Praying at Home Today: Monday 20 July 2020
A warm 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
And I heard a voice from heaven saying,
‘Write this: Blessed are the dead who from now on die in the Lord.’
‘Yes,’ says the Spirit, ‘they will rest from their labours,
for their deeds follow them.’Et audivi vocem de caelo, dicentem mihi:
Scribe: Beati mortui qui in Domino moriuntur.
Amodo jam dicit Spiritus, ut requiescant a laboribus suis:
opera enim illorum sequuntur illos.Puis j’entendis du ciel une voix qui disait:
«Ecris: ‘Heureux les morts qui meurent dans le Seigneur, et ce dès maintenant!
Oui, dit l’Esprit, ainsi ils se reposent de leurs travaux,
mais leurs œuvres les suivent.’»
Revelation 14:13
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
Reaping the Earth’s Harvest
This is the heading for the verses in our New Testament reading from Revelation.
Now this final book in the Bible is one I’ve never really got to grips with, even though sections of it appear in canticles for the Divine Office and in the Eucharist.
I find it hard to engage with much of this “last days” kind of writing (although I find CS Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia version in ‘The Last Battle’ a bit easier to grasp!
The reason for the Daily Lectionary including this reading today is that it reflects on yesterday’s Gospel reading: Jesus’ telling of the parable of the wheat and the weeds. He tells his audience that these two types would be allowed to grow together before being separated at harvest time.
I must admit that my preferred theological stance (intellectually) is one that draws up the whole of humanity into eternal life.
But I must also admit that I find it hard to reconcile that all-embracing salvation with people whom I perceive to be evil-doers, chancers and deceivers in power. Then perhaps I’m “happier” with the concept that they too will be rewarded for their actions (or inactions).
For us?
For us too, this parable stands as a warning. It is not those who just say the right things or who just appear to be upright people who inherit the Kingdom; Jesus warns us that “By their fruits you shall know them”.
How will we be known?
Today?
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Prayer Suggestions
We pray for integrity,
for politicians and other leaders,
and for ourselves.
We pray that our eyes may be opened to the beauty of creation
but also to the nature of our fallen, fragile world.
Aware of the climate emergency,
we give thanks for those who challenge us to think bigger, further than ourselves.
And we pray that we will listen to their warnings.
We pray for those who are sick in body, mind or spirit
and for God’s healing.
And we remember those who have died recently:
may they rest from their labours,
for their deeds follow them.
Pray for us all.
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
Lord God,
with you justice is tempered by compassion;
have mercy on us
and lead us on the narrow path
that leads to salvation.
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
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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