Mary Theresa Streck, ARCWP, and Annabella Roig led the Upper Room Inclusive Catholic liturgy with the theme: The Cost of Discipleship. Mary Theresa's reflection on the readings is printed below a beautiful poem by Edwina Gateley: Called to Say Yes. During the liturgy, Kim Panaro blessed Mary Theresa and Joan Chesterfield, ARCWP, as they travel to the Holy Land, and Kathleen Ryan, ARCWP, anointed community members who are facing health issues, and Dennis McDonald, ARCWP, and Jeanne McDonald, renewed their wedding vows
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| Upper Room blesses Mary Theresa and Joan and all traveling to Holy Land with the Wayfarer Prayer |
Tefilat Haderech
Adonai shall guard your coming and your going from this time forth and forever.
Adonai, the whole world is full of Your glory. Wherever I go, You are near to me. If I take up the wings of the morning and dwell on the ocean’s farthest shore, even there Your hand will lead me; Your right hand will hold me.
You have always been a light to my path. Now that I begin another journey, I turn to You in confidence and trust. Protect me from the perils of the way. May I go forth in health and safely reach my destination. May this journey not be in vain; let its purpose be fulfilled; let me return in contentment to my dear ones. Then shall I know Your blessing in all my travels. Amen.
O Holy One, we are grateful for this gathering of those called to you, of those who answered the call this morning to gather to bring witness to your love and glory. As Jesus called to his disciples and said, "I will make you Fishers of People," and they left their nets and followed, so we got up this morning and followed the desire to be in fellowship to share and hear the Word today. We are grateful for your call in our lives. Amen.
We are called to say yes.
That the kin-dom might break through
To renew and to transform
Our dark and groping world.
We stutter and we stammer
To the lone God who calls
And pleads a New Jerusalem
In the bloodied Sinai Straights.
We are called to say yes
That honeysuckle may twine
And twist its smelling leaves
Over the graves of nuclear arms.
We are called to say yes
That children might play
On the soil of Vietnam where the tanks
Belched blood and death.
We are called to say yes
That black may sing with white
And pledge peace and healing
For the hatred of the past.
We are called to say yes
So that nations might gather
And dance one great movement
For the joy of humankind.
We are called to say yes
So that rich and poor embrace
And become equal in their poverty
Through the silent tears that fall.
We are called to say yes
That the whisper of our God
Might be heard through our sirens
And the screams of our bombs.
We are called to say yes
To a God who still holds fast
To the vision of the Kin-dom
For a trembling world of pain.
We are called to say yes
To this God who reaches out
And asks us to share
a crazy dream of love.
These are the inspired words of Edwina Gateley and we affirm these words by saying, Amen.
Mary Theresa’s Homily Starter:
Come follow me. I will make you fishers of people.
And they left their nets behind and followed him.
There is so much to unpack from these sentences. The first is the response of the disciples to the invitation. Come follow me.
As I thought about the Gospel reading, I wondered: How many times did these first followers of men and women, and Luke tells us that there were men and women, how many times did they listen to Jesus before they really heard and responded to his invitation?
I wonder how many discussions or debates or arguments they had with friends and family members about this young revolutionary who was telling them that the law of love superseded any other law.
Ultimately, what was the catalyst that caused them to embrace radical discipleship?
I think those first disciples were like us. I believe they went through a process similar to the one we experience as we move from a child’s faith to an adult faith, from a reliance on dogma and doctrines to a companionship of empowerment. There is a cost to becoming an adult. We are no longer passive observers leaving our fate and the fate of the world in someone else’s hands. Rather, we become active participants and co-creators of our world.
So, in light of the many women marches happening here and around the country, I would like to conclude with acknowledging and speaking words of gratitude for all the strong women who, like Edwina Gateley, are responding to their call to be co-creators with the Holy One, claiming their rightful place at the many tables where they have been excluded.
Jeanne and Dennis, the Spirit of Life and Love is evident in you.
May that Spirit continue to be expressed in the generosity of your love for one another and in your love for all whose lives you touch. And may a Spirit of gratitude, wonder and peace be your gift to others as the depth of your love for one another deepens. May gratitude, wonder and peace be the blessings from which you draw joyfully in the years ahead. Amen
Adonai, the whole world is full of Your glory. Wherever I go, You are near to me. If I take up the wings of the morning and dwell on the ocean’s farthest shore, even there Your hand will lead me; Your right hand will hold me.
You have always been a light to my path. Now that I begin another journey, I turn to You in confidence and trust. Protect me from the perils of the way. May I go forth in health and safely reach my destination. May this journey not be in vain; let its purpose be fulfilled; let me return in contentment to my dear ones. Then shall I know Your blessing in all my travels. Amen.
Opening Prayer – Annabella Roig
O Holy One, we are grateful for this gathering of those called to you, of those who answered the call this morning to gather to bring witness to your love and glory. As Jesus called to his disciples and said, "I will make you Fishers of People," and they left their nets and followed, so we got up this morning and followed the desire to be in fellowship to share and hear the Word today. We are grateful for your call in our lives. Amen.
First Reading: Called to Say Yes
by Edwina Gateley, From: There Was No Path So I Trod One
by Edwina Gateley, From: There Was No Path So I Trod One
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| Jeanne McDonald |
That the kin-dom might break through
To renew and to transform
Our dark and groping world.
