Feast of Saints Cyrillus (†869) and Methodius (†885), fathers of the Slavic Church and patrons of Europe. Read more
Feast of Saints Cyrillus (†869) and Methodius (†885), fathers of the Slavic Church and patrons of Europe.
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
1 Kings 11,29-32; 12,19
One day when Jeroboam had gone out of Jerusalem, the prophet Ahijah of Shiloh accosted him on the road. Ahijah was wearing a new cloak; the two of them were in the open country by themselves. Ahijah took the new cloak which he was wearing and tore it into twelve strips, saying to Jeroboam: 'Take ten strips for yourself, for Yahweh, God of Israel, says this, "I am going to tear the kingdom from Solomon's hand and give ten tribes to you. He will keep one tribe for the sake of my servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel; And Israel has remained in rebellion against the House of David from that day to this.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
The Son of Man came to serve,
whoever wants to be great
should become servant of all.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Solomon, a slave to his pride and therefore deaf to the Law of God, had lost his true strength and true support. The kingdom begins to falter and shatter - enemies arise that undermine its stability and unity. The author narrates the revolt of Jeroboam, which does not arise from the logic that normally governs relations between governments, but from God himself who intervenes. The prophet Ahijah of Silo meets Jeroboam and, with a gesture full of symbolism, takes off his cloak. He divides it into twelve pieces and says to Jeroboam: "Take ten pieces, for the Lord, God of Israel says: Take for yourself ten pieces; for thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, 'See, I am about to tear the kingdom from the hand of Solomon, and will give you ten tribes. One tribe will remain his, for the sake of my servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city that I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel.'" Ahijah's symbolic gesture, which recalls Samuel's oracle repudiating Saul, (1 Sam 15:27-28), shows, on one hand, God's fidelity as one who does not abandon the promises made to David and does not deny the decision to "inhabit" in Jerusalem, but also the inevitable ruin of those who do not follow the ways of the Lord. "Walking on the ways" of the Lord, following his Word, means putting oneself in the footsteps of that free and strong love of the Lord who opens the eyes and hearts of all who follow him. And the prophet repeats to Jeroboam the same warnings so that he too will not stray from the ways of the Lord if he wishes the stability and integrity of the kingdom. Solomon, foreshadowing the Herod of Jesus' childhood, learned of the project and tried to kill Jeroboam, who saved himself by taking refuge in Egypt and remaining there until Solomon's death.
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
