Praying at Home Today: Wednesday 19 August 2020
A warm welcome to PrayingAtHome.com, where you can find 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.
Everything is optional!
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
The brothers told Jacob,
‘Joseph is still alive!
He is even ruler over all the land of Egypt.’Et fratres nuntiaverunt Jacob, dicentes:
Joseph filius tuus vivit:
et ipse dominatur in omni terra Ægypti.Les frères Jacob annoncèrent:
«Joseph vit encore,
et c’est même lui qui gouverne toute l’Egypte.»
Genesis 45:26a
The Liturgy of the Word *
Here are today’s Bible readings.
You can read just one, or all three if you have time.
One link to all three readings
Separate links to each reading
Short Reflection
Jacob’s shock at hearing about Joseph
He was stunned; he could not believe them.
The French text (in the Nouvelle Edition de Genève) reads
Mais le cœur de Jacob resta froid, parce qu’il ne les croyait pas.
But Jacob’s heart remained cold
because he did not believe them.
It was only after the brothers told him what Joseph had said to them and showed him Joseph’s gifts that he dared to believe what they’d told him.
And at once he set out to go to Joseph in Egypt.
Healing of an outcast
In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus is seen yet again to be mixing with outcasts and foreigners.
A leper, cast out from the community because of his sickness, kneels before him,
Lord, if you choose, you can make me clean.
To which Jesus replies,
I do choose. Be made clean!
The legacy of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob
In response to the great faith shown by the Roman centurion, whose servant was in great distress, Jesus declares that his faith has saved the servant and that many will come from all over the world to share in the inheritance of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
In Matthew’s Gospel, miracles aren’t elaborate and are mostly about declaring the messianic age; they are a response to faith and indeed Jesus needs to see faith before he does these signs.
The Evangelist is writing among Jews for a Jewish audience, both making the point that the scriptures are fulfilled in Jesus and effectively warning them that their lack of faith is perilous for them: they are at risk of losing their place in the Kingdom, not because God has withdrawn his promise but because they do not believe.
Trusting in God
What Jesus is asking of his hearers is that they place their trust in him, abandoning any attempt to do it by themselves.
And this is difficult; we all like a safety net. Yet, to paraphrase Richard Holloway, Jesus is calling us to dance on the edge.
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Prayer Suggestions
For those who despair in their heart
afraid of ever feeling joy again.
For those who console others by word and action.
We pray for those who live on the edge of society
and those who seem to be secure in the centre but actually are struggling to survive.
We pray for those preparing to leave home and start a new chapter in their lives;
may they have the courage to take the first step on their journey.
And we pray for those they will leave behind.
a moment of silence
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
Living God,
you call us to journey with you;
help us, we pray, to put aside all else
and to place our trust in you.
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.
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
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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