Judy Lee, Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests, Holy Week Liturgies/ Ministry to Poor and Marginalized People in Ft. Myers, Florida

Easter Sunday Liturgy at Good Shepherd Community, Ft. Myers, Fl.
with Co-Pastors Judy Lee, ARCWP and Judy Beaumont, ARCWP

 Highlights of Easter Liturgy at Good Shepherd Community in Ft. Myers, Fl. 
Our Easter celebration today was joyful and spirited. It was the culmination of a week long experience that over forty people, including many young people, participated in with love and devotion.
Pastor Judy Lee's Homily was entitled:  "Christ Lives-Love Lives-Take Off Your Burial Clothes and Keep on Keepin On"
Mindful of the pain and struggle in the lives of her people, she named some of our hardest Good Friday experiences as people nodded and spoke aloud in agreement then she challenged us to rise, take off our burial clothes and become Easter people. This is an excerpt from her homily:

"Only love will get you up at dawn and bring you to a tomb like Mary of Magdala. And only through the eyes of love will you be one of those who can see and hear and believe in the human impossibility of the resurrection. Only some of the folks saw Jesus after he rose-those who see with the eyes of love. Only love will let you see that YOU did not have to move the stone away, but God did it. R. Only love will let you see that Jesus did not come forth as Lazarus did wrapped in the clothes of the dead-he came forth as a new and transformed being-fresh and new. Jesus folded that burial cloth and left it there. He rose from the dead and was not going to bring death with him. Only love will let you see the empty cross and let you realize that the cross is empty now and Christ Jesus is let loose in our midst. Look around: here is Christ.  AMEN,AMEN the people said. Look now at your lives. Are you still carrying the crucifix of a dead Jesus in your hearts and wearing the burial clothes of your life’s hurts and losses and disappointments? Or are you fresh and new and pointing to the empty cross with your lives?  Yes, life is full of Good Fridays, of suffering and dying. We spoke of a particular sudden loss of a close friend. Yes, life is full of huge stones. But we must keep on, and move on and become an EASTER People. NOT death but resurrection is God’s final word-life now and forever…. LIVE!

The people responded with loud affirmation and a few of their own comments. Then Pastor Judy read some short stanzas of an Easter poem and the response was "I arise, I arise and I arise today." The vigor of this communal response almost shook the rafters.

Then we blessed the water. We renewed the vows of our Baptism.
Pastor Judy Beaumont sprinkled all with the blessed water as we sang "Take me to the water to be Baptized."
The Eucharist was especially meaningful today as we welcomed the risen Christ back from the dead and purposed to buy into full life with the help of our loving God.

Afterward we celebrated the Birthday of one of our members, Donnie whose infectious joy was more intense than ever. We ate a wonderful lunch prepared by the Helfs from Lamb of God, our sister Church. Then our children and youth met for Sunday School and made a beautiful Easter card for the church and also received tokens of Jesus'love and resurrection.
One of our ten year olds copied from an Easter card and wrote and illustrated this message:

"Easter is what perfect love looks like!" And another wrote: Easter is not just one day, but it is every day!". AMEN !!
 

Pastor Judy Lee, ARCWP Prays Stations of the Cross  with Good Shepherd Community.

