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| left to right, Alicia Bartol Thomas and Bridget Mary Meehan, co-oresuders after MMOJ liturgy at Pot Luck supper |
MMOJ Homily Starter, Nov. 7th, 2015
by Bridget Mary Meehan
God is really good at tapping on our shoulders
and asking for more–even when we feel we are tapped out- out of money, out of
food, out of compassion, out of energy and out of patience to respond.
And it is not always, the big stuff, like the
generous widows faced in our scripture readings, giving her last penny or loaf of bread! Sometimes it may even mean making a donation or signing a petition to help someone in need. Recently, I made a donation, and less than a week later I received a check with almost the same amount, a total suprise and reminder that God cannot be outdone in generosity!
In my life, God usually taps me on the shoulder
in nitty, gritty stuff or in the events of our movement for justice and
equality in the church.
I sometimes joke that the Vatican is the gift
that keeps on giving when they engage our movement with excommunications and
punishments, but, sometimes, the truth is I could use a little break too!
After several days of exhilarating work for
gender equality at the Parliament of World Religions and a beautiful ordination
of a woman priest in Salt Lake City, I was looking forward to a quiet plane
ride across the country. I usually pray the rosary and then dive into a good
book! I enjoy reading mystery stories on long plane rides that feature yummy deserts. On this trip I brought along Red
Velvet Cupcake Murder. Even though I don’t bake, as those of you who know
me are aware, I could burn water and that is hard to do! Last week, I made green mushy jello because I forgot that when I put in the fruit, you don't need to add cold water! I was on a health kick adding the fruit!
But, back to my story about the no fun,
frivolous read on the flight home from Salt Lake City to Atlanta.
The Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests
faced a major crisis with the excommunication and dismissal of our beloved
Sister, Tish Rawles from her Religious Order.
Before the plane took off, Janice Sevre
Duszynska, our ARCWP media representative, and I wrote down what we knew about
Sister Tish’s story. However, we had a challenge. We were seated in middle
seats across the aisle from each other and so communication was an issue.
Perhaps,
God tapped the woman sitting next to Janice on the shoulder, or maybe she could
not stand any more cross talk or the shuffling of papers across the aisle, but
she gave up her window seat to Janice so that we could sit next to each other!
Blessed may she be for her kindness!
Although there were a few surprises for us as the Sister Tish story evolved, we are now in the midst of a major campaign to gain public support for not only restoring Tish to her order, and rescinding the excommunication, but also, stepping into the Holy Year of Mercy with a petition to Pope Francis to drop all excommunications against women priests and our supporters. In less than two weeks, we are approaching 5000 signatures. http://action.groundswell-mvmt.org/petitions/pope-francis-reinstate-fired-nun
In the mundane and important events of our
lives, God speaks through another person’s needs or our own needs. When we respond generously like the widows, God blesses us beyond our wildest dreams!
So let us take a quiet moment of meditation: (soft music)
Breathe in love and open yourself to Grace tapping you on the shoulder...
In the depths of your soul, you may hear the
soft, still voice of God speaking to you asking something of you....
“Will you do this? Will you give of yourself
generously?
Will you love ? Will you forgive ?
Will you keep on keeping on, knowing that I am
with you no matter what happens?
Will you trust that God's grace is moving
in this situation, and that will always be more than enough?
Like the widows, in the sacred texts today, God
taps us on the shoulder -each of us in big ways and little ways –many-times-
inviting us to be face of God in the world and pouring forth abundant, boundless love into our hearts!
As Nadia Bolz-Weber says in her inspiring book, Pastrix,
“God comes and gets us, taps us on the shoulder, and says, ‘Pay attention, this
is for you. Dumb as we are, smart and faithful as we are, just as we are.’” (Pastrix,
p.57.)
Like the poor widows, may our
hearts take comfort , and hope in God whose love and grace is always more than
enough for us to be the presence of God
in every relationship and situation.
