Call to Gather, and center with Breath of One Life
Breath of the One
Life
by Jan Novotka
Refrain:
Breath of the One
Life,
blow through me,
flow thought me,
Breath of Life.
Great Source of All That Is,
Great Source of All That Is,
hidden within,
renews the face of the
Earth.
Breath of the One
Life,
blow through me,
flow thought me,
Breath of Life.
Conscious awareness
stillness within,
renews the face of
the Earth.
Breath of the One
Life,
blow through me,
flow thought me,
Breath of Life.
Love and compassion,
Love and compassion,
life deep within,
renews the face of
the Earth.
(As
Opening Prayer is Sung, Members from different regions set the table including
candles representing people who have crossed over and members who are not with
us on retreat)
Opening
Song:
Michael Joncas
We place
upon your table
a gleaming cloth of white:
the weaving of our stories,
the fabric of our lives;
the dreams of those before us,
the ancient hopeful cries,
the promise of our future:
our needing and our nurture
lie here before our eyes.
Refrain: We come to your feast,
we come to your feast:
the young and the old,
the frightened, the bold,
the greatest and the least.
We come to your feast,
we come to your feast
with the fruit of our lands
and the work of our hands,
we come to your feast.
We place upon your table
a humble loaf of bread:
the gift of field and hillside,
the grain by which we're fed;
we come to taste the presence
of him on whom we feed,
to strengthen and connect us,
to challenge and correct us,
to love in word and deed.
Refrain
We place upon your table
a simple cup of wine:
the fruit of human labor,
the gift of sun and vine;
we come taste the presence
of him we claim as Love,
his dying and his living,
his leading and his giving,
his love in cup outpoured.
a gleaming cloth of white:
the weaving of our stories,
the fabric of our lives;
the dreams of those before us,
the ancient hopeful cries,
the promise of our future:
our needing and our nurture
lie here before our eyes.
Refrain: We come to your feast,
we come to your feast:
the young and the old,
the frightened, the bold,
the greatest and the least.
We come to your feast,
we come to your feast
with the fruit of our lands
and the work of our hands,
we come to your feast.
We place upon your table
a humble loaf of bread:
the gift of field and hillside,
the grain by which we're fed;
we come to taste the presence
of him on whom we feed,
to strengthen and connect us,
to challenge and correct us,
to love in word and deed.
Refrain
We place upon your table
a simple cup of wine:
the fruit of human labor,
the gift of sun and vine;
we come taste the presence
of him we claim as Love,
his dying and his living,
his leading and his giving,
his love in cup outpoured.
Refrain
We gather 'round your table,
we pause within our quest,
we stand beside our neighbors,
we name the stranger "guest."
The feast is spread before us;
you bid us come and dine:
in blessing we'll uncover,
in sharing we'll discover
your substance and your sign.
We gather 'round your table,
we pause within our quest,
we stand beside our neighbors,
we name the stranger "guest."
The feast is spread before us;
you bid us come and dine:
in blessing we'll uncover,
in sharing we'll discover
your substance and your sign.
Refrain
GREETING:
Presider: We
come together in the presence of God who is the Source of all Being, and of
Jesus our brother and of Spirit Sophia, our wisdom.
ALL: Alleluia
ALL: Alleluia
Rite
of Reconciliation and Healing:
Presider:
We pause now to ask forgiveness for our failures to love one another and all
beings on earth. We join hands aware of the creative energy of divine love in
each of us and all of us . (Pause for several seconds) Let us
live the words of this prayer in all our relationships: “I love you, I’m
sorry, please forgive me, thank you.”
All:
I Love You, I'm Sorry, Please Forgive Me, Thank You
ALL: Glory
to God glory, O praise God alleluia, Glory to God glory, o praise the name of
our God. (3 times)
OPENING PRAYER
Presider: O
Holy One, You are the passionate presence of love from which life began on earth
and continues to evolve in unending delight in us and in all creation. We give
thanks and praise as we celebrate our BeComing who we are called to be,
mystics, prophets and celebrators of the fullness of life.
All:
Alleluia
LITURGY OF THE WORD
Readings: First
Reading: Amos 7:12-15 : “Go prophesy to my people.”
Sung by Kathryn
Christian
I'll not be afraid
You are with me always
I will trust in you
Through this night
I feel your Spirit rise
Deep within me calling
To let go and find new light
For you have formed me
In my mother's womb
My days are safely secured
If I take the wings
of the morning to the sea
There you will follow me
O God you have searched me
And you have known me
When I fall and when I arise
You search out my path
And you guide me knowing
Every word upon my heart
For you have formed me
In my mother's womb
My days are safely secured
If I take the wings
of the morning to the sea
There you will follow me
Where can I run
From your loving Spirit?
