Praying at Home: Tuesday 23 June 2020
Welcome to PrayingAtHome.com
Here you can find some resources for each day.
We hope these will help you stay in touch with the Church
and to sustain you on your journey through life.
If this is your first visit to this website, then you might like to read about the common elements and the suggested structure for each day’s prayer.
Opening to the Word
You can spend a few moments in silence,
focussing on your breathing
to become more mindful of the present moment
and to open yourself more fully
to God’s presence within you.
In the name of the living God,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Short scripture passage
Do not fear what you are about to suffer.
Nihil horum timeas quae passurus es.
Revelation 2:10
The Liturgy of the Word *
Here are today’s Bible readings.
You can read just one, or all of them if you have time.
Short Reflection
Following the death of Solomon, the country had split into the houses of Israel and Judah.
In our Old Testament reading, Jeremiah is warning the people of Judah of more danger unless they keep to the covenant made between God and their forbears.
Of course, this went down like a lead balloon and Jeremiah was surrounded by an angry mob of priests, false prophets and others, denouncing him and calling for his death.
The false prophets had been content to be yes-men, happy to be part of the establishment and not challenging the status quo.
A parallel situation in the New Testament reading has a group of people claiming to be faithful but who are part of the great deception.
(In much later writing, JRR Tolkien speaks of the Deceiver who divides elves, dwarves and men against each other.)
In our day, we need to be careful about how so easily lies are broadcast as truth.
So how do we remain faithful?
Transparency of heart and openness to the Gospel imperatives of loving God and our neighbour (and we know how limitless this concept is).
It won’t be easy but remember Jesus’ saying:
I have overcome the world.
John 16:33
We are called to live in God and to share in God’s mission of love for all creation.
Prayer Suggestions
We pray for those who search for the truth:
for investigative journalists holding governments to account,
for individuals seeking to live lives of integrity.
We pray for those who have recently lost their lives through violence, here and abroad, and for those who grieve for them.
We pray for those who are persecuted for their beliefs, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation or way of life.
And as we seek to grow through pain,
we remember only too well that SARS-CoV-2 continues,
with many people seriously ill.
We pray for our politicians seeking to guide a path of safety for us,
for scientists who try to advise them;
we pray for those who work in our countries’ National Health Services,
for essential workers,
for those in care homes,
for all of us.
Music for reflection *
An early Lutheran hymn, intended as a German version of the Gloria in excelsis, with text and melody attributed to Nikolaus Decius.
The Lord’s Prayer
We can say the Lord’s Prayer in any language or version we choose.
Here it is, in English, Latin and French.
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your Kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins,
as we forgive those
who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom,
the power and the glory are yours.
Now and for ever. Amen.
Pater noster, qui es in cælis;
sanctificatur nomen tuum:
adveniat regnum tuum;
fiat voluntas tua,
sicut in cælo, et in terra.
Panem nostrum cotidianum da nobis hodie:
et dimitte nobis debita nostra,
sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris:
et ne nos inducas in tentationem:
sed libera nos a malo.
Quia tuum est regnum,
et potestas, et gloria, in saecula.
Amen.
Notre Père qui es aux cieux,
que ton nom soit sanctifié.
Que ton règne vienne.
Que ta volonté soit faite sur la terre comme au ciel.
Donne-nous aujourd’hui notre pain de ce jour.
Pardonne-nous nos offences
comme nous pardonnons aussi
à ceux qui nous ont offensés.
Et ne nous soumets pas à la tentation,
mais délivre-nous du mal.
Car c’est à toi qu’appartiennent le règne,
la puissance et la gloire
pour les siècles des siècles. Amen.
Concluding prayer
Living Lord Jesus,
you are the way, the truth and the life;
help us to walk in your way,
to search constantly for the truth,
and to live in your presence
for the world you have redeemed
and are bringing to fulfilment.
Amen.
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Benedicamus Domino.
Deo gratias.
Thank you for joining us today.
Oremus pro invicem.
* You can find more organ music from Holy Trinity Church, Stirling
on Alistair Warwick‘s website and on SoundCloud
There are several books by Brother Roger of the Taizé Community from many booksellers (Amazon link)
In these strange times, we are called to trust
Other worship resources
Acknowledgements
* Beginning with the week after Pentecost, the lectionary for weekdays is taken from the Vanderbilt Divinity Library (complementary readings).
In that lectionary, the readings are in the following order: Old Testament reading, Psalm, New Testament reading; we have changed the order to the more usual OT, Psalm and NT.
The Bible texts of the Old Testament, Epistle and Gospel lessons are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993, 1995 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Images, unless otherwise stated, are from lockdown, by Alistair Warwick.
Music engraved by The Art of Music.
You can buy ‘The Complete Chronicles of Narnia’ at Amazon.
Purchases made by clicking links on this website will cost you no more than buying directly from the supplier; we may receive a small commission, which helps with the costs of maintaining and running this website.
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