Word of the day

A reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians
Eph 2:19-22

Brothers and sisters:
You are no longer strangers and sojourners,
but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones
and members of the household of God,
built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets,
with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone.
Through him the whole structure is held together
and grows into a temple sacred in the Lord;
in him you also are being built together
into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

From the Gospel according to Luke
Lk 6:12-16

Jesus went up to the mountain to pray,
and he spent the night in prayer to God.
When day came, he called his disciples to himself,
and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named Apostles:
Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew,
James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew,
Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus,
Simon who was called a Zealot,
and Judas the son of James,
and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

Jesus went out into the hills to pray; and all night he continued in prayer to God. And then comes all the rest: the people, the selection of the disciples, the healings, the casting out of demons. Therefore, “the cornerstone is Jesus, yes: but, it is a Jesus who prays”. And “Jesus prays: he prayed and continues to pray for the Church”. Thus, “the cornerstone of the Church is the Lord standing before the Father who intercedes for us, who prays for us: we pray to him, but the foundation is him who prays for us”. (…) On the mount of Olives, Jesus prayed; on the Cross, he died praying: his life ended in prayer”. And “this is our security, this is our foundation, this is our cornerstone: Jesus who prays for us, Jesus who prays for me”. For this reason “each of us can say: ‘I am certain that Jesus prays for me, that he is before the Father and gives me a name’”. Therefore, the cornerstone of the Church is Jesus in prayer”. (…) Let us think about this, “before the Passion, when Jesus turned to Peter with that warning which echoes the first chapter of the book of Job: “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail”. It “is lovely” to consider how the words which Jesus says to Peter are also said “to you, to me, and to everyone: ‘I prayed for you, I pray for you, I am now praying for you’”. And “when he comes upon the altar, he comes to intercede, to pray for us, just like on the Cross”. This “gives us great confidence: I belong to this community, which is steadfast because it has Jesus as its cornerstone, a Jesus who prays for me, who prays for us”. Finally, Francis invited the faithful to “reflect on this mystery of the Church: we are all like a building, but the foundation is Jesus, it is Jesus who prays for us. It is Jesus who prays for me”. (Santa Marta, 28 October 2016)