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The first
"work" of the Community of Sant'Egidio is prayer. By reading the
Scriptures and putting them at the core of their lives, those young people
were challenged to live a
more authentic life: they discovered the invitation to become His disciples, which Jesus
addresses to all generations. It is a call to conversion, giving up living
just for oneself, and beginning freely to be instruments of a wider love
for everybody, men and women, and above all the poorest ones. Living and
listening to the Word of God as the most important thing in one's own life
means accepting that one should follow Jesus, rather than oneself.
The most authentic
picture is the praying community, gathered to listen to the Word of God.
It is like the family of disciples gathered around Jesus. A unanimous and
devoted prayer (Acts 2: 42) is the simple way, offered and required of all
community members. Prayer is a pathway to becoming familiar with Jesus'
words and with his prayer, with former generations' prayer, like the
psalms, presenting to the Lord the needs of poor people, our own needs and
the needs of the whole world.
That is why, in
Rome and in other cities of Italy, of Europe and of the world, the
communities gather as frequently as possible to pray together. In many
cities there is a common prayer open to everybody. Each member of the
community is also expected to find a significant space for personal prayer
and for reading the Scripture in his/her life, beginning with the Gospel.
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Personal prayer
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