Theme: The “Little Way” for “The
“Little Flower”… and us.
Welcome
Presider: Welcome to Mary Mother of Jesus Inclusive
Catholic community where everyone is welcome to share in the Eucharist
celebrations. We use inclusive language
in all our scripture readings and prayers. We also welcome your respectful and
related comments when the community shares the homily. Everyone is invited to gather around the
Table to pray the Eucharistic Prayer itself and the Communion. We warmly welcome our newcomers to our
liturgy and will invite you to introduce yourself, if you wish, at the
announcement time after Communion. Then,
all are invited to join us for supper after the liturgy.
Gathering Hymn: All Are Welcome #304 vs. 2 & 4
Opening Prayer
Presider:
Loving God, may we be consciously mindful of your presence in each one of us as
we gather together once again in this sacred space. We come to celebrate this
oneness with you, following the example of St. Therese whose path to holiness
was simple. It was so simple that it was called the “Little Way”. It was to
perform her everyday actions in the awareness of both your presence and your love
for her - and your care for each of her Carmelite sisters as well. May we follow that love of self and neighbor
as Jesus instructed us to do…without exceptions!
All:
May the sacredness of our time here together so inspire us that we will
faithfully follow the central message of Jesus, to us through his disciples,
that we love one another…love those people in good times and those that are not
so good - and might even be labelled
“enemies.”
May we be nourished by the simple meal
of bread and wine that we will bless as we do what Jesus did with his friends at
his Last Supper -- and what he told us to do in remembrance of him through the
ages. It was in that evening that Jesus
knew he was with friends whom he loved…and the time would be short before he
would be with others, much less friendly, whom he would love as well. This is what he taught his disciples to do.
Spirit of God, bless us with your strength to follow that example.
We ask this of you, Nourishing God, certain
that you always hear our prayers - although we may not always
recognize your response. Amen.
Presider: This
is the day that our gracious God has made...All: let us rejoice and be glad in it!
Penitential Expression
and Community Forgiveness
Presider: Creator God, to you all hearts are open, no desires
are unknown, and no secrets are hidden.
We ask you to send your Spirit to us so that we may live more fully
according to your will. Through your grace, all people, wherever they may be on
this earth, are one family …and you have made them all worthy to be called your
blessed people.
All: Christ Jesus, we ask for the grace to realize
our continual need to grow in understanding, love, compassion and caring for
ourselves, for all others, and for our planet Earth. We also ask that we may be constantly
conscious of your forgiveness for our hurtful actions to people of different beliefs,
nationalities, races, and social settings.
May we gather both the strength of your
Spirit and the grace of your Divine Being within us so that we may extend your
merciful and forgiving presence that is your gift - through us - to everyone we
meet, everywhere. Amen.
Presider: We ask you, Jesus the Christ, for the
insight, direction, and strength of the Spirit that will guide us to deeper
commitments to practice peace, justice, equality and nonviolence everywhere.
Together, as the family of God - as sisters and brothers of one another - we
pray….
All (with an outstretched arm):
God, the Father and Mother of compassion, through Jesus’ life, he revealed that
nothing can separate us from your unconditional love. He sent the Holy Spirit to give us the
understanding, willingness and courage to love one another. We ask you to grant us the grace of pardon
and peace so that we may - in turn - forgive each other our failures to care
for one another and for our Earth. We
ask this in the name of Jesus, our brother, and of the Holy Spirit, our healer
and comforter. Amen.
Glory to God
Presider: Let us give glory to our loving Holy One.
All (Sung): Glory to God, Glory, O
praise God, alleluia. Glory to God,
glory, O praise the name of our God.
(3x)
Liturgy of the Word
First
Reading: Romans 12: 9-21 All: Amen
This first reading is from Paul’s writing
to the church in Rome in the mid-first century.
Paul, a relatively obscure Roman citizen,
crafted an extraordinary letter to a small gathering of people in the busy and
powerful center of an extensive empire.
This letter is considered, by scholars, as a premier document in
Christian theology both for its time and its content. Today’s selection is from chapter 12: 9-21.
Your love must be sincere, from your
heart. Don’t fake it. Dislike what is evil… and cling to what is
good.
Love one another with the affection you
have for your sisters and brothers. Try
to outdo one another in showing mutual respect.
Do not grow slack, but continually grow
evermore fervent in your spirit - the One you serve is Christ!
Rejoice in hope; be patient under your
trials; persevere in prayer; then, when feeling too hurt, pray all the harder.
Look on the needs of God’s holy people as
your own; be generous in offering them your hospitality.
