Welcome and Gathering
Presider 1:
A warm welcome to everyone!
We gather as a community of equals, to honor Mary—
woman of courage, prophet of justice, bearer of Divine Love. We are here to say “yes” with Mary.
Opening Song: Hail Mary: Gentle Woman – Carey Landry
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUey6ytEXqY
Greeting:
Presider 2:
In the name of the Holy One—Source of Life, Love Incarnate,
and Spirit Wisdom—Amen.
All: Amen.
Rite of Transformation: Healing Prayer
Presider 1:
Mary sang of a world turned upside down—where the lowly are lifted, and the hungry are filled with good things.
Let us pause and reflect: Where have we resisted this vision? Where are we called to say “yes” again?
(Silent reflection)
All: Loving God, you call us, like Mary, to bear Christ into the world.
Heal our fears, transform our hearts, and renew our courage to live the Gospel boldly. Amen.
Gloria: Presider 2 and All:
Glory to God in the highest, and peace to all on earth!
We praise you, we bless you, we honor you—
Holy One, alive in Mary and in us.
You lift up the lowly, you fill the hungry with hope, you call us to justice and joy.
Glory to you, Source of Life, through Jesus, born of Mary, in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Amen!
Presider 1: Opening Prayer:
Holy One, Source of Life and Love, you choose what is small and hidden
to reveal your presence in the world.
In Mary of Nazareth, you found a courageous heart—a woman who said “yes”
to your dream of justice and compassion.
Open our hearts today, that we, too, may say “yes” to your call—to lift up the lowly,t o feed the hungry, to welcome all as equals at your table of love.
Make us, like Mary, bearers of Christ in our world—
prophets of hope, builders of peace, and companions on the journey
toward a more just and loving Church.
We ask this through Jesus, born of Mary, and alive within us now, in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever.
All: Amen.
Liturgy of the Word
Reader 1: First Reading: Micah 5:2–5
Thus says the Holy One:
You, Bethlehem of Ephrathah,
though you are small among the clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
one who is to shepherd my people Israel—
whose origin is from of old,
from ancient days.
Therefore God will give them up
until the time when she who is in labor has brought forth;
then the rest of the kindred shall return
to the people of Israel.
And this one shall stand and shepherd the people
in the strength of the Holy One,
in the majesty of the Name of God.
They shall live secure,
for now this one shall be great
to the ends of the earth—
and this one shall be our peace. These are the sacred words in the Book of the Prophet Micah and we respond: So be it.
Responsorial Song:
Holy Is Your Name (Magnificat) by John Michael Talbot
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TEL_7TS5FE
Reader 2: Contemporary Reading on Mary, Woman of the Promise
(Feminist Theology Adaptation)
Reader:
Mary of Nazareth is not a passive figure in salvation history.
She is a woman of courage, agency, and prophetic voice.
In her Magnificat,
Mary proclaims a God who overturns injustice—
a God who casts down the mighty
and lifts up the lowly.
As feminist theologians remind us,
Mary’s song is not a gentle lullaby—
it is a revolutionary vision of God’s dream for the world.
Her voice rises from the margins,
declaring that the poor will be filled
and systems of oppression will not endure.
Mary is a woman who chooses.
She consents freely to God’s call—
not in submission to power,
but in partnership with the Holy One.
Her “yes” is an act of courage,
an act of resistance,
an act of co-creation with God.
As Elizabeth A. Johnson teaches,
we remember Mary as our sister—
a woman among women,
walking in faith within the Communion of Saints,
close to us in struggle and hope.
Mary is not distant or unreachable—
she is one of us.
A woman who trusted her voice.
A woman who spoke truth to power.
A woman who believed that God’s justice
could be born through her life.
Today, her promise lives on.
Whenever the lowly are lifted,
whenever women claim their voices,
whenever communities gather as equals—
Mary’s song is still being sung.
These are the sacred thoughts of feminist theologians and we respond by saying; So be it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APtNt5iG1oY&t=2s
Presider 2: Gospel: Luke 1:39–56 (The Magnificat- Adaptation by Bridget Mary)
My soul sings of a God
who dwells within and among us,
a God who births new life
in the hearts of those who dare to say “yes.”
For the Holy One raises up
those pushed to the margins,
and calls them into leadership,
into prophecy, into sacred service.
The Divine overturns systems of injustice,
breaks open structures of exclusion,
and creates a world
where all are equal in dignity and love.
