Mary Mother of Jesus Inclusive Catholic
Community
Fourteenth Week in Extra-Ordinary Time
July 6, 2019
Presiders: Kathryn
Shea, ARCWP and Lee Breyer
Music Minister:
Mindy Lou Simmons
Theme: Our Mothering
God…Our suffering children
Welcome
Welcome
to Mary Mother of Jesus, an inclusive Catholic Community where everyone is
welcome to participate in our Eucharistic Celebrations. We use inclusive language in all our
scripture readings and prayers. We also invite your respectful and related
comments when we share the homily and, a little later in the liturgy, everyone
will have an opportunity to share their own personal intentions in the Prayers
of the Community. Everyone, with no exceptions, will be invited to gather
around the altar table and take part in praying the Consecration and sharing
the Communion. We are delighted to see everyone here today - both the “old
timers” and the newcomers - and we are pleased that we join together in this liturgy
this afternoon. Lastly, all will be invited to join us for supper at a local
restaurant after the liturgy.
Gathering Hymn: “We Are Called” by David Haas
https://youtu.be/5DCzqHV-Xns
Gathering Prayer
Presider: O God, we
thank you for our gathering as we share this sacred place and as we will
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 our mothering God to give us the strength to love ourselves as
much as Jesus would like us to -- so that we are able to respond fully to the
“you” that is in each one of us and fully commit ourselves to the care of our
brothers and sisters, especially the children who are suffering in the migrant
camps. 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!
Community
Reconciliation, Healing, and Transformation
Presider: Compassionate God, to you all hearts are
open, no desires unknown, and no secrets hidden. Our desire is to be continually conscious of
your presence in how we live, and to be aware of this in everything we do with
our sisters and brothers.
All: We ask you, through your Spirit, for
the grace to realize our continual need to grow in an ever- better
understanding, compassion and caring for ourselves, for our brothers and
sisters, and for our planet Earth. We
also ask that we may be constantly conscious of your forgiveness in our
love-less and hurtful actions to people of other beliefs, nationalities, races
and social settings.
May we gather both the
strength of your Spirit and the grace of your Divine Presence within us so that
we may extend your merciful and forgiving presence that is your gift – through
us – to everyone we meet, everywhere.
Amen.
Gloria
Presider: Let us give glory to our loving Holy One.
All (Sung): 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: Isaiah 66:10-14
Psalm 19: #740 Your
Words, God, are Spirit. Spirit and Life.
Second Reading: Galatians
6:14-18
Gospel Acclamation: CELTIC ALLELUIA! (sung)
Gospel Reading: A
reading from the Gospel according to Luke 10:1-12, 17-20
Shared Homily/Community
Reflection
Homily Starter – Kathryn Shea ARCWP
Theme:
Our Mothering God…Our Suffering Children
In today’s first Reading, we hear the
beautiful and encouraging words of Isaiah and how our Mother God protects us,
comforts us, and fills us with great joy.
We are called to exult with her and know that peace will come upon us
and flow like a river. These must have
been such comforting words to those who had been living in exile returning to
Jerusalem, uncertain of what they would find or of their future.
In the second Reading, we hear that it does
not matter whether we bother with the external of religions or not, but to know
that all that matters is that we are created anew. And in our Gospel Reading, we hear the story
as told by Luke, that Jesus appointed seventy-two OTHER disciples and sent them
in pairs to advance to every town and place he intended to visit. He warned them that they were being sent as
lambs in the midst of wolves. And they
departed into the towns, visiting the homes, healing the sick, just as Jesus
instructed them to do. And they returned
with great joy, proclaiming the demons obeyed them in Jesus name. And Jesus replied that their joy lies in the
fact that their names are inscribed in Heaven.
And in all of the Readings, we are given the message to spread peace
throughout the land, not just with our words, but with our actions and that in
spreading peace, peace will be given to us.
So, what does all of this mean and how do we
apply these words to our lives and our world today? In reality, our world is not all that
different than it was 2000 years ago. We
still have those who live in exile. We still
have war and hatred, and we still have those who rule through tyranny and
greed. There is much joy in the readings
today but also a sense of urgency and a bit of harshness. We are called to be missionaries to spread
the word and works of Jesus for “the harvest is rich, but the workers are few.”
