Praying at Home Today: Wednesday 26 August 2020
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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!
From 29 June to 22 August 2020, we used the Track 1 “semi-continuous” Old Testament readings; from Monday 23 August 2020 we are using the Track 2 “related” 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
I will make justice the line,
and righteousness the plummet;
hail will sweep away the refuge of lies,
and waters will overwhelm the shelter.Ponam in pondere judicium,
et justitiam in mensura;
et subvertet grando spem mendacii,
et protectionem aquae inundabunt.J’ai établi la droiture comme une règle,
et la justice comme un fil à plomb.
La grêle balaiera le refuge de la fausseté
et l’eau inondera l’abri du mensonge.
Isaiah 28:17
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
An oracle delivered by Isaiah
See, I am laying in Zion a foundation stone,
a tested stone,
a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation:
‘One who trusts will not panic.’
And I will make justice the line,
and righteousness the plummet.
This oracle interrupts a diatribe against the ungodly, condemning them for their falsehood, their injustices and their lies.
Presenting the image of a plumb-line, used to verify a straight line, the prophet declares that truth and justice are to be straight-forward, with no deviousness, and no twisting of facts to suit the speaker (or the listener, for that matter).
Failure to live in truth and justice
For the bed is too short to stretch oneself on it,
and the covering too narrow to wrap oneself in it.
This proverbial description of a difficult portrays the result of dishonesty: eventually, one will be found out.
As Abraham Lincoln famously didn’t say:
You can fool all the people some of the time
and some of the people all the time,
but you cannot fool all the people all the time.¹
Isaiah continues,
Now therefore do not scoff,
or your bonds will be made stronger.
God’s preferential option
Our Gospel reading tells the story of an unnamed woman who anoints Jesus’ head with ointment as he sits with his disciples.
They were indignant, complaining that the money could have been given to the poor.
But Jesus declares that she has given him service and that for this she will be remembered.
What is this telling us today?
¹ What Lincoln actually said, during an 1858 debate in Clinton with Stephen A Douglas, was this:
Judge Douglas cannot fool the people:
you may fool people for a time;
you can fool a part of the people all the time;
but you can’t fool all the people all the time.
The Abraham Lincoln Association
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Prayer Suggestions
We pray for the strength
to act justly
to love mercy
and to walk humbly with our God.
We pray for politicians
and for those entrusted with finding judgement between people.
We pray for those who seek to pervert the truth
and for those who challenge them.
a moment of silence
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
God our rock,
clothe us with strength
and make our way safe
as we journey through life.
Be with those whom we love,
and with those who hate us
that your Kingdom may grow closer,
day by 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.
In these strange times, we are called to trust
* 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.
You can buy ‘The Complete Chronicles of Narnia’ at Amazon
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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