Praying at home today:
The call to be gracious, merciful and just

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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’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.

Short reading

They rise in the darkness as a light for the upright;
they are gracious, merciful, and righteous.
It is well with those who deal generously and lend,
who conduct their affairs with justice.

Exortum est in tenebris lumen rectis:
misericors, et miserator, et justus.
Jucundus homo qui miseretur et commodat;
disponet sermones suos in judicio.

La lumière se lève dans les ténèbres pour les hommes droits,
pour celui qui fait preuve de grâce, de compassion et de justice.
Il est bon que l’homme fasse grâce et qu’il prête,
qu’il règle ses affaires conformément au droit.

Psalm 112:4-5

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

• Deuteronomy 22:13-30; Psalm 111(112); 1 Corinthians 7:1-9

Separate links to each reading

• Deuteronomy 22:13-30
• Psalm 111(112)
• 1 Corinthians 7:1-9

Short Reflection

Following the Season of Creation that we’ve been observing for the last four weeks, we’re back in Ordinary Time proper.

And what a choice of readings we’ve been granted by the Daily Lectionary to resume our journey: laws concerning sexual relations. *shakes head*

Both Old and New Testament readings are from another era in the life of our faith, from two cultures each thousands of years apart and further still from us.

Of course, there is a valuable truth to be found in these readings even if we wouldn’t, hopefully, go so far as to apply the prescribed penalties, which seem somewhat drastic to us in these times.

One of the dangers of religion is that it can become an attempt to separate ourselves from everybody else. (This certainly was the case for the Israelites as they lived in a new land, surrounded by “others” with their different practices.)

There is a lesson that we can learn, however. As our Short Reading says, we are called to be gracious, merciful and just. If we live our lives according to this calling, then we won’t use, abuse or misuse other people for our own selfish gains.

No, our vocation is in imago Dei, we are called to live up to the sublime fact that we are all made in God’s image and likeness.

Thus an understanding of our relationship to a sister or brother will greatly affect the way we behave towards them, respecting them as a co-heir in the life of the Reign of God.

Everything, and everyone, is connected.

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Music for reflection

Prayer Suggestions

As the Church celebrates the life and witness of Francis of Assissi (1226),
we continue our journey in faith today:

• for Pope Francis
  in his role as a servant of communion
  and for all Church leaders
• for a fairer distribution of the world’s resources
• for the preparations for COP-26
• for all who inspire us.

(In Holy Trinity, Stirling, we invite you to pray today
that we try to follow Francis’ example in life,
and for Judith and John.)

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.

The Lord’s Prayer

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

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.

La Prière du Seigneur (2017)

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.

L’Église Catholique de Paris

Concluding prayer

O Lord, we beseech you:
give your people grace to turn away from evil;
and to follow you, the only God,
in pureness of heart and mind;
through Jesus Christ, our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, world without end. Amen

Pentecost 19

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

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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