Silence
WELCOME
Presider: Welcome to Mary, Mother of Jesus, an
inclusive Catholic Community where all are welcome to share Eucharist at our
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.
Gathering Song: “I Love You, God” X3
I love you, God, and I lift my voice,
to worship you, O my soul, rejoice!
Take joy, my God, in what you hear:
may it be a sweet, sweet sound in your ear.
Sign
of Peace: Presider: Before we begin our liturgy,
please turn to one another and extend a sign of peace.
“Prayer for Peace”
by David Haas - Instrumental
Opening
Prayer:
(Pause
briefly and reflect on the need to grow more in love with others and with
creation.)
Presider: God of all Goodness, we come to you today in
prayer and thanksgiving, aware of your remarkable and unconditional love for
us. Grant us the desire and wisdom to live each day in reaching out to all whom
we meet, with compassion, love and acceptance. AMEN.
Gloria: Glory to God, Glory, O Praise God
Alleluia. Glory to God, Glory, O praise the name of our God.
LITURGY OF THE WORD
First Reading: Book of Genesis – The
first account of Creation – Ch 1: 26 – 31
This first reading of the first
account of creation is taken from Chapter 1 of the Book of Genesis, verses 26 –
31. God created all the beauty of the universe: light, water, all vegetation,
night and day, all living creatures and saw that God’s beautiful creation was
“good”. Then God created humankind.
Then God said “Let us make humankind
in our own image, in the likeness of ourselves, and let them be stewards of all
the fish of the sea, the birds of heaven, the cattle, all the wild beasts and
all the reptiles that crawl upon the earth.
God created humankind in their image,
in the image of God they created them - male and female, God created them.
God blessed them, saying to them “Be
fertile and multiply and fill the earth. Be stewards of the fish of the sea,
the birds of heaven and all living animals on the earth. God said, “See, we
give you all the seed-bearing plants that are upon the whole earth, and all the
trees with seed-bearing fruit; and this shall be your food. And so it was. God
saw all they created, and indeed it was very good. Evening came and
morning followed: the sixth day. Thus, the heavens and earth were completed
with all their array.
These are the inspired word from the
Book of Genesis, and we affirm them by saying “AMEN”.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm #24 – (As adapted by Nan Merrill)
Refrain: The earth is yours, O Giver
of Life, in all its fulness and glory.
Who shall ascend your hill, O Gracious One? And
who shall stand in your holy place? All
these will be blessed by the Heart of Love, and renewed through forgiveness.
Refrain: The earth is
yours, O Giver of Life, in all its fulness and glory.
Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up,
O ancient doors!
that the Compassionate One may
come in.
Who is the
Compassionate One? The Beloved, Heart of your heart, Life of your life, this is
the Compassionate One!
Refrain: The earth is yours, O Giver
of Life, in all its fulness and glory.
Second Reading: Book
of Malachi 3: 1-4
The Book of Malachi was written in the 5th
century BC. Malachi is not the personal name of the writer, but a name that
means “my messenger”. This book is short
and is the last of the Book of Prophets, Malachi being seen as a Minor Prophet.
Behold, I am sending my messenger
to
prepare the way before me;
and
the Sovereign One you are seeking
will
suddenly enter the Temple –
the
messenger of God’s promises whom you long for
is
surely coming, says Our God of Hosts.
Who will be able to resist the day of your
coming?
Who
will remain standing when you appear?
For you are like the refiner’s fire,
like
the fuller’s lye.
You will sit like a refiner and purifier of
silver,
and
you will purify the children of Levi,
refining
them like gold or silver
to
enable them to make offerings to God in righteousness.
The offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be
pleasing offerings
as
in the days of old, as in years gone by.
These are
the inspired words from the Book of the Prophet Malachi and we affirm them by
saying “Amen”
Gospel
Acclamation: “Alleluia,
Word of God” by Bernadette Farrell
Gospel:
A Reading from the Gospel attributed to Luke 2: 22-40
A reading
from the Holy Gospel according to Luke.
