Holy Family Parish
Holy Family Home Prayer Service for the Sick Introductory Rite Opening song: You can play a spiritually uplifting CD or a song may be sung. Call to Prayer: Leader: We begin as always in the name of the Father and the Son and the holy Spirit. Leader: Our help is in the name of the Lord. All: Who made heaven and earth. Opening Prayer: Leader: Let us pray. Lord, look with compassion on those who have lost their health and freedom. Restore to them the assurance of your unfailing mercy, and strengthen them in the work of recovery. To those who care for them, grant patient understanding and a love that perseveres. We ask this through Christ our Lord. All: Amen.
Reading of the Word: (There are other choices in the back of this service packet) First Reading: James 5: 13-20 Is anyone among you suffering? He should pray. Is anyone in good spirits? He should sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? He should summon the presbyters of the church, and they should pray over him and anoint (him) with oil in the name of the Lord, and the prayer of faith will save the sick person, and the Lord will raise him up. If he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The fervent prayer of a righteous person is very powerful. Elijah was a human being like us; yet he prayed earnestly that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain upon the land. Then he prayed again, and the sky gave rain and the earth produced its fruit. My brothers, if anyone among you should stray from the truth and someone bring him back, he should know that whoever brings back a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins. The word of the Lord. All: Thanks be to God. Response: Psalm 103 (See the back of this packet for other choices) Bless the Lord, my soul; all my being, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, my soul; do not forget all the gifts of God, who pardons all your sins, heals all your ills, delivers your life from the pit, surrounds you with love and compassion, fills your days with good things; your youth is renewed like the eagle's. The Lord does righteous deeds, brings justice to all the oppressed. His ways were revealed to Moses, mighty deeds to the people of Israel. Merciful and gracious is the Lord, slow to anger, abounding in kindness. God does not always rebuke, nurses no lasting anger, has not dealt with us as our sins merit, nor requited us as our deeds deserve. As the heavens tower over the earth, so God's love towers over the faithful. As far as the east is from the west, so far have our sins been removed from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on the faithful.
Second reading: Gospel: Matthew 11: 2-11 (See the back of this packet for other choices) When John heard in prison of the works of the Messiah, he sent his disciples to him with this question, "Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?" Jesus said to them in reply, "Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them. And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me."as they were going off, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John, "What did you go out to the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind? Then what did you go out to see? Someone dressed in fine clothing? Those who wear fine clothing are in royal palaces. Then why did you go out? To see a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written: 'Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way before you.' Amen, I say to you, among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. All: thanks be to God. Brief remarks, comments, or insights can be shared about the readings by any or all present. Intercessions: Blessed be God, who hears the prayers of the needy, and fills the hungry with good things. Let us pray to Him in confidence: Our response is: Lord show us your mercy.. Merciful Father, upon the cross Jesus offered you the perfect sacrifice, We pray now for all those who are suffering any pain or injury.
Lord you felt compassion for the crowd and went about doing good and healing the sick. Lord, you came as healer of body and of spirit, in order to cure our ills. Lord you are a man of suffering, but it was our infirmities that you bore, our sufferings that you endured. Lord you chose to be like us in all things, in order to assure us of your compassion. Lord hold (name) in your trusted care and mercy. Lord be with (name) family and friends and support (him/her) in their illness. Lord lead the departed into the light of your dwelling place, that they may gaze upon you for all eternity. We ask this through Christ our Lord. All: Amen Leader: The Lord heals our wounds and strengthens us in our weaknesses; let us pray now as Christ has taught us: All: Our father Leader: May he who alone is Lord bless us. May he give us health to body and holiness to our soul. Father, watch over your family and keep us safe in your care, for all our hope is in you. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
All: Amen Alternate selections for Readings: First Reading: A reading from Acts 5:12-16 Many signs and wonders were done among the people at the hands of the apostles. They were all together in Solomon's portico. None of the others dared to join them, but the people esteemed them. Yet more than ever, believers in the Lord, great numbers of men and women, were added to them. Thus they even carried the sick out into the streets and laid them on cots and mats so that when Peter came by, at least his shadow might fall on one or another of them. A large number of people from the towns in the vicinity of Jerusalem also gathered, bringing the sick and those disturbed by unclean spirits, and they were all cured. A reading from Acts 3: 1-12 Now Peter and John were going up to the temple area for the three o'clock hour of prayer. And a man crippled from birth was carried and placed at the gate of the temple called "the Beautiful Gate" every day to beg for alms from the people who entered the temple. When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked for alms. But Peter looked intently at him, as did John, and said, "Look at us."he paid attention to them, expecting to receive something from them. Peter said, "I have neither silver nor gold, but what I do have I give you: in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean, (rise and) walk."then Peter took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles grew strong.he leaped up, stood, and walked around, and went into the temple with them, walking and jumping and praising God.When all the people saw him walking and praising God,they recognized him as the one who used to sit begging at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, and they were filled with amazement and astonishment at what had happened to him.as he clung to Peter and John, all the people hurried in amazement toward them in the portico called "Solomon's Portico."When Peter saw this, he addressed the people, "You Israelites, why
are you amazed at this, and why do you look so intently at us as if we had made him walk by our own power or piety? Psalm Response: Psalm 107:19-21 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress; he sent out his word and healed them, and delivered them from destruction. Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind. Psalm Response: Psalm 30:2 O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me. Psalm Response: Psalm 63: 1-4 O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. Second Reading: A reading from the holy gospel according to Matthew: Matthew 11: 25-30 At that time Jesus said in reply, "I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him."come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and
humble of heart; and you will find rest for your selves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light." A reading from Mark 5: 25-34 There was a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years. She had suffered greatly at the hands of many doctors and had spent all that she had. Yet she was not helped but only grew worse. She had heard about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak. She said, "If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured." Immediately her flow of blood dried up. She felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction. Jesus, aware at once that power had gone out from him, turned around in the crowd and asked, "Who has touched my clothes?"but his disciples said to him, "You see how the crowd is pressing upon you, and yet you ask, 'Who touched me?'" And he looked around to see who had done it. The woman, realizing what had happened to her, approached in fear and trembling. She fell down before Jesus and told him the whole truth. He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be cured of your affliction." A reading from 1 John 3: 1-2 See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. Yet so we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.beloved, we are God's children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.everyone who has this hope based on him makes himself pure, as he is pure.