Mary Mother of Jesus Inclusive Catholic Community Christmas Liturgy 2016 Presiders: Bridget Mary Meehan, Karen Hylen, Music Ministers, Linda Lee Miska, Alicia Bartol Thomas

Welcome!

Gathering Song: O Come All Ye Faithful #79, vs. 1-2

Bridget Mary Meehan and Karen Hylen Co-Presiders at MMOJ Christmas Liturgy 2016

Opening Prayer. Presider

God of love, You became human in Jesus and showed us how to live life fully. May we, like Mary, rejoice as we give birth to God within us in everything we say and do.  ALL:  Amen.

ALL: Angels we have heard on high

#82 (Gloria in excelsis Deo)

Liturgy of the Word

First Reading: Isaiah 62:1-5

Response: Go Tell it on the Mountains #99, vs. 1,2, 4

Second Reading:  Hebrews 1:1-6

Acclamation (Sing): Alleluia!

Gospel: Luke 2:15-20

Response. ALL: Glory and praise to you, Jesus the Christ!

Dialogue Homily: Journey Towards Justice Christmas Day, pp.30-31

Dialogue Homily: Journey Towards Justice Christmas Day, pp.30-31 (Karen and Bridget Mary)

“Jesus, the human being, the Incarnation of God’s Word had to have had an ordinary birth and subsequent childhood to have become who he became for us. Jesus taught us through his exaample that our quest is to fully embrace all the facets of our humanness while relying totally on a passionate and vibrant relationship with a God who is intimately and mysteriously involved and in love with us.“ (Journey Towards Justice, by Cathy Woodson, Sr. Anne-Louise Nadeau, SNDdeN, Published by Pax Christi)

Question for Reflection and Sharing by Presiders and Community:

What does Jesus’ humanness teach us about our spiritual path?

Profession of Faith. ALL: We believe in God who is creator of all. We believe in Jesus, the Christ, who is our love, our hope, and our light. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the breath of Wisdom Sophia, who energizes and guides us to build caring communities and to challenge injustices.  We believe in the communion of saints our heavenly friends, who support us on life’s journey.  We believe in the partnership and equality of women and men in our church and world.  We believe that all are one in the community of creation. We believe that God calls us to live fully, love tenderly, and serve generously.  Amen.

Community Petitions.

Presider: For a deeper coming of Christ in our world, we pray. 

Response: Nurturing God, hear us.

Presider: May we experience the coming of God anew in our lives, we pray. R.  Presider: May people who suffer from destitution & despair experience the mothering comfort of God, we pray.  R.

Presider: May the sick and suffering receive the healing love of God, we pray. R.

Presider: May those who have died rest in God's eternal embrace, we pray.  R.

(Other Intentions)

Offertory Song: Mary, did you know?

Alicia Bartol Thomas (Solo)

Presider: Blessed are you, God of all life, through your goodness we have bread, wine, and our own lives to offer. Through this sacred meal may we become your new creation. 

ALL:  Blessed be God forever.

Presider: God is with you. ALL: And also with you. Presider: Lift up your hearts.  ALL:  We lift them up to God.  Presider:  Let us give thanks to our God. All: Amen

Eucharistic Prayer.

Voice: Mothering God, you brought forth all creation from your life-giving womb. O Love of the ages, we praise you and leap for joy in your presence.

Voice: Holy One of ancient Israel, you revealed yourself in Mary's womb, in a shining star, in humble shepherds, in a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes. You embrace us with infinite love in every situation and relationship. You dwell in the depths of our hearts.

Voice: As God’s beloved, we celebrate our own sacred presence on the table and around the table in joyful song.

ALL: Holy, Holy, Holy (Karen Drucker)

Voice:, God, of all people. we glorify you for the dawning of the sacred promise of God's Anointed, fulfilled in Jesus, the Christ.

Voice: We celebrate the birth of Jesus, our newborn Emmanuel, who came to share your extravagant kindness. During this holy season we share the bread of hope and lift the cup of life. 

All (with hand extended to invoke the Spirit): Indwelling Spirit deepen your Presence within us and in these gifts of bread and wine, that they may become the Body of Christ.

Presider: As Jesus gave birth to the new covenant, he took bread, gave thanks, broke the bread, and shared it with all those present saying:

 ALL: Take this all of you and eat it. This is my body.

Presider: Then Jesus took a cup of wine, blessed you, Loving God, shared the cup with all those present saying:

 ALL: Take this all of you and drink from the covenant, poured out for you and for everyone. Do this in memory of me.

Presider:  Let us proclaim the infinite love of our nurturing God:

ALL: Christ, by your life, death and rising, you have blessed us with abundance that will never end.

Second Invocation of the Spirit: All (with hand on next person’s shoulder): God of all people, you call us "beloved." Give us courage to accept your faith in us and to live your compassion in the world. You infuse us with Sophia, Holy Wisdom, to serve you in the last and the least.

