Memorial of Pope Saint Callixtus (†222). He was a friend to the poor and founded the house of prayer on which later would be built Santa Maria in Trastevere. Czytaj więcej
Memorial of Pope Saint Callixtus (†222). He was a friend to the poor and founded the house of prayer on which later would be built Santa Maria in Trastevere.
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
Romans 1,1-7
From Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the service of the gospel that God promised long ago through his prophets in the holy scriptures. This is the gospel concerning his Son who, in terms of human nature was born a descendant of David and who, in terms of the Spirit and of holiness, was designated Son of God in power by resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ, our Lord, through whom we have received grace and our apostolic mission of winning the obedience of faith among all the nations for the honour of his name. You are among these, and by his call you belong to Jesus Christ. To you all, God's beloved in Rome, called to be his holy people. Grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
The Son of Man came to serve,
whoever wants to be great
should become servant of all.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
The Letter to the Romans, which we are starting to read, occupies the first place in the Pauline writings both in terms of length and the importance of its theme. Paul addresses the community of Rome - which he had not founded but whose faith had been "proclaimed throughout the world" (Rom 1:8) - to explain the meaning of salvation, that is the "righteousness" that saves, which God bestowed on humanity through Jesus Christ, fulfilling the promise made to Abraham. In the greeting, Paul presents himself as a "servant" of Jesus; in fact he belongs to him completely. And it is for this reason that he was "set apart" as an "apostle," that is, with a particular mission and responsibility given to him by the Lord himself in order to build up the Church. The mission is to communicate the Gospel that had been "promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures," whose culmination is the Gospel of Jesus, "declared to be Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by resurrection from the dead." The Lord himself called Paul to communicate this Gospel to the great world of the "gentiles," to which also "all God's beloved in Rome" belong. The apostle knows that the community in Rome is composed in large part by Christians from a pagan background and that they are "holy" precisely because they received and welcomed the Gospel. He then wishes everyone grace and peace, the gifts with which God enriches and protects the lives of His children. It is the grace of a life redeemed from death and enriched by brothers and sisters to love. It is the peace of an existence that finds its fulfilment in following Jesus. Following the example of the apostle, every believer is "a servant of Jesus Christ," and "called to be an apostle."
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.