Where can I flee from your grace
If I ascend to heaven
You are waiting
When in darkness
You are still there
For you have formed me
In my mother's womb
My days are safely secured
If I take the wings
of the morning to the sea
There you will follow me
You are with me always
I will trust in you
Through this night
I feel your Spirit rise
Deep within me calling
To let go and find new light
For you have formed me
In my mother's womb
My days are safely secured
If I take the wings
of the morning to the sea
There you will follow me
O God you have searched me
And you have known me
When I fall and when I arise
You search out my path
And you guide me knowing
Every word upon my heart
For you have formed me
In my mother's womb
My days are safely secured
If I take the wings
of the morning to the sea
There you will follow me
Where can I run
From your loving Spirit?
Where can I flee from your grace
If I ascend to heaven
You are waiting
When in darkness
You are still there
For you have formed me
In my mother's womb
My days are safely secured
If I take the wings
of the morning to the sea
There you will follow me
Second
Reading: Reading from Spong, ( cited in Incarnation by Diarmuid O’Murchu
)
“The Kingdom of God
comes when we are empowered to live fully, to love wastefully, and to be all we
are capable of being.”
Gospel
Acclamation: ALLELUIA! (sung)
Gospel:
Mark 6:7-13 “They cast out many demons, and anointed many sick people with oil
and healed them. “
Shared Homily : Janet Blakeley
HOMILY-B-OT-15
UNLIKELY PROPHETS
Homily for
15th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B
Janet
Blakeley
ARCWP Annual
Retreat, 2018
Two elements
in today’s readings caught my attention.
They did no more than catch my attention - no helpful insights
came, no additional scholarly ideas – because it seemed the rest was to unfold
at this retreat. Not reassuring to the
homilist, but God has God’s ways…
The first
element I noticed was Amos, the unlikely prophet. Those “in the know’” were displeased with
his claiming to be a prophet. They
muttered amongst themselves “Not sophisticated. Not educated. Doesn’t speak well. Something of a ‘nobody’ really…”
But Amos, in
his pure simplicity, said “Yup. That’s
me. And the Holy One has asked me to speak for him to all the other
people! Ain’t that grand?!? And without waiting for their responses, he
hurried off to begin speaking for God.
From our
arrival on Thursday, I began the attentive listening that would tell us what
God wished to say about unlikely prophets.
The next day Wanda talked to us about the importance of listening to
God. She told of ways she and Miriam
have listened and signs they have recognized and the amazingly rich variety of
ministries that resulted from that attentiveness. Like you, I sat quietly thinking “This is
really wonderful.”
And then God
gave me a nudge. Actually it was more
like a pointed jab in the ribs to get my attention. God said, “Unlikely Prophet!” I said “Oh.
Oh! Oh – the homily!” At the next break I wrote down everything
I had noticed about Wanda. (And since
we are going to talk about Wanda, you need to know that she gives us
permission.)
Indeed, here
was Wanda, not having what you would immediately see as a commanding
presence. In other words, she did not
resemble Charlton Heston in the role of Moses in “The Ten Commandments”! In the first place, she was a she! She did
not speak the King’s English but peppered her sentences with spicy references,
and softened her words with a sweet southern accent. She was jolly, natural, and friendly. She accepted God’s call and eagerly waited
to hear more. She spoke to all kinds of
people and they felt themselves invited in.
Her ministry grew and grew! Her
sidekick, Miriam, is equally funny and real.
In fact she may be an even more unlikely prophet!
So – if the
human expectations of maleness, sophistication, tons of education, correctness,
etc. are not God’s criteria for a prophet, what are? Apparently the first is to be happy in your
humanity. Then to have a love of people
so great that you are bursting to share your greatest treasure with them. But above all the desire to know what God
wants said and done – enough so that you are willing to listen, wait, and watch
for the signs.
The second
element that caught my attention was the Gospel describing Launching Day for a new prophetic movement –
one that would last for thousands of years.
But here was Jesus, the prophet par excellence, sending out not one but
twelve unlikely prophets. They were not
sophisticated or highly educated. But
they were happy in their humanity, really wanted to share their new-found
treasure, and showed themselves willing and ready to listen to the directives
of Jesus, which on that day were to “Go, cast out unclean spirits, and heal the
sick.”
They had
absolutely nothing to bolster their confidence or give them
comfort. Jesus was specific about
that. “Take nothing with you!” Not even a little notecard to pull out when
trying to remember the steps to casting out demons!
