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| Kathryn Shea ARCWP holding bread and Lee Breyer next to her as MMOJ community prays words of consecration at Liturgy on March 2, 2019 |
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| Sally Brochu ARCWP lectors at Liturgy |
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| Janet Blakeley ARCWP lectors |
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| Kathryn Shea ARCWP carries Gospel Book to podium to proclaim Gospel |
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| Lee Breyer shares homily starter at liturgy |
Presider: Welcome everyone, those who are new to our liturgy at Mary Mother of Jesus and those who have been here awhile. Our liturgical celebrations are inclusive in many important ways. Our language is not gender-oriented and everyone, as family members, are invited to participate in everything that takes place during the service. In the liturgy, everyone will be asked to join the presiders around the Sacred Table. And there, everyone will share in the Eucharist Prayer and the Communion of our common God. If you are new to being with us in our liturgy, we will invite you to introduce yourself for a more formal welcome at the announcement time after the sharing of the bread and wine.
Opening Song:
Gathering Prayer
Presider: O God, we thank you for our gathering as we share this sacred place and as we are able to celebrate in it our oneness with you. Through Jesus, you have told us to “do onto others as we would have them do onto us” and to “love our neighbors as we love ourselves.” We ask the Spirit to give us the strength to love ourselves as much as Jesus would like us to do -- so that we are able to respond fully to the “you” that is in each one of us. In recognition of your presence within us, then, let us sing our camp song, Karen Drucker’s We are Holy. ALL: We are holy (you are ..I am …we are…) 3x
Presider: And we pray…
All: God of life, wholeness and holiness, you who directs all creation to its complete fulfillment in Jesus, the Christ of the Cosmos, help us to open our hearts to the message of the Gospel, so that your peace may rule in our hearts and your justice guide our lives. Loving God, bless all of us gathered here now and all those of our community who are not physically with us today.
Presider: This is the day that our God has made …. All: let us rejoice and be glad in it!
Penitential Expression and Community Forgiveness
Presider: Compassionate God, we come to you with open hearts. To you, no desires are unknown and no secrets are hidden. You understand the frailty of our human nature and the failures in many of our actions…and for that need, we ask for the healing support of the Spirit. Strengthen us to reach deep within ourselves to hear Wisdom’s many messages, to faithfully understand them, and to respond to them with compassionate actions to our brothers and sisters.
All: Through your grace, strengthen us to recognize that all peoples, wherever they may be on earth, are all one family. We ask for your forgiveness for our hurtful actions to people of other genders, beliefs, nationalities and races. Grant us the grace to compassionately love one another...they are all our brothers and sisters. By your grace, may our actions make us worthy to be called your “blessed people.”
(with an outstretched arm We ask you, Caring God, to grant us the graces of pardon and peace that were shown to us in the life and teachings of Jesus. May we then - in turn – learn how we can forgive ourselves and each other our failures to care for our brothers and sisters and for our planet Earth. We ask this in the names of Jesus, our brother - and of the Spirit, the Wisdom, our Sister.
Glory to God
Presider: Let us give glory to our Loving God, in song.
All: 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: Sirach 27: 4-7 All: Thanks be to God.
Psalm 92 (Text only). Responsorial : This is the day (refrain only) #575
This is the day! This is the day! This is the day that our God has made!
Let us rejoice! Let us rejoice! Let us rejoice and be glad!
Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 15: 54-58 All: Thanks be to God.
Gospel Acclamation: Alleluia (Celtic version)
Gospel: Luke 6: 39-45
Shared Homily and Community Reflection
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8th week
in OT March 2, 2019
Homily starter
Lee Breyer
For most people, probably the most familiar and remembered story in the
gospels is the story of Jesus on the Mount (in Matthew) or on the Plain (in
Luke). In both, the format is pretty
much the same…the beatitudes, used on All Saints Day, are focused on addressing
social injustices. But Matthew and Luke’s presentations of them differ in style
and number and each writer follows his statements with Jesus giving his
listeners several exhortations (more broadly stated in Matthew than in Luke). That’s no news to anyone here.
