Zoom link for video, Dec. 19, 2020 4 PM Eastern Standard Time
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86240868327?pwd=ZWNhdHRudTlFSjVBRlF5QVo5L3VGZz09
Meeting ID: 862 4086 8327
Password: 1066
THEME: WE TOO BIRTH THE CHRIST
WELCOME AND GATHERING:
Joan: Welcome to our Zoom liturgy at Mary Mother of Jesus, an inclusive Catholic Community, where all are welcome. At these difficult times, it is now more important than ever to gather together to support one another as “companions on this journey”, a journey of the unknown. For “wherever two or more of you are gathered in my Name, there is love.”
Dotty: We invite you to pray the liturgy and respond where it says, All. You will be muted during the liturgy except the presiders. Readers will mute and unmute themselves as appropriate. During the shared homily we ask you to unmute yourself to contribute your thoughts and when you are finished, remember to re-mute yourself. Have bread and wine/juice in front of you as we pray our Eucharistic prayer.
GATHERING PRAYER
Today we celebrate Mary, the one visited by a Messenger of the Sacred Spirit with a profound request: would she be willing to bring a most extraordinary child into the world, to become the mother of Jesus. In saying YES Mary began an epic journey, fraught with incredible challenges that she could never have planned for or imagined. Mary stood up and took action to ensure that both she and her child would be protected and would be safe. Today we honor all those women who fight and even die to protect their children. May they find support and love on their journey.
Let us begin now with our gathering song:
Blessed Is She by Colleen Fulmer
https://youtu.be/P_ZjCQKwYIw
TRANSFORMATION PRAYER:
The suffering being experienced by the people of the world is greater than ever before in our lifetimes. We commit ourselves to do whatever we can, in any way we can, to alleviate the spread of the virus and to comfort the sick and their families.
ALL: Transform us O Holy One
It is difficult today to keep our focus on the Divine Presence within in us and within everyone around us. Peaceful protests are interrupted needlessly. Racism and white supremacy infiltrate all our structures. We commit ourselves to speak truth to power.
ALL. Transform us O Holy One
The divisions among our leaders of government work against the needs of our people. We commit ourselves to support the needs of others in whatever ways we can and to share our faith that goodness will prevail.
All: Transform us O Holy One
GLORIA
Glory to the Spirit of Life, to the Holy One who surrounds us, who lives within us, whose Sacred Word is shared by us.
Glory to the Spirit of Life, who offers us peace; peace in our hearts, peace in our thoughts, peace with one another.
Glory to the Spirit of Life, who cares for the health workers, postal workers, store clerks, garbage collectors and all those who serve our special needs in numerous ways.
Glory to the Spirit of Life, who sent Jesus who teaches us how to live the Gospels, who brings hope and healing to all those in need.
O Holy One, you are one with us. We are strong in our faith and will live life in hope and faithfulness to you, to be Church, committed to the message of the Gospels
We depend upon the ever-present Spirit, Wisdom Sophia to walk with us as we journey in the present and rejoice in the life before us.
All: Glory to the Spirit of Life
LITURGY OF THE WORD
Kevin Connelly:First Reading: Reflection by Lisle Gwynn Garrity – Luke 1:26-35
Did it feel like a dream when the angel approached? “Greetings, favored one!”
Did her mind spin as she pondered the impossibility of it all? “You will bear a son… and he will be great.”
Did she lose her balance when she realized the gravity of her call? “The child will be holy… The son of the Holy One”
Did her legs get weak after the words left her lips? “Here I am…Let it be.”
In the quiet that followed, did she answer everything? Did she realize what this would mean – for her family…for Joseph...for her future? Did she realize that she would be perceived as being impure, as a threat to patriarchy, power, and proprietary? Did fear cloak her like a garment pulled too tight?
And so, in a haze, she runs away – seeking refuge in the hill country, retreating to family who would keep her safe and help her make sense of her world turned upside down.
As soon as she falls into Elizabeth’s arms, they know the truth together. This is not a dream deferred; it is a dream confirmed, a dream shared. A dream that will birth joy.
The inspired words of Lisle Gwynn Garrity
ALL: So Be it!
Psalm: Mother of all Genders and Races: Mother Within Us
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VA4f4ot2I4o
Judy Connelly: Gospel: Luke as interpreted by Eugene Peterson adapted.
In the 6th month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy God sent the angel Gabriel to the Galilea village of Nazareth to a virgin named Mary who was engaged to be married to a man descended from David. His name was Joseph. Upon entering her home Gabriel greeted Mary. “Good morning! You’re beautiful with God’s beauty, beautiful inside and out! God is with you.” Mary was frightened, wondering what was behind a greeting like that. But the angel assured her, “Mary, you have nothing to fear, God has a surprise for you. You will become pregnant and give birth to a son and call him Jesus.” And the angel went on to say; “he will be great, be called ‘Son of the Holy One. He will have the throne of David. He will rule Jacob’s house forever – no end, ever to the kin-dom of the Holy One. But Mary questioned the angel; “how will this happen. I have never slept with a man.?” And the angel said “you will receive the Holy Spirit, who is within you and the power of the Holy Spirit will also hover over you and so the child you birth will be the Holy One’s Son.
