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https://us02web.zoom.us/j/
Meeting ID: 815 3407 5389
Passcode: 803326
Theme: Go in Haste! Sharing with all, the Joy of Christ’s Presence within!
Welcome
(Janet) We warmly welcome you to our inclusive Catholic community, Mary Mother of Jesus in Sarasota, Florida. All are welcome here. We invite you to pray the liturgy where it says: All. And please, sing your heart out while muted! Everyone will be muted during the service. We ask all our readers to “unmute” for their reading and then “re-mute” again. All are welcome to share as inspired after the homily starter and during the prayers of the community- unmute yourself and remember to re-mute yourself after your sharing. Please have bread and wine or juice with you as we pray our Eucharistic Prayer.
Lighting of the Advent Wreath: (Elena) Called to live God’s abundant generosity, we dedicate ourselves on this
Fourth Sunday in Advent to imaging Christ together. As we near the
celebration of God’s living presence to our world in the birth of Jesus
Christ, may we experience a rebirth in ourselves bringing Christ’s
renewed presence to a broken world so in need of hope and compassion.
~May our dedication and service in Christ’s name begin to change the world as we light this candle today, proclaiming the message through us that God’s compassion and justice are for all.
~As we image Christ together, may we be faithful to our call of being God’s presence, active and living in each of us and in community. We ask for courage to see Jesus in all who cry out for compassion in their weakness and need. Help us to find you and respond with loving care.
All: We give you thanks, Loving God, for this time of waiting, preparing us to
receive you with love and hope. May we respond with courage to all that
this gift asks of us as we joyfully celebrate your continuing presence in
our lives.
Opening Song I am Confident and Unafraid
https://youtu.be/C93_o26Mv1I
(Elena) Opening Prayer:
O God of the Universe, your vastness is beyond our power to imagine, but you have come among us and revealed yourself in Christ. As we celebrate this liturgy today may we, like Mary and Elizabeth, recognize our dignity and serve one another with respect for the diversity of your gifts to us. May we come to realize with Mary that we are your highly favored ones and that you desire to be with us. Increase our faith and fill our hearts with a new spirit so that we may bear your word to the world. We ask this for all creation in union with Christ who radiates In all and through all to your honor and glory forever. Amen
(Janet) Transformation Rite
The one we await is already among us. Do we have the courage to see?
Most gentle and loving God, may we begin to see all that prevents us
from finding Jesus in our midst. (pause)
Help us to clear away the clutter in our hearts and minds, distracting us from recognizing his gentle presence. (pause)
All: Transform us, O God!
Liturgy of the Word
(Pat M) The First Reading is recorded in the Book of the Prophet Micah 5:1-4a
But you, Bethlehem, David’s country, the runt of the litter-------from you will come the leader who will shepherd-rule Israel. He’ll be no upstart, no pretender. His family tree is ancient and distinguished. Meanwhile, Israel will be in foster homes until the birth pangs are over and the child is born, and the scattered brothers come back home to the family of Israel. He will stand tall in his shepherd-rule by God’s strength, centered in the majesty of God-Revealed. And the people will have a good and safe home, for the whole world will hold him in respect-
Peacemaker of the world!
These are the inspired words of the Prophet Micah and we as a community affirm them by saying: Thanks be to God
PAUSE for a moment
(Maryal) Psalm 81--82 Response: Sing in unison to the Most High
~ Sing a Song, sound the great bells, the flute and the harp.
Blow the trumpet at the new moon, at the full moon, and on all the feast days.
Sing in unison to the Most High
~ I say, “Within you dwells the Beloved, the Breath of your breath;
Open your heart in the silence and know the One in the many.”
Sing in unison to the Most High
Arise! Join in the new creation! Let harmony reign among all the nations!
We recognize the Holy One within and go in haste to share the Good News!
Sing in unison to the Most High
(Maryal G) The Second reading is found in “Christmas Reverie” by Teresa Boersig OCD
“Make your home in me as I make mine in you”(Jn15:40) Our first home was in the womb of our earthly mother, but the womb of God is our “forever” home. Living in God’s womb is living in the heart of the Trinity. Nicodemus asked Jesus if a grown person could enter again the mother’s womb. In the womb of God, our Eternal Mother, we can indeed enter and find again the source of our being, the font of life giving waters, the life of our life. God is pregnant with us—holding us, nourishing us, delighting in us, bringing us into birth at each new moment--
Yet enveloping and embracing us forever in the fold of this Holy Womb. It is our refuge, our place of repose, our home.