I’ve taken a look at Luke’s story of Jesus’ Sermon on the Plain…as a
single message that is broken up into three lessons. We heard Luke’s first lesson, the four
blessings and woes two weeks ago from Janet and Sally. In that, Matthew spoke of the blessed groups,
the “they” -- and Luke’s presentation was directed more to persons, the “you.” In Matthew’s second lesson, he spoke in
metaphors indicating how the listener should behave as the salt of the earth
and its light to a general population. And Luke, as we heard from Elena and
Pat, spoke plainly of love, compassion and pardoning with those with whom you
communicated. And that brings the sermon message to its third lesson.
In today’ gospel, speaking directly to his disciples and indirectly to
us, Luke’s Jesus described some important behaviors for them and us. These are…
1.
…the importance of serious learning, especially those things
that Jesus is doing and saying as he was following the inspiration of God while
he would be on this earth. We acknowledge that teaching when we say, in the
Eucharistic Prayer…at the consecration of the bread and wine: “…remember me and all that I have taught
you.”
2.
…the need of the disciples to accurately spread the gospel
messages of Jesus whenever and wherever they went. They cannot be blind to them; they will fall
into the ditch. Those people who may listen to and follow the blind talking of
anyone can become very uncertain about anything the disciples say about the
message of Jesus
3.
…the knowledge that here is a positive outcome to the
disciples who are sincere and knowledgeable about their good work as teachers since
they have influence on their listeners.
In short, each one can generate other learned followers. The “students,” in this case, can be on a par
with their teachers.
And, Jesus, after giving his disciples some pointers about their
missions, summarized his sermon by telling them that, if they followed the
teachings that he had just passed on and took them “to heart,” their futures
would be similar to those of the” good trees” and “the good people”…Out of
goodness only goodness is produced.
A question: what has Jesus’
Sermon on the Plain and/or Luke’s exhortations said to you as we look forward
to Ash Wednesday and the Lenten period?
What points was Luke’s Jesus getting across to the disciples and
us? Something like: you need to know
well what Jesus taught them….you have to be able to teach it well through your
oral and behavior to those you work with; and the payoff will be that those
persons (“students”) then will be as good living and passing on to their
listeners as you (their teachers) are.
Again, “out of goodness only goodness is produced.”
Profession of Faith
All: We believe in God, the Creator of the Universe, a divine mystery beyond all description and understanding, the fountain of all that exists now or ever will - and whose divinity infuses everything in the universe. We believe in Jesus, the cosmic Christ, the messenger of the Divine Word and the reflection of the face of God that leads all of us to the fullness of our humanity. Through the Incarnation, we have become a new people, recipients of his mercy, so much so that we are called beyond the consequences of our brokenness. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Breath of God who keeps the Christ-vision present to everyone who is searching for meaning and wholeness in their lives. We believe that God’s kindom, invoked for in the Prayer of Jesus, is here with us now and will be forever for those with eyes to recognize it, hearts to receive it, and hands to share it with everyone. We say “amen” to a compassionate partnership and equality of all peoples in a world of peace and justice for everyone, everywhere, with no exceptions. 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 all God’s family. And so, in our prayers, we bring the needs of our brothers and sisters throughout the world to our merciful and gracious Healing One.
(After each intercession, we respond: Compassionate God, we ask you to bless our petitions.)
Presider: We pray for those broken families, torn apart and suffering in their separations now
…and unsure of their futures. Compassionate God, we ask you to bless our petitions.
Presider: We pray for those so many people who are driven from their own homes, hoping to find one in ours - but facing non-compassionate concern or care. Compassionate God…. R.
And for what other concerns do we pray for at this time? (Other petitions….).
