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| left: Sally Brochu and Janet Blakeley |
Gathering
Chant: “Come Be
Beside Us” by Jan Phillips (X3)
Come be
beside us.
Come be
around us.
Come be
within us.
Come be
among us.
WELCOME
Presider: Welcome to Mary, Mother of Jesus, an
inclusive Catholic Community where all are welcome to share Eucharist at the
Banquet Table. We use inclusive
language in our Scripture readings and prayers. We invite respectful sharing at the homily
that is related to our readings. We welcome all of you to share your intentions
at the Prayers of the Faithful. In the Eucharistic Prayer we invite anyone to
‘voice’ one of the prayers if you are comfortable doing so and all pray the
words of Consecration. We welcome all
newcomers and we are so pleased that you joined us today. All are invited to join us for supper at a
local restaurant after the liturgy.
Opening
Song: #414 – “Sing a New Church” – verses 1 and 3
Opening
Prayer:
Presider: Holy One, you created us holy and whole, yet
life took us to places where we sometimes lost sight of you and your love for
us. Still we are trying to expand our awareness of your unconditional love for
us. Help us to keep your love at the center of our being as we struggle with
life. For even when we fail, your love is unfailing. Creator God, see into and
touch our hearts and souls to heighten our awareness of you, so that we can
listen to your call and invitation to draw closer to you from where we once
were and to where we will return. Amen.
Communal
Reconciliation Rite
Presider: We
pause now to remember the times we have not asked for forgiveness.
(Pause
briefly. Please extend your hand in
blessing and say the Ho’oponopono Prayer)
I am sorry. Please forgive me. I thank you.
I love you.
LITURGY OF THE WORD
First
Reading: Deuteronomy
30:11-14
The
following words are attributed to Moses as he gave the Law to God’s people.
For this command which I enjoin on you
today is not too mysterious and remote for you. It is not up in the sky, that
you should say “Who will go up in the sky to get it for us and tell of it, that
we may carry it out?” Nor is it across the sea that you should say, “Who will
cross the sea, to get it for us and tell us of it, that we may carry it out?”
No, it is something very near to you, already in your mouths and in your
hearts; you have only to carry it out.
These are the inspired words from the
Book of Deuteronomy and we affirm them by saying “Amen”
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm #144 – (As adapted by Nan Merrill)
Refrain: Let us
recognize the Truth, that clear vision might unfold.
Blessed are
you, O Radiant One, You, who are hidden within our hearts, even as we are
hidden within your Heart. You invite us to participate in the Divine
Unfoldment, as we Awaken from our long sleep and give birth to creativity.
Refrain: Let us
recognize the Truth, that clear vision might unfold.
Open us
that we might recognize the divine in every person, and become sensitive to all
we meet along the path. For You are the Breathing of Life of all, the infinite
and eternal within our hearts.
Refrain: Let us
recognize the Truth, that clear vision might unfold.
Evoke the
Child in our souls, that purity and grace might flourish! Inflame us with the compassion
so we nurture ourselves and others with healing and forgiveness! Empower us
with wisdom and knowledge that we might bring forth the Divine Plan! And let us
recognize the Truth that clear vision might unfold.
Refrain: Let us
recognize the Truth, that clear vision might unfold.
Second Reading: A
Reading from the Second Letter of Peter Chapter 1: 3-4
Everything
that goes into a life of pleasing the Holy One has been miraculously given to
us by getting to know, personally and intimately, the One who invited us to
God. This way, God has bestowed on us the precious and very great promises, so
that through them you may come to share in the divine nature, after escaping
from the corruption that is in the world because of evil desire.
These are
the inspired words from the Second Letter of Peter and we affirm them by saying
“Amen”.
Gospel
Acclamation:
All sing: “Spirit of the Living God”
All sing: “Spirit of the Living God”
Spirit
of the Living God, fall afresh on me.
(us, all)
Spirit
of the Living God, fall afresh on me.
Melt
me, mold me, fill me, use me.
Spirit
of the Living God, fall afresh on me.
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| Sally Brochu with Gospel Book |
Gospel:
A Reading from the Gospel of John, Chapter 4: 17-24 – the Story of Jesus’
Meeting the Samaritan Woman at the Town Well
“Oh, so you
are a prophet! Well, tell me this: Our ancestors worship the Holy One at this
mountain, but you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place for worship,
right?” “Believe me, woman, the time is coming when the Samaritans will worship
the Father neither here on this mountain nor there in Jerusalem. You worship in
the dark; we Jews worship in the clear light of day. But the time is coming –
it has, in fact, come – when what you’re called will not matter and where you
go to worship will not matter”.
“It’s who
you are and the way you live that count before the Holy One. Your worship must
engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That’s the kind of people the Holy
One is out looking for; those who are simply and honestly themselves before
God in their worship. God is sheer being itself – Spirit. Those who worship God
must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in
adoration”.
These are
the inspired words from the Gospel of John, as translated in The Message, and
we affirm them by saying “Amen”.
