“The longest journey is the journey inward.”That's a quote by Dag Hammarskjold, who was the Secretary General of the UN in the 1950's.Today's journey on the Feast of the Epiphany, when the divine is made manifest,seems -at first - to be a journey outward.
The story of the Magii is one of the best loved features of the Christmas story.And no wonder!Look at the effect of these exotic characters on us to this day. Yet, the Book of Matthew is the only one of the four Gospels to tell it.
The word“Magii” is taken from the Greek word “magos” , from which we get the word magician.They do seem magical in themselves, with all their wealth of education and influence.They areteachers, priests, physicians, and astrologers.Yet, with all this apparent power,outside themselves for divine wisdom.
Bible scholars emphasize that Matthew's Gospel is aimed primarily at a Jewish audience.But it was people outside the Community, strangers from lands far away, who were wise enough to seek something more. Some One more than themselves.
The Magii, named “wise men” in the NLT translation we're using today, are simply called “magi from the east” in the New American Bible. It is entirely possible, according toBenedict Thomas Viviano, a renowned authority on the Gospel of Matthew,that women could have been among them.In the commentary on the commentary on Matthew in The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, he is quoted as saying.“The main reason to think of the presence of one or more women among the magi is the background story of the queen of Sheba, with her quest for Israelite royal wisdom, her reverent awe, and her three gifts for a king.”
Because of the three gifts we're noticing, we think of the Magii as three in number. Yet manuscripts from the Middle Ages feature more than three and some Eastern churches today commemorate as many as twelve.
They bring gold, symbolizing unshakable wealth that increases in value with time.Frankincense, a perfume to sweeten the senses and create powerful memory.And myrrh used in anointing sacred passages in our lives. We might ask ourselves today:What is golden to us?What do we really “own”that is of eternal value?We might ourselves today:what is the frankincense that attracts us with its irresistible scent?The perfume that draws us in and creates an indelible memory?And the myrrh! How have we made use of the myrrhin our lives, absorbing the oil we receive in body, mind, and spirit to know ourselves as holy.As human creatures made forever in the image of God!
Let's think of these three, - called “kings” in a much later tradition – let's think of them as us!They have a wide assortment of names suggested throughout the centuries: Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar are those that prevail to this day.Their origins were first thought to be Persia, India, and Arabia. Later commentators proposed that they represented the three known continents at the time:Africa, Asia, and Europe.They are almost always depicted as a multi cultural group.
I had a profound experience last Wednesday when I was on the road from Hertford to Chesapeake. Just as I passed the State line on Rte 17,I had a flat tire!I to pulled over onto the shoulder of the by-pass. You know the road.Big rigs passed me, shaking my car, and so I got out to stand on the embankment. While I called for help, threecars and a truck stopped at different times.Four!Two of them were on the Southbound lanes, and so they went miles out of their way to circle back to me.One of those four drivers was white like me. I'm grateful beyond measure to share the road with these big hearted human beings.
TheMagii, on their route, come from the East, following a star that rose above them in the East, then appeared over Jerusalem, then turned south to Bethlehem.As we join them today, we find ourselves on a route that's a bit like a three-point turn.Why are they and we so tenacious in following this guiding star?
And what about the significance of this particular star? Inancient times, stars were associated with important powerful figures and with the historical founding of Rome. Herod had his star.Appointed by the Roman Senate, he was obsessively protective of his new found status as none other than king of the Jews.Imagine his outrage when the Wise Ones asked him for directionsto another king!From the outset of the story, we are confronted with conflict - with two radically different kinds of kingdoms:One an Empire.The other -a kin ~ dom.
Science proves that there was indeed a bright object in the sky at the time of Jesus' birth. Today there are many theories about this star, which must have been so bright in the night sky before modern times when light pollution inhibits our vision.Even without a telescope, we would be intrigued with this stellar display. Astronomer Michael Molnar points to the facts in his bookThe Star of Bethlehem published by Rutgers University (1999).Various planets did indeed align with the moon and sun around the years of Jesus' birth. We – like our ancestors before us, are still intrigued with this star And we follow it here – in our personal experience - to City Road Methodist Church on January 8, 2023.
Like the Magii in the story, we bringhomage to the Christ Child.{Pause for Silence} We open to the loving unitive consciousness before us in Jesus of Nazareth.And as we do, we are simultaneously opened to our deepest most authentic selves.We know the journey to be both inward and outward.For the Epiphany, the manifestation,is this:We too are incarnations of the divine. …Let's linger here.In this shared light. …We trust its energy to both rest us and move us.As we bring our gifts, we trust that we are given what we need to co-create a just and merciful world:
To be loved and to love.To feed the hungry, welcome the stranger, shelter the homeless, heal the sick through our presence united in God.