So the question is, Is God
tapping you on the shoulder today and asking you to generous giving?
( Sing: “Let your heart take
comfort, all you who hope in God.” Monica Brown, Chant)
Dialogue Homily: Alicia Bartol
Thomas, co-presider and community
Dialogue Homily: Alicia Bartol Thomas
Hymns
for Nov. 7th, 2015
Opening:
“We Gather Here to Celebrate” by Mindy Simmons
We gather here
to celebrate one God universal
We gather here
to celebrate the joy within
In unity we
celebrate…. The beauty of diversity
Come and Join us
in our fellowship……Welcome friends.
Verse: You are
my sisters, you are my brothers
In the one
divine mind we are one with each other
So join with me,
in unity….let us celebrate our diversity.
(Repeat
Chorus)
Responsorial
Psalm: Let your heart take comfort, all you who
hope in God.”
By
Monica Brown, Chant)
Communion:
“Heart of the Mother”
I am one with
the Heart of the Mother.
I am one with
the Heart of love.
I am one with
the Heart of the Father.
I am one with
God.
Recessional
Hymn: #646 Navy Hymn, Veterans Day
LITURGY:
LITURGY:
Liturgy: Celebrating
New Life as Midwives of Grace
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GATHERING
SONG AND GREETING
Presider: In the name of God, Midwife of Grace, and of
Jesus our brother, and of the Holy Spirit, our Liberator. ALL: Amen
Presider: My sisters and brothers, God loves us
infinitely and is with us always. ALL:
and also with you.
PENITENTIAL
RITE
Presider: Let us pause now for reflection. Place your hand over your heart and breathe
in God’s passionate love for you…breathe out God’s, extravagant love for everyone….
Open
yourself to Spirit energy empowering you…
Now let us praise God by
singing Glory to God…
Song of Praise: Glory to God, glory. O praise Glory
alleluia.
Glory to God, glory. O praise the name of our God. (x2)
Glory to God, glory. O praise the name of our God. (x2)
OPENING
PRAYER
Presider: God of Love, Midwife
of grace, we experience your grace drawing us to new life in the depths of our
mystical souls and in our prophetic call .We rejoice with our brother Jesus, through the power of your
Spirit. ALL: Amen.
LITURGY OF
THE WORD
First
Reading
Responsorial
Psalm
Second
Reading
Gospel
Acclamation: Alleluia
Gospel:
Reader: The good news of Jesus, the Christ!
ALL: Glory and praise to you, Jesus the Christ!
HOMILY
Profession
of Faith: ALL:
We believe in God who is compassion in our world. We believe in Jesus,
whose death and resurrection reveals God’s infinite love. We believe in the
Holy Spirit, the breath of Wisdom Sophia, who energizes and guides us to live Christ’s
presence. We believe in the communion of saints, our heavenly friends, who
inspire us to live holy lives. We believe in the church as the people of God, living
in faith, hope and love.
GENERAL
INTERCESSIONS
Presider: That we may bring new life into our world, we
pray
Response: God of all, love
through us
Presider: That we may foster healing of our Earth, we
pray. R.
Presider: That the sick may be healed, we pray. R.
Presider: That we may be forever one with our beloved
dead in the communion of saints we pray. R. (Other
Intentions)
PREPARATION
OF THE GIFTS
Presider: Blessed are you, God of all life, through
your goodness we have bread, wine, all creation, and our own lives to
offer. Through this sacred meal may we
become your new creation. (hold
up bread and wine)
ALL: Blessed be God forever.
(All come around the
table to pray the Eucharistic Prayer, background music may be played)
Presider: God is with you, abounding in love
ALL: and also with you.
Presider: Lift up your hearts in Christ who lives and
loves , heals and empowers through you.
ALL: We lift them up to God.
Presider: Let us give thanks to our God.
ALL: It is right to give God thanks and praise.