Your cousin Elizabeth conceived a son, as old as she is, when everyone had called her barren. She is 6 months pregnant. Nothing is impossible with the Holy One”. And then Mary said, “I’m am the maiden of the Holy One, let this come to be, just as you say.” Then the angel left her.
Mary didn’t waste a minute. She got up and traveled to a town in Judah, in the hill country, straight to Zachariah’s home, and greeted her older cousin. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting the baby in her womb kicked. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and sang out exuberantly, “You’re so blessed among women, and the babe in your womb, also blessed! And why am I so blessed that the mother of my God would visits me? The moment the sound of your voice entered my ears, the babe in my womb skipped like a lamb for sheer joy. Blessed woman, who believed what the Holy One said, believed every word would come true.”
These are the words attributed to a man called Luke, a disciple of Jesus and the people say
All: So be it
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1rc7ojQtJU
Homily Starter: Joan Pesce
Today, our focus is on Mary as she prepares to give birth to Jesus.
In our first reading from the writing of Lisle Gwynn Garrity, we consider Mary as a true Child of Humanity, just like us, with the human and the divine as one within her. So it is not difficult to imagine Mary having the thoughts, questions and anxieties presented in this reading. Isn’t that what we do when we experience an unexpected event or are faced with a challenging decision or worry about a situation facing a loved one?
My guess is that these thoughts and feelings did not enter Mary’s consciousness just once but that they filled her mind and heart as she traveled the long journey over the hills to Elizabeth’s house.
I also think that, like us on our daily journeys, she turned these thoughts, questions and anxieties over in her mind and heart until they finally exhausted her. And then within the deepest part of her, She let go, surrendered, gave up any resistance and opened her mind and heart fully to the Divine Spirit within her who filled her
with profound peace and deep joy. Now she was truly ready to birth Jesus.
This is what we, too, are called to do as we struggle with challenges on our daily journey. We, too, must go within and finally let go of our
expectations, anxieties and limited desires and allow the Divine Spirit to fill us with deep peace and guidance. It is only then that we, like Mary, can birth the Christ to the World.
, o
PROFESSION OF FAITH:
We believe in our Creator who has not forgotten us and is ever and always present with us.
We believe in Jesus, prophet and teacher, who journeyed on the earth, blessing the sick, making whole the broken, healing many, instilling faith in his followers so that they insure his legacy till the end of time.
We believe in the Cosmic Christ, the everlasting Presence, one with the universe.
We believe in Sacred Spirit, the breath of wisdom Sophia, the power of the winds enwrapping us in glory.
We believe in the communion of saints, our heavenly friends who walk with us in love, who are never far from us, who are separated from us by a mere veil, always near opening our minds to what is difficult to see
We believe in the partnership and equality of women and men in our Church and our world. Here we live our prophetic call of Gospel equality.
Prayers of Petitions:
As we prepare for this sacred meal, we are aware that just as Mary awaits the birth of her child, we too are waiting for the healing power of the Christ in us and in our world. We voice our intentions today as we pray….
We bring to the table our grave concern about the continued spread of the Covid virus. We pray for those persons in our country, in our world who suffer from disease especially from Covid 19. We pray they may experience love and support as they heal.
We bring to the table our newly elected national leaders soon to take their place in the seats of power. May the transition be peaceful, and may our new leaders deliver all the promises they made to us.
We bring to the table those we love who need healing. We pray especially for Dianne, Bridget Mary, Sally and Janet. We assure them that we hold them in our hearts with much love.
We bring to the table the immigrant children still being held in inhumane conditions by our own government. We pray our newly elected officials will act swiftly in righting this terrible wrong.
Holy one, we pray that as we live our oneness with the Sacred Presence, we will do our part to support the sick and bring justice to abused children in our country.
We place these intentions on our home altar as we remember Jesus and celebrate his life.
And together we say,
ALL: May the Christ Presence heal us and give us peace during this time of waiting. Make it so!
OFFERTORY
We are blessed by the Holy One in a multitude of ways.
We have bread made from human hands, and wine made from harvested grapes. These are gifts of the earth, and together they will become our spiritual food and drink.
With this bread and wine, we pledge ourselves to the teachings of Jesus as revealed in the Gospels. We accept our call to be present to all persons in our world. We are committed to the teachings and the ministry of Jesus.
All: The Holy One is praised forever.
