CARE FOR
CREATION
WELCOME
AND GREETING
Presider: Welcome to Mary Mother of Jesus, an
inclusive Catholic Community where everyone is welcome. We use inclusive language in our scripture
readings and prayers. You are invited to
share your respectful and related comments when we share the homily and in the
Prayers of the Community. Everyone is invited
to gather around the altar table to take part in praying the Consecration and
sharing Communion. And finally, it is
our custom to share dinner together at a local restaurant which will be
announced. All are welcome!
Presider: Four years ago, Pope Francis
declared the first day of September to be observed annually as the World
Day of Prayer for the Care for Creation. In 2017, he wrote the Encyclical, “Laudato,
Si,’” his letter to “all people of good will,” concerning our need to care
for not only the planet itself but all
of creation. These papal
pronouncements have lead to the month of September’s being devoted to our
intense need to care for all of creation in all its forms. It is a fitting time to recall the teachings
of St. Francis of Assisi, lover of a universe he knew as inclusive of the
Earth, the Sun, Moon and stars. But today
we are called to heighten our awareness of the expanding meaning of the words
“creation” and “universe” - to become more sensitive to our connectedness to all
of it – not just out of reverence for what God has made, but because we begin
to realize that God is to be found in every particle of creation. Although it has always been so, it is now we
begin to see that God entered into matter, not only in Jesus, but in
everything God created. And so it is
that we know our true nature – that of brother and sister to every bit of
creation.
CALL TO
SILENCE:
Presider:
Let us take a moment
to center ourselves – to note that we are in the presence of God because
God is within everything and everyone.
(bell)
Presider:
Listen to the voice of God within us and let it expand our understanding
of our oneness with all of creation. We
acknowledge our connectedness to air and water, the plants and animals, and
every other human being, noting that our similarities are more important than
our differences. We will that
our hearts and minds be open to recognizing that everything known and unknown
in the universe merits our care and concern.
OPENING
SONG: “God, You Spin
the Whirling Planets” (melody, “Ode to Joy”) verses 1, 2
RITE OF
FORGIVENESS AND RECONCILIATION
ALL: We confess our laziness and our lack of
imagination in allowing our air and water to become polluted. We confess our shortsightedness in thinking
our need for greater space is more important than protecting the beautiful
lands around us for the shelter of all sorts of living creatures, for the
promise of food for generations to come, for the earth to breathe and cleanse
itself. We confess our
self-centeredness in wanting to build grandiose structures robbing people and
wildlife of living space. Open our
eyes, minds and hearts so that we may cultivate a long-term vision for seeing
the profound reality of your creation and our place in it.
PAUSE
ALL: (Raise hands in gesture of mutual forgiveness and chant) I am sorry.
(Breathe)
Please forgive me. (Breathe)
Thank you. (Breathe) I love you. (Breathe) Repeat.
GLORIA:
ALL
sing: Glory to God, glory! O praise God, alleluia. Glory to God, glory! O praise the name of our God. (3 times)
FIRST
READING: A reading
from Pope Francis’ encyclical, “Laudato, Si’” in which he calls our attention
to the patron saint of ecology, St. Francis of Assisi.
“His
response to the world around him was so much more than intellectual
appreciation or economic calculus, for to him each and every creature was a
sister united to him by bonds of affection.
That is why he felt called to care for all that exists. His disciple Saint Bonaventure tells us
that, “from a reflection on the primary source of all things, filled with even
more abundant piety, he would call creatures, no matter how small, by the name
of ‘brother’ or ‘sister’. Such a
conviction cannot be written off as naïve romanticism, for it affects the
choices which determine our behavior.
If we approach nature and the environment without this openness to awe
and wonder, if we no longer speak the language of fraternity and beauty in our
relationship with the world, our attitude will be that of master, consumers,
ruthless exploiters, unable to set limits on the immediate needs. By contrast, if we feel intimately united
with all that exists, then sobriety and care will well up spontaneously. The poverty and austerity of Saint Francis
were no mere veneer of asceticism, but something much more radical: a refusal
to turn reality into an object simply to be used and controlled.”
RESPONSORIAL
PSALM Psalm 19. Nan Merrill, interpretation
Lector: The heavens declare
the glory of the Creator!
Psalm Response: The heavens declare the glory of the Creator!
Lector: The heavens declare the glory of the Creator,
The firmament proclaims the handiwork of Love.
Response: The heavens declare the glory of the Creator!
Lector: Day to day speech pours forth and
Night to night, knowledge is revealed.
