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Sunday, July 8, 2018

Mary Mother of Jesus Inclusive Catholic Community 14th Sunday in Extraordinary Time July 7, 2018 Presiders: Elena Garcia ARCWP, Kevin Connelly Music Ministry: Mindy Lou Simmons

Elena Garcia ARCWP and Kevin Connelly - Co-Presiders

Theme: The Call of the Prophet


Welcome and Centering Thoughts
Presider:
In Baptism we are all called to be priest and prophet. Prophets are those who speak for or on behalf of God in the community. In a world that did not clearly separate issues of religion and politics, the prophets appeared as lobbyists for the rule of God demanding that the courses of action in times of crisis, follow what God desired and not that which was most expedient according to human political wisdom. As we gather today to celebrate Eucharist, let us listen to the experiences of Ezekiel, Paul and Jesus.

Gathering Hymn: “We Are Called” #628 all verses, (using God for Lord)

 Opening Prayer

Presider:  We begin our liturgy in the name of God, the Source of all being, and of the Son eternal Word, and of the Holy Spirit, Sofia Wisdom.  ALL: Amen
Presider: My sisters and brothers, God is with you!   ALL: And also with you.

Presider:  Let us pray.
Gracious and Gifting God, You, who birthed the cosmos, every living thing and each and every one of us, help us each day to be conscious and aware of your magnanimous love for us. Let your life in us transform us that we may fully experience your love. Bring us to the wholeness and holiness to which you call us.  Amen 

Community Reconciliation

(Brief Pause for reflection.)
Presider:  Creator God, to you all hearts are open, no desires unknown, and no secrets are hidden. Cleanse our hearts by the inspiration of Holy Wisdom.
ALL: We take your Word into our minds and hearts. Open them to new understanding.
Presider: Loving Jesus, we ask for the grace to realize our continual need to grow in understanding, compassion and caring for ourselves, all of humanity and for our planet earth, and all the while to be You for others and to meet You in others.
ALL: We accept your love and understanding of the frailty of our human nature.
Presider: We ask for your forgiveness for our failure to extend compassion, understanding and caring to all your children, our brothers and sisters regardless of beliefs, nationalities, races and actions, for we are all worthy to be called your sacred people.
ALL: (with an outstretched arm):      
God, our Father and Mother of Compassion, through his life, Jesus revealed to us that nothing can separate us from your unconditional love. He sent Holy Spirit who gives us the understanding, willingness and courage to love one another. We ask you to grant us the grace of pardon and peace so that we may – in turn- forgive each other our failures to care for one another and for our earth. We ask this in the name of Jesus, our brother and of Holy Spirit Sofia, our healer and comforter.  Amen.

Glory to God

Presider: Let us give glory to our loving Creator in song….
Glory to God, glory, O praise God, alleluia. Glory to God, glory, O praise the name of our God.  (3x)

Liturgy of the Word

First Reading: Ezekiel 2:2-5                            ALL: Thanks be to God
Responsorial: Psalm 142               ALL: Stand by us, stand by us. Lift us up from the restless sea. Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 12:7-10      ALL: Thanks be to God
Gospel acclamation:                                       ALL: Alleluia (Celtic version)


Gospel: Mark 6:1-6                                         ALL: Glory and praise to our brother Jesus



Homily Starter/ Community Reflections
Homily Starter/ 14th Sunday in Extraordinary Time/2018/Elena Garcia ARCWP

We heard at the beginning of our liturgy today that prophets are those who speak for or on

behalf of God. They do not yearn and aspire to become prophets. Not like they wake up one

day and decide “I think I’ll be a prophet. That seems like a lofty ambition to pursue”   We

 just listened to the word of God in the readings for today. Ezekiel heard the word of God

 and recognized the power of Holy Spirit catapulting him onto his feet and then sending him out

among the wolves.  Paul was thrown off his horse and then instructed in the ways of God and

his mission while being assured that the grace of God would be sufficient to sustain him in his

 weakness while speaking for and on behalf of God.  And Jesus showed us how to stand up to

injustice and speak truth to power.  And was he not well received in his own “parish, town”?

Prophets are seldom welcomed with open arms and as Jesus pointed out, never in their native

 land. They are often met with opposition, persecution, and at the very least were ignored.

What did they have in common? They were called to speak for and on behalf of God. They

 carried out their mission in non-violence. They were persistent in the face of opposition and

rejection.  Then, as is the case now, prophets are constantly surrounded by the voices of blind

 complicity to the established order, as well as those who are somewhat aware of the injustices

 but have become numb and preoccupied with other matters.

 I think of times in my life when I have been compelled to action about something that is

 foreign to my knowledge base and totally out of my comfort zone.  From where did that

inspiration, energy and commitment emerge?  I venture to say that those times have been

planted by Holy Mother God, taught by the example of Jesus and nurtured and encouraged

by Holy Spirit Sophia.