But, how do we reconcile all the pain and
suffering we are witnessing in our world with the Mothering God who promises
protection, comfort, and peace? I know
there are days we feel overwhelmed by all of it. I am particularly troubled by the separation
of the children from their parents at the border and the harsh and inhumane
conditions in which they are living. From
Leviticus 19: “When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat
them. The foreigner residing among you
must be treated as your native-born.
Love them as yourself for you were foreigners in Egypt.”
I find for myself, that in order to keep
fighting the good fight, I need space and time to pull back from it and renew
my own faith and energy. I need time to
reflect on what it means to be a disciple of Jesus and how I spread peace to
all I encounter when I feel so angry with the direction of our country. I need to be with other like-minded
missionaries and realize there are so many of us who do work for peace and
justice in our world every day and who are light-bearers and bring hope and joy
to those in need. I need to constantly anchor
myself in maintaining the vision of peace in our time and hold fervently to the
incredible awareness of God’s mothering love and care for us. God has given us every gift we will ever need
to bring change to this chaotic world.
Imagine the power in that!
So what sustains you in these difficult
times? How do you transform your anger
into action? How do you maintain a
continued presence of peace?
Profession of Faith
All: I believe in you, O Holy One, Source of all,
the incomprehensible Mystery of Love beyond imagining.
I believe that I am in
you and that you are in me.
I believe that our
relationship is transforming my life.
I believe that you
surround me with forgiving, abounding kindness in the midst of darkness,
injustice, pain, and death.
I believe in Jesus,
anointed by Your Spirit, who embodies your ways in his ministry.
I believe that Jesus
did not come to die but to live and help others live in abundance on this
beautiful earth.
I believe that Your
Spirit anoints me to share in the same ministry by living justly, loving
tenderly and walking with integrity.
I believe that you
nourish and sustain me through prayer.
I believe that you
summon my conscience to action on behalf of justice that will change oppressive
structures on our suffering children.
I believe that Your
Spirit is at work in all of creation.
I believe that you call
me to be a co-creator with you and to join with companions on the journey as
you beckon us to birth with you a new creation.
Amen. (A personal creed by Mary Theresa Streck, ARCWP)
Prayers of the
Community
Presider: We are people of faith. We believe in the power of prayer. We believe that we send blessings to those
who are struggling with difficult challenges sand who need to experience hope;
to those who are grieving and need to be comforted in their loss, to those who
are facing medical challenges that they be granted health and healing. We bring
the needs of people throughout our world to our gracious and comforting God.
After each
intercession, the response is: Compassionate God, we know that you hear
our prayers. Of this, we have no doubt. (For what else shall we pray?)
Preparation of the Gifts
Offertory
Song: “Prayer of St. Francis”
https://youtu.be/AEoyqMG1bDA
https://youtu.be/AEoyqMG1bDA
All: Blessed be God forever.
Presider: Divine Presence, we believe that you are
always with us, loving in each of us and healing others through us.
All: Namaste (with a nod…3x)
Presider: Lift up your hearts.
All: We lift them up in tender love, open to
serve.
Presider: Let us give thanks for all that we have.
All: It is our joy to
be grateful for our many blessings as we gather at our family table.
(so… let us “gather at our family table”…)
Eucharistic
Prayer
(Eucharistic prayer adapted from the work of
Diarmuid O’Murchu and Jay Murnane)
Voice
1: O Holy One, we
stand at a critical moment in Earth’s history – a time when humanity must
choose its future. As the world becomes
increasingly interdependent and fragile, the future holds both peril and great
promise. May we recognize that, in the midst of a magnificent diversity of
cultures and life forms, we are one human family and one Earth community with a
common destiny. United with our vast universe, with our Mother-Planet and her
people everywhere, with one another and You, Loving God, our spirits dance as
we sing this song of praise:
All: We are holy, holy, holy (3x), we are whole. You are…I
am… We are (Karen Drucker Holy, Holy, Holy by Karen Drucker
Voice
2: We give
grateful thanks for those who came before us, for all those who gave from their
hearts and who gave from their lives that there might be a better world, a
safer world, a kinder world; we pray for peace in their names. And we pray for
the children, that they may live, that they may have children of their own and
that it will go on - this great blossoming that is meant to grow and spread in
all time – we pray for peace in their names.
