All: Infinite God in whom we live and move and have our being (arms outstretched), Holy Spirit Sophia in every person and all Communities (hands in Namaste position, bowing to person across from you), Inner God, our brother Jesus: We are your light for the world (hands crossed over heart) Amen
Presider: God is within you and our community. All: And also, within you.
Opening Prayer All: O Holy Mystery Brother Jesus, today you call us to welcome the members of God's family who come to our land to escape oppression, poverty, persecution, violence, and war. Like your disciples, we too may be filled with fear and doubt and even suspicion. We may have built barriers in our hearts and in our minds. Amen
See Sheet for Readings
First Reading-Pope Francis
Poem placed on the Statue of Liberty
Gospel reading-Matthew 25
Shared Homily: Why do immigrants come? What is the suffering of immigrants coming to the USA? How have I helped? How might I help? What actions? What prayers? (see sheet)
Profession of Faith. All I believe in God our Divine Creator who desires us to know immigrants, asylum seekers, refugees and ourselves as Holy Mystery’s beloved daughters and sons. I believe in Jesus, God of Compassion and Loving all persons unconditionally that we all might learn and live following his Way. I believe in Sophia God’s Spirit of Renewal, healing humanity, calling us into our evolutionary future. We are called to be God’s Compassion enfleshed through our lives and for our country’s immigrants, asylum seekers and refugees. Amen.
Presider: Always mindful of God’s love and care for us, we bring the needs of the People of God to our loving Holy Mystery, Wisdom Sophia and our Risen Jesus Christ. Response: Jesus, you were a refugee, hear our prayer.
Presider: May we welcome migrants and refugees with joy and generosity, while responding to their many needs. R Presider: May we share of our abundance as you spread a banquet before us. R
Presider: May we give witness to your love for all refugees, immigrants, asylum seekers as we celebrate the many gifts they bring. R
Presider: For what else should we pray…R.
Presider: We know you hear our prayers; those we speak and those we keep in our hearts. With the aid Jesus Christ our Brother may our acts of compassion and prayers support all who come to our country’s shores. All: Amen
PREPARATION OF OUR GIFTS
Presider: Blessed are you, Jesus Christ Lover of all. This bread is your MMOJ community standing in solidarity with all who come to America as immigrants and refugees. We offer this bread for it will become for all the Bread of life. ALL: Holy Family you had to flee for your lives, accept our gifts.
Presider: Blessed are you, O God, Divine Compassion for all. This wine is our ministry with and for immigrants, asylum seekers, and refugees. We have this wine to offer, it will become our spiritual drink for all. ALL: Holy Family you had to flee for your lives, accept our gifts.
All: Blessed are you, God of all creation, through your goodness we offer our own ministry. May we join in prayer and solidarity with all immigrants, asylum seekers, and refugees. Amen.
Eucharistic Prayer.
All Sing: We are holy holy holy (x3) We are whole; You are holy holy holy (x3) You are whole; I am holy (x3) I am whole; We are holy holy holy (x3) We are whole.
All: Come Sophia Wisdom, Holy Spirit and settle on this bread and wine. Fill them with the holiness and wholeness of our Brother Jesus our Cosmic Christ who is leading us to justice and dignity for all, especially immigrants, asylum seekers and refugees coming to the USA. Amen
Remembering Jesus. (hand extended in blessing):
All: On the night before he died, while at supper with his friends, Jesus took bread, broke it, and shared it with those present and we today, saying, “Take this, all of you, and eat. This is my body which will be broken for you.” (Pause)
All: Then Jesus took a cup of wine and shared it with those present, and we today, saying, “Take this all of you and drink. This is the cup of my life-blood, lived for you. Do this in memory of me.”
All (2nd Invocation of Spirit, with hand on each other’s shoulder): Come Holy Spirit to rest on us. Refreshed from our worship together and joined within the Communion of Saints may we extend your justice and dignity to all immigrants, asylum seekers, and refugees.
Prayer of Jesus “Our Father and Mother”
Song of Peace: Faith is flowing like a river, flowing out of you and me, flowing out into the desert, setting all the captives free. Hope is flowing…Love is flowing...
Litany for Breaking of Bread.
Men: Loving God, you call us to speak truth to power. We will do so!
Women: Loving God, you call us to bring your Good News of our resurrection with immigrants, asylum seekers, and refugees. We will do so!
ALL: Loving God, you call us to be your Compassion for immigrants, asylum seekers, refugees. We will be so!
Presider: This is Jesus who lived and walked to his death in solidarity with those poor and marginalized. All are invited to partake of this banquet of love and to live our resurrection journey in hope. All: With Jesus Christ our Brother and the Way, we choose to be the Body of Christ for all whom we meet on our way.
