GEBED IEDERE DAG

Prayer for peace
Woord van god elke dag

Prayer for peace

The prayer for peace is held in the Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere.
Memorial of Saint Joseph, Mary's husband, who in humility "took the child with him." Anniversary of the inauguration of the pastoral ministry of pope Francis.
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Libretto DEL GIORNO
Prayer for peace
Monday, March 19

The prayer for peace is held in the Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere.
Memorial of Saint Joseph, Mary's husband, who in humility "took the child with him." Anniversary of the inauguration of the pastoral ministry of pope Francis.


Reading of the Word of God

Praise to you, o Lord, King of eternal glory

This is the Gospel of the poor,
liberation for the imprisoned,
sight for the blind,
freedom for the oppressed.

Praise to you, o Lord, King of eternal glory

Matthew 1,16.18-21.24

and Jacob fathered Joseph the husband of Mary; of her was born Jesus who is called Christ. This is how Jesus Christ came to be born. His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph; but before they came to live together she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being an upright man and wanting to spare her disgrace, decided to divorce her informally. He had made up his mind to do this when suddenly the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, 'Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because she has conceived what is in her by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son and you must name him Jesus, because he is the one who is to save his people from their sins.' When Joseph woke up he did what the angel of the Lord had told him to do: he took his wife to his home;

 

Praise to you, o Lord, King of eternal glory

The Son of Man came to serve,
whoever wants to be great
should become servant of all.

Praise to you, o Lord, King of eternal glory

Today the church celebrates the feast of St. Joseph, Mary's husband. As a descendent of the house of David, Joseph's role was to tie Jesus to the Davidic line, refiguring the patriarchs, who often received revelations from God in dreams, and to make the child Jesus retrace the path of the exodus from Egypt to the promised land, thus placing him in the heart of the history of Israel and making him an heir of the promises. A man of silence, Joseph learned about God's will every day and obeyed it. An ancient legend says that he died in a state of profound peace, which was given to him by Jesus. This is why early on in the western tradition people began to invoke Joseph for the gift of a good death. The Churches of the East remember him together with David and James, the brother of the Lord, during the days following Christmas. Tied to the infancy of Jesus, Joseph reminds all believers of the importance of listening to the Lord, especially in those moments when difficulty seems to prevail. This Gospel passage from Matthew recounts how Joseph became involved in the mystery of Jesus' birth. The evangelist seems to want to emphasize the oddity of Jesus' birth. He speaks about Joseph and the doubly-serious drama he is living. As a betrayed husband, he should have sought an official divorce, which would have made Mary appear to be an adulteress and cause her to be ostracized by her relatives and all the inhabitants of the village. Obviously, Mary also thought of this when she heard the angel's announcement. But she obeyed nonetheless. For his part, Joseph decided to repudiate his wife, but in secret. It was a considerate - even merciful - act of justice. But if that just man, who was much more considerate than the law, had carried out his decision, he would have been acting against the deeper justice of God. There is, in fact, a greater purpose of God that the angel reveals to Joseph. Joseph listens to the angel and understands what is happening around and inside him. Thus, he becomes a disciple of the Gospel. And the angel continues, "You are to name him Jesus." Joseph must recognize and announce who the child is. This is why he is the image of the believer who knows how to listen and take Jesus with him. If we listen to the Gospel we too will be able to take Jesus with us as the friend of our days and of our entire lives.

WOORD VAN GOD ELKE DAG: DE KALENDER

Het gebed is het hart van het leven van de Gemeenschap van Sant’Egidio. Het is haar eerste “werk”. Aan het einde van de dag komt elke Gemeenschap, of die nu klein of groot is, samen bij de Heer om het Woord te beluisteren en zich tot Hem te richten in het gebed. De leerlingen kunnen niet anders dan aan de voeten van Jezus zitten, zoals Maria van Bethanië, om het “betere deel” te kiezen (Lc 10, 42) en van Hem zijn gezindheid te leren (vgl. Fil 2, 5).

Elke keer dat de Gemeenschap zich tot de Heer richt, maakt ze zich die vraag eigen van de anonieme leerling: “Heer, leer ons bidden!” (Lc 11, 1). En Jezus, meester in het gebed, antwoordt: “Wanneer jullie bidden, zeg dan: Abba, Vader”.

Wanneer we bidden, ook in de geslotenheid van ons eigen hart, zijn we nooit alleen of verweesd. Integendeel, we zijn leden van de familie van de Heer. In het gemeenschappelijk gebed wordt naast het mysterie van het kindschap, ook dat van de broederschap en zusterschap duidelijk.

De Gemeenschappen van Sant’Egidio, verspreid over de wereld, verzamelen zich op de verschillende plaatsen die gekozen zijn voor het gebed en brengen de hoop en het verdriet van de “uitgeputte en hulpeloze mensenmenigte” waarover het Evangelie spreekt (Mt 9, 37) bij de Heer. Deze oude menigte omvat de inwoners van onze hedendaagse steden, de armen die zich bevinden in de marge van het leven, en iedereen die wacht om als dagloner te worden aangenomen (vgl. Mt 20).

Het gemeenschappelijk gebed verzamelt de schreeuw, de hoop, het verlangen naar vrede, genezing, zin en redding, die beleefd worden door de mannen en vrouwen van deze wereld. Het gebed is nooit leeg. Het stijgt onophoudelijk op naar de Heer opdat verdriet verandert in vreugde, wanhoop in blijheid, angst in hoop, eenzaamheid in gemeenschap. En het rijk Gods zal spoedig temidden van de mensen komen.

WOORD VAN GOD ELKE DAG: DE KALENDER