Look around
you. WE are a motley crew of unlikely
prophets – are we not?! And Jesus sends
us out today. Are we prepared? Do we know enough? Do we get the words right? Are we strong in all the areas where we will
need strength? Does it matter?
Like all
unlikely prophets before us, we have what it takes:
a love - a reverence for - our own
humanity,
a longing to share our greatest treasure with others so they
might know how good God is, and how much they are loved by God,
and a loving commitment to listening to God, knowing that is
the only way to discern what and how She wants said and done.
Now we ask ourselves:
Am I an Unlikely Prophet?
What are my credentials that say I am?
Profession
of Faith: (We Who Are Alive Today, by Jan Phillips)
ALL: We who are alive today are the
eyes and ears,
the
hands and feet of the Creative Force.
We
are Thought Incarnate, Word made Flesh, Love materialized.
We
are the consciousness of the earth:
the
universe knowing itself, seeing itself, singing to itself.
We
are prophets of a new time, makers of a new myth,
where
our Source dwells not on some heavenly throne
but
in the very breath of living things: among us and within us.
We
are made of heaven and earth, starlight and clay,
minerals
and meteor dust.
We
are the Infinite Wave transformed into finite particles,
spacetime
compressed into the spec of a lifetime.
As
the Cosmos multiplies and expands forever outward
so
does it expand forever inward
evolving
us into beings of higher consciousness.
We
who are alive today came here with a purpose,
are
in service to a mission: to extend mercy, to bring forth justice,
to
re-member ourselves and converge as one.
We
are creating tomorrow with our thoughts and words.
We
are shaping ourselves and families, our communities and cities,
our
cultures and civilizations by what we do and failed to do.
We
are ascending into our potential, evolving into our God-ness,
co-creating
the Whole that is the sum of our parts.
We
who are alive today; let us sing out that the heaven we seek
is
already around us, that wherever we look,
the
Holy One is there, looking right back.
No
matter what storms batter and buffet us, let us not lose heart,
for
we are One with All and life holds us firmly in the palm of its hand.
GENERAL INTERCESSIONS
Presider: Let
us rejoice together in the dance of creation.
That
we may care for the earth in which the Holy One is revealed, we pray
Response:
We awaken to your call.
Presider: That
those in leadership in our church may let go of fear of the new and
wholeheartedly join in the dance, we pray
Response:
We awaken to your call.
R.
Presider: That theologians may have courage to respond to the rhythm
of truth in spite of condemnation, we pray...
R.We awaken
to your call.
Presider: That
those who have crossed over may dance forever in God's presence, we pray...
R. We
awaken to your call.
(Other
Intentions)
Liturgy
of the Eucharist
PREPARATION OF THE GIFTS
Presider: We
gather around the table with the gifts of bread, wine, and our own lives to
offer. Through this sacred meal may we become your new creation as
we trust your Presence at work in our lives doing infinitely more than we can
imagine.
ALL: Blessed
be God for forever.
EUCHARISTIC PRAYER
Presider:
The Holy One dwells within you.
ALL: And
loves through you.
Presider: Lift
up your hearts.
ALL: We
lift them up to the Great Spirit dwelling everwhere.
Presider:
Let us give thanks that we are co-creators in the miracle of life.
ALL: It
is right to proclaim our oneness with All.
Side
One:
We
give thanks for the God of amazing surprises, Creator of tiny bugs and awesome
planets, We marvel at the Designer of earth's wonders and Giver of life and
laughter. We contemplate your passionate love hidden, yet revealed, everywhere
in the cosmos.
Side
Two:
We
give thanks for the holy dance of life in your faithful love always with us. We
jump for joy as we experience Love’s connections and creative energy evolving
through our universe.
Sing:
Holy, Holy, Holy by Karen Drucker
We are holy, holy, holy
We are holy, holy, holy
We are holy, holy, holy
We are whole...
Spirit divine,
Come to me
Feeling love,
Healing me
Open my heart,
Allow me to see
Beauty &; love
Lives in me
You are holy, holy, holy
I am holy, holy, holy
Side
One:
We
affirm the women and men through the ages who have danced Love's cosmic dream
of communion with hearts ablaze. We pause now to remember those who have shown
us how to step lightly on the path to holiness and wholeness. (Time for
spontaneous remembrance)
Side
Two:
As
we eat and drink this bread and wine we remember Jesus who showed us how to live fully and to love
tenderly.
ALL:
(please
all extend hands as we recite the epiclesis and consecration together)
We are filled with the same Spirit
that was in Jesus as we now invoke the Divine Presence upon our gifts of bread
and wine and upon us in this feast of transforming nurturing love.
