Reading of the Word of God
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Whoever lives and believes in me
will never die.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Luke 18,1-8
Then he told them a parable about the need to pray continually and never lose heart. 'There was a judge in a certain town,' he said, 'who had neither fear of God nor respect for anyone. In the same town there was also a widow who kept on coming to him and saying, "I want justice from you against my enemy!" For a long time he refused, but at last he said to himself, "Even though I have neither fear of God nor respect for any human person, I must give this widow her just rights since she keeps pestering me, or she will come and slap me in the face." ' And the Lord said, 'You notice what the unjust judge has to say? Now, will not God see justice done to his elect if they keep calling to him day and night even though he still delays to help them? I promise you, he will see justice done to them, and done speedily. But when the Son of man comes, will he find any faith on earth?'
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
If you believe, you will see the glory of God,
thus says the Lord.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
The first time the evangelist mentioned Jesus' teaching on prayer is when he teaches them the "Our Father" (11:1-13). Now, this is the second time he speaks of it to his disciples, underlining "the need to pray always and not to lose heart." Not only must they pray "always," but they must also do so "without ever losing heart." The danger of losing heart or of breaking down before seemingly unanswered requests is a very common experience. To support this statement, he tells the parable of a poor widow who pleads before a judge for justice. She is a symbol of the powerlessness of the weak in a society like that at the time of Jesus; yet she persists before the judge who is dishonest and hard of heart, and she is finally heard and obtains justice. The scene is striking because of its realism. But above all, its meaning as applied to prayer to our Father in heaven is extraordinary. If that hard-hearted judge listened to that poor widow, Jesus seems to say, "How much more will your heavenly Father who is not only just but has a large and merciful heart listen." In any way possible, the Gospel wants to convince us of the strength and the power of prayer: it could be said that when it is persistent, it obliges God to intervene. Prayer is the first work a disciple is called to fulfil because prayer actualizes God's intervention in life and history. And, like any work, prayer must be frequent and persevering. Prayer is not an extemporary work, a practice to be carried out every now and then. Its continuity assures God's intervention. In its effects, prayer is precisely the greatest strength of a Christian. In the face of this affirmation, Jesus seriously asks, "But when the Son of man comes, will he find faith on earth?" This demand seriously questions the individual disciples and communities. The Son of man continues to come to earth, even today. What about our prayer? Blessed are we if the Lord finds us vigilant and persevering in prayer.
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