This afternoon, the people of the Good Shepherd Inclusive Catholic Community quietly gathered to prepare for the Stations that would take place in the neighborhood surrounding the church. Each one prayerfully wrote petitions or sorrows to hang on the cross for Jesus to carry. Eddie Flowers, a homeless man from Mississippi who has lived in our Joshua House for fifteen months quietly volunteered to be Jesus in the Procession. The eighteen people gathered affirmed his choice. Grandma Jolinda Harmon who has trouble walking willed herself to do the whole walk. She, her daughter Linda and five of her grandchildren could not let Jesus make this walk alone. Dr. Teresa Sievers and her family, Josie, 7 and Sara,5 and their Dad, Mark were visibly moved as Jesus stumbled and fell. Teresa, Judy Alves and Hank Tessandori as well as teenagers Natasha Terrell and Keeron Jones read the Stations with me and Pastor Judy Beaumont. The day was hot and the roadside dusty. Our voices wavered as we said "Jesus we love you" and sang "Jesus remember me when you come into your kin-dom" at each station.Neighbors and store keepers came out to look. When we stood in front of the Bail Bondsman's storefront we prayed for justice for all who were wrongly accused and brutalized in the Justice system. We also prayed for Trayvon Martin and all young black men and poor folks who were violently killed based on assumptions that had no truth. In front of a Group Home for mentally ill and dually diagnosed men, we prayed for healing and medical systems that truly helped people rather than harmed them, and health care for all. As Jesus was taken off the cross and laid in the grave our children were shaken and moved closer to their families. As instructed, they went to another spot and waited and Jesus came to them,calling them by name. There was palpable relief at his rising again and being alive.
As we entered the cool house we drank some cool water and sat in prayer. Two people left us and three ,Dr Joe and Pearl Cudjoe, and Elder Gary joined us for the Good Friday Liturgy. We continued in the most devout reverence I have witnessed on such a day. We were there as we read the Passion narrative and sang "were you there when they crucified my Lord?".After the last blessing,one woman , a cradle Catholic who returned to the church with us,hugged me and shed tears saying "thank you for bringing me back to Jesus". I thanked her for her great faithfulness. After the liturgy Grandma Harmon,Elder Gary and the Harmon family sat around the bare altar with me,still not willing to let Jesus stay alone. I talked about our anticipation of Easter and slowly everyone left

Pastor Judy Lee, ARCWP, washes feet of community members on  Holy Thursday

Tonight sixteen of our faithful gathered to share Jesus' last supper and participate in Jesus' example of foot washing and serving one another. We experienced the last supper through the liturgy and in our own community meal afterward. The community meal was after a quiet time when people sang "Oh, how I love Jesus" softly, and individually and in small groups "waited with Jesus" at our altar of repose in another room. When one of our women went in later to pray she discovered Joelle,who is five,sitting quietly and praying "Thank you Jesus for all you do to help us and to help everybody. I love you Jesus". The picture of this child in her prayer of thanksgiving is particularly moving to me. Another moving moment was when one of our women said how good the warm water felt on her tired feet. What is symbolic is also real.

Our community meal began with a Passover blessing in Hebrew and English and in sharing the traditional Passover foods. One of our children ,Josie,7 asked the four questions and read phoenetically in Hebrew as she also celebrates Passover at home as her Dad, who was also present with us, is Jewish. Her sister Sarah, 5, wanted to say her own prayer and she said "This is Jesus' supper, thank you Jesus for inviting us"! What a joy it was to celebrate with our children and our people.        
In the homily we meditated on serving the least of these, our brothers and sisters and Blessed Mother Teresa's statement: "Into each of our lives Jesus comes as the bread of life-to be eaten,to be consumed by us. Then he comes as the hungry one,the other,hoping to be fed with the bread of our life, our hearts loving, and our hands serving." The community members expressed their intention to be bread for one another and for the world. Tonight was a feast of love and thanksgiving,and waiting with Jesus.

On Tuesday we had a lively worship and prayer service with ten of our people. Four others came later for our meal and social services.
In our prayer service, we discuss each reading and chant and sing between readings. We chose the reading from John 12:1-11 about Mary anointing Jesus feet with oil and lavishing a most costly gift on him and one that is also used for burial preparation. We discussed what our most lavish gift could be. Our elder Mr. Gary focussed on giving his best love in service that he could never envision doing if not for Jesus raising him from the dead. He said that he was dead for 26 years and it took the death of the one he loved most to open his heart to the healing and forgiving love of Jesus. He then asked for the Bible and read us Psalm 139 in a way that held everyone spellbound as God's love was so real in his reading.  Lauretta talked about being raised from the dead of living with cancer and also of the mental illness that caused her to be so angry that she was thrown out of the park where dinner is served, and is still not able to return. She said the State, the police, do not forgive you or recognize new life in you, but Jesus does, and this church does. Others shared their own rising from the dead and wanting to give Jesus their best love. It was truly a beautiful holy week meditation.
Afterward we shared a delicious meal that two Catholic couples visiting from Connecticut, the Farleys and the Burns, prepared for us. Then we gave out clothing and personal items to all who wanted them and counseled individuals.