Welcome
Welcome, beloved companions on the journey.
Today Jesus asks each of us the most important question we will ever answer:
"Who do you say that I am?"
Our response is not merely spoken in words but lived through compassion, justice, inclusion, and love. Together we affirm that Christ continues to live among us whenever we gather around an open table where all are welcome and every person's gifts are honored.
Opening Song:
Rite of Transformation
Leader:
Jesus entrusted Peter with the keys of God's reign.
Today, those same keys are placed into our hands.
All extend their hands.
Together:
Holy One,
Open our hearts
to welcome all.
Open our minds
to wisdom.
Open our hands
to serve.
Open our communities
to equality.
Open our lives
to the transforming presence of Christ.
May we unlock hope
where there is despair,
compassion
where there is suffering,
justice
where there is oppression,
and peace
where there is division.
May we become
living stones
building your beloved community.
Amen.
Gloria:
All:
Glory to God in the highest,
and peace to all people,
all creatures,
and our beautiful Earth.
We praise you.
We bless you.
We honor you.
We rejoice in your boundless love.
Holy One,
Creator of the universe,
Source of all life,
we thank you
for the gift of each new day,
for the beauty of creation,
and for the sacred dignity
you have planted within every person.
Jesus,
Living Christ,
you reveal the face of Divine Love.
You welcome the forgotten,
heal the wounded,
lift up the poor,
and gather us at one inclusive table.
You call us
to be your Body in the world,
sharing compassion,
forgiveness,
justice,
and hope.
Holy Spirit,
Breath of Life,
you stir our hearts
and awaken our gifts.
You call women and men alike
to ministries of service,
wisdom,
and Gospel equality.
You gather us
into communities of welcome,
where all belong,
all are valued,
and all are invited
to share in Christ's mission.
For you are the Holy One,
the Wellspring of Love,
the Light that no darkness can overcome.
With all creation,
with saints and seekers,
with ancestors and generations yet to come,
we sing forever:
Glory to God in the highest!
Peace on Earth!
Alleluia! Amen.
Opening Prayer
Holy One,
You dwell among us,
not in places of privilege,
but wherever people gather in love.
Today you ask us anew,
"Who do you say that I am?"
May our answer be found
not only in our words,
but in our welcome,
our courage,
our commitment to justice,
and our willingness
to become living stones
building communities of compassion.
Strengthen us to recognize Christ
in every person,
especially those whose voices
have too often been silenced.
We pray in the Spirit of Jesus,
our brother and companion.
Amen.
First Reading
Isaiah 22:19-23
A reading from the prophet Isaiah.
Thus says the Holy One:
"I will remove those who cling to power for their own advantage,
and I will raise up leaders who serve with wisdom, compassion, and integrity.
I will clothe them with responsibility
and strengthen them for the work of justice.
They shall become a source of hope
for all who seek mercy and belonging.
I will place into their hands
the keys of faithful stewardship.
What they open for the flourishing of the people
shall remain open.
What they close to injustice and oppression
shall remain closed.
They shall stand firm,
like a strong peg set in a secure place,
becoming a source of strength
for their families,
their communities,
and all who seek shelter in God's love."
The Word of God.
Thanks be to God.
Responsorial Reflection
Response:
"Your love endures forever, O Holy One."
(Psalm 138)
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 138 – An Inclusive Adaptation
Response:
Your love endures forever, O Holy One.
Reader:
With all my heart I thank you, O Holy One.
In the presence of all who seek truth,
I sing your praise.
Response:
Your love endures forever, O Holy One.
I bow before your holy presence
and give thanks for your unfailing love and faithfulness.
When I called, you answered me;
you filled my spirit with courage and hope.
Response:
Your love endures forever, O Holy One.
May all the peoples of the earth
recognize your justice and compassion.
May they sing of your ways,
for your glory is revealed
whenever mercy triumphs over fear
and love overcomes division.
Response:
Your love endures forever, O Holy One.
Though you are beyond all imagining,
you draw near to the humble
and accompany those who struggle.
When we walk through difficult times,
your Spirit strengthens us
and your faithful love surrounds us.
Response:
Your love endures forever, O Holy One.
Complete in us the work of love
that you have begun.
Guide us to become instruments
of peace, healing, and justice.
Never abandon the work of your hands,
for we belong to you,
and all creation rests in your embrace.
Final Response:
Your love endures forever, O Holy One. Amen.
Second Reading
Romans 11:33-36
Reader:
A reading from the Letter of Paul to the Romans.
How deep are the riches
of the wisdom and love of our God!
How unfathomable are the Holy One's ways,
and how far beyond our understanding
are the mysteries of Divine Love.
