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Saturday, July 27, 2019

Mary Mother of Jesus Inclusive Catholic Community 17th Sunday of Extraordinary Time, July 27, 2019 Presiders: Janet Blakeley, ARCWP and Sally Brochu, ARCWP Music Minister: Mindy Lou Simmons




left: Sally Brochu and Janet Blakeley

Gathering Chant: “Come Be Beside Us” by Jan Phillips (X3)
Come be beside us.
Come be around us.
Come be within us.
Come be among us.
WELCOME      
Presider:  Welcome to Mary, Mother of Jesus, an inclusive Catholic Community where all are welcome to share Eucharist at the Banquet Table.   We use inclusive language in our Scripture readings and prayers.   We invite respectful sharing at the homily that is related to our readings. We welcome all of you to share your intentions at the Prayers of the Faithful. In the Eucharistic Prayer we invite anyone to ‘voice’ one of the prayers if you are comfortable doing so and all pray the words of Consecration.   We welcome all newcomers and we are so pleased that you joined us today.   All are invited to join us for supper at a local restaurant after the liturgy.

Opening Song: #414 – “Sing a New Church” – verses 1 and 3

Opening Prayer:
Presider:  Holy One, you created us holy and whole, yet life took us to places where we sometimes lost sight of you and your love for us. Still we are trying to expand our awareness of your unconditional love for us. Help us to keep your love at the center of our being as we struggle with life. For even when we fail, your love is unfailing. Creator God, see into and touch our hearts and souls to heighten our awareness of you, so that we can listen to your call and invitation to draw closer to you from where we once were and to where we will return. Amen.

Communal Reconciliation Rite
Presider: We pause now to remember the times we have not asked for forgiveness.
(Pause briefly.   Please extend your hand in blessing and say the Ho’oponopono Prayer)  I am sorry.   Please forgive me.   I thank you.  I love you.

                                                             LITURGY OF THE WORD
First Reading: Deuteronomy 30:11-14
The following words are attributed to Moses as he gave the Law to God’s people.
For this command which I enjoin on you today is not too mysterious and remote for you. It is not up in the sky, that you should say “Who will go up in the sky to get it for us and tell of it, that we may carry it out?” Nor is it across the sea that you should say, “Who will cross the sea, to get it for us and tell us of it, that we may carry it out?” No, it is something very near to you, already in your mouths and in your hearts; you have only to carry it out.
These are the inspired words from the Book of Deuteronomy and we affirm them by saying “Amen”

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm #144  (As adapted by Nan Merrill)
Refrain: Let us recognize the Truth, that clear vision might unfold.
Blessed are you, O Radiant One, You, who are hidden within our hearts, even as we are hidden within your Heart. You invite us to participate in the Divine Unfoldment, as we Awaken from our long sleep and give birth to creativity.
Refrain: Let us recognize the Truth, that clear vision might unfold.
Open us that we might recognize the divine in every person, and become sensitive to all we meet along the path. For You are the Breathing of Life of all, the infinite and eternal within our hearts.
Refrain: Let us recognize the Truth, that clear vision might unfold.
Evoke the Child in our souls, that purity and grace might flourish! Inflame us with the compassion so we nurture ourselves and others with healing and forgiveness! Empower us with wisdom and knowledge that we might bring forth the Divine Plan! And let us recognize the Truth that clear vision might unfold.
Refrain: Let us recognize the Truth, that clear vision might unfold.

Second Reading: A Reading from the Second Letter of Peter Chapter 1: 3-4
Everything that goes into a life of pleasing the Holy One has been miraculously given to us by getting to know, personally and intimately, the One who invited us to God. This way, God has bestowed on us the precious and very great promises, so that through them you may come to share in the divine nature, after escaping from the corruption that is in the world because of evil desire.
These are the inspired words from the Second Letter of Peter and we affirm them by saying “Amen”.

Gospel Acclamation:
All sing: “Spirit of the Living God”
            Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on me.  (us, all)
            Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on me.
            Melt me, mold me, fill me, use me.
            Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on me.
Sally Brochu with Gospel Book

Gospel: A Reading from the Gospel of John, Chapter 4: 17-24 – the Story of Jesus’ Meeting the Samaritan Woman at the Town Well
“Oh, so you are a prophet! Well, tell me this: Our ancestors worship the Holy One at this mountain, but you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place for worship, right?” “Believe me, woman, the time is coming when the Samaritans will worship the Father neither here on this mountain nor there in Jerusalem. You worship in the dark; we Jews worship in the clear light of day. But the time is coming – it has, in fact, come – when what you’re called will not matter and where you go to worship will not matter”.
“It’s who you are and the way you live that count before the Holy One. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That’s the kind of people the Holy One is out looking for; those who are simply and honestly themselves before God in their worship. God is sheer being itself – Spirit. Those who worship God must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration”.
These are the inspired words from the Gospel of John, as translated in The Message, and we affirm them by saying “Amen”.
Homily by Janet Blakeley and Community Sharing
Janet Blakely ARCWP preaching