Bless your enemies, those with whom you
disagree; bless them - don’t curse them. Do everything you can so that you may
be at peace with one another. Look for and discover the beauty in everyone.
Rejoice with those who rejoice; share tears
with those who aren’t as well off as you, those not regarded well in personal
or social circles.
Do not repay evil with evil. Do not even try to overcome evil by
doing evil in return to someone, but rather overcome evil by doing your good
works..
If your enemies are hungry, feed them: if
they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing so, your generosity
will surprise them with your goodness.
Do not be overcome by evil; it is not your
job to get even. Overcome evil by doing
good -- and then follow that by being even “more good”.
Again, I say: love one another as you are
brothers and sisters in the one family of God.
This is the Word of God to us in the 21st
century through Paul in the 1st.
It is as good advice to us today as it was to his gathering then.
This
we accept as our own, by saying “Amen.’
Psalm 89 Responsorial: Forever I will sing the goodness of our
God. #782
I will sing the story of Your love, my God;
forever will I do that; I
will proclaim Your faithfulness to all generations.
Your true love is as firm as the mountains
on the ancient earth; Your faithfulness is as
fixed as the heavens. Rx
Happy are
they who acclaim You,
and those
who walk in the light of Your presence!
In Your
Name they will rejoice all day long;
Your
righteousness will lift them up to the sky. Rx
You are the
strength in which they glory, and they will say to you --
You are my
God, my solid rock and my safe refuge.”
I will sing
my love for You forever
and I will
be faithful in my covenant with You.
Rx.
Second
Reading: 1 John 4: 1-16 All: Thanks be to God
My friends, since God has loved us so, we
must have the same love for one another.
If we love one another, God dwells in us,
and God’s love is brought to perfection in us.
The way that we know that we remain in God
and that God is in us is that we have been given the Spirit.
We have seen for ourselves, and can
testify, that God has sent to the Only Begotten One to our world.
When any acknowledge that Jesus is the Only
Begotten One, then they recognize that God dwells in them and they have an
intimate relationship with God.
We have come to know and to believe in the
love that God has for each one of us.
God is love, and those who abide in love,
abide in God, and God in them.
This is the Word of God, again brought to
us by John.
And to that we all say, “thanks be
to God.”
Gospel
Acclamation: Alleluia (Celtic version)
Gospel: John 14: 9-11, 15-22, 26
Today’s reading is a selection from John’s
gospel, chapter 14: 9 -11, 15—22, 26
Whoever has seen me has seen Abba God. Don’t you believe that I am in Abba God and
that Abba God is in me?
The words I speak are not my own; it is
Abba God living in me and accomplishing God’s work through me.
Believe me that I am in God and God is in
me, or else believe that because of the works that I do.
If you love me and obey the commandments
that I give you, I will ask the One who sent me to give you another Paraclete,
another Helper to be with you always – the Spirit Of Truth you can recognize
because she remains with you and will be within you. She will instruct you in
everything and she will remind you of all that I have told you.
A little while now and the world will see
me no more, but you will see me. On that
day you will know that I am in God, and you are in me, and I am in God.
Those who obey the commandments are the
ones who love me, and those who love me will be loved by Abba God. I, too, will love them and reveal myself to them.
Today we have, once again, heard a central
message of John to the first century Christian communities. He has done so in his gospel and three
letters. And we are recipients of those
messages as well.
And to this, we say: “Thanks be to God!”
Shared Homily/Community
Reflection and Response
Profession of Faith
All:
We believe in God, the Creator of the ever-expanding universe,
whose divinity infuses all that exists in the cosmos, making everything in it
sacred. We believe in Jesus, the
Christ, who leads us to the fullness of humanity. Through his incarnation, we are a new people,
called beyond the consequences of our brokenness. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Breath
of God who keeps the Christ-vision present to all of us, especially to those
who are searching for meaning and wholeness in their lives. She is the Sustainer who heals and energizes
us when our strengths grow weary in our journeys. We believe that God’s kindom is here with us
now, and will be forever, for those with eyes to recognize it, hearts to
receive it, minds to understand it and hands to make it known to everyone.
We say “amen” to faith, hope, and
love. We say “amen” to the partnership
and equality of all people, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity and
beliefs. We say “amen” to a world of
peace and justice for everyone, everywhere, with no exceptions. In this, we surely believe.
Prayers of the
Community
Presider: We are a people of faith; we believe in the
power of prayers and the effectiveness of blessings. We are mindful of God’s
unconditional love and care for each one of us.
And so, we bring the needs of sick and suffering people to our merciful
and comforting God. After each intercession, please respond: Compassionate God, bless our petitions.