In every generation,
the Spirit rises—
in women and men,
in all genders and identities—
calling us to live the Gospel boldly.
These are the sacred words in the Gospel of Luke and we respond by saying: So be it.
Homily: “From Bethlehem to Mary—God Chooses the Small and the Courageous” by Bridget Mary
Today, we are invited into two sacred songs of hope—
one from the prophet Micah, and one from Mary.
Micah speaks of Bethlehem—
a small, overlooked village—
and dares to proclaim that from this place
will come a leader, a shepherd, a bringer of peace.
Not from the centers of power.
Not from the halls of empire.
But from the margins.
And then, centuries later,
we meet a young woman from another small place—Nazareth.
Mary—poor, female, without status in her society—
and yet, she becomes the place where God is born.
Do you see the pattern?
God chooses the small.
God chooses the overlooked.
God chooses those the world often dismisses.
And Mary knows this.
That is why she sings the Magnificat—
not as a quiet lullaby,
but as a bold, revolutionary proclamation:
“The powerful are cast down…
the lowly are lifted up…
the hungry are filled with good things.”
Mary is not passive.
Mary is not silent.
Mary is a prophet.
She proclaims a God who overturns systems of domination
and calls forth a community rooted in justice and love.
And here is the heart of the Gospel for us today:
Mary’s “yes” is not just about giving birth to Jesus—
it is about saying yes to God’s dream for the world.
A dream where:
-no one is excluded
-no one is silenced
-no one is treated as less than equal
This is the same dream we live in our inclusive communities.
When we gather around the table as equals—
when all voices are honored—
when women answer the call to priestly ministry—
when LGBTQ+ persons are fully welcomed—
we are living the Magnificat.
We are becoming Bethlehem.
We are becoming Mary.
And Micah’s promise echoes again:
“From you… shall come forth…”
From YOU.
From this community.
From your courage.
From your willingness to say “yes.”
God is still being born in the world—
through us.
And perhaps the question today is not simply,
“What did Mary do?”
But:
Will we say yes as she did?
Will we trust that even in our smallness,
our voices, our communities, our ministries—
we are enough for God to work through?
Will we trust that even through the excommunicated ones- women priests- and all who have been rejected by the institutional Church.
Because the truth is:
The Church is not renewed by power—
it is renewed by people -in inclusive communities of love and justice like us- who dare to say yes.
And so today, with Mary, we proclaim:
Yes—to justice.
Yes—to equality.
Yes—to love without limits.
And together we become what Micah promised—
a people through whom Christ comes again
as peace for the world.
May we, like Mary,
become bearers of Divine Love—
and may our lives sing the Magnificat
in our time.
Amen.
For Community Reflection/Sharing:
Where do you see Mary’s “yes” alive today?
How are we being called to embody Christ in our world?
What does Mary’s prophetic voice say to our faith community, Church and world now?
Communal Statement of Faith
Reader 1 and All:
We believe in God,
the Holy Mystery beyond all names,
who is Mother and Father of us all.
We believe in Jesus,
born of Mary,
who revealed God’s inclusive love
and called us to justice and compassion.
We believe in the Holy Spirit,
present in every person,
moving through communities of equals.
We believe that we, like Mary,
are called to bear Christ into the world—
through love, justice, and courageous hope.
Amen.
Prayers of the Community
Reader 2:
Response: Mary, our sister, pray with us.
For a Church renewed in equality and justice…
For women called to priestly ministry…
For those who are marginalized and silenced…
For all mothers and caregivers…
For peace in our world…
Eucharistic Prayer:
THE LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST
Preface:
Reader 1:
Holy One, Source of Life and Love,
it is right and just,
always and everywhere,
to give you thanks.
For you are a God
who chooses what is small and overlooked
to reveal your greatness.
From Bethlehem’s hidden streets
to Nazareth’s quiet home,
you bring forth new life
through the courage of those who say “yes.”
In Mary, woman of faith and fire,
you found a willing heart—
a prophet who sang of justice,
a mother who bore Divine Love into the world.
Through her song,
the proud are scattered,
the lowly are lifted,
the hungry are filled with good things.
Her Magnificat echoes through the ages,
calling us to become a people of compassion,
a community of equals,
a Church alive in your Spirit.
And so, with Mary and all the saints—
with prophets and visionaries,
with all who dare to dream your dream—
we join our voices in praise:
All: Holy, Holy, Holy by Karen Drucker
Presider 2:
Holy One,
You dwell within us and among us.