Who has fully known the mind of God?
Who has been God's advisor?
Who could ever place God in their debt?
Everything comes from God,
through God,
and finds its fulfillment in God.
To the Holy One—
Source of Life,
Living Wisdom,
and Everlasting Love—
be glory,
gratitude,
and praise,
now and forever.
The Word of God.
Thanks be to God.
Gospel
Matthew 16:13-20
Today we hear Peter's courageous profession of faith. We celebrate not the elevation of one person over others, but the revelation that the Spirit speaks through ordinary disciples. The "rock" upon which Christ builds the Church is the living faith of the whole community—a discipleship of equals in which every baptized person shares in Christ's mission of love, justice, and reconciliation.
Presider:
The Good News according to Matthew.
All:
Glory to you, O Christ.
When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples,
"Who do people say that the Human One is?"
They replied,
"Some say John the Baptizer;
others say Elijah;
still others say Jeremiah
or one of the prophets."
Jesus then asked them,
"But who do you say that I am?"
Simon Peter answered,
"You are the Messiah,
the Son of the Living God."
Jesus replied,
"Blessed are you, Simon, child of Jonah!
For this insight has come to you
not through human wisdom,
but through my Abba God.
You are Peter, the Rock,
and upon this living faith
I will continue building my community,
and the powers of death
will not overcome it.
I will entrust to you
the keys of the Kin-dom of Heaven.
Whatever you open on earth
will be opened in heaven,
and whatever you close on earth
will be closed in heaven."
Then Jesus instructed the disciples
not to tell anyone yet
that he was the Messiah.
The Gospel of Christ.
All:
Praise to you, Jesus Christ.
Homily Starter: Bridget Mary
Jesus asks two questions.
First:
"Who do people say that I am?"
The disciples repeat the opinions of others.
Then Jesus asks the deeper question:
"Who do you say that I am?"
Peter answers:
"You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God."
Jesus blesses Peter—not because Peter is perfect, but because Peter has listened to the Spirit.
The "rock" is not one individual elevated above everyone else. The rock is living faith inspired by God. Whenever women and men discern together, listen deeply, and act courageously, Christ continues building the Church.
Today we know that the Spirit has raised up faithful women and men across the world to serve inclusive Catholic communities. Their ministries arise not from privilege but from baptism.
The keys Jesus speaks about are not symbols of domination or exclusion.
They are the keys of:
- • compassion
- • forgiveness
- • reconciliation
- • hospitality
- • justice
- • hope
These keys belong to the whole People of God.
Each baptized person has received gifts for building God's reign.
When communities recognize these gifts, the Church becomes what Jesus intended—a circle of equals where leadership is shared in service rather than hierarchy.
Today Jesus asks each of us:
Who is Christ for you?
Perhaps Christ is:
the healer who restores hope,
the prophet who challenges injustice,
the companion who walks beside us,
the Wisdom who guides us,
the Love that never abandons us.
Our answer becomes visible in the lives we live.
Community Sharing
Invite everyone to share briefly:
Who is Jesus for you today?
or
How are you being called to use the "keys" God has entrusted to you for the healing of our world?
Profession of Faith
We believe in God,
the Holy Mystery,
whose love embraces the entire universe.
We believe in Jesus,
our brother,
who revealed God's unconditional love,
welcomed the excluded,
challenged injustice,
and showed us how to live fully human lives.
We believe in the Holy Spirit,
ever creating,
ever renewing,
calling women and men alike
to ministries of service,
compassion,
and justice.
We believe the Church
is the People of God,
called to be a community of equals,
where every baptized person
shares responsibility
for proclaiming the Gospel.
We believe
love is stronger than fear,
hope stronger than despair,
life stronger than death.
Amen.
Prayers of the Community
Response:
Holy One, hear our prayer.
For Pope Leo XIV, church leaders, women priests, deacons, and all baptized people, that together we may build communities rooted in equality and Gospel love...
For all who have been excluded from full participation in the Church, especially women, LGBTQ+ persons, divorced Catholics, and those who have felt unwelcome...
For peace throughout the world...
For healing of Earth, our common home...
For all who are sick, grieving, lonely, or discouraged...
For our own intentions...
Preparation of the Table
Blessed are you,
Holy One,
through your goodness
we have bread and wine,
the work of human hands
and gifts of Earth.
May they become for us
the sacred meal
that nourishes us
to become Christ's presence
in our world.
Inclusive Eucharistic Prayer
Eucharistic Preface
Presider:
God is with you.
All:
And also with you.
Presider:
Lift up your hearts.
All:
We lift them up to our Loving God.
Presider:
Let us give thanks to the Holy One, our God.
