https://youtu.be/Nbo2CLUke20
Mindy Lou Simmons sings "Will You Stay?" for Communion Meditation
on Palm Sunday at MMOJ Liturgy
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| Lee Breyer, Kathryn Shea ARCWP and son Seth Theo bless Palms at Palm Sunday Liturgy at Mary Mother of Jesus Inclusive Catholic Community, March 24, 2018 |
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| Lee, Kathryn, Seth Theo lead blessing of Palms at Liturgy |
Theme: The
Path and the Price
Gathering Prayer
Presider: Let us pray as we
come together to break bread and share the blessings we have received from our
God through the example of Jesus on earth.
Through the Holy Spirit, may we learn to love as Jesus did, everywhere
he went and everyone he met. May we open
our hearts to wherever our journey leads us…and may we be welcoming of whomever
we meet, whomever they are … in this one world.
All: Amen.
Presider (to the community):
Please raise your arm and hold your palms at an angle towards the middle aisle
for the blessing of the palms.
Blessing of the Palms
Presider (to the
community): As we hold up these palms
for the blessing of God on them and us (and Seth sprinkles us and our palms),
let us use this opportunity to copy today– in silence - the praise and glory of
those welcoming Jesus so long ago.
Presider: Creator God, we ask you to bless these palms,
the plants to which you gave life and those that heralded the entrance of Jesus
to the holy city, Jerusalem. We use them
now as we gather together to celebrate Jesus’ presence in our holy space, St.
Andrew Church.
May we receive the joy that
his followers experienced on that day so many years ago … and may we do so as we walk with him in all
our days ahead. We ask this of you, Loving God, in the names of Jesus our Brother,
and the Spirit our Wisdom. Amen.
Entrance/ Processional Hymn: “Hosanna to the “Son of David” #138; vs. 1,4,7 (God for Lord)
Opening Prayer
Presider (when they are at the front and the candle
and the gospel book are in their places)
Let us pray.
All: God of life, wholeness and holiness, you who
direct all creation to its complete fulfillment in Jesus, the Christ, help us
open our hearts to the message of the Gospel so that your peace may rule in our
hearts and your justice may guide our lives. Loving God, bless all of us here
this afternoon - and all those of our community who are not with us today. We ask this of you, our brother Jesus, and
our Wisdom Sophia. Amen.
Presider: This is the day
that our God has made…
All: …so let us rejoice and be glad in it!
Penitential Rite and Community Forgiveness
Presider: Creator God, to you all hearts are open, no
desires unknown, and no secrets hidden.
We ask you to send your Spirit to us so that we may live more fully
according to your will and that we may be worthy to be called your blessed
people.
All: Help us to prayerfully hear Wisdom’s messages,
to faithfully understand them, and to continually receive the strength to
follow them.
Presider: Christ Jesus, we ask for the grace to realize
our continual need to grow in goodness and caring for ourselves, for others,
and for our planet earth.
All: Help us
to extend your forgiving presence in us to all those with whom we live, with no
exceptions.
Presider: We join with you, Jesus the Christ, believing
that the insight, direction, and strength of the Holy Spirit will lead us to
deeper dedications to justice, equality, peace, and nonviolence. And together,
as the family of God and sisters and brothers of one another, we pray:
All: (with an outstretched arm): God, the Father and Mother of mercy, through Jesus’
life, death and resurrection, he bonded the world to you. He sent the Holy Spirit to move among us and
all creation. May that Spirit give us
the wisdom to love you - and the strength and compassion to love one another. Merciful God, teach us the virtues of pardon
and peace so that we may – in turn – learn to forgive our failures to care for
one another and for our planet Earth. We
ask this in the name of Jesus, our brother and of the Holy Spirit, our healer
and comforter. Amen.
Glory to God
All: Glory to
God in the highest, and peace to all God’s people on earth. Creator God, heart of the universe, we thank
you for the breath of the Spirit sustaining everything that exists, everywhere
in the cosmos. Through the example and
teachings of Jesus Christ, you gave us the grace to know that you are always
among us – and that we can experience you in our brothers and sisters. We give you glory and praise through Jesus
Christ, our brother, and the Holy Spirit, our Wisdom. Amen.
Liturgy of the Word
First reading: Book of Wisdom 1: 6-9
This Wisdom of God is
brought to us by Solomon, written in the second century before Christ.
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First Reading
The first reading is a selection from the Book of Wisdom 1: 6-9
Wisdom is a Spirit, a friend to all of creation. As good as she is, she will not tolerate the behavior
and words of those who do harm or speak evil of others.
God sees into the innermost parts of everyone, truly observes their hearts
and listens to their tongues.
The spirit of God indeed fills the whole world and, as that which holds
all things together, she knows every word that is uttered and every action that
takes place anywhere.