Voice: As we wait with joyful hearts for the fulfillment of your loving presence in our lives, we remember the saints who have gone before us:. (Community names mentors they want to remember, living and dead.)

Voice: God of Inclusiveness. may we work for justice and equality for all God’s people and for the healing of our earth.

ALL: Through Christ, with Christ, in Christ, all praise and glory are yours, Holy God, through the power of the Spirit.  Amen.

ALL: Our Father and Mother….

Sign of Peace. Presider:   Let us join hands and hearts and pray for peace in our world as we sing “Let there be peace on earth”

Litany for the breaking of bread.  ALL:   Loving God, you call us to speak truth to power. We will do so. Loving God, you call us to live the Gospel of peace and justice.  We will do so. Loving God, you call us to be your presence in the world. We will do so. 

Presider: This is the banquet table of our brother Jesus,. All are invited to the feast. ALL: May we be who we are, the Body of Christ. In our world.

Presider:  Let us share the Body of Christ with the Body of Christ!   ALL:  Amen.

Communion Hymns: O Holy Night, Alicia Bartol Thomas (solo)

 Silent Night #89

Prayer after Communion.

Presider:  God of promises   thank you for opening our hearts to your Spirit of love flowing through us this Christmas Eve.  May Jesus’ humanity help us to embrace our humanness and grow in love each day.

ALL: Amen.

Thanksgiving/Intros/Announcements

Final Blessing. ALL (with hand extended in prayer):  We bless one another with love, peace and joy as we celebrate the birth of Jesus in history and the Christ Presence in our cosmos.

Presiderr: Let us birth Christ anew in our world today. Go in the peace of Christ.

ALL:   Thanks be to God.

Recessional: Joy to the World #80, vs. 1-2

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Liturgy: Bridget Mary Meehan, www.arcwp.org,
www.marymotherofjesus.org

LGBT Christmas in Ireland: “We Are All the Same in God”

December 23, 2016Francis DeBernardo, Editor
https://newwaysministryblog.files.wordpress.com/2016/12/img_3734.jpg

"At Dublin, Ireland’s 18th Annual LGBT Christmas Carol Service , the guest speaker was Ursula Halligan, Political Editor with TV3. Ms. Halligan, a Catholic,  came out publicly as a lesbian a few days before Ireland’s successful marriage equality referendum last year.  In the op-ed essay where she came out, she made the following observation about voting for marriage equality:

“As a person of faith and a Catholic, I believe a Yes vote is the most Christian thing to do. I believe the glory of God is the human being fully alive and that this includes people who are gay.

Ursula Halligan and Brian Glennon before the Advent Service

Halligan further spoke about her life, faith and sexuality on Ireland’s Anton Savage radio program.

The LGBT Christmas Carol Service is sponsored by a coalition of  Irish LGBT equality and church reform groups: BeLonG; Changing Attitude Ireland; Dublin Gay Men’s Chorus; LGBT Helpline; LOOK; Gay & Lesbian Equality Network;  All Are Welcome Catholic Mass; OWLS; Unitarian Church, Dublin; We Are Church Ireland.  

The service was held at Unitarian Church, Stephen’s Green, Dublin, on December 10, 2016.  The prayers were led by Brian Glennon, who originated the Carol service for the LGBT community 18 years ago.

The following is the text of Ms. Hallgian’s reflection at the prayer service:

Thank you Brian. My goodness you are in fine voice tonight!  Now, I know it’s Christmas. And what do we do at Christmas?
We go home.
And that’s why I’m here with you tonight. I wanted to be at home with my family at Christmas time. I wanted to say a big thank you to the LGBT community for the love and support you’ve showered on me since I wrote my piece in the Irish Times.

Up until May 2015 I never knew I had such a wonderful family. (I certainly never knew they had such beautiful singing voices!) And for you and me, it’s all been about voice; hasn’t it?
You and me; we’ve shared a common journey.
We had to find our voice.
We had to find our inner truth.
We had to find the courage to speak it.
To throw away the masks.
To be real.
To be true to our selves.

Ursula Halligan

It took me a long time to find my voice but I am so glad I did.
Because as Martin Luther King said: “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter.”  We shrivel up as human beings if we don’t speak our truth; if we don’t
speak from our conscience. And for me, as a person of faith, conscience is the voice of God that echoes in the depths of each one of us.  Our truth comes from the God within us; not from any institution. 

And if God doesn’t have a problem with us, why should anyone else?

Last year the people of Ireland threw their arms around us and set us free to be equal citizens with everyone else.  It was a magnificent act of love. 
And it is all about love.
We come from love. We are love. We go back to love.
God is love.

It was love that first prompted me to speak up because I believed our love is as good as anyone else’s love. Love is love.  There is no inequality in love. And that’s why it saddens me that the church I belong to and love has yet to accept us the way the Irish people have.

