Praying at Home Today: Monday 6 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 29 June 2020, we have reverted to the Track 1 “semi-continuous” Old Testament readings (this also affects the psalm or equivalent response); 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
For now the winter is past,
the rain is over and gone.
The flowers appear on the earth;
the time of singing has come.
Jam enim hiems transiit;
imber abiit, et recessit.
Flores apparuerunt in terra nostra;
tempus putationis advenit.
En effet, l’hiver est passé,
la pluie a cessé, elle s’en est allée.
Les fleurs apparaissent dans le pays,
le temps de chanter est arrivé.
Song of Songs 2:11-12a
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
Jacob and Esau
We read of the aftermath of Rebekah’s favouritism of Jacob as Esau comes home to discover that he has been tricked not only out of his birthright but also his father’s blessing.
Rebekah marries Isaac
Before all this came to pass, as we may have heard in Sunday’s Old Testament reading, God causes Rebekah to meet and marry Isaac.
The text gives few details of their relationship, we only know that she was generous to Abraham’s servant, giving both him and his camels water to drink; that Isaac took her and married her and loved her (apparently in that order – it was an arranged marriage, after all!).
Tenderness in love
The response to today’s Old Testament reading, usually a psalm, is from the Song of Songs (or Song of Solomon).
This book of the Bible is most fascinating. Self-evidently love poetry of a most intimate kind, it is also seen as a metaphor of God’s love for the Church, of Christ the bridegroom and his bride, the Church.
It certainly speaks of the most tender love between two who give themselves to each other without reservation.
Marcel Dupré and these texts **
In 1919, the managing director of Rolls-Royce happened to be in Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris for the evening service of Vespers, beginning with five psalms, each with its antiphon sung before its psalm.
After the first psalm, he heard the organist playing music inspired by the plainsong, and so it continued for each of the psalms.
The fourth of these antiphons is the text of our short reading
Jam enim hiems transiit;
imber abiit, et recessit.
Flores apparuerunt in terra nostra;
tempus putationis advenit.For now the winter is past,
the rain is over and gone.
The flowers appear on the earth;
the time of singing has come.
Today we can reflect on God’s tender love for us
and seek to live out this tenderness in our own lives.
Prayer Suggestions
We pray for the Curch,
that she may delight in God’s tender love for her.
For those who are married,
and those who are in love,
that they may (re)discover the tenderness of self-giving love.
We remember those for whom marriage is difficult or abusive,
that God may bring healing.
We pray for marriage guidance counsellors
and all who help to heal relationships.
For those who are ill in hospital, or at home,
and for those who are worried for them.
We pray for those who are suffering from the pandemic
and our hospital staff.
Music for reflection *
Deck thyself, my soul, with gladness
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
God of tender care,
we entrust ourselves to you
in the sure knowledge that you love us.
Give us your grace
that we may show some of your love to those we meet today.
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
** A recording of this work was made in 1994.
It’s simply stunning;
it was awarded the Gramophone Editor’s Choice 1995.
You can find it here on Amazon.
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.
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