I wonder then how does this message apply to us today? What is the challenge before us?

We are all welcomed by this community that gets us, and makes us feel the warm fuzzes! But

 we must beware as this community should be a charging station through which we can hear
 
God talk to us and Spirit bring us to our feet and strengthen us to confront the hard of face and

obstinate of heart.

Priest and prophet all are we. We are called to speak for and on behalf of God in whatever way  God wills.






Questions regarding our prophetic mission.
~have you ever considered yourself as a prophet
~Is the concept of Prophetic obedience a challenge?  How so?
~How can we as a community respond to that call?
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~Fear is a very real obstacle. How can we overcome it?

Profession of Faith

ALL:  We believe in you O God, Creator of the universe, whose divinity infuses all that exists, making everything sacred.  Jesus, we believe in You, messenger of the Divine Word, the bringer of healing and the heart of Compassion. We believe in you Holy Spirit, the breath of our innermost life, and the Sustainer who heals and energizes us when our spirits grow weary in our journeys.
We believe that You are here with us today in this gathering, calling us to be a loving and just people. We believe the poor have a priority in your plans and we are called to do our best to serve them in your name. We believe you are offering us freedom and grace to become our true selves, so that we can turn from false, worldly securities and look to you for our true identity as your children. We believe that as You were anointed by God to do God’s Will, through our baptism, we too are called to be a sign of God’s Kingdom on earth where we are all sisters and brothers. Amen


Prayers of the Community

Presider:  We are a people of faith. We believe in the power of prayer. We are mindful of God’s unconditional love and care for each one of us. And so, we bring the needs of the people to our merciful and gracious Creator. 
After each intercession please respond:   R-Compassionate God, hear our prayers.
O God, you grieve for all that afflicts us.
~give those who struggle with addictions the courage and perseverance they need. R-Com….

You are father and mother to us, and we bask in your love.
~inspire persons of integrity and compassion to care for children who are separated from their parents.   R- Com…..

You taught your followers to travel lightly through life.
~call our consumer culture to a change of heart and to values that lead to life.     R-Com
           
For what else shall we pray?

Presider: Healing God, you faithfully listen to our prayers. We ask You to strengthen us in our concern for one another- here and throughout the world. We ask You to support us in our endeavors for justice and equality so that, with our sisters and brothers, we may promote cultures of peace without violence in our world. We ask this in the name of Jesus and Holy Spirit Wisdom. All: Amen

Offertory Procession/Song
“Blest Are They” # 631 – all verses

Preparation of the Gifts

Presider: Blessed are You, God of all creation. Through your goodness we have this bread to offer, this grain of the earth that human hands have prepared for our use. It will become for us the bread of life.
ALL: Blessed be God forever

Presider: Blessed are you God of all creation. Through your goodness we have this wine to offer, this fruit of the vine that human hands have prepared for our use.  It will become for us our spiritual drink.
ALL: Blessed be God forever.

Gathering of the Gifts

Presider: Our brother Jesus, who has often sat at our tables, now invites all of us to join Him at his family table. Everyone is welcome to share in this meal.
(The whole community is invited to gather around God’s family table)

ALL: Loving and caring God, we, your people are united in this sacrament by our common love of Jesus. We are one with all beings in the community of creation and with all those who share your gift of compassion, especially toward those who are marginalized and oppressed. May we love tenderly, do justice and walk humbly with you in solidarity with our sisters and brothers. May we strive to live as prophetic witnesses to the Gospel of our brother Jesus, supported by the wisdom that directed him and by the Wisdom of the Spirit who supports us. Amen.

Presider: Let us give thanks to the Creator and Sustainer of all that exists.
ALL: With hearts full of love, we give God thanks and praise.

Presider: Holy Spirit, we realize your presence among us as we gather at the family table.
ALL: Fill us with reverence for you, for one another, and for all of creation.

Presider: Let us lift up our hearts.
ALL: We lift them up to the Holy One who lives in us and loves others through us.

Presider: God dwells in each one of us.           ALL: Namaste!



Eucharistic Prayer
                                   
Presider: Ever present and always caring God, we do well always and everywhere to give you thanks.  In you we live and move and have our being.  Your Spirit dwelling in us gives us the assurance of unending peace and joy with you. That Spirit, who raised Jesus from the dead, is the foretaste and promise of the paschal feast of heaven.  And so, we sing in thankful praise:

All (sing): We are Holy, Holy, Holy…(3x)   You are Holy, I am Holy, We are Holy…

Voice: We thank you, God, for the gift of Jesus in history – and the gift of Jesus in faith. Through him, you breathe life into us.  He was moved by his vision of your constant presence in everyone, everywhere he went.  He revealed you in everything he did in his life well lived.  And he showed us, through his example, not only how we should live, but also for what we may die.