These weeks, the time between Epiphany on January 6th and the beginning of Lent on Ash Wednesday, this year on February 12th of 2023 , was – in ancient times – a season to celebrate that we are born of a royal nature. “Culturally this has 'de-volved' into Mardi Gras or Carnival without an understanding of its spiritual roots.And most do not realize that these celebrations are an entire season – weeks long – not merely a few days.Perhaps one reason that this season has been lost is that the eroneous concept of'original sin' overtook the embodied truth of original blessing.” (Alexander John Shaia)
We are in the Season of Epiphany!We follow the star.
Theme: “The Light Within is the Light in Everything"
Welcome and Gathering
Kathryn:Welcome to our Zoom liturgy at Mary Mother of Jesus, an inclusive Catholic Community where all are welcome.
-We invite you to pray the liturgy and respond where it says “All.”
-All participants will be muted during the liturgy except for the presiders and readers.
-Please have bread and wine/juice nearby as we pray our Eucharistic prayer.
Whoever you are,
Wherever you are,
Just as you are,
You are welcome at this table. (Integral Christianity by Paul Smith)
Let us now take a few minutes to collect ourselves as we prepare to focus our minds and our hearts on our knowledge that we are all one, brought together at this time to transform ourselves and our world through love; love for our Holy One, love for our neighbors, love for ourselves, and love for our planet.Let us begin our liturgy by expressing this love through song.
Opening Prayer
Mary T: May the light which illuminates hearts and opens the eyes of our spirits - The light of creation which lifts the burdens of the past; The light of justice which reveals the true face of the present; the light of love which is the fire of compassion, the sentinel-light which helps our feet find pathways of true peace warm you, and purify you, and abide with you all-ways. ALL: Amen
Lee: We pause now to remember the times we have not born fruit in caring for self and others. Take a moment to recall one missed opportunity, one broken or damaged relationship.(Pause briefly and extend your hand over your heart)
ALL: As we ask for and receive forgiveness, we open our hearts to Infinite Love embracing and healing us. Let it be so, Alleluia!
Glory to God by Marty Haugen
Liturgy of the Word
Pat F:First Reading (from the book of the prophet Isaiah)
Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem! Your light has come, the glory of God shines upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick clouds cover the peoples; but, upon you God shines, and over you appears God's glory. Nations shall walk by your light, and world leaders by your shining radiance. Raise your eyes and look about; they all gather and come to you: your sons come from far away, and your daughters in the arms of their nurses. Then, you shall be radiant at what you see, your heart shall throb and overflow, for the riches of earth and sea shall be emptied out before you, And the nations of the earth shall come with riches, proclaiming the praises of god!
Bob F: Second Reading -The Light at the Center of Every Cell
From The Rebirthing of God: Christianity’s Struggle for New Beginnings by John Philip Newell
Mary Oliver is one of the great prophets of Light in our modern world. She speaks of “the light at the center of every cell.” It is not just a feature of life that may or may not be present in different people, places, and creatures. It is the essence of life, the center from which all things have their being.
Oliver’s sense that the Light is “at the center of every cell,” and that it is everything, is similar to the vision of the early Celtic prophet John Scotus Eriugena in the ninth century, who said that the Light of God is the “Essence of all things.” Everything originates in the Light of God. If somehow that Light were extracted from the universe, all things would cease to exist. God is the Light that flows through all things. It is like a subterranean river running deep in the folds of the universe. Without it there would be no life.
Eriugena teaches that because the Light of God is the “Essence of all things,” everything should be regarded as a theophany, a showing or revealing of the Divine. The deeper we move in relation to any created thing, the closer we come to the “divine brilliance” at the heart of life. “It is not hard to understand where God’s body is,” says Mary Oliver. “It is everywhere and everything.”
This is the connection at the heart of the Christian message: looking to the Glory at the center of life in such a way that the whole of life is seen to be suffused with that same Light. This is what the story of the nativity of the Christ Child does. The sacredness of the Christ Child, born of the marriage between heaven and earth, reveals the sacredness of the universe, conceived by the union of spirit and matter.