Presider: We pray for those who
are facing serious challenges of health and home, sickness and storms. Compassionate God….
Presider: And for what else do we pray?
….
Presider: Healing God, we ask you to strengthen us in
our love and concerns for one another, here and throughout the world. We ask
you to bless our efforts for justice and equality so that - with our sisters
and brothers - we may promote cultures of peace and nonviolence in our
world. As we always do, we make these
prayers to you, O Gracious God, in the names of Jesus, our Brother, and the
Spirit, our Wisdom. Amen.
Offertory Procession
and Song: Here I Am God. #379 all verses
Presider: Blessed
are you, God of Creation, through your goodness we have this bread to
offer…this grain of the earth that human hands have prepared for our use. It will become for us the bread of life. All:
Blessed be God forever.
Presider:
Blessed are you, God of Creation, through your goodness we have this wine to
offer…this fruit of the vine that human hands have prepared for our use. It will become for us our spiritual drink. All:
Blessed be God forever.
Gathering of the Gifted
Presider: Jesus,
who has often sat at our tables, now invites all of us to join him at his. Everyone is welcome to share in this meal. (Call
the community to join at the Table.)
Presider: Let us give thanks to the Creator of
all that exists and ever will.
All: With hearts full of love, we give
God thanks and praise.
Presider: Let us show our gratitude to Jesus who
has shared with us his life-vision.
All: Open our hearts to your message, taught
to us through your words and actions while you lived on this earth.
Presider: Let us recognize the presence of the Spirit
among us gathered at this family table.
All: Fill us with reverence for you, for
one another, and for all creation.
Presider: Let us lift up our hearts.
All: We lift them up to the One who
lives in us and loves others through us.
Presider: God
dwells in each one of us.
All: Namaste!
Presider: This indwelling of the Trinity
gives us the blessed happiness that is brought to our community at this time. We
recognize this grace and express it now in a song of praise and gratitude:….
All:
We are holy, holy, holy (3x), we are whole; you are…I am…we are… (Karen
Drucker)
Eucharistic
Prayer
Voice 1:
Ever caring and loving God, we do well always and everywhere to give you
thanks. Through you we live and move and
have our very being. Through Jesus, we
have an example of what it means, and may even cost, to live the commandments
to “love one another” and even to “love our enemies. And we give you thanks for the gift of the
Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead, giving us a foretaste of the paschal
feast of heaven, the home for which you created us to be the end of our time on earth. And for this, we sing with thankful voices….
All:
Holy, Holy, Holy God, God of power, God of light. Heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed are those who come in the name of our
God. Hosanna in the highest.
Voice 2:
We thank you for the gift of Jesus in history - and the gift of Jesus in
faith. On earth, he burned with his vision of his mission. He revealed you to
us through his loving and compassionate life well lived. In it, he showed us, not only how we should
live, but also for what we might even die.
Voice 3: When
his time on earth had come to an end, Jesus - aware of and accepting his
destiny - gave up his life for the values that he deeply believed, lived and
taught…his conviction that love is stronger than death. And then, providing an example of this
insight for the understanding of ages to come, he opened wide his arms and
died. Then the Spirit, who raised Jesus from the dead, showed us that life is
eternal and that love is immortal.
The same Spirit will be resurrected in each one of us. The Jesus of
history and faith is with us today - as he will be through the end of time.
All (With an outstretched arm,
we pray the consecration together.): We remember the gift that
Jesus gave us on the night before he died.
He gathered with his friends to share a final Passover meal. And it was
at that supper that Jesus took bread, said the blessing, broke it and gave it
to them saying: take this, all of you and eat it. This bread is you; this bread is me. We are one body, the presence of God in the
world. When you do this, remember me and
all that I have taught you. This is the
new and everlasting covenant. (Pause)
In the same way, Jesus took a cup of
wine, said the blessing and gave it to his friends saying: take this all of you
and drink it. This wine is you; this
wine is me. We are one blood, the
presence of God in the world. When you
do this, remember me and all that I have taught you. This is the new and
everlasting covenant.
Presider:
Jesus, who was with God “in the beginning of the creation of the heavens and
the earth,” is with us now in this bread.
The Spirit, who the prophets spoke of in history, is with us now in this
cup. Let us proclaim this mystery of
faith.
All: Jesus has died. Christ is risen. The
cosmic Christ lives through us in the world today.
Voice 4:
May all who share this sacred meal be strengthened in their unity by the
Spirit. And may that Spirit, that
Wisdom, that moved in Jesus move as freely in our lives as She did in that of
Jesus.