On the night before he
died, Jesus gathered for the Seder supper with his friends. At this meal, he
took bread, gave thanks, broke the bread, gave it to them and said:
Take
and eat. Whenever you do this, you remember me
(PAUSE)
ALL:
At
the end of the meal, Jesus took a cup of wine, gave it to his friends and said:
Take
this, all of you, and drink. Every time you do this, you remember me.
Presider:
Let us proclaim the Sacred Mystery:
ALL:
We rejoice that the Spirit of God is within us, within everyone. and within all
creation.
Side
One:
Although
we come from diverse backgrounds, we are one body, for we all share in this one
bread. And so, as we honor Jesus in this sacred meal, may we cherish each other
and all people as the face of God in our
world.
Side
Two:
We
commit our lives to prophetic witness in acts of forgiveness, healing, and
justice. We commit ourselves to support all who suffer rejection on the margins
and to work for non-violence and equality.
ALL:
Like Jesus we believe in to the infinite power of Divine Love reaching out to everyone
with healing words, liberating actions and transforming presence.
THE PRAYER
OF JESUS
ALL: Our
Father and Mother…
THE SIGN
OF PEACE
Presider: The
peace of Jesus Sophia is always with you. ALL: And also with
you.
Presider: Let
us share peace to each other in gesture and song with this beautiful
Prayer for Peace by David Haas
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cw0gMW6gk0w
Prayer for Peace by David Haas
Presider: (Lead gestures
to music)
Peace before us.Peace behind us.
Peace under our feet.
Peace within us.
Peace over us.
Let all around us be peace.
Love before us…
Light before us…
Christ before us…
LITANY FOR THE BREAKING OF BREAD
ALL: Aware
of our sisters and brothers who suffer injustice , we speak truth to power, Aware of discrimination and exploitation
against LGBTQI and immigrants, we work for justice and equality, Aware of our connection with everyone and everything, we
are beComing who we are called to be.
Presider: Let
us eat the bread of life and drink the wine of unending delight in memory of
Jesus. ALL: We are the face of God.
COMMUNION
Song:
Anointed
Kathy Sherman
Do not be afraid, It is
I who am sending you.
I will go with you,
wherever you go.
Do not be afraid, for my
Spirit is upon you.
You will work miracles
in my name.
You can heal the
brokenhearted.
You can feed all those
who hunger.
You will touch the eyes
of the blind and they will see.
You will welcome to the
table the poor and the unwanted.
You will shine like bright
stars in the night.
Be not afraid, I am with
you.
Do not be afraid, It is
I who believe in you.
I will go with you, you
will have all you need.
Do not be afraid, for my
courage will uphold you.
You will work miracles
in my name.
You can stand with those
who struggle.
Give comfort to the
weeping.
You will be a voice for
the ones who can’t be heard.
You will celebrate the
journey.
With Your justice, love,
and beauty
Making hearts and minds
and bodies whole.
Be not afraid, I am with
you.
Do not be afraid, It is
I who am loving you.
I will go with you, you
will know I am near.
Do not be afraid, for my
fire burns in your heart.
You will work miracles
in my name.
You can live with bold
compassion,
Embracing all creation,
You will dance away
divisions for a time that’s now.
You can sing a song of
blessing
And the song will be
remembered
And that song will ring
out for all times.
Be not afraid, I am with
you. Be not afraid, I am with you,
With you, with you.
PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
Presider: Spirt
of life, we celebrate our beComing, as we go forth renewing our hopes and dreams to live gospel
equality and justice.. May we contemplate your Power and Presence within us as we live as companions
of Jesus and one another in loving service, ALL: Amen
CONCLUDING RITE
Presider: Jesus
Sophia is within us
ALL: and
heals, empowers and loves through us
BLESSING
(everyone please extend your hands in mutual blessing)
ALL: The blessing of
God, the eternal goodwill of God, the shalom of God, the wildness and warmth of
God, be among us as we go in peace celebrating our BeComing Who We Are Called
to Be.
We go
forth as dancing prophets and mystic visionaries of our cosmic communion with
all life,
in
the Name of the Great Mystery,
in the
Name of our brother Jesus,
and
in the name of Sophia wisdom dancing with us .
Amen
DISMISSAL
Presider: Go
in the peace of Jesus Sophia to love tenderly and do justice.
CONCLUDING
HYMN: We Go Forth
We Go Forth
By Jan Novotka
We stand here
together
Hand in
hand, side by side.
We walk
into mystery
For the
sake of all.
We go
forth, as one,
As one, we
stand strong.
Letting
go, letting in,
We emerge
with new wings.
Liturgy created by Bridget
Mary Meehan ARCWP
Association of Roman
Catholic Woman Priests
https://bridgetmarys.blogspot.com/
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