Liturgy to Celebrate New Life as Midwives of Grace by Bridget Mary Meehan ARCWP

Liturgy: Celebrating New Life as Midwives of Grace by Bridget Mary Meehan ARCWP

GATHERING SONG AND GREETING

Presider:  In the name of God, Midwife of Grace, and of Jesus our brother, and of the Holy Spirit, our Liberator.  ALL:  Amen

Presider:  My sisters and brothers, God loves us infinitely and is with us always.  ALL:  and also with you.

PENITENTIAL RITE

Presider:  Let us pause now for reflection.  Place your hand over your heart and breathe in God’s passionate love for you…breathe out God’s, extravagant love for everyone….

Open yourself to Spirit energy empowering you…

Now let us praise God by singing Glory to God…

Song of Praise: Glory to God, glory. O praise Glory alleluia. 
Glory to God, glory. O praise the name of our God. (x2)

OPENING PRAYER

Presider: God of Love, Midwife of grace, we experience your grace drawing us to new life in the depths of our mystical souls and in our prophetic call .We rejoice with  our brother Jesus, through the power of your Spirit.  ALL: Amen. 

LITURGY OF THE WORD

First Reading

Responsorial Psalm

Second Reading

Gospel Acclamation: Alleluia

Gospel:

Reader:  The good news of Jesus, the Christ!

ALL:  Glory and praise to you, Jesus the Christ!

                           HOMILY

Profession of Faith:  ALL:  We believe in God who is compassion in our world. We believe in Jesus, whose death and resurrection reveals God’s infinite love. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the breath of Wisdom Sophia, who energizes and guides us to live Christ’s presence. We believe in the communion of saints, our heavenly friends, who inspire us to live holy lives. We believe in the church as the people of God, living in faith, hope and love.

GENERAL INTERCESSIONS

Presider:  That we may bring new life into our world, we pray

Response: God of all, love through us

Presider:  That we may foster healing of our Earth, we pray.  R.  

Presider:  That the sick may be healed, we pray.  R.   

Presider:  That we may be forever one with our beloved dead in the communion of saints we pray. R.   (Other Intentions)

PREPARATION OF THE GIFTS

Presider:  Blessed are you, God of all life, through your goodness we have bread, wine, all creation, and our own lives to offer.  Through this sacred meal may we become your new creation.  (hold up bread and wine)

ALL:  Blessed be God forever.

(All come around the table to pray the Eucharistic Prayer, background music may be played) 

Presider:  God is with you, abounding in love

ALL:  and also with you. 

Presider:  Lift up your hearts in Christ who lives and loves , heals and empowers through you.

ALL:  We lift them up to God. 

Presider:  Let us give thanks to our God.

ALL:  It is right to give God thanks and praise.

EUCHARISTIC PRAYER

Voice One:  Life-giving Love, You call all persons to be friends of God. United with You, we are one with all beings in the community of creation as we celebrate the new life occurring in our expanding cosmos. We join the angels and saints as we sing:

ALL: Sung “We are holy, holy, holy, you are holy, holy, holy, I am holy, holy, holy” chant by Karen Drucker

Voice Two:  Gracious God, you set the banquet table and invite all to the feast that celebrates your dazzling love in the universe.  As midwives of grace we are Your hands, lifting up those who suffer, the vulnerable and neglected in our world today

Voice Three: We especially thank you, Holy One, for Jesus, the Compassion of God, who came to show us a new vision of community where every person is loved and all relate with mutual respect.

Voice Four:

Jesus threatened the religious and political leaders of his time and so they put him to death.  As God raised Jesus to new life, we trust that your promise of faithful love will be with us in our suffering and raise us up to fullness of life. 

All: (please all extend hands as we recite the consecration together)

Let your Spirit come upon these gifts as we pray:

On the night before he died, Jesus took bread into his hands and said:

This is my body, he said. Take and eat .

 Do this in in memory of me.

Pause

At the end of the meal Jesus took a cup of wine, raised it in thanksgiving to you, and said:

”Take and drink of the covenant made new again through my life in you. Do this in memory of me.

Presider:  Now then, let us proclaim the mystery of the Christ Presence made new again through you:  

ALL:  In every creature that has ever breathed, Christ has lived; in every living being that has passed on before us, Christ has died;  in everything yet to be, Christ will come again! 

Voice Five:  .  We thank you for ordinary people in our lives who show us how to love tenderly and have revealed the heart of our God, especially  (pause to remember and name some of these holy women and men). 

Voice Six: And so, liberating God, Midwife of Grace, we hold our religious ministers and political leaders in the light of Christ Sophia, Holy Wisdom.  We pray for our pope and bishops, the young and the elders, and all God’s holy people.

Voice Seven:  We remember those who are sick and suffering.  May they be healed and comforted.  We remember Mary, mother of Jesus, Mary Magdala, Peter, Paul,  Junia, our patron saints.  We remember our loved ones and all those who have died, that they may experience the fullness of life in the embrace of our gracious God.

ALL:  Through Christ, with Christ, in Christ, all praise and glory are yours, Holy God, through the power of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

THE PRAYER OF JESUS

ALL:  Our Father and Mother . . .

and forever.  Amen.

THE SIGN OF PEACE

Presider:  Let us pray for the peace of Christ in our world as we sing and hold hands in a community prayer for peace (Peace is flowing or other appropriate hymn)

 LITANY FOR THE BREAKING OF BREAD

ALL:  Loving God, You call us to speak truth to power, we will do so. Loving God, You call us to live the Gospel of peace and justice, we will do so. Loving God, You call us to live as Your presence in the world.  We will do so.

Presider:  Behold the Body of Christ.  All are invited to partake of this sacred banquet of love. 

ALL:  Jesus we are worthy to receive you and become you for others.  We are the Body of Christ. 

Presider:  Let us share the Body of Christ with the Body of Christ!  ALL:  Amen.

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION

Presider:  Life-giving God, You come to birth each day in our universe through suffering death and new life. Your Spirit is moving in us as we love passionately, and extravagantly to bring  your shalom to everyone equally especially the marginalized.

ALL:  Amen

CONCLUDING RITE

Presider:  Our God is with you.

ALL:  and also with you. 

BLESSING

(everyone please extend your hands in mutual blessing)

ALL:  Holy One, Midwife of Grace, we bless one another as we serve others with loving kindness .

DISMISSAL

Presider:   Go, bring forth life as midwives of grace in our world.  Let the service begin!  ALL:   Thanks be to God.

CONCLUDING HYMN

God, A Midwife: Psalm 22:9-10 “Yet You drew me out of the womb, you nestled me to my mother’s bosom; you cradled me in your lap from my birth; from my mother’s womb, you have been my God.”

                              Bridget Mary Meehan

Association of Roman Catholic Woman Priests

http://bridgetmarys.blogspot.com/

www.arcwp.org