The one who gives voice to injustice anywhere will never go unnoticed,
nor shall avenging Justice pass that one by…for the godless person’s
deliberations will be examined and a report of those words will reach God to
hold that one responsible for any evils.
All:
Thanks be to God.
Psalm 104: Responsorial: Send
forth your Spirit, O God, and renew the face of the earth. #806
Second reading: Paul to the
early church in Colossians 1: 15-20 All: Glory and thanks to our Savior, Jesus
the Christ.
Gospel Acclamation: Celtic Alleluia
Second Reading
The second reading is from a letter of Paul to the early church in
Collosssae. 1: 15-20
Christ is the image of the unseen God and the firstborn of all creation
for
in Christ were created all things in heaven and on earth --
everything visible and invisible, Thrones,
Dominations, Sovereignties, Powers —
all
things were created through Christ…and for Christ.
Before anything was created, Christ existed, and all things hold
together in Christ.
The church is the body; Christ is its head.
Christ is the Beginning, the first born from the dead, and so Christ is
first in every way.
God wanted all perfection to be found in Christ,
and all things to be reconciled to God
through Christ –
everything in heaven and everything on
earth –
when Christ made peace …
by dying on the
cross.
This inspirational
message was written by Paul in the middle of the first century to a community
of people who, in not many years previous to his conversion, would have
persecuted them. It is brought to us to
enliven us as well.
Gospel: Luke 19: 28-40
Gospel
Today’s gospel is a passage from Luke 19: 28-40
When Jesus and his disciples were walking along, Jesus decided they
could go straight up to nearby Jerusalem.
And it so happened that as he got close to Bethphage and Bethany, by the
place called Mount Olives, he sent off two of the disciples, with these
instructions: “Go into the village across
the way. As soon as you enter it you
will find a colt tied there, one that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring
it here. If anyone asks you, “Why are
you untying it?” just tell them: “Its master has need of it.” So those disciples went off and found the
colt exactly as Jesus had described.
Then, just as they were untying the colt, its owners challenged them: “What
are you doing untying that colt?” They answered: “Its master needs it.”
So they took the colt and brought it to Jesus. They threw their cloaks on the colt’s back
and helped Jesus mount it. And as he rode
along, people gave him a grand welcome; they would spread their cloaks on the
road. As Jesus approached the slope of the
Mount of Olives, the entire throng of his disciples began to cheer and shout
praise to God for all the mighty works that they had seen. They kept repeating:
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of our God! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!
But some of the Pharisees, who also were in the crowd, called out to Jesus:
“Teacher, get your followers under control; restrain them.”
But Jesus responded. “I tell you,
if these folks were to keep quiet, these very stones would do it for them, breaking
into cheers.”
This is the word of
God as recorded for us by the apostle Luke.
Shared Homily/Community Reflection
Discussion starter: The path, the price. Jerusalem, my destiny. Calculations and outcomes.
Profession of Faith
All: We believe in God, the Creator of the
universe, whose divinity infuses all that exists, making everything,
everywhere, sacred. We believe in Jesus, the Christ, who
leads us to the fullness of humanity.
Through him, we become a new people, called beyond the consequences of
our brokenness. We believe in the Holy
Spirit, the Wisdom who keeps the Christ-vision present to all those who are
searching for meaning and wholeness in their lives – and the Sustainer
who heals and energizes us when our spirits may grow weary in our journeys. We say: Amen to courage, to hope, and to truth. We say: Amen to the partnership and equality
of all people of different genders, races, and faiths. We believe in a world of justice and peace
for everyone, everywhere, with no exceptions.
In all of this, we surely believe.
Prayers
of the Community
Presider: We are a people of faith, believing in the
power of prayer. We are always mindful of God’s unconditional love and care for
all of us. And so, we bring the needs of
people - throughout the world - to our merciful and gracious God. After each
intercession, respond: Compassionate
God, hear our prayers.
Presider: Healing God, you
faithfully listen to our prayers. We ask
you to strengthen us in our caring for one another and in our works for
justice, equality, and peace in a world without violence. As always, we make this prayer in the names
of Jesus, the Christ, and the Holy Spirit, our Wisdom. Amen.
Offertory Procession “As We Gather at Your Table” #314, verses 1,2,3
Preparation
of the Gifts
Presider: Blessed are you, God of all creation. Through
your goodness we have this bread to offer, this grain that the earth has given
and human hands have made. 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 made. It will become for us our spiritual drink.
All: Blessed be
God forever.
Gathering
of the Gifted
Presider: Jesus, who has sat at our tables, now invites
us to be guests at his family table. Everyone
is welcome around the table of our God
ALL: Merciful
God, we are united in this sacrament by our common love of Jesus. We are in communion with everyone, everywhere,
who proclaims your mercy to all those who are marginalized and oppressed. May we love tenderly, do justice, and walk
humbly with you in solidarity with our brothers and sisters. May we live as prophetic witnesses to the
Gospel, supported by the vision of Jesus and the wisdom of the Spirit. Amen.