Homily
by Janet Blakeley and Community Sharing
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| Janet Blakely ARCWP preaching |
Last week it was great to hear your recognition of God in nature, events,
and people. What you were recognizing
was the presence of God in everything in the universe.
It was disappointing that none of you shared awareness of God within
yourselves, or told of experiencing that you and God are one. You are the goodness of God and God is the
goodness of you.
If that sounds preposterous, that something as sinful as a human being
can in essence be divine, listen again to what the second letter of Peter
says: “Everything that goes into a
life of pleasing the Holy One has been miraculously given to us by getting to
know, personally and intimately, the One who invited us to God. [That would be Jesus.] This way God has bestowed on us the precious
and very great promises, so that through them you may come to share in the
divine nature, after escaping from the corruption that is in the world because
of evil desire.”
Peter is saying that sharing in the divine nature is ours – after we have
escaped many of the traps that capture our desire. Escaping those is not easy, as Peter goes on
to say, but it is well worth the effort, because divinity awaits within us.
We have not been encouraged to consider this idea. Rather, we have been told to keep our eyes
down, to be humble and contrite and remember that we are sinners.
It is for this theology that our ship is sinking today. The true message of Jesus has been covered
up with this misguided theology that is now dragging the church to
self-destruction. It is called
“atonement” or “salvation” theology.
Interpreting the creation story found in Genesis, it teaches that the
first humans sinned, that we all carry their sin, and that the role of Jesus
was to save us from damnation because of our sins. This salvation theology was not the message
of Jesus, nor did our spiritual ancestors even hint at it. It was written about a thousand five hundred
years ago and for whatever reason was promoted by the church and believed by
trusting Christians. Today the simple
ugliness of that theology is killing the church.
For the past two generations, our children and grandchildren have been
looking at a different creation
story. It is neither metaphorical myth
nor poetic literature. They can grasp
it because they see it before their very eyes.
It is as real as the dirt under their feet. It is the evolving universe.
With this as their understanding of creation, they see their lives as
part of that whole. It has no
disturbing moral imperatives attached to it – it just is. Their purpose in life is to come to
understand where they and humanity fit into this picture - what their role is.
Brian Swimme - geologist, philosopher, theologian - says we must measure
our religion against the universe and ask ourselves, “Does it stand up?” If not, it needs to be abandoned. What does stand up to the reality of
the universe? Something authentic –
including ourselves.
Humanity may be in the midst of a paradigm shift when most of what we
have carried forward, including big parts of our religion, will necessarily be
sifted out and replaced with what we identify as more real, more lasting.
In this community we do that in a small way by the liturgies we compose,
trying hard to say what we mean and mean what we say.
But this is a long way from what the next generation is seeking. Their religion will have to be universal,
recognizing the wholeness and the interdependence of creation.
The celebrating of their beliefs will not be limited to the arts but will
find expression in ways we have not imagined. Their places of worship will not be
limited to liturgies taking place in churches.
Their concern may not be a life after death but the establishing of
heaven in their everyday living. They
may recognize many fingers pointing to God – not just that of Jesus.
Of one thing I am sure: there
will be religion as people are made increasingly aware of the wonder of the
universe -
that universe which God said was
“good.” The theology coming from this
notion is known as the theology of blessing which has been with us just as long
as atonement theology. I am counting on
the theology of blessing to be the one we keep - true, good, authentic and
lasting.
God invites us to make this happen.
First we must allow ourselves to seek and find the essential goodness or
godness within individual selves. When
it is found, we will not be able to contain it because it is LOVE! With love flowing freely like a river, the
earth will become the realization of God’s kin-dom.
It is well worth it to take a bit of time each day to ask for help in
finding the nucleus of God’s kindom within you. Not only will that effort bring you great
joy, it will be the answer to what plagues us today. A world bent on self-destruction cannot be
the outcome of God’s love made visible in you.
Statement of Faith (Taken from “The Friends in Faith” and shared by Joan Meehan)
Gathered together as people of faith,
we profess our belief in God who is larger than we can name, unable to be
contained, yet present in each one of us. We have come to know this God in the
living of our lives, and in the holiness of the earth we share.
We believe in a God revealed in all
peoples – all genders, religions, and orientations. We embrace a compassionate
God, who champions justice and mercy, and is always faithful when we call. Our
God gives and forgives, patiently loving without conditions.
We gratefully believe in a God who
feels our deepest struggles and celebrates our deepest joys. A God who both
dances with us in celebration and holds us when we cry. This God is not the
“other” to us but shares our breath in every moment and promises we are never
alone.
We believe in a God who believes in
us – believes that we are precious and incredible gifts, worthy to claim image
and likeness to the divine. We hold fast to our God who journeys with us, who
continually calls us to choose the shape of our days through the choices we
make. This God accepts us as we are and shares each hope we have for becoming.
