Praying at Home Today: Wednesday 21 October 2020
Praying at home today: jealousy, entrapment, vanity, folly and fortitude
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).
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
O sing to the Lord a new song,
for God has done marvellous things.Cantate Domino canticum novum,
quia mirabilia fecit.Chantez en l’honneur de l’Eternel un cantique nouveau,
car il a fait des merveilles!
Psalm 97 (98):1a
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
More extraordinary stories from Daniel:
jealousy, entrapment, vanity, folly and fortitude
Other leaders – 120 satraps and 2 presidents – jealous of Daniel, connive to bring him down by encouraging Darius, the king, to make a law that cannot be repealed, one that will entrap Daniel.
It doesn’t say much for the king’s common sense that he can’t see the dangers of such a law but ’twas ever thus. His vanity clouded his intelligence and he signs into law an interdict requiring everyone to worship him for the next 30 days, or else be thrown into a den of lions.
Naturally, Daniel, a devout Jew, continues his practice of praying three times a day to his God, facing Jerusalem, whereupon he is found by the conspirators, who report him to the king.
Darius is distressed that Daniel has been caught and tries to figure out a way out of the trap he has been set but to no avail. (As the king, one might have thought that he could simply repeal the interdict.)
So Daniel is thrown to the lions and a stone placed at the mouth of the den, sealed by the signets of the king and the lords.
Darius’s distress continues and sleep evades him that night. At dawn, he hurries to the den, calling out to Daniel if he has been saved by his God, whereupon Daniel replies, safe and sound.
The wicked accusers are thrown into the den, where they meet their fate.
You will by now have spotted parallels with the Death and Resurrection of Jesus: betrayal, a weak leader, the stone, returning to life.
The Play of Daniel: Ludus Danielis
This Christological aspect appears in medieval dramas like The Play of Daniel,* from Beauvais Cathedral in France.
Here is an extract from the Play, reflecting a scene later in the book of Daniel.
* The Plainsong and Medieval Music Society has published an edition for modern use (typeset by The Art of Music)
advertisement
Prayer Suggestions
We pray at home today, bringing before God the needs of the world:
- for wisdom
- for fortitude
- for justice
- for the poor.
(In Holy Trinity, Stirling, we invite you to pray today
for Robert Nellist, our Treasurer & Diocesan PVG Officer.)
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
Almighty and merciful God:
in your goodness keep from us all that is harmful;
that, being ready both in body and soul,
we may freely accomplish your will;
through Jesus Christ, our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, world without end.
Amen.
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 related readings (Track 2).
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 usually 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.
advertisement
Affiliate disclosure
This website is free to use but it is not cheap to run.
If you make a purchases by clicking links on this website, these will cost you no more than buying directly from the supplier; we may receive a small commission, which helps with the costs of maintaining and running this website.
Praying at Home (part of The Art of Music) is a participant in the Amazon EU Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.
Liturgy | Lectionary | Amazon Music Unlimited (30 days free)