Presider: Holy God, we ask you to strengthen us in our concerns and care for one another, here and throughout the world. We ask you to bless our efforts for justice and equality so that, with our sisters and brother, we may promote cultures of peace and nonviolence in our words and in our actions all the time. As we always do, we make these prayers to you, O God, in the names of Jesus, our Brother, and the Holy Spirit, our Wisdom. Amen.
Offertory Procession and Song: “ ” # verses x-z
Gathering of the Gifted
Presider: Blessed are you, God of 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 by God forever.
Presider: Blessed are you, God of 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.
Presider: Jesus, who has often sat at our tables, now invites all of us to join him at his.
All of us, the family of God, are welcome at this altar. Please join us now……
Presider (when everyone is gathered around the table): Blessed are all of us who have been called to this table of plenty by the God who loves and lives in us. We are in communion with one another and everyone who shares God’s gifts of peace and compassion -- especially those people who are oppressed and marginalized anywhere in the world.
Presider: Let us give thanks to the Creator of all that exists now and ever will.
All: With hearts full of love, we give you, O God. our thanks and praise.
Presider: Let us show our gratitude to Jesus who shares with us his life-vision.
All: Jesus, our brother, we open our hearts to your message through your words and examples while on the earth that we shared.
Presider: Let us show our gratitude to the Spirit who is among us gathered at this family table.
All: To you, Sustainer of life and hope, we lift up our hearts to accept your gifts of strength and wisdom that directs us to wholeness.
Presider: And now let us show our gratitude to one another for our shared care in this MMOJ community. We will do so as we express our recognition of the Divine Spirit that dwells in each one of us as we say… All: Namaste (with a nod and 3x)
Eucharistic Prayer
Voice 1: Ever living and ever-loving God, we do well always and everywhere to give you thanks. In you we live and move and have our very being. In gratitude for your everlasting presence, we join with that large community of saints who have gone before us and now live with you in the eternal now, and we sing with thankful praise….
All: Holy, Holy, Holy God, God of power, God of Light. Heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed are all who come in the name of our God. Hosanna in the highest.
Voice 2: We thank you for the gift of Jesus in history - and the gift of Jesus in faith. Through him, you breathe life into us. His life on earth was deeply moved by his vision of your constant presence in everyone he met. You raised him up from among your people to baptize us in your Spirit. He reflected your being in his many spoken messages and lived examples, not only how we should live, but also for what we might even be killed, as was he, in the service of the gospel message.
Voice 3: During his time on earth, Jesus – by his teachings and actions - suffered much for the values that he deeply believed, lived and taught…his conviction that love is stronger than death. And when his life came near its end, he was aware of and accepted his destiny…and gave up his life for his faithfulness to his mission. He provided an example of his insight - his conviction - for the understanding of ages to come. He did that when he opened wide his arms on a cross and died. Then the Sprit who raised Jesus from the dead showed us - in his resurrection - that life is truly eternal and that love is truly immortal. And we know that 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 humble gifts that we have brought from our fields and placed on your table - this bread and wine. May She make them holy so that they will become for us the Body and Blood of Jesus, our brother.
All: (with an outstretched arm, we pray that 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, broke the bread and gave it to 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. When you do this remember me – and all that I have taught you. This is the new and everlasting covenant.
[Pause]
In the same way, Jesus took the cup of wine. He 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. When you do this, remember me - and all that I have taught you. This is the new and everlasting covenant.
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, whom the prophets spoke of in history, is with us now in this cup. Let us proclaim this mystery of faith.
All: Jesus has died. Christ is risen. The cosmic Christ lives today through us.
Voice 4: Ever Present and Loving God, we know you care for all of us, your Sacred People – your church - spread throughout the world, and that you grace us so that we may continually grow in love, mercy and compassion, and peace and justice. Bless Francis, our Pope; Bridget Mary, our Bishop, and the whole of your family wherever they may be – especially those who live on the margins of church and society. We remember in prayer the entire Communion of Saints, both those who are with us now on this earth and those who have gone ahead of us to their everlasting homes. We remember with overflowing gratitude those blessed people who have touched our lives and left their footprints and yours on our hearts. We remember especially….(pause as names area mentioned).