Response: The heavens declare the glory of the Creator!
Lector: There is no speech
Nor are there words;
Their voice is not heard.
Yet does their music resound through
all the earth,
And their words echo to the ends of
the earth.
Psalm Response: The heavens declare
the glory of the Creator!
SECOND
READING:
From the
poems of Mary Oliver, “With Thanks to the Field Sparrow, whose Voice is so
Delicate and Humble”
I do not live happily or comfortably
with the cleverness of our times.
The talk is all about computers
the news is all about
bombs and blood.
This morning, in the fresh field,
I came upon a hidden nest.
It held four warm, speckled eggs.
… Then went away
softly,
having felt something more wonderful
than all the electricity of New York City.
ALLELUIA “Caribbean”
GOSPEL: Luke 18:15-17
Presider
1: Our gospel
reading emphasizes Jesus’s love for a particular element of creation –
children.
A reading
from the Gospel of Luke.
People even
brought little children to him, for him to touch them. When the disciples saw this they turned them
away. But Jesus called the children to
him and said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them, for it
is to such as these that the Kingdom of God belongs. I tell you solemnly, anyone who does not
welcome the Kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.’
These are
the words of Jesus as recounted by the writer of the Gospel of Luke. To this we respond: Amen.
HOMILY
STARTER
Presider
1: As a homily
starter, we will listen to a letter written by Karen Leslie Hernandez to her as
yet unborn granddaughter. It will be
read by three grandmothers.
VOICE -
Anna
You’re still
an idea - a thought. Yet I think of
you often. I hope for you. When you arrive will each breath be easy?
Will you
have places to run? Trees to climb Glaciers to marvel Oceans to explore Whales to watch Turtles to hatch?
Will
elephants trumpet? Wolves howl. Roosters crow and lions hunt.
Will rain
soak? Will snow fall from the sky
Or will it
be ash? Instead.
Voice - JANET
On a planet
that’s angry I wonder.
Will humans
be? Kinder Wiser
Loving Good Caring
Better.
Or
Violent Deadly
Selfish Void Tired
Scared.
Too tolerant
of intolerance.
Voice -
SALLY
When
stardust forms you
I wonder. Will people still live?
In tents on
streets encampments in cars
in fear?
Without
enough food Unequal.
Will
healthcare be? For all Or
withheld for the entitled still
Will you
live?
Safely Securely
Warmly Belly full Happily.
Will race religion
culture Ethnicity
Matter? Still.
Voice 1: ANNA
I fear.
Will bullets
still fly?
Through your
classroom At Temple Through Streets. At Mosque
By store clerks To music.
While
dancing in Church On freeways At home.,
While the
smell of garlic and gunpowder infuse the air.
I wonder
what life will be like for you.
When you are
born
Will Iraq
know peace? Will I be here? Will Syria fall silent? Will America accept? Will you meet me? Will Myanmar coexist? Will Afghanistan thrive, finally?
Will you
understand? Will the world know? Will Israelis and Palestinians coexist?
Will tyranny
be laughable? Will we care? Because I do.
Voice - JANET
I marvel.
Because
somehow Still In the darkness There will be laughter Family
Friends Time
Goodness Light
And helpers.
Voice -
SALLY
I hope for
you.
That your
life exists Gives, Understands. Reads.
Listens. Sings. Creates.
Dances. Expands. Traverses
Loves. Thrives.
Voice -
ANNA
I hope for
you.
That you
know a God A Higher Being Who’s loving Non-violent
Compassionate Understanding Giving
Patient.
Voice -
JANET
I hope for
you.
A Universe
of stars Suns Moons
Vastness.
So stunning
as it is for me, your Grandmother.
Yes, you are
still a thought An idea right now.
Yet, I
wonder.
What life
will be like for you.
Voice -
SALLY
I hope.
Voice -
ANNA
I wonder
what life will be like.
For
you.
JANET
I wonder.
SHARING
Question: What future do you hope for?
STATEMENT
OF FAITH
ALL: The universe is my home,
All beings are my tribe,
And Oneness is my
religion.
(Repeat
more slowly)
The universe is my home.
All beings are my tribe.
And Oneness
is my religion.
GENERAL INTERCESSIONS
Presider:
As we prepare for
the sacred meal, we pray for the needs of the people of God in our
community and around the world.
Who/what do we bring to the table?
I bring to
the Table… Response to each prayer:
Amen
Please share
your spontaneous prayers.
Presider: (Hold up Book of Intentions) We give thanks for every aspect of your
creation, especially humanity, and we ask blessings for those who cannot be
with us in body but are held in our hearts.
