There's nothing new under the sun... This week we learned of an amazing Roman Catholic youth movement with striking parallels to 24-7. The Community of Saint'Egedio, which began with a bunch of friends in Rome in the Sixties, quickly grew into an international movement dedicated to prayer, mission, unity and justice. Sound familiar? Read on>>>

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Andrea Riccardi (left, today) and a group of friends hadn't even finished school when, in 1968, they found themsleves compelled to 'give up living just for oneself'. They resolved to bring the radical example of discipleship they found in Acts and in the life of St. Francis down to earth with a bang in their native Rome. These friends committed themselves to a lifestlye of ora et labora: prayer and practise. They went in, to pray in the ancient basilica of Sant'Egidio. Then they came out, to the slums of Rome, opening a school for the drop-out kids of the Cinodromo shacks on the Tiber river.

 

 

The first is prayer: 'the most authentic picture is the praying community'.  The second is evangelism: sharing Jesus as an 'experience of joy and celebration'. Finally, service: 'those who gathered around the Word of God felt the Gospel could not be lived far from poor people...service to poor people, lived as friendship'. The picture (left) shows a dancer at a San'Egedio peace rally in Barcelona.

With 50,000 members in 70 countries, this quiet revolution has touched the world with great power. The parallels with 24-7 in our own time are spooky! And we often look back 300 years to Ludwig von Zinzendorf and a group of friends who also hadn't even finished school when, in 1715, they found themselves compelled to recognise that 'none of us lives for himself'. They vowed to be true to Christ, kind to people, and to send the gospel to the world. Like Saint'Egidio, these friends threw themselves into prayer and out to far-flung corners of the world in realising this simple vow.

 

Friend after friend and generation after generation have heard the call of God that is answered in a lifestyle of prayer, misision and justice. We won't let our own be the exception!

 

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