Mary
Mother of Jesus Inclusive Catholic Community at Sun City Center
Thanksgiving
and Gratitude
New
Year’s Eve, December 31, 2014
“Gratitude is the quality of being thankful
and showing appreciation. It is a mindful acknowledgment of all that we have
been given. When we focus on the abundance in our lives, we discover a greater
capacity for generosity, cheerfulness, and contentment.”
ALL: In the name of the
Source of all being, Jesus our brother and Sophia, the Holy Spirit who calls us
to thanksgiving. Amen.
Opening Prayer ALL:
Loving
God you who live outside of time, and reside in the imperishable moment, we ask
your blessing this New Year’s Eve upon your gift to us of time. May our calendar remind us of birthdays and
other gift-days, as they teach us the secret that all life is meant for
celebration and contemplation. Bless
Loving God this New Year, each of its 365 days and nights. Bless us with new moons and full moons. Bless us with happy seasons and a long
life. Grant us O loving God the new
year’s gift of a year of love. Amen.
First Reading
The
release that my family is finding is going back to the spiritual ways. We have a longhouse. We don’t have services, it isn’t like a set
service where you go in there at ten and you are out by eleven. It’s just a process where we all get
together. We are not in a hurry. That’s everybody else’s problem, we go and
sit and visit. Then we sing our songs
and then we’ll eat our traditional foods.
Every time we get together, we thank the Creator for water, salmon, our
venison, and our roots, our berries, and then we’ll sing and thank again. Thank the water again, without the water we
could not exist. Then afterwards, we sit
and visit again. This too is the Word of
God All: Thanks be to God
From Psalm 34
Response: I will
always thank my God
I
will thank our God at all times,
I
will always praise God’s name.
My
soul will boast of our God;
Those
who are poor will hear and be glad.
Response: I will
always thank my God
Join
with me in the praise of our God;
Together
we shall sing God’s praise.
I
called, and God answered my plea;
From
my fears our God set me free.
Response: I will
always thank my God
Look
to God and shine with joy;
You
will never be ashamed.
I
begged God to listen to me;
God
took my burdens and fears away.
Response: I will
always thank my God
Second Reading
Several
years before his death in 1972, a remarkable rabbi, Abraham J. Heschel,
suffered a near–fatal heart attack from which he never fully recovered. A dear friend visiting him found him woefully
weak. Just about able to whisper,
Heschel said to him: “Sam, when I regained consciousness, my first feeling was
not of despair or anger. I felt only
gratitude to God for my life, for every moment I have lived. I was ready to
depart. “Take me, O God,” I thought, “I have seen so many miracles in my
lifetime.” Exhausted by the effort,
Heschel paused then added: “That is what I meant when I wrote (in the preface
of his book of Yiddish poems): “I did not ask for success; I asked for wonder.
And you gave it to me.” This too is the
Word of God All: Thanks be to God
Gospel: Matthew
11:25-26
Then
Jesus prayed, “Abba God, Creator of heaven and earth, to you I offer praise;
for what you have hidden from the learned and the clever, you have revealed to
the youngest children. Yes, Abba,
everything is as you want it to be.”
This
is the Good News of Jesus our brother
All: Praise to you
Jesus Christ.
Dialog homily: sharing from your
gratitude list for 2014
Intercessions:
Response:
All: Loving God, giving you thanks; hear
our prayer.
Offertory:
Blessed are you, God of all creation, through your
goodness we have this bread to offer which earth has given and human hands have
made. We give you thanks individually and as community. This bread is our
community with Sofia
All:
Blessed be God forever.
Blessed are you, God of all creation. Through your
goodness we have this juice to offer, fruit of the vine and work of human
hands. This drink is our never ending desire to offer you thanksgiving for
all life brings for us. We know you hold
us in unconditional love. This will become our spiritual drink.
All:
Blessed be God forever.
My sisters and brothers let us pray together that these
our gifts may be acceptable to God our Creator.
All:
May God accept these gifts from our hands, for the praise and glory of God's
name, for our good and the good of all the People of God.
Presider: Ever
gentle God, Jesus was born of Mary to share his Presence-Emmanuel-“God with us,”
and your Spirit of Power. Accept these our gifts and our gratitude.
By offering ourselves may we be filled with your Spirit of Compassion as we
minister to others in our coming year we ask this through Christ, our
brother. All: Amen.
Canon
from sheet
Our
Father and Mother holding hands
The
Sign of Peace, sung “peace is flowing…love is flowing…Alleluia…
The
Bread is Broken.
All:
This is the Lamb of God Jesus who heals our brokenness and that of our entire
world. You are our brother, may this
bread we eat from one loaf nourish thankfulness in our lives each day.
How blessed are we who are called to the supper of Jesus. May we be who we
are—the Body of Christ. May we be what
we eat—the Body of Christ. Amen.
Please say “We are the body of Christ, we are the blood
of Christ” when passing the bread and wine.
After Communion
meditation:
May today there be peace within. May you trust God that you are
exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite
possibilities that are born of faith. May you use those gifts that you
have received, And pass on the love that has been given to you. May
you be content knowing you are a child of God. Let this presence settle
into your bones and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and
love. It is there for each and every one of us.-- St. Theresa of Avila
Community
prayers of thanksgiving
Closing
May YHWH, who through the childbearing of Mary willed us great kindness to heal the human race, be pleased to enrich us with God’s blessing.
All: Amen
May we know always and everywhere the protection of Mary through whom we have been found worthy to receive the author of life.
All: Amen
May we who have devoutly gathered this night, carry away with us
the gifts of spiritual joys, God’s peace and heavenly rewards.
All: Amen
And may the blessing of Almighty God, Jesus our brother and Sofia come down on us and remain with us forever.
All: Amen
Our liturgy has ended; let us go forth to welcome our New Year.
All: Thanks be to God and A Happy New Year! Alleluia.
Litany
of Gratitude for 2014
If
you can, from 2014 make a gratitude list, one for each letter of the alphabet.
Go back further if you need to.
A:
B:
C:
D:
E:
F:
G:
H:
I:
J:
K:
L:
M:
N:
O:
P:
Q:
R:
S:
T:
U:
V:
W:
X:
Y:
Z:
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