Last week it was great to hear your recognition of God in nature, events, and people.   What you were recognizing was the presence of God in everything in the universe.
It was disappointing that none of you shared awareness of God within yourselves, or told of experiencing that you and God are one.    You are the goodness of God and God is the goodness of you.  
If that sounds preposterous, that something as sinful as a human being can in essence be divine, listen again to what the second letter of Peter says:    “Everything that goes into a life of pleasing the Holy One has been miraculously given to us by getting to know, personally and intimately, the One who invited us to God.   [That would be Jesus.]   This way God has bestowed on us the precious and very great promises, so that through them you may come to share in the divine nature, after escaping from the corruption that is in the world because of evil desire.”
Peter is saying that sharing in the divine nature is ours – after we have escaped many of the traps that capture our desire.   Escaping those is not easy, as Peter goes on to say, but it is well worth the effort, because divinity awaits within us.

We have not been encouraged to consider this idea.   Rather, we have been told to keep our eyes down, to be humble and contrite and remember that we are sinners.
It is for this theology that our ship is sinking today.   The true message of Jesus has been covered up with this misguided theology that is now dragging the church to self-destruction.   It is called “atonement” or “salvation” theology.   Interpreting the creation story found in Genesis, it teaches that the first humans sinned, that we all carry their sin, and that the role of Jesus was to save us from damnation because of our sins.   This salvation theology was not the message of Jesus, nor did our spiritual ancestors even hint at it.   It was written about a thousand five hundred years ago and for whatever reason was promoted by the church and believed by trusting Christians.    Today the simple ugliness of that theology is killing the church.
 
For the past two generations, our children and grandchildren have been looking at a different  creation story.   It is neither metaphorical myth nor poetic literature.   They can grasp it because they see it before their very eyes.   It is as real as the dirt under their feet.   It is the evolving universe.

With this as their understanding of creation, they see their lives as part of that whole.   It has no disturbing moral imperatives attached to it – it just is.   Their purpose in life is to come to understand where they and humanity fit into this picture  - what their role is.
Brian Swimme - geologist, philosopher, theologian - says we must measure our religion against the universe and ask ourselves, “Does it stand up?”   If not, it needs to be abandoned.   What does stand up to the reality of the universe?   Something authentic – including ourselves.

Humanity may be in the midst of a paradigm shift when most of what we have carried forward, including big parts of our religion, will necessarily be sifted out and replaced with what we identify as more real, more lasting.  
In this community we do that in a small way by the liturgies we compose, trying hard to say what we mean and mean what we say. 
But this is a long way from what the next generation is seeking.   Their religion will have to be universal, recognizing the wholeness and the interdependence of creation.      
The celebrating of their beliefs will not be limited to the arts but will find expression in ways we have not imagined.     Their places of worship will not be limited to liturgies taking place in churches.   Their concern may not be a life after death but the establishing of heaven in their everyday living.   They may recognize many fingers pointing to God – not just that of Jesus.     
Of one thing I am sure:   there will be religion as people are made increasingly aware of the wonder of the universe - 
 that universe which God said was “good.”    The theology coming from this notion is known as the theology of blessing which has been with us just as long as atonement theology.  I am counting on the theology of blessing to be the one we keep - true, good, authentic and lasting.  
God invites us to make this happen.   First we must allow ourselves to seek and find the essential goodness or godness within individual selves.   When it is found, we will not be able to contain it because it is LOVE!    With love flowing freely like a river, the earth will become the realization of God’s kin-dom.
It is well worth it to take a bit of time each day to ask for help in finding the nucleus of God’s kindom within you.   Not only will that effort bring you great joy, it will be the answer to what plagues us today.   A world bent on self-destruction cannot be the outcome of God’s love made visible in you.

Statement of Faith  (Taken from “The Friends in Faith” and shared by Joan Meehan)
Gathered together as people of faith, we profess our belief in God who is larger than we can name, unable to be contained, yet present in each one of us. We have come to know this God in the living of our lives, and in the holiness of the earth we share.
We believe in a God revealed in all peoples – all genders, religions, and orientations. We embrace a compassionate God, who champions justice and mercy, and is always faithful when we call. Our God gives and forgives, patiently loving without conditions.
We gratefully believe in a God who feels our deepest struggles and celebrates our deepest joys. A God who both dances with us in celebration and holds us when we cry. This God is not the “other” to us but shares our breath in every moment and promises we are never alone.
We believe in a God who believes in us – believes that we are precious and incredible gifts, worthy to claim image and likeness to the divine. We hold fast to our God who journeys with us, who continually calls us to choose the shape of our days through the choices we make. This God accepts us as we are and shares each hope we have for becoming. This is the God in whom we believe, our Creator, our Mother and Father, who became human in Jesus, our brother. Our God is the Spirit of Life, the voice that continues to speak love, and asks us to answer. In this God we choose to believe. AMEN.
Prayers of the Community
 Presider: As we prepare for the sacred meal, we bring to this table our blessings, cares and concerns.   All please feel free to voice your concerns beginning with the words “I bring to the table….”  
 Our response is “Holy One, may we love and serve all.”
Presider: For what shall we pray?
Presider: We pray for these and all unspoken concerns that we hold in our hearts.   Amen.
Offertory Song: #310 “Table of Plenty” – verses 1 and 4
Presentation of Gifts:


