body, on the other hand, we must strive day by day to renew the 'interior' person, the spiritual person. The sufferings of today, particularly those which assail us on account of the Gospel, do not compare with the glory that is to be manifested in us (see Rom 8:18).
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