Presider: God dwells in each one of us. All: Namaste!
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 our family table.
All: Fill us with reverence for you, for one another,
and for all your creation.
Presider: Let us lift up our hearts.
All: We lift
them up to the Holy One, living in us and loving through us.
Eucharistic
Prayer
Voice 1: 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 very being. Your Spirit dwelling in us gives us the hope
of unending peace and joy with you. Your gift of the Spirit, who raised Jesus
from the dead, is the foretaste and promise of the paschal feast of heaven. And
so we join the angels and saints as we sing:
ALL: We are
holy, holy, holy. (Karen Drucker)
Voice 2: We thank you, God, for the gift of Jesus in
history - and the gift of Jesus in faith. You raised him up from among your
people to baptize us in your Spirit. He
was moved by his vision of your constant presence among us. He burned with
insight and truth, revealing you in his life well lived. He showed us, through his example, not only
how we should live, but also for what we may die.
Voice 3: When his time had come, Jesus suffered for
the values he deeply believed and taught…his conviction that love is stronger
than death. And then, as a model of this
insight for the ages to come, he opened wide his arms and died. The Spirit, 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 gathered
from the fields and placed on our table -- this simple wheat and wine. May she have them become for us the Body and Blood
of Jesus, our brother.
(With an outstretched arm as 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
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 this mystery of faith.
All: Christ
has died. Christ is risen. Christ lives in us and through us in the
world today.
Voice 4: In memory of Jesus’ life, death and
resurrection, we offer you, God, this life-giving bread and this saving
cup. May all who share this sacred meal
be brought together in unity by the Holy Spirit. And may that Spirit, that Wisdom, that moved
in Jesus move freely in our lives as well.
Voice 5: God, remember your church
throughout the world, help us grow in love, together with Francis, our Pope,
Bridget Mary, our Bishop, and all your people everywhere - especially those who
live on the margins of church and society. Remember also all those, living and
dead, who touched our lives and left their footprints on our hearts. We remember especially….(mention names, if you would like to).
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. Amen (sung).
All: Our Father and Mother ……..Amen.
All: Lord God,
we have prayed that your kindom may come among us. Open our ears to hear it, our hands to serve
it, and our hearts to hold it. 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 and
….
All: … grant us your peace. O God, following the example of Jesus and
with the strength of the Spirit, help us spread that peace throughout the
world, to everyone, everywhere, no exceptions. Amen.
Presider: May the peace of
God be always with us, and may we extend God’s peace to one another as we join
hands and sing “Peace is flowing like a River”.
Litany
for the Breaking of 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 forgiveness and understanding, healing and
compassion 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 this sacred banquet of love. All: We are the Body of Christ.
Pre-Communion Prayer
Presider: Lord God, as we
come to share the richness of your table, we cannot forget the poverty of so
many of our brothers and sisters.
Right Side: We cannot eat this bread and forget those who
are hungry. O God, your world is one
world and we are stewards of its nourishment for your people.
Left Side: We
cannot drink this wine and forget those who are thirsty. O God, the very earth and its people cry out
for environmental justice.
All: We cannot
listen to your words of peace and not grieve for the world at war.
Communion Music: Instrumental
l
After Communion Hymn “Will You Wait”
– Mindy Simmons
Prayer of
Thanksgiving After Communion
Presider: Eternal God, may this Eucharist in which we
always share Christ’s healing love deepen our oneness with you and our unity
with one another. We ask this in the
name of Jesus, the Christ, and the Spirit, the Wisdom. All: Amen.
Community Prayers of Gratitude/Introductions/Announcements
Closing
Prayer
All: May our hearts be glad on our journey as we
dream new dreams and see new visions.
May we all live and work for peace, justice, and
non-violence in our hearts for ourselves and our brothers and sisters - whoever
they are and wherever they are.
May we learn to bless, honor, and hold in reverence
the Earth and one another. Amen.
Closing
Community Blessing
Presider: Our prayer as we anticipate Easter is that we
may recognize and actively acknowledge the presence of the sacred in all those places
on this earth that we are reluctant to search or simply overlook: in the
stables of our own lives; among the downtrodden who live on the edges of our
society; in immigrants especially but also in people who are “different” from
us. And we pray -- (with an outstretched
arm in blessing)
All: May we
realize Emmanuel, God-in-us, and give generous expression to this wonderful
gift that we all share. May our
nurturing God bless us all gathered here and all those in our communities. We ask this in the name of the Creator, in
the name of Mary’s child, and in the Name of our Wisdom as we minister to one
another as the People of God. Amen.
Closing
Community Commissioning and Hymn “Jesus,
The Very Thought of You” #409 – all verses
Presiders: As we leave here
in the peace of Christ, let our service continue in all that we do.
ALL: Amen.