We stutter and we stammer
To the lone God who calls
And pleads a New Jerusalem
In the bloodied Sinai Straights.
We are called to say yes
That honeysuckle may twine
And twist its smelling leaves
Over the graves of nuclear arms.
We are called to say yes
That children might play
On the soil of Vietnam where the tanks
Belched blood and death.
We are called to say yes
That black may sing with white
And pledge peace and healing
For the hatred of the past.
We are called to say yes
So that nations might gather
And dance one great movement
For the joy of humankind.
We are called to say yes
So that rich and poor embrace
And become equal in their poverty
Through the silent tears that fall.
We are called to say yes
That the whisper of our God
Might be heard through our sirens
And the screams of our bombs.
We are called to say yes
To a God who still holds fast
To the vision of the Kin-dom
For a trembling world of pain.
We are called to say yes
To this God who reaches out
And asks us to share
a crazy dream of love.
These are the inspired words of Edwina Gateley and we affirm these words by saying, Amen.
Mary Theresa’s Homily Starter:
Come follow me. I will make you fishers of people.
And they left their nets behind and followed him.
There is so much to unpack from these sentences. The first is the response of the disciples to the invitation. Come follow me.
As I thought about the Gospel reading, I wondered: How many times did these first followers of men and women, and Luke tells us that there were men and women, how many times did they listen to Jesus before they really heard and responded to his invitation?
I wonder how many discussions or debates or arguments they had with friends and family members about this young revolutionary who was telling them that the law of love superseded any other law.
Ultimately, what was the catalyst that caused them to embrace radical discipleship?
I think those first disciples were like us. I believe they went through a process similar to the one we experience as we move from a child’s faith to an adult faith, from a reliance on dogma and doctrines to a companionship of empowerment. There is a cost to becoming an adult. We are no longer passive observers leaving our fate and the fate of the world in someone else’s hands. Rather, we become active participants and co-creators of our world.
So, in light of the many women marches happening here and around the country, I would like to conclude with acknowledging and speaking words of gratitude for all the strong women who, like Edwina Gateley, are responding to their call to be co-creators with the Holy One, claiming their rightful place at the many tables where they have been excluded.
Personally, I am grateful for the Danube Seven, the first women who answered their call to ordination as Roman Catholic Women Priests and defied an unjust church law. Their cost was excommunication and I’m sure they lost a few friends and the support of some family members, but, in the end, the reward was great: freedom in a companionship of empowerment.
As you ponder these reading, what are your thoughts on the cost of discipleship?
Anointing of Community - Kathleen Ryan, ARCWP
The Holy One is always standing with us in our joy and suffering. We too stand with each other in times of joy and suffering.
As we experience the Holy One’s presence we anoint you with the blessings of health, peace and love.
As always, we bring to the table the unspoken prayers and concerns that we carry in our hearts. Amen
Communion Meditation: Covenant Hymn by Rory Cooney
https://youtu.be/oh5jnx8GC4Q
Dennis and Jeanne renew wedding vows:
I recommit to you, knowing in my heart that you will be my constant friend, my faithful partner in life, and my one true love. On this special and holy day, I give to you in the presence of God and all those here today my sacred promise to stay by your side as your faithful wife in sickness and in health, in joy and in sorrow, as well as through the good times and the bad.
I promise to love you without reservation, honor and respect you, provide for your needs as best I can, protect you from harm, comfort you in times of distress, grow with you in mind and spirit, always be open and honest with you, and cherish you for as long as we both shall live.
Community Blessing for Dennis and Jeanne
As you ponder these reading, what are your thoughts on the cost of discipleship?
Anointing of Community - Kathleen Ryan, ARCWP
The Holy One is always standing with us in our joy and suffering. We too stand with each other in times of joy and suffering.
As we experience the Holy One’s presence we anoint you with the blessings of health, peace and love.
As always, we bring to the table the unspoken prayers and concerns that we carry in our hearts. Amen
Communion Meditation: Covenant Hymn by Rory Cooney
https://youtu.be/oh5jnx8GC4Q
Dennis and Jeanne renew wedding vows:
I recommit to you, knowing in my heart that you will be my constant friend, my faithful partner in life, and my one true love. On this special and holy day, I give to you in the presence of God and all those here today my sacred promise to stay by your side as your faithful wife in sickness and in health, in joy and in sorrow, as well as through the good times and the bad.
I promise to love you without reservation, honor and respect you, provide for your needs as best I can, protect you from harm, comfort you in times of distress, grow with you in mind and spirit, always be open and honest with you, and cherish you for as long as we both shall live.
Community Blessing for Dennis and Jeanne
May that Spirit continue to be expressed in the generosity of your love for one another and in your love for all whose lives you touch. And may a Spirit of gratitude, wonder and peace be your gift to others as the depth of your love for one another deepens. May gratitude, wonder and peace be the blessings from which you draw joyfully in the years ahead. Amen
Final Blessing prayed by community
May we continue to be the face of God to each other. May we call each other to extravagant generosity! May we walk with an awareness of our Call as companions on the journey, knowing we are not alone. May we, like Jesus, be a shining light and a blessing in our time!
May we continue to be the face of God to each other. May we call each other to extravagant generosity! May we walk with an awareness of our Call as companions on the journey, knowing we are not alone. May we, like Jesus, be a shining light and a blessing in our time!
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| Happy Anniversary and many blessings, Jeanne and Dennis - 40 Years!! |
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