PREPARATION
OF THE GIFTS AND OFFERTORY
(Instrumental
music)
Presider: Blessed are you, God of Creation. Through your goodness we have this bread
that human hands have prepared. It
will become for us the bread of life.
ALL:
Blessed be God forever.
Presider
: Blessed are you, God
of Creation. Through your goodness we
have this wine to share. It will
become our spiritual drink.
ALL:
Blessed be God forever.
(All are
welcome to join us around the table.)
LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST
Presider:
God is within
you. ALL: And also within you.
Presider:
Lift up your hearts. ALL: We lift them up to our God.
ALL:
Wonderful God, we trust that your spirit works in us and through us as we
recognize your presence in every expression of your creation. May our attempts to better see your creation
lead us to a right focus that results in a loving environment for all
creatures. Only then will we be able
rest in your kin-dom.
Presider: As a foretaste of that, let us sing Karen Drucker’s song,
underlining that everything in the universe is holy!
We are holy, holy, holy.
We are whole. (You, I, we)
ALL: It is Jesus who draws us together and Jesus
who sends us out to be clones of himself.
For this he prepares us by inviting us to share and become his real
presence in these elements.
ALL: (Extend hands in blessing toward the
bread and wine for Invocation of the Holy Spirit):
We pray,
come Holy Spirit. Deepen your presence
within us and in these gifts of bread and wine.
ALL: On the
night before he died, Jesus gathered with his friends, and washed their feet,
so that they would follow his example.
Presider:
(lifts bread as
community prays the following)
ALL: When
he returned to his place at the meal, he spoke the blessing, broke the bread
and shared it with them saying: Take and eat of the Bread of Life. Whenever you remember me like this, I am
among you.
(pause)
Presider:
(lifts up the cup as
community prays the following)
ALL:
Jesus then raised a cup of blessing, spoke the grace saying “Take and drink of
the covenant made new again through my life in you. Whenever you remember me like this, I am
among you.” (pause)
ALL:
Christ dies, Christ rises, Christ comes again and again.
Voice: We
are called to do everything Jesus did, to be the living presence of a love that
does justice, of a compassion that heals and liberates, of a joy that generates
laughter, of a light that illumines right choices and confronts the darkness of
every injustice and inequity.
(Presiders
hold up bread and cup)
ALL: It
is through the Spirit moving in Jesus’s life and teaching and in our attempts at
honoring you that all glory is yours, O Holy One, forever and ever.
Great
Amen
Presider: Let us pray as Jesus taught us:
ALL: Sing Prayer of Jesus: Our Father
and Mother…
Presider:
Now may we turn to
our neighbors and give them a sign of peace
PRAYER
FOR THE BREAKING OF THE3 BREAD
Presider:
Please join in the
prayer for the breaking of the bread: (Presiders break the bread)
ALL: We
break this bread for the purpose of sharing and nourishing. May we approach all of creation with the
same purpose, or leave it unbroken.
Presider
1: 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 the
Feast.
ALL: As we share communion, we will become
communion, Love’s nourishment and Love’s challenge.
MEDITATION
MUSIC
Algonquin
Water Song (recorded)
ANOINTING
OF THE SICK if requested
PRAYERS
OF GRATITUDE, INTRODUCTIONS, ANNOUNCEMENTS
BLESSING
Presider:
Let us raise our
hands in blessing as we pray together:
ALL: May
we live with eyes and ears and hearts open to see, hear and love all of
creation – most especially our fellow human beings. Amen.
CLOSING
SONG: “God, You Spin the Whirling Planets” (melody “Ode to Joy”) verse 3
This liturgy is an adaptation of that
written by Bridget Mary Meehan, ARCWP for August 14, 2019
Verse 1
Verse 3
God, you
spin the whirling planets, God,
your will is still creating,
fill the
seas and spread the plain, calling us to
life made new.
mold the
mountains, fashion blossoms, Now
reveal to us fresh vistas
call forth
sunshine, wind, and rain. where there’s
work to dare and do.
We, created
in your image, Keep
us clear of all distortion,
would a true
reflection be fashion
us with loving care.
of your
justice, grace and mercy, Thus
new creatures in your image,
and the
truth that makes us free. we’ll
proclaim Christ everywhere!
Verse 2
You have
called us to be faithful
in our life
and ministry.
We respond
in grateful worship,
joined in
one community.
When we blur
your gracious image,
focus us and
make us whole.
Healed and
strengthened as your people,
we move
onward toward your goal.
