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
Genesis 46,1-7.28-30
So Israel set out with all his possessions. Arriving at Beersheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. God spoke to Israel in a vision at night, 'Jacob, Jacob,' he said. 'Here I am,' he replied. 'I am El, God of your father,' he said. 'Do not be afraid of going down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. I shall go down to Egypt with you and I myself shall bring you back again, and Joseph's hand will close your eyes.' So Jacob left Beersheba. Israel's sons conveyed their father Jacob, their little children and their wives in the waggons Pharaoh had sent to fetch him. Taking their livestock and all that they had acquired in Canaan, they arrived in Egypt -- Jacob and all his offspring. With him to Egypt, he brought his sons and grandsons, his daughters and granddaughters -- all his offspring. Israel sent Judah ahead to Joseph, so that Judah might present himself to Joseph in Goshen. When they arrived in Goshen, Joseph had his chariot made ready and went up to Goshen to meet his father Israel. As soon as he appeared he threw his arms round his neck and for a long time wept on his shoulder. Israel said to Joseph, 'Now I can die, now that I have seen you in person and seen you still alive.'
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
The Son of Man came to serve,
whoever wants to be great
should become servant of all.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Joseph's long story with his dreams, which were interpreted with jealousy by his brothers and which lead to violence ends with the encounter with his father. Jacob, who was in Canaan, decides to see him before dying and sets out for Egypt. He cannot stand to die without seeing him. Jacob sets on a journey. He brings his entire family with him, because he wants them all to be reconciled with the son who was sold to the Egyptians. His encounter with his son is full of emotion. It allows Jacob to be reconciled to his entire life, so that he can exclaim, "I can die now." The true aspiration of Jacob, of the people of God, is for no one to be lost. This is why he sets on a journey to find the son of the dreams, even if old and among many dangers and inconveniences. When Jacob sees his son, he understands how God's blessing came true. The violent, murderous jealousy of the brothers, caused by Jacob's preference for the "dreamer," was the fruit of evil and an excuse for malevolent comparisons. For the Lord, everything works towards the good, and the greatest is the one who became a slave for us. Diversity, like Joseph's dreams, was a wealth also for Joseph's brothers even if they did not understand it; in fact they had opposed and even sold him. Joseph's charisms were not for division and even less for conflict. On the contrary they were a gift from the Lord for the common good. This is what finally happened.
Modlitwa jest sercem życia Wspólnoty Sant’Egidio, jej pierwszym „dziełem”. Na zakończenie dnia każda Wspólnota, niezależnie czy mała czy duża, zbiera się wokół Pana, aby słuchać Jego Słowa i zanosić do Niego swe prośby. Uczniowie nie mogą uczynić więcej niż siąść u stóp Jezusa jak Maria z Betanii, aby wybrać „najlepszą cząstkę” (Łk 10, 42) i uczyć się jak mieć te same co On uczucia (por. Flp 2,1-5).
Wracając do Pana za każdym razem Wspólnota czyni własną prośbę anonimowego ucznia: "Panie, naucz nas się modlić!” (Łk 11, 1). I Jezus, nauczyciel modlitwy, nieprzerwanie odpowiada: „Kiedy się modlicie, mówcie: Ojcze nasz”.
Kiedy człowiek się modli, także w cichości własnego serca, nigdy nie jest odizolowany od innych czy opuszczony: zawsze jest członkiem rodziny Pana. W modlitwie wspólnotowej poza tajemnicą usynowienia jasno ukazuje się również tajemnica braterstwa.
Wspólnoty Sant’Egidio rozsiane po świecie zbierają się w różnych miejscach wybranych na modlitwę i przynoszą Panu nadzieje i cierpienia „znękanych i porzuconych tłumów”, o których mówi Ewangelia (por. Mt 9, 36-37). Należą do tych tłumów także mieszkańcy współczesnych miast, ubodzy zepchnięci na margines życia, wszyscy ci, którzy oczekują, że zostaną najęci choć na dzień (por. Mt 20).
Modlitwa Wspólnoty gromadzi wołania, dążenia, pragnienia pokoju, uzdrowienia, poczucia sensu i zbawienia, którymi żyją mężczyźni i kobiety tego świata. Modlitwa nigdy nie jest pusta. Nieustannie wznosi się do Pana, aby płacz zmienił się w radość, desperacja w pogodę ducha, przygnębienie w nadzieję, samotność w zjednoczenie. I aby Królestwo Boże jak najszybciej zamieszkało między ludźmi.