Bob F: Gospel Reading: (from Matthew’s account of the good news)
After Jesus' birth in Bethlehem during the reign of King Herod, astrologers from the east arrived one day in Jerusalem inquiring, "Where is your newborn leader? We have observed his star at its rising, and have come to acknowledge him." At this news, King Herod and all his court became greatly disturbed. He summoned all the wise ones from the people, and asked where God's anointed was to be born. "In Bethlehem of Judea," they informed him. "Here is what the prophet has written: ‘And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the leaders, since from you shall come one who is to shepherd my people, Israel.’
Herod called the astrologers aside and found out from them the exact time of the star's appearance. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, after having instructed them: "Go and get detailed information about the child. When you have discovered something, report your findings to me, so that I may go and acknowledge him, too." After their audience with the king, they set out.
The star which they had observed at its rising went ahead of them until it came to a standstill over the place where the child was. They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and entering the house, found the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and honored him. Then they opened their coffers and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. They received a message in a dream not to return to Herod, so they returned to their own country by another route.
Homily/Community Sharing
Today we are celebrating the liturgical feast of Epiphany. You have heard the story of the Magi told year after year. Astrologers from a foreign land follow a star that leads them to the Christ child.
In the book The First Christmas, authors and scripture scholars John Dominic Crossan and Marcus Borg write about Jesus’ birth narratives in the Gospel of Matthew and Luke not as history or fables but as parables. Parables are about meaning and the whole issue of factuality does not affect the truthfulness of the parable.
So, the best way to understand the birth stories is to ask the question: What do these stories mean and not get sidetracked about whether they historically happened as written. It is also important to take these stories back into their first century context and when we do, we find that they are as relevant now as they were then. The stories were anti-imperial in the first century and they are anti-imperial now.
Let’s look at the Magi parable through first century eyes. Herod the Great was a ruthless king who was employed by the ruthless Roman Empire. He held firm to his position by any means necessary even if it meant killing his own people.The astrologers, on the other hand, were foreigners from Persia (modern day Iran), and were spiritual seekers of the truth relying on the Divine Light to find the Christ Child, the visible expression of God-With-Us. They came bearing gifts from their resources.
As we in the 21st Century ponder the story of the Magi, what meaning do we make that aligns with the anti-imperial theme? Do we align with peace through violence or do we choose the hopeful alternative of peace through justice where everyone gets a fair share of God’s earth as God’s children? That is the good news of Christmas.
Are we like the Magi, relying on our own inner Divine Light to see the Divine Light as the essence of all things where everyone and everything is a theophany, a revealing of the Divine? Are we like the Magi, giving our gifts, our resources to a world most in need?
John Philip Newell writes in his book Rebirthing God: “What is it that a grown-up Christianity has to freely offer the world? There is so much treasure in our household that we could generously distribute. We hold within our Scriptures an awareness of earth’s sacredness that could more deeply serve today’s environmental movements. We have inherited from Jesus a vision of nonviolence that could profoundly redirect our nations from conflict to peace. We have been taught practices of compassion for those who are poor and hungry and sick that could play a foundational role in the well-being of any society. There is no shortage of treasure in our household. What do we need to give away freely to the world and what do we need to receive from humanity’s other great religious traditions?”
May we see with the heart the divine connection not only with our loved ones, our neighbors, our tribe, but the foreigner, the immigrant, the oppressed, all creatures, the environment. All of these are at risk of violence in an empire that seeks domination by any means necessary.
What are your thoughts about the Magi parable or any of the readings?
Communal Statement of Faith
Lee:We believe in the Holy One, a divine mystery beyond all definition and rational understanding, the heart of all that has ever existed, that exists now, or that ever will exist.
We believe in Jesus, messenger of God's Word, bringer of God's healing, heart of God's compassion, bright star in the firmament of God's prophets, mystics, and saints.
We believe that we are called to follow Jesus as a vehicle of God's love, a source of God's wisdom and truth, and an instrument of God's peace in the world.
We believe in the Holy Spirit,
The life of God that is our innermost life,
The breath of God moving in our being,
The depth of God living in each of us.
We believe that God's kin-dom is here and now, stretched out all around us for those with eyes to see it, hearts to receive it, and hands to make it happen.
Prayers of and for the Community
Joan M:We now bring our prayer intentions to the Table.
Our response is: ALL: Your light answers our every need.
We pray for all suffering from natural disasters all over the world, that they not lose hope and that they feel the light of your love.R
We pray for the people of Ukraine and Russia that they may live in peace without fear and that goodness and sanity will fill the hearts and minds of those that would cause them harm.R
We pray that our government puts children above guns, power, and greed.R
We pray for our MMOJ intentions on our community prayer list.R
And for what else do we pray?Begin with, “I bring to the table.”
Our response is: ALL: Your light answers our every need.