These are the inspired words of Teresa M. Boersig and as a community we affirm them by saying, Amen
Pause
Celtic Alleluia
tps://youtu.be/o1rc7ojQtJU
(Elena) Gospel: A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke1: 31-45
Mary didn’t waste a minute. She got up and travelled to a town in Judah in the hill country, straight to Zachariah’s house, and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby in her womb leaped. She was filled with the Holy Spirit, and sang out exuberantly,
You’re so blessed among women, and the babe in your womb also blessed!
And why am I so blessed that the mother of my Lord visits me?
The moment the sound of your greeting entered my ears,
The babe in my womb skipped like a lamb for sheer joy.
Blessed woman who believed what God said, believed every word would come true!
And Mary said, “I’m bursting with God-news; I’m dancing the song of my Savior God!
These are the inspired words of the Evangelist Luke and we respond: All: Thanks be to God
Celtic Alleluia
(Janet) Shared Homily
Profession of Faith: (Pat & All):
~We believe in the all-embracing Source of Life, birthing and healing, making all things possible.
~We believe that the transformative Divine sparks relationship across Earth and Eternity, with love beyond our wildest dreams.
~We believe that The Beloved waits patiently for us to erase the boundaries we place around human consciousness, and to realize heaven in the here and now.
~We believe that in the twists and turns of difficult times, The Holy One invites us into relationship with a love that can soothe and unify a hurting world.
~We believe in Jesus whose radical blend of divinity and humanity reveals the promise and the challenge of being crafted in the image and likeness of Our Creator.
~We believe that like Jesus, we are called to bring generous presence to the lonely and despairing, the hurting and broken, the yearning and
disenfranchised.
~We believe in the Spirit of Sophia Wisdom, nudging the universe to unfold as it would making each new day one filled with promise and possibility.
~We believe that the Spirit inspires within and among us the gentleness to comfort, the daring to challenge and the strength to lift up.
~We believe in the wildfire of the Spirit, sweeping through this amazing journey of life, urging us toward wholeness, forever and ever.
(December, 2016 A Creed for all times By Lynn Kinlan)
(Maryal) Prayers of the Community
We bring to the table prayers for our community and the world.
Our response is: Christ of the Universe graciously hear us!
~ You come to bring us hope and courage. May we support people who feel rejected and hopeless in their present struggles.
Christ of the Universe graciously hear us!
~You come as a radiant reflection of God’s love. Assist us to be reflective women and men as we take steps of action for the sake of Justice.
Christ of the Universe graciously hear us!
~We bring to the table all who have lost loved ones and are bearing the enormous burden of grieving during this season of hope. May they experience consolation and compassion from the heart of the Holy One dwelling within.
All Christ of the universe graciously hear us!
~We bring to the table all our sisters and brothers who continue to suffer from natural disasters, man’s inhumanity to man, and unbearable suffering of mind and body. Teach us how to stand by them and serve them as you would.
R. Christ of the universe graciously hear us!
~We bring to the table the intercessions in our Community Prayer Book……
R. Christ of the universe graciously hear us!
**Please unmute to share your prayerful concern and then remember to remute
After each prayer we all respond: Christ of the Universe graciously hear us!
~What other concerns shall we bring to the table? …………….
(Maryal) Christ, we will be your presence in the world today and every day of our lives.
All: Amen
Offertory
We offer our gifts. 🎶 “Here is My Life” by Joe Wise
https://youtu.be/Ao5VnopCP-Y
**(Let us pause for a moment of silence before we begin the Eucharistic Prayer.)
Preparation of our Communion Gifts
(Janet and All): Blessed are you, God of all creation. Through your goodness, each one of us has bread and fruit of the vine to offer at this sacred meal, that which the earth has given and human hands have made. They will become for us our Bread of Life and Spiritual Drink. Blessed be God for all the love that has been given to each one of us.
Eucharistic Prayer
(Janet and All): Loving God, you embrace us with your extravagant affection in our times of both blessedness and weakness. You are always with us…you live in us and we live in you. May we reflect your compassionate care in everything we do and say with everyone we meet today. And moved by the Spirit, each one of us will sing our shared blessing:
Song: Holy, Holy, Holy (Karen Drucker)
https://youtu.be/orKBBIj5LZA
(Elena and All): Creator God, we thank you for the gift of Jesus of Nazareth in history – and the gift of Jesus the Christ in faith. You brought him from among all your people to baptize us in your Spirit. His life was moved by his consuming vision of your presence both in himself and in his earthly mission. He revealed you to us through his compassionate life well lived. And he showed us, through his teaching and example, not only how we should live, but also for what we may suffer and even die…as he did. Through him and your Spirit, you breathe life into us so that we may be witnesses to his gospel messages.