Sally Brochu ARCWP and Janet Blakeley ARCWP co-preside at Eucharist

Preparation of Gifts (presiders lift up bread and wine and book of intentions)
Presider: Blessed are you, O Holy One, and blessed are we as we gather around this table.   We bring this bread, this wine and our lives to share at this banquet of love. Through this sacred meal may we become your new creation as we respond to your call to use our gifts in loving service to our sisters and brothers.
All: Blessed are You forever.
Presider: All are welcome to join us around the table.
                        LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST
Presider:  God is with us, blessing the world through you.
All: And with all of creation.
Presider: Lift up your hearts.
All: We lift them up in the Holy One.
Presider: O Holy One, we lift up our hearts to You, You who gently invite us to enter into a deeper relationship with you that will affect how we live our lives and decisions we make.  This transformation usually comes through difficulties and pain, yet you are there with us through all our days. Come Holy Spirit, be with us and with all who have gone before us, as we lift up our hearts in praise and sing:


All: We are holy, holy, holy (you, I, we) by Karen Drucker
 Refrain: (Sung after each verse)
Spirit Divine, Come to me
Feeling love, Healing me.
Open my heart, Allow me to see,
Beauty and love, Lives in me.
All: We trust you to continue to share with us your own Spirit, the Spirit that filled Jesus, for it is through his life and teaching, his loving and healing that all honor and glory is yours, O Holy One, forever and ever.

Voice: Holy One, You transform these gifts of bread, wine, and our lives, with boundless grace that nourishes and sustains us on our journey.
Voice: On the night Jesus sat at the Seder supper with his companions, he reminded them of what he taught them and bent down and washed their feet. Jesus returned to his place at the table, lifted the Passover bread and spoke the blessing, snd then broke the bread with these words:
ALL: Take and eat, this is my very self.
Voice: Jesus then raised high the cup of blessing, spoke the grace, and offered them the wine with these words:
ALL: Take and drink of the covenant made new again through my life for you and for everyone. Whenever you do this, you remember me.
Presider: Let us proclaim the mystery of wonder in our midst.
ALL: Christ dies, Christ rises, Christ comes again and again and again.
Voice: Jesus who walks with us on the path to holiness, you are the spark of love in whom we believe; the Wisdom of Sophia in whom we trust; and the desire for justice that consumes us.
Voice: As we celebrate the memory of Jesus, we remember our prophetic leaders. We remember the communion of saints who have inspired and loved us and all who have gone before us. ( Names………)
(Presiders hold up bread and wine.)
ALL: For it is through living as Jesus lived that we awaken to your Spirit loving through us to promote justice and equality in our service to our sisters and brothers.
Presider: Let us pray as Jesus taught us:
Prayer of Jesus: “Our Father and Mother…”
Sign of Peace: Presider: While remaining in your place, please turn to the person on either side of you and extend them a sign of peace and say:  “May God’s peace be with you”


Prayer for the Breaking of the Bread
Presider: Please join in the prayer for the breaking of the bread. (Presiders break the bread.)
All: O God of Courage, You call us to live the Gospel of peace and justice. We will live justly.   O God of Compassion, You call us to be your presence in the world.   We will love tenderly.   O God of Truth, You call us to speak truth to power.   We will walk with integrity in your presence.
(Presiders hold up the bread and wine.)
Presider: This is the bread of life and the cup of blessing.   Through it we are nourished and we nourish each other.   All are welcome to join in the Feast. 
All: Through him, we have learned how to live.                                                
Though him, we have learned how to love.                                                                      
Through him, we have learned how to serve. AMEN.
Communion song: Instrumental
Presider: Prayers of Gratitude and Announcements
Blessing
Presider: Let us raise our hands and bless each other.
All: May you be blessed with a restless discomfort about easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships.  
May you seek truth boldly and love deeply within your heart.
May you continue to be the face of the Holy One to all you meet.
May your name be a blessing in our time.

Presider: As we close our liturgy, we call upon our God of Healing to heal our world and especially our nation. All are in dire need of healing and in need of peace. As we raise our voices in prayerful song, let us be committed to live our lives with love for others and all whom we meet each day.  Amen.
Closing Song:  #384 – “The Summons” – verses 1 and 5

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