Holy Mystery may we respond to the needs of our sisters and brothers in loving prayer and solidarity. Amen
Liturgy of the Eucharist
Mary T: O Holy One, you have been called by many names by many people in the centuries of our planet’s life. Yet, no name truly defines you or describes you.We celebrate you as the marvelous, loving energy of life who caused us and our world to be. We celebrate you as the Source of light and life and love, and we celebrate your presence and all-ways care.
Pat F: Please join in praying the Eucharistic prayer together, (written by Jay Murnane).
We speak out words of joy and gratitude, for you are the source of universes and swirling galaxies, and what we know about you is light. You are the source of our world - all the wonders of air, and earth, and fire, and water - and what we know about you is life. You are the source and sustaining energy of the original communion, and every expression of that communion throughout our world, and what we know of you is love.
Lee: Grateful for your covenant with us, which extends to us the heritage of light and life and love, we gather in a circle of hopeful openness, joined with all living creatures, and we sing:
Lee: All of what we can ever say about you is revealed in the harmony of nature all around us, and in all right-relations. We have been taught that it can be found within us and among us, as well. We gratefully recall all your visionaries and wise ones throughout our history, in so many traditions, who have taught us of all that we are capable of being, who have reflected your light in their lives of wisdom and tenderness.
Kathryn: We are thankful for what Jesus expressed for all the world in the simplicity of his human-ness: that you are the very truth of love, and that we are to be love's vehicles and love's troubadours.
Kathryn and ALL: On the night before he died, so that he and all of us could really live, Jesus gathered for the Seder supper with his friends. Like the least of household servants, he washed their tired and dusty feet, so that they would never forget him and his work. Back again at the table, he lifted the Passover loaf, spoke the grace, and offered it to them: Take and eat; this is my very self.
Mary T and ALL: Then he took the Cup of Blessing, spoke the grace, and offered them the wine: Take and drink of the covenant made new again through my life, for you and for all the world, that all oppression may cease. Whenever you do this, you re-member me.
There can indeed be light if we are willing to re-member, and not forget. For light will come from our struggle to be wise, and courageous, and true to our vision. There can be light if we are passionately doing the work of justice and right-relations, working skillfully to eliminate the shadow- illusion of separateness so that we can live together well and peace-fully.
Bob F: We will learn to trust you, ourselves, and all of creation. And with that trust, we will open ourselves and our small circles, until they are as wide as your own love, and as warm and bright as your own light, as Jesus showed us. It is through him, with him, in him, in communion with your enlightening Spirit, that all which is yours is acknowledged as yours, Creator-God, now and all-ways and forever.
Kathryn: Let us pray together the prayer of Jesus:
You, the breath and life of all, Create, through your light, a heart-shrine within us, and your wisdom guides us, as oneness guides every-thing. Your one desire then becomes ours, as in all light, so in all forms. You grant what we need each day, in bread and insight. You loosen the cords of faults binding us, as we release the strands we hold of one another's faults. You guide us away from the deception of illusion; You guide us towards response at the moment of truth. To you belongs the wisdom, the life which creates and causes-to-be, the song that beautifies all, renewing itself forever. And we say yes!
Let us now share communion saying, “We are the light of the world.”
Pat F: Oh Holy One, we go forth in our calling to serve and committed to our own spiritual transformation so that we might work together to transform our earth to one of peace, equality, and justice for all.Timeless One, Your eternal love wraps courage around us as we enter into your invitation to bring your Light and your Peace into our hurting world.Your ageless presence draws us to you as we step forward, ready to embrace where you lead us. Your sustaining peace rests within our every heartbeat and accompanies us into the unknown future. We have no fear. We are forever grateful to live in your presence and your love.
All: Amen.
Community Blessing (please raise your hands in blessing)
Mary T: God grants the gifts of strength and courage to all who work to bring light, and create a world of compassion and peace. The living light which is God's life magnifies the good within your heart of love and within the center of every living creature.
Kathryn: God extends to you, as gift, vision and wisdom, truth and understanding, laughter, mercy, and creativity: You are called, consecrated, and sent forth with Spirit into this world for the fulfillment of creation, and the kin-ship of all life! ALL: Amen!
All: As we go now in peace, God's own peace be with you each and all,
This liturgy was written by Jay Murnane and adapted by Mary Theresa Streck and Kathryn Shea.We are forever grateful to have walked this Earth with Jay and to receive his many gifts and talents.