EUCHARISTIC PRAYER
Voice
One: Life-giving Love, You call all persons to
be friends of God. United with You, we are one with all beings in the community
of creation as we celebrate the new life occurring in our expanding cosmos. We join
the angels and saints as we sing:
ALL: Sung “We are holy,
holy, holy, you are holy, holy, holy, I am holy, holy, holy” chant by Karen Drucker
Voice Two: Gracious God, you set the banquet table and
invite all to the feast that celebrates your dazzling love in the universe. As midwives of grace we are Your hands,
lifting up those who suffer, the vulnerable and neglected in our world today
Voice Three: We especially thank
you, Holy One, for Jesus, the Compassion of God, who came to show us a new
vision of community where every person is loved and all relate with mutual
respect.
Voice Four:
Jesus
threatened the religious and political leaders of his time and so they put him
to death. As God raised Jesus to new
life, we trust that your promise of faithful love will be with us in our suffering
and raise us up to fullness of life.
All: (please all extend hands as we recite the consecration together)
Let your Spirit come
upon these gifts as we pray:
On the night before he
died, Jesus took bread into his hands and said:
This is my body, he
said. Take and eat .
Do this in in memory of me.
Pause
At the end of the meal Jesus
took a cup of wine, raised it in thanksgiving to you, and said:
”Take and drink of the
covenant made new again through my life in
you. Do
this in memory of me.
Presider: Now then, let us proclaim the mystery of the
Christ Presence made new again through you:
ALL: In
every creature that has ever breathed, Christ has lived; in every living being
that has passed on before us, Christ has died;
in everything yet to be, Christ will come again!
Voice Five: . We
thank you for ordinary people in our lives who show us how to love tenderly and
have revealed the heart of our God, especially
(pause to remember and name some
of these holy women and men).
Voice Six: And so, liberating
God, Midwife of Grace, we hold our religious ministers and political leaders in
the light of Christ Sophia, Holy Wisdom.
We pray for our pope and bishops, the young and the elders, and all
God’s holy people.
Voice Seven: We remember those who are sick and
suffering. May they be healed and
comforted. We remember Mary, mother of
Jesus, Mary Magdala, Peter, Paul, Junia,
our patron saints. We remember our loved
ones and all those who have died, that they may experience the fullness of life
in the embrace of our gracious God.
ALL: Through Christ, with Christ, in Christ, all
praise and glory are yours, Holy God, through the power of the Holy
Spirit. Amen.
THE PRAYER
OF JESUS
ALL: Our Father and Mother . . .
and forever. Amen.
THE SIGN
OF PEACE
Presider: Let us pray for the peace of Christ in our
world as we sing and hold hands in a community prayer for peace (Peace is
flowing or other appropriate hymn)
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 live as Your
presence in the world. We will do so.
Presider: Behold the Body of Christ. All are invited to partake of this sacred
banquet of love.
ALL: Jesus we are worthy to receive you and become
you for others. We are the Body of
Christ.
Presider: Let us share the Body of Christ with the Body
of Christ! ALL: Amen.
PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
Presider: Life-giving God, You come to birth each day
in our universe through suffering death and new life. Your Spirit is moving in
us as we love passionately, and extravagantly to bring your shalom to everyone equally especially the
marginalized.
ALL: Amen
CONCLUDING
RITE
Presider: Our God is with you.
ALL: and also with you.
BLESSING
(everyone
please extend your hands in mutual blessing)
ALL: Holy One, Midwife of Grace, we bless one
another as we serve others with loving kindness .
DISMISSAL
Presider: Go, bring forth life as midwives of grace in
our world. Let the service begin! ALL: Thanks be to God.
CONCLUDING HYMN
God, A
Midwife: Psalm 22:9-10 “Yet You drew me out of the womb, you nestled me to my
mother’s bosom; you cradled me in your lap from my birth; from my mother’s
womb, you have been my God.”
Bridget Mary
Meehan
Association of Roman
Catholic Woman Priests
http://bridgetmarys.blogspot.com/
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