With open hands let us pray:
Holy One, we remember Mary the Mother of Jesus. She reflected in every aspect of her life her commitment to Jesus and to you. In your name and in remembrance of Mary we offer and bless these gifts of Bread and Wine.
In recognizing the wisdom and grace of Mary’s presence in our lives we, too, join with our community, our family and friends everywhere, as well as all holy men and women, and we celebrate your life within us. In solidarity with Jesus, and with all the faithful men and women who have gone before us, we lift up our hearts and sing:
Holy, Holy, Holy
Here in This Place by Christopher Grundy
https://youtu.be/sgkWXOSGmOQ
EUCHARISTIC PRAYER
We celebrate, O Holy One, Mary’s acceptance to bring Jesus into the world.
Jesus was a teacher who spoke in such ways that hundreds listened to him. Jesus took time to go apart from the chaos in his life and to pray alone. Like John he knew that caring for his spiritual life nurtured his soul, and he grew in wisdom and understanding. He gained strength to face the challenges of his mission.
We, too, are called to speak clearly with respect and love, as we challenge the numerous injustices our world faces today. We are called to the inner life, our spiritual life, to go apart and pray. We walk with Mary as she walked with Jesus seeking wisdom and peace.
(Hold your hand over bread and wine)
Jesus, we celebrate the last meal you had with your followers. We call upon Sacred Spirit, ever and always with us, to bring blessing on this bread and wine as they are made sacred through our faith in the presence of Christ with us.
During Jesus’s life on earth, he lived and died loving the poor, healing the sick and challenging the injustices within society. Because of his ministry, Jesus was feared by the authorities of his day, and they sought out ways to bring him to his death.
On the night before he faced his own death, Jesus sat at the Seder supper with his companions and friends. He reminded them of all that he taught them, and to fix that memory clearly with them, he bent down and washed their feet.
All lift plates and pray the following:
When he returned to his place at the table, he lifted the bread, spoke the blessing, broke the bread and offered it to them saying:
Take and eat, this is my very self.
(pause)
All lift the cup and pray the following:
Then he took the cup of the covenant, spoke the grace, and offered it to them saying:
Take and drink.
Whenever you remember me like this,
I am among you.
(pause)
Let us share this bread and cup to proclaim and live the gospel of justice and peace, remembering that we are bearers of light and hope.
What we have heard with our ears,
we will live with our lives.
As we share communion,
we will become communion
both love's nourishment and love's challenge.
You are the Christ alive today.
Everyone consumes the bread and wine at this time
Communion Meditation/Song: Lo How A rose ere Blooming – Piano by Linda Lee
https://youtu.be/Sqrn9DbQqVg
Sacred Spirit, we remember Mary, the Mother of Humanity, who birthed Jesus into our world. We rejoice that the Universal Christ remains always and ever present within and around us. We remember all those who have transitioned from life on earth to complete union with the Sacred Presence: Mary of Nazareth and all great saints, prophets and martyrs. We remember our sister priests, strong extraordinary women: Adele, Judy, Tish, Joan and Michele. We remember, too, family members and friends. We remember all those whose lives have been lost to Covid, to war, to racism and all other “isims” that exist in our world. And we remember those you wish to be remembered…. All are beloved souls who have blessed our lives and who continue to inspire us.
And we respond together:
All: So be it
Let us pray as Jesus taught us:
O Holy One, who is within, around and among us,
We celebrate your many names.
Your Wisdom come,
Your will be done, unfolding from the depths within us.
Each day you give us all we need.
You remind us of our limits, and we let go.
You support us in our power, and we act with courage,
For you are the dwelling place within us,
the empowerment around us,
and the celebration among us, now and forever. Amen
(Miriam Therese Winter)
Prayers of Thanksgiving and Announcements
Blessing
Let us raise our hands and bless each other.
May we seek truth boldly and love deeply.
May we welcome opportunities to birth the Christ in all those we meet.
May we live visitation, as Mary did, and reach out and travel the distance to assist those in need of our support.
May we continue to be the face of the Holy One, and
May our names be a blessing in our time.
Before we leave our celebration today let us pause and reflect on the gift of each person with us and extend a silent virtual greeting of peace as we listen to this beautiful Song.
Closing Song: Pax Amor Christi – Kathleen Deignan, CND, PhD (Professor of Theology and Spirituality at Iona College)
Silent
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i944rcYxqqo
If you want to add an intercession to our MMOJ Community Prayer book, please send an email to katyrcwp@tampabay.rr.com
If you want to invite someone to attend our liturgy, please refer them our website at MaryMotherofJesus.org
To support our community, please send your check to:
Mary Mother of Jesus Inclusive Catholic Community
St Andrew UCC, 6908 Beneva Rd, Sarasota, Florida 34238
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