Through Mary’s courageous “yes,”
your Word became flesh
and lives among us still.
We remember Jesus,
born of Mary,
who lived love without limits…
(All extend hands in blessing for Epiclesis- Calling on the Spirit)
Presider 1 and All:
Send your Spirit upon us
and upon these gifts of bread and wine,
that they may become for us
the presence of Christ
in this sacred meal.
Prayer of Consecration
All:
On the night before he died,
Jesus took bread, blessed it, broke it, and shared it, saying:
“Take and eat—this is my body.”
Presider 2:
He took the cup…
“Take and drink—this is my life poured out for you.”
Memorial Acclamation:
Presider and All: We remember. We celebrate. We are the Body of Christ.
Presider 2:
In this sacred moment, we remember Jesus—born of Mary,
who lived among us as compassion,who broke bread with outcasts,
and revealed your boundless love. As we share this holy meal,
we remember that we are not alone.
We are one with Mary, whose courageous “yes” brought Christ into the world.
We are one with Mary Magdalene, apostle to the apostles,
first witness of the Resurrection. We are one with all the holy women and men
who have gone before us—prophets and mystics, saints and seekers,
named and unnamed.
Prayer of Remembrance of Communion of Saints
Presider 2: We remember especially those we love who have died,
who now live forever in your embrace and remain present to us in love.
(Pause for silent remembrance or spoken names)
Together with them, we form one body—the Communion of Saints,
a great cloud of witnesses surrounding and supporting us.
In this bread and cup, we are united across time and space—
with those who came before us, with those beside us,
and with those yet to come.
May this remembrance strengthen us
to live as Mary did—bearing Christ into the world
through acts of justice, compassion, and love.
Doxology and Great Amen:
Reader 1 and All: Through Christ, with Christ, and in Christ,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
all glory is yours, Holy One,
now and forever.
We are the Body of Christ.
We are the presence of Love.
We are the ones who say “Yes” with Mary.
Amen! Amen! Amen!
Communion Rite
Prayer of Jesus
Reader 2: All:
O Holy One, Father-Mother of all,
may your light be revealed in us.
May your kindom of unity come,
your desire be lived on earth as in heaven.
Give us each day the bread we need,
and free us from our failings
as we release others from theirs.
Guide us beyond illusion
and free us from all that binds us.
For yours is the power, the life, and the glory,
now and forever. Amen.
(Adaptation of Jesus Prayer in Aramaic translated by Neil Douglas Klotz)
Sign of Peace
Reader 1:
Micah promises us a shepherd who will be our peace.
Mary sings of a world made whole in justice and love.
Let us share a sign of that peace with one another.
All:
Peace be with you.
Breaking of the Bread
Reader 2 and All:
Loving God, you call us to be bread for one another.
In this breaking, we become the Body of Christ.
Loving God, you call us to be cup for one another.
In this sharing, we become the Blood of Christ.
Loving God, you call us to live as one.
In this meal, we become Christ for the world.
Invitation to Communion
Presider:
This is the table of a God who turns the world upside down—
where the lowly are lifted,
and all are welcomed without exception.
This is Jesus, born of Mary,
who calls us to be bearers of Divine Love.
All are invited to this sacred feast—
for all are the Body of Christ.
Communion Song Litany of Mary by David and Laura Ash
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0dRoBgpcW4
Prayer After Communion
Presider 1
Holy One,
we have received you
in bread, in wine, in one another.
Like Mary,
may we carry Christ within us—
into places of longing,
into moments of injustice,
into a world waiting to be made new.
May our lives become a Magnificat—
lifting up the lowly,
feeding the hungry,
and proclaiming your love without limits.
We ask this in the name of Jesus,
born of Mary,
and alive within us now. Amen.
Gratitude, Introduction and Announcements
Blessing:
Presider 2:
May the Holy One
who chose what is small and hidden
bless you with courage.
May the Christ
whom Mary bore into the world
be born anew in you.
May the Spirit
who overshadowed Mary
empower you to say “yes”
to justice, to love, to transformation.
And may you go forth
as prophets of hope—
singing the Magnificat with your lives.
All:
Amen!
Sending Forth
Presider1:
Go in peace
to love and serve—
as Mary did.
All:
Thanks be to God!
Closing Song(s) Mary of the Promise
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIY-pCdtnEs
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