All:
It is right to give God thanks and praise.
Presider:
Ever-present God,
it is truly right and just,
our joy and our peace,
to give you thanks always and everywhere.
From the beginning of creation,
you have called ordinary people
to extraordinary acts of love.
You spoke through prophets,
sages, poets, and peacemakers.
You entrusted your dream
to women and men
whose hearts were open
to the movements of your Spirit.
In Jesus,
your Living Word,
you revealed
that true greatness is found
not in power,
but in service;
not in privilege,
but in compassion;
not in domination,
but in love.
When Jesus asked,
"Who do you say that I am?"
he invited every generation
to discover Christ anew
within their own lives
and within communities
that welcome all
and exclude no one.
Today your Spirit continues
to raise up disciples
whose faith becomes living stones
building your beloved community—
a Church rooted
in baptismal equality,
shared responsibility,
and Gospel justice.
Therefore,
with Mary of Nazareth,
Mary Magdalene,
Phoebe,
Peter,
the communion of saints,
and with all creation,
we join in their unending hymn of praise:
Holy, Holy
All:
Holy,
Holy,
Holy One,
God of boundless love.
Heaven and Earth
are filled with your glory.
Hosanna in the highest!
Blessed are all
who come in the name
of our God.
Hosanna in the highest!
Hosanna in the highest!
Holy indeed are You,
Loving God,
present in every age,
calling your people
into relationships of justice and peace.
Throughout history
your Spirit has inspired
women and men,
prophets and mystics,
disciples and saints,
to reveal your compassionate love.
Jesus gathered all at table—
friends and strangers,
women and men,
saints and sinners—
revealing that no one
is excluded from your embrace.
Stretch out your Spirit upon us
and upon these gifts
of bread and wine.
May they become
the living presence of Christ among us.
As Jesus shared the meal
before his death,
he took bread,
blessed it,
broke it,
and shared it saying:
All: (Please extend hands and pray the words of Consecration together)
Take and eat.
This is my body.
Whenever you do this,
remember me.
He then shared the cup saying:
Take and drink.
This is the cup of the new covenant,
poured out in love for all.
Whenever you drink,
remember me.
Memorial Acclamation:
Together we proclaim:
Christ lives among us.
Christ is present within us.
Christ will continue transforming the world through us.
Community of Saints Remembrance
Presider:
Loving God,
we remember that we are surrounded
by a great cloud of witnesses
whose lives continue to inspire us
to live the Gospel with courage and joy.
We remember Mary, the mother of Jesus,
whose faithful "Yes"
opened the way for Christ's presence in our world.
We remember Mary Magdalene,
apostle to the apostles,
first witness to the Resurrection.
We remember Peter,
whose faith became a rock
not because he was perfect,
but because he trusted your Spirit.
We remember Phoebe, Prisca, Junia,
and all the women and men
who nurtured the first Christian communities
through leadership, hospitality, and faithful service.
We remember the saints of every generation,
known and unknown,
who chose compassion over fear,
justice over oppression,
and love over exclusion.
We remember especially
our beloved family members,
friends,
mentors,
and members of this community
who now live forever in your embrace.
(Pause to name those remembered.)
Together with them,
and with all who seek truth and peace,
may we become living stones
building your beloved community,
where every person is welcomed,
every gift is cherished,
and every table is open.
Through Christ,
with Christ,
and in Christ,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
all glory and honor are yours,
Loving God,
forever and ever.
Great Amen
All:
Amen!
Yes, we are the Body of Christ.
Amen!
Yes, we will live the Gospel.
Amen!
Yes, we will build communities
of justice,
compassion,
and peace.
Amen!
Today and always.
Amen.
Communion Rite
All: Prayer of Jesus (together)
Sign of Peace: (let us offer one another a sign of Peace:
Prayer for the Breaking of Bread
All:
Though we are many,
we are one body,
for we all share
the one Bread of Life.
Invitation to Communion
This is God's table.
Everyone is welcome.
Come,
for you are loved.
Prayer After Communion
Gracious God,
You have nourished us
with the Bread of Life
and strengthened us
to become living stones
building communities
of justice,
compassion,
and peace.
May our answer
to Jesus' question—
"Who do you say that I am?"—
be revealed
through lives of courageous love
and joyful service.
Amen.
Final Blessing
May the Holy One bless you
with Peter's courage,
Mary Magdalene's faithful witness,
Phoebe's servant leadership,
and the wisdom of countless women and men
whose lives continue building God's Church.
May Christ walk beside you.
May the Spirit guide you.
May you become living stones
in the beloved community
where all are welcomed,
all are valued,
and all are called.
Go in peace
to love and serve.
Thanks be to God.