Voice: When his time on earth had come, Jesus – aware of and accepting his destiny – gave up his life for the values that he deeply believed, lived and taught…his conviction that love is stronger than death.  And then, providing an example of this insight for the understanding of ages to come, he opened wide his arms and died.  Then the Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, showed us that life is eternal and love is immortal.  Jesus is with us today as he will be through the end of time.

All: O God, let your Spirit of life, healing and wholeness come upon these gifts that we brought from your fields and placed on our table – this simple wheat and wine.  May she make them holy so that they will become for us the Body and Blood of Jesus, our brother.

(With an outstretched arm, we pray the consecration together.)   We remember the gift that Jesus gave us on the night before he died.  He gathered with his friends to share a final Passover meal.  And it was at that supper that Jesus took the bread, said the blessing and shared it with them saying: take this, all of you and eat it. This bread is you; this bread is me.  We are one body, the presence of God in the world.  Do this in memory of me. [Pause]

In the same way, Jesus took a cup of wine, said the blessing and gave it to his friends saying: take this, all of you, and drink it.  This wine is you; this wine is me.  We are one blood, the presence of God in the world.  Do this in memory of me.

Presider: Jesus, who was with God “in the beginning of the creation of the heavens and the earth,” is with us now in this bread.  The Spirit, of whom the prophets spoke in history, is with us now in this cup.  Let us proclaim the mystery of faith.

All:  Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ lives in us and through us in the world today.

Voice: In memory of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, we offer you, God, this living-giving bread and this saving cup.  May all who will share in this sacred meal be brought together in unity by the Holy Spirit.  And may that Spirit, that Wisdom, that moved in Jesus move as freely in our lives as She did in that of Jesus’.

Voice:  God of blessing and peace, we remember your church throughout the world; help us grow in love, together with Francis, our Pope, Bridget Mary, our Bishop, and your whole family everywhere – especially those who live on the margins of church and society.  We remember the victims of recent floods and earthquakes, and those struggling to reconstruct their homes and lives from these devastating events. We remember the refugee families who have come to our country fleeing from persecution and in need of acceptance and love. We remember the communion of saints both living and dead, who touched our lives and left footprints on our hearts.  We remember especially… (pause to mention names).

All:  Through Christ, with Christ, and in Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, Creator God, forever and ever… and let everyone sing… Great Amen (3X)
                                                 
All (holding hands): Our Father and Mother, who are in heaven, blessed is your name...

All:  God, we have just prayed that your kingdom may come among us.  Grant that we can open our ears to hear it, our hands to serve it, and our hearts to make it real.  Amen.



The Sign of Peace

Presider:  Jesus, you said to your disciples, “My peace I leave you; my peace I give you.”  Look on the faith of those gathered here today and …

All:  …grant us that peace.  O Loving God, following the example of Jesus and with the strength of the Spirit, help us spread that peace to everyone, everywhere, with no exceptions.  Amen.

Presider: May the peace of our gracious and loving God be always with you.
ALL: And also with you.
Presider: Let us offer each other a sign of peace.


Litany for the Breaking of the Bread

Presider: Loving God…All: you call us to Spirit-filled service and to live the Gospel of non-violence for peace and justice.  We will live justly.

Presider: Loving God…All: you call us to be your presence in the world and to be bearers of understanding and compassion, forgiveness and healing everywhere in your name.  We will love tenderly.

Presider: Loving God…All: you call us to speak truth to power.  We will walk humbly with you.

Presider:  This is Jesus, who liberates, heals, and transforms us and our world.  All are invited to partake of the sacred banquet of love.  All:  We are the Body of Christ.

Pre-Communion Prayer
Presider:  This is Jesus, who called women and men to be partners and equals, and who liberates, heals and transforms us and our world.  All are invited to partake of this sacred banquet of love.

Presider:  Jesus, you invite us to receive you and become you for others.  We are the Body of Christ.  May the Source of Life whose power now at work in us can do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine, be given glory through all generations. Amen.
                                                           
Distribution of Bread and Wine
“You are the Body of Christ.”   “You are the blood of Christ.”

Communion Song:  Instrumental and moment of silence

After Communion Song
“We Are Many Parts” # 585 - All verses


Prayer After Communion

Presider: May our hearts be filled with wonder, gratitude, thanksgiving and compassion. May we each know that we are loved and may we continue to be your face to each other. Amen


Prayers of Gratitude, Introductions, Announcements

Final Blessing
(Everyone please extend your hands in mutual blessing.)
Presider:  As we go forth from this sacred space, let us purposefully look with new eyes and hearts to recognize our call to prophetic obedience to the Gospel of Jesus and to count on God’s grace for courage to speak truth to power.  Let our service continue!
All: Thanks be to God. Let it be so!

Closing Hymn

“Sing a New Church” # 413 – 

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