Presider: and so we say… All: …through Christ, with Christ, and in Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, Creator God, forever and ever. (singing) Amen. (X times)
NOTE: WE WILL USE (SPEAK) THE PRAYER OF JESUS:
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The Prayer of
Jesus: An Adaptation from the Center of Concerns modified by MMOJ
Alternate
Choruses with all responding “May your kindom come” between them.
Our God who is in
Heaven and in all of us here on earth, the rich and the poor,
the well-satisfied and the hungry, the free
and the oppressed, the leadership and the marginalized and everyone in circles
of community and especially the excluded,
Blessed is Your
name, our Comforter and Sustainer..
May your kindom come.
May your kindom come
and your will be done
in our actions
as we struggle with the complexities of this world and try to confront greed and the desires for power in
ourselves, in our nation and in the entire global community.
May your kindom come.
Give us this day
our daily bread; bread that we are called to share,
bread that you have given us abundantly,
and the bread that we are to distribute fairly, nourishing the health and welfare
of all your holy family, with no exceptions
May your kindom come.
Forgive us our trespasses,
for
those times that we have turned away from the struggles of other peoples and
countries,
and for those times we have thought primarily
- and sometimes even only - of our own selves.
May your kindom come.
Lead us not into
temptation,
the
temptation to close our minds, our ears and our eyes to the unfair global
systems
that create ever-larger
and long-lasting gaps between the rich and the poor,
the
temptation to think it is just too complex and difficult to bring about more alternatives.
May your kindom come.
Deliver us from
evil, the evil of a world where violence happens even in Your name,
where the
wealth for a few is more important than the economic rights of all,
where
gates and other barriers between people are so hard to bring down for peace.
May your kindom come, O God, for Yours is the kindom
and the glory,
Your
Will shall bring about peace and justice in the blessed time to come.
Presider: God, we have just prayed that your kindom “may come” among us – we believe that is “with us now.” Grant that we may open our heads to understand and acknowledge its current presence and open our hearts to make it known to others in its continued evolution. And may we use our hands to serve one another while awaiting its fulfillment in that blessed time.
The Sharing 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 your peace. And may that peace be always with us.
Presider: Let us extend that peace now to one another as we join hands in a circle of love and together sing: “Let There Be Peace on Earth” #532.
Litany at the Breaking of the Bread
Presider: Loving God...All: you call us to Spirit-filled service and to live the Gospel of non-violence, 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 this sacred banquet of love. All: We are the Body of Christ.
Pre-Communion Prayer
Presider: As we come to share the richness of this sacred banquet……All: O God, we cannot forget the poverty of so many of our brothers and sisters, our families and neighbors.
Presider: We cannot eat this bread and forget those who are hungry….All: O God, your world is one world and we are stewards of its nourishment for all your people.
Presider: We cannot drink this wine and forget those who are thirsty…..All: O God, this very earth and its people cry out for environmental justice.
All: We cannot listen to your words of peace and not grieve for a world at war’s doors!
Communion Hymn: Instrumental or Solo
Post-Communion Meditation and Reflection
Introductions, Gratitudes and Announcements
Closing Community Blessing
All: May our hearts be glad on our journeys as we dream new dreams, see new
visions, and create a new heaven and earth.
May we live and work for compassion and peace as well as justice and
nonviolence in our hearts and promote them in the hearts of those we meet.
May we learn to bless and honor and hold in reverence one another, the earth,
and all creation.
May we make a real difference in our piece of the world – and help to bring forth
and develop the kindom of God on Earth.
Closing Community Hymn: “ ” # verses A, B & C
Commissioning
Presiders: May we all go in the peace that Jesus gave us, caring for one another in justice and love…
All: Thanks be to God, let it be so.
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