Praying at Home Today: Monday 14 September 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!
We follow the Track 2 “related” Old Testament reading and psalm (or equivalent response).
On Monday to Wednesday, the readings help us reflect on the readings for the previous Sunday;
on Thursday to Saturday, the readings help us prepare for the readings for the following Sunday.
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
How very good and pleasant it is
when kindred live together in unity!Ecce quam bonum et quam jucundum,
habitare fratres in unum!Oh! Qu’il est agréable, qu’il est doux
pour des frères de demeurer ensemble!
Psalm 132 (133):1
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
Primogeniture overturned (again)
Jacob does an extraordinary thing.
Joseph has brought his sons to his father Jacob for his blessing before he dies.
Joseph had wanted his father to bless the firstborn of his sons, so he presented Manasseh to Jacob’s right hand and Ephraim to his left (the right hand being the hand of blessing).
Now Jacob’s eyes were dim with age and he could not see well.
But Jacob crosses his hands and blesses the younger son, just as he, the younger brother of Esau, had acquired his father’s blessing.
When Joseph protests, he tells him that he knows what he is doing.
God’s choices are not the same as ours
This is of great significance, as we can see from elsewhere in the Bible that God does not conform to human expectations.
As William Neil notes, “Primogeniture, racial lineage or other human yardsticks mean nothing in the sight of God. Those who are chosen for his blessing are those whom he knows to be fittest to receive it.”*
Elsewhere too, we read of God making choices other than those we would expect, including the choice of David.
Magnificat
This is expressed above all in the Magnificat, the Song of Mary, who declares:
My soul doth magnify the Lord,
and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.For he hath regarded the lowliness of his handmaiden.
For behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
And his mercy is on them that fear him throughout all generations.He hath shewed strength with his arm.
He hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He hath put down the mighty from their seat
and hath exalted the humble and meek.He hath filled the hungry with good things.
And the rich he hath sent empty away.
He remembering his mercy hath holpen his servant Israel
as he promised to our forefathers Abraham, and his seed forever.
Amen.
* William Neil’s One Volume Bible Commentary (London, 1962, 1973), p. 66
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Prayer Suggestions
Lord, teach us to pray.
We bring before you all those who have asked for our prayers.
All who are frightened
those who cannot face the future.
For peace in our world,
for greater stewardship of the fragile earth.
For courage in the face of tyranny
and fortitude in the face of apathy.
For our neighbours.
(In Holy Trinity, Stirling, we pray today
for Libby, Liza, Mike & Anne and all who produce the monthly Magazine.)
We pray for all who have asked for our prayers.
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
Holy God,
faithful and unchanging:
enlarge our minds with the knowledge of your truth,
and draw us more deeply into the mystery of your love,
that we may truly worship you,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen.
Common Worship
Returning to the world
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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