When the day
came for them to be purified, as laid down by the Law of Moses, the couple took
Jesus up to Jerusalem and presented him to God. For it is written in the Law of Our God,
“every firstborn heir is to offer in sacrifice a pair of turtledoves to be
consecrated to God.” They must also
offer in sacrifice two young pigeons, in accord with the dictate of the law of
Our God.
Now there
lived in Jerusalem a man named Simeon.
He was devout and just, anticipating the consolation of Israel, and he
was filled with the Holy Spirit who had revealed to Simeon that he would not
see death until he had seen the Messiah of God. Thus, Simeon came to the temple; and when
the parents brought in the child to perform the customary rituals of the Law,
he took the child in his arms and praised God, saying:
“Now, O God,
you can dismiss your servant in peace, just as you promised; because my eyes
have seen the salvation that you have prepared for all the people to see – a
light of revelation to the Gentiles and the glory of your people Israel.”
As the
child’s mother and father stood there marveling at the things that were being
said, Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, the mother, “This child is destined
to be the downfall and the rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that is
rejected so that the secret thoughts of many may be laid bare. And a
sword will pierce your heart as well.”
A woman
named Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher, was a prophet. She had lived a long life, seven years with
her husband, and then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the Temple, worshiping day
and night, fasting and praying. Coming
up at the moment, she gave thanks to God and talked about the child to all who
anticipated the deliverance of Jerusalem.
When the
couple had fulfilled all the prescriptions of the Law of God, they returned to
Galilee and their own town of Nazareth.
The child grew in size and strength.
He was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was with him.
These are
the inspired words of the Gospel writer, Luke, and we affirm them by saying “Amen”
Gospel
Acclamation:
Instrumental
Homily
and Community Sharing
Statement of Faith:
ALL: We believe in our Creator who nurtures the earth, who resides in our
expanding universe, who is one with us in all things.
We believe in Jesus, the Word Incarnate,
who journeyed on the earth, blessing the sick, making whole the broken, healing
many, instilling faith in his followers so that they may continue the work he
began.
We believe in the Spirit of Life, the
breath of Wisdom Sophia, who fills us
with the breath of Life, who supports us and gives us strength to reach out to
one another and build communities who search for truth on their journey.
We
believe in the communion of saints, our heavenly friends and loved ones who
walk with us in love as we continue our life journey.
We
believe in the partnership and equality of woman and men in our church and our
world. 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, bless all for which we pray”.
Presider:
For what shall we pray?
Presider: We
pray for these and all unspoken concerns that we hold in our hearts. Amen.
Offertory
Song: # 603 – “I Have Loved You” by Michael Joncas
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, a relationship that will affect how we live our
lives and decisions we make. This
transformation frequently 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 song:
All: We are holy, holy, holy (you,
I, we) by Karen Drucker
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, and
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: Jesus
died, Christ rose, 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 all 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 sing the Prayer, as Jesus taught us:
Prayer
of Jesus: “Our Father and Mother…”
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: What
we have heard with our ears, we will live with our lives; as we share
communion, we will become communion. We are both Love’s nourishment and Love’s
challenge. Amen.
Presider:
Let us share the Body of Christ with the Body of Christ. All are welcome at
this table.
Communion
song: #325 – In the Breaking of the Bread – Bob Hurd – all verses
Prayer
after Communion:
Presider: We
rejoice in your amazing love, O Holy One! We rejoice in the life-changing
opportunities You open to us. Out of that joy and goodness, we offer our thanks
and praise as we leave this place. May we be challenged, encouraged and
empowered so that we may continue to live as joyous partners in creating a
world filled with love and ruled by justice. Bless our families everywhere.
ALL: AMEN
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: Go
into this week, held together by the love of God, clothed with the nature of
Jesus our Companion, and reinforced by the strength of the Holy Spirit.
ALL: Amen.
Closing
Song: #646 – “You Have Called Us” – by Bernadette Farrell – verses 1,2,3
