Praying at Home Today: Thursday 25 March 2021
Praying at home today:
Let it be done to me according to your word
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’s optional!
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
Then I said, “Here I am;
in the scroll of the book it is written of me.
I delight to do your will, O my God;
your law is within my heart.”
Tunc dixi: Ecce venio.
In capite libri scriptum est de me,
ut facerem voluntatem tuam. Deus meus, volui,
et legem tuam in medio cordis mei.
Alors j’ai dit: «Me voici, je viens
– dans le rouleau du livre il est écrit à mon sujet –
pour faire ta volonté, mon Dieu. C’est ce que je désire,
et ta loi est gravée au fond de mon cœur.»
Psalm 39(40):7f
The Liturgy of the Word
Here are today’s Bible readings.
You can read just one, or all four if you have time.
One link to all three readings
Separate links to each reading
Short Reflection
For many years, it seemed strange to me that we usually celebrate the Annunciation to Mary in Lent.
Not having any children myself, it came as something of a pleasant surprise to discover that the Church had correctly got the timeline of nine months before a birth. Perhaps that’s saying something about my sheltered upbringing!
So we have the Annunciation nine months before Christmas and, in turn, the Conception of Mary nine months before her birth celebrated on 8 September.
Of course, these dates are probably incorrect; we don’t know the exact date when Jesus was born (we haven’t even got the year right!); some scholars suggest that he was born in September – so probably no “In the bleak midwinter”.
Nevertheless, and regardless of the exact date when Jesus was born, and therefore when he was conceived, there is a major truth on which we can reflect and rely on.
Mary said “Yes”.
Her “fiat”, her “let it be done to me according to your word”, opened the door to our God living among us, showing to fallen humanity the way to the Father.
Like Mary, we can co-operate with God’s plan. And, with her, we can say,
Fiat voluntas tua,
sicut in cælo, et in terra.Your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
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Music for reflection
Prayer Suggestions
On this day when the Church celebrates the Annunciation to Mary,
we pray at home today, bringing before God the needs of our world:
- that we may work with God to bring about God’s kingdom
- that we may tirelessly work for justice
- that the hungry will be fed
- that the “upside-down” Reign of God will be established in our lives and throughout the world.
(In Holy Trinity, Stirling, we invite you to pray today
for The Mothers Union.)
For all who have asked for our prayers.
a moment of silence
Pray for us all
Amen.
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;
sanctificetur 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 offenses,
comme nous pardonnons aussi à ceux qui nous ont offensés.
Et ne nous laisse pas entrer en 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
Pour your grace into our hearts, O Lord,
that we who have known the incarnation of your Son Jesus Christ,
announced by an angel to the Virgin Mary,
may by his cross and passion
be brought to the glory of his resurrection;
who lives and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God,
now and for ever.
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 Bookshop.org
Other worship resources
Praying at Home Today: Acknowledgements
The lectionary for weekdays is taken from the Vanderbilt Divinity Library.
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 usually 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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