This is the God in whom we believe, our Creator, our Mother and Father, who
became human in Jesus, our brother. Our God is the Spirit of Life, the voice
that continues to speak love, and asks us to answer. In this God we choose to
believe. AMEN.
Prayers
of the Community
Presider: As we prepare for the sacred meal, we bring to this
table our blessings, cares and concerns.
All please feel free to voice your concerns beginning with the words “I bring to the table….”
Our response is “Holy One, may we love and serve all.”
Presider:
For what shall we pray?
Presider: We
pray for these and all unspoken concerns that we hold in our hearts. Amen.
Offertory
Song: #310 “Table of Plenty” – verses 1 and 4
Presentation
of Gifts:
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| Sally Brochu ARCWP and Janet Blakeley ARCWP co-preside at Eucharist |
Preparation
of Gifts (presiders
lift up bread and wine and book of intentions)
Presider:
Blessed are you, O Holy One, and blessed are we as we gather around this table. We bring this bread, this wine and our lives
to share at this banquet of love. Through this sacred meal may we become your
new creation as we respond to your call to use our gifts in loving service to
our sisters and brothers.
All: Blessed
are You forever.
Presider:
All are welcome to join us around the table.
LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST
Presider: God is with us, blessing the world through
you.
All: And with all of creation.
Presider:
Lift up your hearts.
All: We lift them up in the Holy One.
Presider: O
Holy One, we lift up our hearts to You, You who gently invite us to enter into
a deeper relationship with you that will affect how we live our lives and
decisions we make. This transformation
usually comes through difficulties and pain, yet you are there with us through
all our days. Come Holy Spirit, be with us and with all who have gone before
us, as we lift up our hearts in praise and sing:
All: We are holy, holy, holy (you,
I, we) by Karen Drucker
Refrain: (Sung after each verse)
Spirit Divine, Come to me
Feeling love, Healing me.
Open my heart, Allow me to see,
Beauty and love, Lives in me.
All: We trust you to continue to
share with us your own Spirit, the Spirit that filled Jesus, for it is through
his life and teaching, his loving and healing that all honor and glory is
yours, O Holy One, forever and ever.
Voice: Holy
One, You transform these gifts of bread, wine, and our lives, with boundless
grace that nourishes and sustains us on our journey.
Voice: On
the night Jesus sat at the Seder supper with his companions, he reminded them
of what he taught them and bent down and washed their feet. Jesus returned to
his place at the table, lifted the Passover bread and spoke the blessing, snd
then broke the bread with these words:
ALL: Take
and eat, this is my very self.
Voice: Jesus
then raised high the cup of blessing, spoke the grace, and offered them the
wine with these words:
ALL: Take
and drink of the covenant made new again through my life for you and for
everyone. Whenever you do this, you remember me.
Presider:
Let us proclaim the mystery of wonder in our midst.
ALL:
Christ dies, Christ rises, Christ comes again and again and again.
Voice: Jesus
who walks with us on the path to holiness, you are the spark of love in whom we
believe; the Wisdom of Sophia in whom we trust; and the desire for justice that
consumes us.
Voice: As we
celebrate the memory of Jesus, we remember our prophetic leaders. We remember
the communion of saints who have inspired and loved us and all who have gone
before us. ( Names………)
(Presiders
hold up bread and wine.)
ALL: For
it is through living as Jesus lived that we awaken to your Spirit loving
through us to promote justice and equality in our service to our sisters and
brothers.
Presider:
Let us pray as Jesus taught us:
Prayer
of Jesus: “Our Father and Mother…”
Sign
of Peace: Presider: While remaining in your
place, please turn to the person on either side of you and extend them a sign
of peace and say: “May God’s peace be with you”
Prayer
for the Breaking of the Bread
Presider:
Please join in the prayer for the breaking of the bread. (Presiders break the
bread.)
All: O God of Courage, You call us to
live the Gospel of peace and justice. We will live justly. O God of Compassion, You call us to be your
presence in the world. We will love
tenderly. O God of Truth, You call us
to speak truth to power. We will walk
with integrity in your presence.
(Presiders
hold up the bread and wine.)
Presider:
This is the bread of life and the cup of blessing. Through it we are nourished and we nourish
each other. All are welcome to join in the
Feast.
All: Through him, we have learned how
to live.
Though him, we have learned how to
love.
Through him, we have learned how to
serve. AMEN.
Communion
song: Instrumental
Presider: Prayers
of Gratitude and Announcements
Blessing
Presider:
Let us raise our hands and bless each other.
All: May you be blessed with a
restless discomfort about easy answers, half-truths, and superficial
relationships.
May you seek truth boldly and love
deeply within your heart.
May you continue to be the face of
the Holy One to all you meet.
May your name be a blessing in our
time.
Presider: As
we close our liturgy, we call upon our God of Healing to heal our world and especially
our nation. All are in dire need of healing and in need of peace. As we raise
our voices in prayerful song, let us be committed to live our lives with love
for others and all whom we meet each day. Amen.
Closing
Song: #384 – “The Summons” – verses 1 and 5