(Janet ) Epiclesis **Please extend your hands over the bread and wine as we pray together:
(Janet and All) We invoke your Spirit upon the gifts at this Eucharistic table, bread of the grain and wine of the grape, that they may become gifts of wisdom light and truth and remind us of our call to be the body of Christ to the world.
(Elena) 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, in providing an example of his wisdom for all people in every age to come, he opened wide his arms and died on a cross. The Spirit that lived in Jesus resurrected him to a new life, a promise that he made to all of us, too. Jesus is with us today as he will be through the end of time.
(Elena)
** Please stretch out your arm over the bread and cup
(Elena) We remember the gift that Jesus gave us 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 and shared it with 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.
(short pause)
(Janet) 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.
(Janet): 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, of whom the prophets spoke in history, is with us now in this cup.
Let us proclaim this mystery of faith…All: Christ dies, Christ rises, Christ comes again and again and again.
(Pat) 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.
(Maryal)
As we celebrate the memory of Jesus, we remember our prophetic leader. We remember the communion of saints who have inspired and loved us and all who have gone before us leaving their foot prints on our hearts.(Names………..)
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. AMEN
Prayer of Jesus
(Janet) & All: Eternal Spirit, Earth maker, Pain bearer, Life giver,
Source of all that is and that shall be. Father and Mother of us all,
Loving God, in whom is heaven –The hallowing of your name echos through the universe.
The way of your justice be followed by the peoples of the world,
Your heavenly will be done by all created beings.
Your commonwealth of peace and freedom sustain our hope and come to earth.
With the bread we need for today, feed us.
In the hurts we absorb from one another, forgive us.
In the times of temptation and test, strengthen us.
From trial too great to endure, spare us.
From the grip of all that is evil, free us.
For you reign in the glory of the power that is love, now and forever. Amen
(A contemplative prayer in the style of Taize from St. Andrews Episcopal Church in Seattle.)
(Pat and All) PRAYER FOR THE BREAKING OF THE BREAD
~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.
(Elena and All): What we have heard with our ears, we will live with our lives. As we share communion, we will become communion, both Love’s nourishment and Love’s challenge.
(Elena) **Please share Eucharist with the words “You are the Body of Christ”, “You are the Face of God”.
COMMUNION: “Mary Did You Know?”
https://youtu.be/ifCWN5pJGIE
Pause
Final Prayer. (Janet) :
Spirit of the Holy One, we gratefully acknowledge your presence among us and within us. We thank you for the grace you have bestowed on us during this Eucharistic celebration. Your gift of life is a source of joy for us, O Holy One, but the challenge to grow often weighs us down. Grant us the courage to live responsibly in all of the areas of our lives. Inspire us with new ways to serve you and one another as we realize your constant presence. Let all that we do radiate our faith and hope in your love for us. Bless all who encourage us on the way, as together we strive for the unity that is yours, Creator, Word, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
PRAYERS OF GRATITUDE, INTRODUCTIONS, ANNOUNCEMENTS
(Elena and All) COMMUNAL BLESSING
~May you be blessed with a restless discomfort about easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships.
~May you seek truth boldly and love within your heart.
~May you continue to be the face of the Holy One to all you meet.
~May you hold steadfastly to your faith and belief that when the Beloved speaks, it comes to pass.
(Elena) Full of Christ’s peace, may we go out in haste to share the Good news of the Divine Presence dwelling within. Remember, that as the face of Christ to the world we are absolute existence and a field of infinite possibilities. All: Amen
Closing Song : The Brotherhood of Hope
Revelation Canticle
https://youtu.be/hviSWWe-C5Q
**The following is for your meditation pleasure during the week.
Holy Is His Name
https://youtu.be/QAy08-WkeqU
Holy Is His Name
https://youtu.be/QAy08-WkeqU
______________________________________________________________________________
If you want to add a prayer intention to our MMOJ Community Prayer book, please send an email to Joan Meehan. jmeehan515@aol.com
If you want to invite someone to attend our liturgy, please refer them to our website at MaryMotherofJesus.org
To support our community, please send your check to:
Mary Mother of Jesus Inclusive Catholic Community
St Andrew UCC, 6908 Beneva Rd, Sarasota, Florida 34238
Liturgy prepared by Elena Garcia, and Janet Blakeley
Association of Roman Catholic Woman Priests
egchofgod@gmail.com