Prayer of Thanksgiving (Didache, 100CE)
Men 1: For the thanksgiving, give thanks this way: First, for the cup: We thank you, Abba God, for the sacred vine of David your son, whose meaning you made clear to us through our brother Jesus, yours ever be the splendor.
Women 2: And for the bread fragment: We thank you, Amma God, for the life and wisdom whose meaning you made clear to us through Jesus, yours ever be the splendor.
All 3: As this fragment was scattered high on hills, but by gathering was united into one, so let your people from earth’s ends be united into your single reign, for yours are splendor and might through Jesus Christ down the ages.
Prayers of Gratitude from community
Presider: Let us continue our resurrection journey with immigrants, asylum seekers, and refugees in solidarity for unity, peace and justice in our country. Let our prayers and service continue in the name of our Brother Jesus our Cosmic Christ. All: Amen
Final Blessing.
All (hand extended over community):
May Jesus Christ and Holy Wisdom bless our prayers and actions for the dignity of, and in solidarity with immigrants, asylum seekers, refugees here and around the world. Amen
Final Blessing, extend you arm in blessing:
Remember that you are
highly favored,
deeply loved,
and greatly blessed. Amen
Thanks to and adapted from a liturgy by Michael and Imogene Rigdon of MMOJ-Sarasota
________________________________________________________________________________________
A prayer from Jesuits: Lord Jesus, when you multiplied the loaves and fishes, you provided more than food for the body, you offered us the gift of yourself, the gift which satisfies every hunger and quenches every thirst! Your disciples were filled with fear and doubt, but you poured out your love and compassion on the migrant crowd, welcoming them as brothers and sisters.
Lord Jesus, today you call us to welcome the members of God's family who come to our land to escape oppression, poverty, persecution, violence, and war. Like your disciples, we too are filled with fear and doubt and even suspicion. We build barriers in our hearts and in our minds.
Lord Jesus, help us by your grace,
- To banish fear from our hearts, that we may embrace each of your children as our own brother and sister;
- To welcome migrants and refugees with joy and generosity, while responding to their many needs;
- To realize that you call all people to your holy mountain to learn the ways of peace and justice;
- To share of our abundance as you spread a banquet before us;
- To give witness to your love for all people, as we celebrate the many gifts they bring.
We praise you and give you thanks for the family you have called together from so many people. We see in this human family a reflection of the divine unity of the one Most Holy Trinity in whom we make our prayer: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
READINGS for October 3, 2019 FYI: Websites and charts on immigration follow
First Reading* is taken from the writing of Pope Francis:
“For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same?” (Mt 5:46). It is not just about migrants: it is about charity. Through works of charity, we demonstrate our faith (cf. Jas 2:18). And the highest form of charity is that shown to those unable to reciprocate and perhaps even to thank us in return. “It is also about the face we want to give to our society and about the value of each human life... The progress of our peoples... depends above all on our openness to being touched and moved by those who knock at our door. Their faces shatter and debunk all those false idols that can take over and enslave our lives; idols that promise an illusory and momentary happiness blind to the lives and sufferings of others” The Inspired word of Pope Francis. All: Thanks be to God
Our prayer of response: The New Colossus, by Emma Lazarus November 2, 1883
Women:
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
Men:
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
All: Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
Gospel Reading Matthew 25: 31-40
The ruler will say to those on the right, “Come, you blessed of my Abba God! Inherit the kindom prepared for you from the creation of the world! For I was hungry and you fed me; I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me; naked and you clothed me. I was ill and you comforted me; in prison and came to visit me.’ Then these just will ask, ‘When did we see you hungry and feed you, or see you thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you as a stranger and invite you in, or clothe you in your nakedness? When did we see you ill or in prison and come to visit you? The ruler will answer them, ‘The truth is, every time you did this for the least of my sisters or brothers, you did it for me.’” The Good news of Jesus our Brother, our Way. All: Blessed be Jesus Christ, the ruler of all humanity and creation.
*(Address at the Diocesan Caritas of Rabat, 30 March 2019). https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-05/pope-francis-message-world-day-migrants-refugees-full-text.html
Resources for more information:
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/06/28/what-we-know-about-illegal-immigration-from-mexico/
President lowering 2020 refugee numbers:
Trump to cut number of refugees allowed in U.S. to lowest ever
Under the new proposed ceiling for fiscal year 2020, the U.S. would admit no more than 1,500 refugees from Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala
CBS News: https://apple.news/A9gqn8p90Rtm1-eSwm53-AQ
Trump to cut number of refugees allowed in U.S. to lowest ever
Under the new proposed ceiling for fiscal year 2020, the U.S. would admit no more than 1,500 refugees from Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala
CBS News: https://apple.news/A9gqn8p90Rtm1-eSwm53-AQ
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