And we pray for all the peoples of this earth who
have no voice in this, For the animals that have no voice in this, For the
plants, the trees, the flowers that have no voice in this, For all who share
this earth with us…we pray for peace in their names.
Voice
3: We thank you
for our brother, Jesus. He showed us so simply, so tenderly, how the world is
in our hands. He had nothing in this world but your love, companions on the
journey, and his very self. Together, that was more than enough, and that remains
our clarity in the midst of confusion: the miracle of healing, new hope,
nurturance, nourishment, liberation and life.
(Please extend hands toward our gifts as we say
together)
All: 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. When you do this, remember me and all I have
taught you. (pause a
moment, then continue….)
All: In the same way, Jesus took a cup of wine, said the
blessing and gave it to his friend 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 I have taught you.
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 our faith.
All: The Anointed
One lives in us and through us in the world today.
Voice
4: Loving God, we
have looked for others to save us and to save our world. Yet, we are called,
and blessed and sent into the world to establish justice and show the blessed
fulfillment that comes with simplicity and the giving of ourselves in love.
We will make new our commitments to the harmony of the original vision of
creation. We will open up wide all that has been closed around us and our small
circles. Like Jesus, in all openness, we will be filled with your own Spirit
and renew the face of the earth.
The
Prayer of Jesus
Presider: Let
us join hands and raise our voices as we say the Prayer Jesus taught us:
ALL: (sung) Our Father and Mother…….
The Sign of Peace
Presider: God, we know that you give us peace and unity
beyond what any words can express. You
are here with us as we join hands in a circle of love and sing our prayer: “Peace is Flowing Like a River“ (#529) (Love,
Alleluia)
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 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 calls us to open doors
that are closed and share our bread and wine on the altar of the world. All are
invited to eat and drink at this sacred banquet of love.
All: When we share
in this meal, we who have always been worthy, commit to live your teachings,
dear Jesus, and to tell your stories that allow Spirit to rise up within us and
empower us to bring the kin-dom of God to this world. This is the good news of salvation.
Presider: Let us share and spread this good news! ALL: Amen. (As we share this sacred meal, we
say to one another with the passing of the bread, “You are the love of God in
the world.” When we share the wine we
say, “You are the peace of God in the world.”
Communion
Music: Instrumental
Post-Communion
Meditation and Reflection – All This Joy by John Denver
sung
by Mindy Lou SImmons
https://youtu.be/hZ2RHPddSWU
Prayer
of Thanksgiving after Communion
Presider: May wonder and thanksgiving fill us. May compassion fully fill our beings, that we
may heal the numbness that continues because of our society’s injustices. May we
share our many blessings with our sisters and brothers. ALL: Amen.
Gratitudes/Announcements
Closing Prayer
All: May our hearts be glad on our journeys as we
dream new dreams and see new visions.
May we live and work for
mercy, peace and justice, 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 one another and the planet Earth.
May we serve as a
“mothering God” to all who experience injustice, especially the suffering
children.
And may we be the face
of God to the world, reflecting a compassionate and caring presence in us to
everyone we meet.
Closing
Community Blessing
(Everyone
please extend your hands in mutual blessing.)
ALL: May our gracious mothering God, bless us all gathered
here, in the name of God our Creator, in the name of Jesus our brother, and in
the name of the Spirit Sophia, as we care and minister to one another, and all
those we meet, in love. We know that you
are with us as we continue on our paths and follow in the footsteps of Jesus, for
we ARE your face Oh God, to the world.
Amen.
Commissioning
Presiders:
May we all go in the peace that Jesus gave us and have it flow like a
river throughout the world.
All: Thanks be to God; let it be so.
Closing Song: Way
Beyond the Blue by Eva Cassidy
https://youtu.be/TYBhxeMpOMQ
Chorus: Oh do
Lord, oh do Lord, oh do you remember me?
Oh do Lord, oh do Lord,
oh do you remember me?
Oh Lord, oh do Lord, do
you remember me,
Way beyond the blue.
Oh I’ve got a home in
Glory Land
That outshines the sun
Oh I’ve got a home in
glory land
That outshines the sun
Oh I’ve got a home in
glory land
That outshine the sun
Way beyond the blue
Repeat Chorus.
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