Praying at Home Today: Thursday 2 July 2020
Welcome to PrayingAtHome.com, where you can find some worship resources for praying at home today or wherever you are.
We hope these readings, prayers, music and the short reflection 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.
Please note that with effect from Monday 29 June 2020, we have reverted to the Track 1 “semi-continuous” Old Testament readings (this also affects the psalm); the New Testament and Gospel readings remain unchanged.
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 reading
Do you not know, brothers and sisters
—for I am speaking to those who know the law—
that the law is binding on a person only during that person’s lifetime?An ignoratis, fratres
(scientibus enim legem loquor),
quia lex in homine dominatur quanto tempore vivit?Ignorez-vous, frères et sœurs
– je parle ici à des gens qui connaissent la loi –
que la loi n’exerce son pouvoir sur l’homme qu’aussi longtemps qu’il vit?
Romans 7:1
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
Cultural conditioning
Our New Testament reading today is an example of the cultural context in which the Bible was written.
According to this passage in Paul’s letter to the Romans, it is the wife who, following her husband’s death, is freed from her obligations to her husband, rather than equally, or indeed the other way round!
This was simply the way in which society worked.
(It’s important to note, however, that Paul may not have been as mysoginistic as his letters first appear; other texts refer to our unity in Christ, in which there is no distinction between male and female, slave and free, etc.)
Hierarchy of belief and doctrine
Nevertheless, this passage does highlight for us that although the Bible is inspired (what exactly does that mean?), it is historically and culturally conditioned.
The Gospels relate that Jesus wore sandals and a robe. Presumably, we are not required to do likewise.
These books tell us of various habits that we would not practise today as they are unsuitable for our time.
Accordingly, this indicates that there are different qualitative levels of beliefs.
Some are essential, others are more peripheral.
Essential articles of faith
The essential belief is that “Jesus is Lord”, with all its ramifications, and for Trinitarian Christians, the belief that God revelas God’s self as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, one communion of love, poured out for us and all humanity that we might all be raised to new life.
In a different category are practices and theological developments from the time of the early Church, and since.
The danger for people of faith, if we treat everything equally, is that we then become a barrier between God and those who are desperate to hear words of salvation, words of hope, as we can present stumbling blocks to people who may not be ready for a richer diet (to mix metaphors!).
Again, we are reminded of Jesus’ warning:
It would be better for you if a millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea than for you to cause one of these little ones to stumble.
Luke 17:2
The essence of our faith is in the ancient creed “Jesus is Lord”; everything else, essential and peripheral, comes from these three words.
Prayer Suggestions
We pray for our local churches,
for those who minister in them
and are seeking ways of maintaining communion with their congregations.
Pray for those who are seriously ill,
those who worry about them
and those who care for them.
We pray for our politicians seeking to guide a path of safety for us,
and for scientists who try to advise them;
that we may all do our part to keep others safe from the virus.
We pray for people who have entered into lockdown again;
for those who work in our countries’ National Health Services,
for essential workers,
those in care homes,
and all of us.
Music for reflection *
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 God,
we thank you for revealing to us that Jesus is Lord;
help us to live out this belief
by lives of service to those we meet this day.
Amen.
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Benedicamus Domino.
Deo gratias.
Thank you for joining us in praying at home.
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
Praying at Home Today: Acknowledgements
* Beginning with the week after Pentecost, the lectionary for weekdays is taken from the Vanderbilt Divinity Library. Currently, we’re following the semi-continuous readings (Track 1).
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.
English Bible texts 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.
Latin Bible texts are from Biblia Sacra Vulgata, and are in the Public Domain.
French Bible texts are from Version Segond 21 Copyright © 2007 Société Biblique de Genève by Société Biblique de Genève.
Images, unless otherwise stated, are from lockdown in Scotland, by Alistair Warwick.
Music engraved by The Art of Music.
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.
Praying at Home (part of The Art of Music) is a participant in the Amazon EU Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.