Voice 5:
God of blessing and peace, help us to continually grow in love of you
and each other. May we always be aware
that we are your Body and Blood on earth, reflecting your care and concern for
everyone everywhere. Remember your church throughout the world, together with
Francis, our Pope, Bridget Mary, our Bishop, and your whole sacred family –
especially those who live on the margins of church and society. We pray for the victims of the many shootings
and the damaging floods, as well as those many people who are driven from their
homelands to live as best they can elsewhere.
We remember – today – St. Therese of Lisieux, the Little Flower of
Carmel, and her “Little Way” to sainthood.
And we remember, as well, the entire communion of saints, both those
living and dead, especially those who touched our lives and left warm footprints
on our hearts. We remember (pause)…..
All: Spirit of God, we know that you
bless each one of us and grace us with more than we could ever ask for or even
imagine. And, in gratitude to you, we hold
hands as we sing the prayer that Jesus gave us: (Note: no “amen” here.)
All (holding hands): Our Father and Mother, who are in heaven,
blessed is your name…..
Presider: God, we have just prayed that “your kindom may
come” among us. We believe that it is with us here and now. We ask
that you strengthen in us your grace and love so that we may, by our actions, make
your kindom more obvious to everyone as we serve one another.
The
Passing of Peace
Presider:
Jesus, you said to your disciples, “My peace I leave you; my peace I give
you.” Look on the faith of those
gathered here today and… All: …. grant
us your peace. O God, following the
example of Jesus and with the strength of the Spirit, help us spread that peace
throughout the world, to everyone, everywhere, with no exceptions. Amen.
Presider: May the peace of God be always with us, and
let us extend that peace to one another as we join hands in a circle of love
and sing…. “Let there be Peace on
Earth.” #526
Litany
for the Breaking of the Bread
Presider: Loving God…. All: you call us to Spirit-filled service and to live the Gospel of nonviolence
with peace and justice, we will live justly.
Presider: Loving God…. All: you call us to be your presence in the world and to be bearers
of understanding and compassion, forgiveness and healing everywhere in your
name. We will love tenderly.
Presider: Loving God… All: you call us to speak truth
to power. We will walk humbly with you.
Presider: This is Jesus, who liberates, heals, and
transforms us and our world. All are
invited to partake of this sacred banquet of love. All: We are the Body of Christ.
Pre-Communion Prayer
Presider:
Gracious God, as we come to share the richness of your table, we cannot forget
the needs, pain and poverty of so many of our brothers and sisters, our
families and neighbors.
Men:
We cannot eat
this bread without thinking of those who are hungry. O God, your world is one world and we are just
stewards of its availability for your people everywhere.
Women: We cannot drink
this wine without thinking those who are thirsty. O God, this very earth and its people cry out
for environmental justice everywhere on the planet.
All: We cannot listen to your words of peace,
Loving God, and not grieve for the world at war’s doors.
Communion
Song: Instrumental
Post-Communion Song: “There Is Only Love” – Karen Drucker
Prayer
of Thanksgiving after Communion
Presider: Loving God, may this Eucharist in which we
share Christ’s healing love deepen our
oneness with
you and with one another. May the wonder and thanksgiving of this blessed meal
fill us with a deeper knowledge, understanding, and experience of your love and
compassion for each one of us. And may
this be reflected in the love we share with all we come in contact.
All:
To this, our prayer, we all say….Amen.
Community
Comments of Introductions, Gratitudes, Announcements
Closing
Community Commissioning
All:
(with arms extended to one another)
May our hearts be glad on
our journey as we dream new dreams, see new visions, and create a new heaven
and earth.
May we live and work for
compassion and peace, justice and non-violence in our hearts and in those of
everyone we meet.
May we learn to bless and
honor and hold in reverence all creation, the earth, and one another.
Presiders:
We are the Face of God in the world; may we reflect God well. So, as we leave here in the peace of Christ,
let us be the people that God created us to be.
Let our service continue.
All: Thanks be to God. Let it be so!
Alleluia!
Closing Community Song: All You Works of
God by Marty Haugen
Refrain:
All you works of God,
Every Mountain, star and tree,
Bless the One who shapes your beauty,
Who has caused you all to be,
One great song of love and grace,
Ever ancient, ever new.
Raise your voices, all you works of God.
Verse: Sun and Moon, bless your maker!
Stars of heaven: Chant your praise!
Showers and dew: Raise up your joyful
song!
Refrain
All the Earth, bless your maker!
Hills and mountains: Chant your praise!
Green things that grow: Raise up your
joyful song! Refrain
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