It is important for our flourishing as human beings that we have a vibrant faith community that welcomes and loves us; a place where we can be ourselves without fear or constraint. A place where we are affirmed; where we’re told we’re ok. We need to hear the good news of the Gospel in a place that totally respects us for who we are, exactly as we are. We need to look after one another.

Over the years, thanks to the Unitarian Church here on Stephens Green; to you Reverend Spain and to wonderful Catholics such as Brian Glennon and others, the LGBT community has been trying to grow its own faith community to meet that need. You have kept the candle burning in the darkness.

But I have a dream that one day all the churches will fling open their doors to their LGBT brothers and sisters. That a blaze of warmth and love will welcome us home. That we will be granted equality in marriage and treated the same in every respect with others in the church. That we will be accepted and loved in our wholeness as human beings. That anything that divides the people of God, even labels like “Gay” and “Straight” will be replaced by brother and sister. "

Because we are all one.
Just like our love.
We are all the same in God.

Bridget Mary's Response:  Ursula Halligan's affirmation of equality for LGBTI is inspiring. "We are all the same before God." May it be so in every church and religious community. Bridget Mary Meehan ARCWP, www.arcwp.org

A CHRISTMAS HUMANIZED IN FOUNDATION EMBROIDERED BY HAND. Olga Lucia Álvarez Benjumea ARCWP

https://evangelizadorasdelosapostoles.wordpress.com/2016/12/23/una-navidad-humanizada-en-fundacion-bordado-a-mano-olga-lucia-alvarez-benjumea-arcwp/

It is not easy to celebrate Christmas, in a context of dehumanizing modernity. We come from another social environment. Others are the stories that have been heard, the situation of the families of the women present with their daughters ... deprived of freedom or recently recovered.

"My husband is in jail, they gave him 18 months, but it takes 20 and the judges, on vacation ..."

"Her father ... they killed him.

"My son was killed ..."

"My daughter is in jail, she was the one who told me about coming to the Foundation." These are your little children ... "

"I just got out of jail, these are my children ..."

"My granddaughter is in jail, they with their children. At my age nobody gives me work ... except for the Foundation ... "

"My husband, harassed by the threats, was poisoned, took my sick son and now I take care of the 2 children of my daughter, who with the situation went crazy"

How different Christmas is celebrated, compared to those who have it all! It is true! I began to write with pessimism and pain. But, keeping that burden of suffering, I see that Christmas has a very different meaning among the most needy. Here is broken with the celebration of consumerism and paganism.

There is no Christmas tree, there is no "Santa Claus", no images of crib, no snow flakes simulating snow, that there is not here. There are no lights, no colored balls. There are no toys of great value, nor the latest shout of fashion in clothes. There are no cell phones, no tables, no motorcycles, no drones, no dolls, no battery chargers. For each family, each group enjoyed what they received. See that joy, that satisfaction of the mother who chooses the dress of her children. See the children's face. Share the custard (typical Christmas dish) That made me understand what Christmas is! They are two very different celebrations!

They were the manger, they were the colored lights, illuminating their faces of happiness! These if they were celebrating the birthday of the humanized Divinity.

The team of volunteers preparing the Custard.

Elena and I, commenting on Jesus-Child's birthday and Christmas.

Emmanuel looks pleased his new Christmas clothes, seems to give thanks to the Divinity!

For little Mildre, sister of Emanuel, there is also a beautiful dress there.

Mildre is happy, same, her mom, her little faces, you can not hide them this Christmas.

My grandmother and my sister, looking at my toy.

There are also Christmas candies ...

Elena and Mary, delivering the Christmas presents to the children.

Elena is about to hand out the presents. Kevin is watching ...

We are happy, we are Christmas.

In the distribution of the typical dish of Christmas.

And the custard, how delicious!

Consuelo is happy because she has Christmas too!

This Christmas, we have been able to find that Divinity made humanity, in these grandmothers, mothers and children. It is to feel the tenderness of God, through Dr. Diana, his family, our volunteer partners, Nayive and his family, Olga, Amparo, Gloria, Mary, Margarita, Luisa, Yorlady, Julio, Adriana and:

All and all, a lot we have learned in the Foundation, in its 6 years existence. We announce the presence of God in the history of each family. It is to see the rebellion of an entire God who leaves his Heaven, trying his luck among the most unprotected women. We become accomplices of such a celestial coming.

In the midst of his Love and Tenderness, we vibrate living his rebellion in search and construction of Peace, learning to be more human, since that is his Divine lesson!

"Do this in remembrance of Me."

* Roman Catholic presbyter.

My little burrito sabanero, Christmas carol - YouTube

▶ 2:42

Https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgMtBQ4gG3M

20 dec. 2011 - Uploaded by Traposo TV

My sabanero burrito, Carol to congratulate the parties, is one of the traditional Christmas songs ...