EVERYDAY PRAYER

Memory of the Mother of the Lord
Word of god every day
Libretto DEL GIORNO
Memory of the Mother of the Lord
Tuesday, June 18


Reading of the Word of God

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

The Spirit of the Lord is upon you.
The child you shall bear will be holy.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

2 Corinthians 8,1-9

Next, brothers, we will tell you of the grace of God which has been granted to the churches of Macedonia, and how, throughout continual ordeals of hardship, their unfailing joy and their intense poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. I can testify that it was of their own accord that they made their gift, which was not merely as far as their resources would allow, but well beyond their resources; and they had kept imploring us most insistently for the privilege of a share in the fellowship of service to God's holy people- it was not something that we expected of them, but it began by their offering themselves to the Lord and to us at the prompting of the will of God. In the end we urged Titus, since he had already made a beginning, also to bring this work of generosity to completion among you. More, as you are rich in everything-faith, eloquence, understanding, concern for everything, and love for us too -- then make sure that you excel in this work of generosity too. I am not saying this as an order, but testing the genuineness of your love against the concern of others. You are well aware of the generosity which our Lord Jesus Christ had, that, although he was rich, he became poor for your sake, so that you should become rich through his poverty.

 

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

Look down, O Lord, on your servants.
Be it unto us according to your word.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

Paul felt a debt of gratitude to the "mother" community of Jerusalem that was passing through a particularly difficult time. With 2000 years gap we should feel a similar debt in face of the drama that the land of Jesus is living. Paul had organized a collection in the communities he founded. In this way, Paul expressed a just the solidarity of other communities with the one in Jerusalem and with the apostles. Christian fraternity, as already highlighted in the "summaries" of the Acts of the Apostles that describe the life of the community, was also made of mutual concrete aid. Participating in the collection, as it was the case for the communities of Macedonia that were quite poor, meant to take part in an extraordinary grace because to love those in need enriches those who give more than those who receive. As Jesus himself said, according to what Paul himself reports to the Ephesian elders: "It is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35). The Macedonians had understood the meaning of Gospel love: indeed not only did they offer something, but - as Paul says: "Not merely as we expected; they gave themselves first to the Lord and, by the will of God, to us" (v.5). The apostle presents them as a model of solidarity. And he asks the Corinthians: "Now as you excel in everything-in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in utmost eagerness, and in our love for you-so we want you to excel also in this generous undertaking" (v.7). For Christians the commandment of love springs from the very example of Jesus who "though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich." The disciples must look to the Lord so that they may realize the exchange of gifts that does not leave anyone destitute. Here is the substance of Christian fellowship, a communion in faith that offers help and support even at the economic level. As the abundance of preaching, which came from the Church of Jerusalem, had enriched the Corinthians and the other communities, so now the abundance of material goods in these communities should benefit the needs of the community of Jerusalem, so that no one may lack what is necessary and there may be equality of gifts in God's grace.

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