If you would like to add your intercession to our MMOJ Community Prayers book,
Please send an email to jmeehan515@aol.com
If you would like to invite another person to attend our liturgy please refer them to
www.marymotherofJesus.org where the day’s liturgy is found. Zoom instructions are also included there.
An Open Letter to: the People of God, Pope Francis, Curia Officials, Conferences of Bishops in Europe, the Americas, Africa, Asia, Australia and Oceania-(letter published as Ad in New York Times, Jan. 6, 2023) ARCWP.ORG,https://www.romancatholicwomenpriests.org/
Hope arrived for women in the Roman Catholic Church at the Second Vatican Council (1962-65). Pope John XXIII called the Church to open the doors and windows and to “read the signs of the times”. When Pope Francis recently called for a global synodal process, we, the women bishops of the Roman Catholic Church, dared again to hope that the leadership of the Church would listen and walk with all the People of God.
In a November interview published in America magazine, Pope Francis attempts to justify the exclusion of women from ordained ministry utilizing the archaic, patriarchal theology that Jesus was a man and he chose men as his apostles, therefore, priests must also be male. He appealed to the medieval spousal imagery of an active-receptive relationship, in which the Church is the bride and the priest the bridegroom. This disregards the fundamental message of the Gospel and contradicts our baptismal oneness in Christ: “. . . there is no longer male nor female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28) Baptism rests on faith, not on gender, not nationality, nor any other form of discrimination.
In the interview, Francis fails to acknowledge the many times in Scripture where women are chosen by God or Jesus to minister. Mary of Magdala was proclaimed ‘Apostle to the Apostles’ and a host of other women named in Scripture went out to proclaim the Good News in the early church. The argument that maleness is necessary for ordination damages the Church and greater society. A church subjugating women with their structures supports similar subjugation in the world. In this the Roman Catholic Church violates its own words from the Second Vatican Council which states that, “Forms of social or cultural discrimination in basic personal rights on the grounds of sex, race, color, social conditions, language or religion, must be curbed or eradicated as incompatible with God’s designs.”(Gaudium et Spes 29) Francis’ attempt to justify the exclusion of women from ordination is a failure to “read the signs of the times” and to understand the basic human rights of all members of the Church.
Roman Catholic Women deacons, priests and bishops have answered the call of God and their communities through valid ordination in apostolic succession. We are providing a vibrant experience of community and sacraments where we live. We are not responsible for people leaving the Church, we are bringing people back to the faith. We heal those grievously wounded by physical, emotional and spiritual abuse and exclusion. We offer a model of church easily recognizable as Roman Catholic, but offering transparency of governance, the inclusion of those marginalized, and recognition of gender equality.
We call on Pope Francis and the Conferences of Bishops in Europe, the Americas, Africa, Asia, Australia and Oceania to meet with us, the Roman Catholic Women Bishops serving across the world. Despite his call for dialogue, Pope Francis refuses to engage in authentic conversation with us. Francis can use his Petrine key to unlock that door.
On behalf of Roman Catholic Women deacons, priests and bishops around the world:
Popular spiritual writer, Philip Newell, raises an important question about the future of Christianity.
He believes that we are in the midst of the seismic collapse of Western Christianity and raises the question:: “what is the new thing trying to emerge within us and from deep within the collective soul of Christianity? What is it that we need to let go of to prepare a way for a new birthing?”(The Rebirthing of God)
My community in Florida- Mary Mother of Jesus Inclusive Catholic Community- has experienced a seismic shift from celebrating liturgies in a church to celebrating in cyberspace on Zoom..
During COVID, our community grew with new members from outside Florida. We moved from needing to be in a sacred space to becoming Church for each other as a holy gathering of God’s people.
After 3 years of liturgies on Zoom only, we tried a hybrid ( both in church and on zoom)arrangement in 2022, but the technology did not work well for our interactive liturgies.
During our recent time of discernment, we affirmed our identity as a new kind of “church” without walls- a beloved community- meeting weekly to celebrate liturgies and to offer each other mutual support in our mission of promoting justice and equality in a non-violent Church and world..Our MMOJ Community’s vision is to is live gospel equality now - with both ordained and non- ordained celebrating Eucharist-what Catholics refer to as Mass.. All are invited to share in dialogue homilies and to consecrate bread and wine in their own homes..
As we continue to share this holy meal- with all who join us from near and far- we are letting go of a cherished physical sanctuary at St. Andrew’s -and growing in our identity as an inclusive home where all can come together in a new birthing of love in cyberspace.
Our liturgies are published on our website and on Bridget Mary’s Blog. You can join us at 4:00pm on Saturdays.
