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Memory of the apostles
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Memory of the apostles

Feast of the apostles Simon the Canaanite, called the Zealot, and Judas surnamed Thaddeus. Read more

Libretto DEL GIORNO
Memory of the apostles
Wednesday, October 28

Feast of the apostles Simon the Canaanite, called the Zealot, and Judas surnamed Thaddeus.


Reading of the Word of God

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

If we die with him, we shall live with him,
if with him we endure, with him we shall reign.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

Luke 6,12-16

Now it happened in those days that he went onto the mountain to pray; and he spent the whole night in prayer to God. When day came he summoned his disciples and picked out twelve of them; he called them 'apostles': Simon whom he called Peter, and his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon called the Zealot, Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot who became a traitor.

 

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

If we die with him, we shall live with him,
if with him we endure, with him we shall reign.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

Today the Church remembers the apostles Simon and Jude. Simon is nicknamed the "zealot" perhaps because he belonged to the group of anti-Roman zealots who even practiced violence. Tradition has it that he preached the Gospel in Samaria and in Mesopotamia and died in Persia. Jude, also called Thaddeus, which means "magnanimous", is the apostle who at the last supper asked Jesus if he would reveal himself only to the disciples and not to the world. His name appears last in the list of the apostles. Tradition points to him as the author of the letter of the same name, addressed to converts from Judaism. Almost nothing is known of their lives, but they are no less important for that. In the Church it is not fame which counts, but communion with the Lord and with our brothers and sisters. Unfortunately, we often argue about who is first in the community, just as the disciples did. In the Church the only primacy­, which should be sought, is the primacy of love and, by extension, the primacy of generous, freely given service. Jesus called these apostles by name, too, as if to underline the fact that it is his love that gives his disciples dignity. And the love that should prevail among the disciples, the fraternal love that gives other people a reason to recognize us as Jesus' disciples and witnesses to the Gospel of love, has its origin in the love Jesus shows for us. In the Bible, a name is not just a tool for identifying people, it is much more: it signifies the story, the heart, and the life of each individual. The Lord's call often includes a change of name, that is, a change of heart and a new vocation. For example, Simon becomes Peter, meaning "rock" or "foundation." Receiving a name first of all means to be loved by God, that is, to be called by name. And then it also means receiving a new task from God. Knowing one another by name is one of the most precious treasures in life, even mere human life. The Lord exalts it even more: to know each other and to call each other by name is the sign of a love sealed by God. From this perspective, we can clearly see the level of familiarity that should characterize the lives of the disciples and extend to all, beginning with the poor. It is more than a little shocking, then, to get used to calling the poor themselves by name. It is difficult for this to happen. But there is a bond between the name of the disciples and the name of the poor. It is the gift of knowing that we are all children, loved by God, each with his or her own name.

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