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Thursday, April 29, 2021

Mary, Mother of Jesus Inclusive Catholic Community Liturgy, Fifth Week in Easter, May 1, 2021, Presiders: Kathryn Shea ARCWP, and Lee Breyer, Readers: Cheryl and Jim Brandi, Music Minister: Linda Lee Miller

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85108095506?pwd=Y3IyS0xkaWZ1WGRUOXlZMm5qcE1Fdz09         

Zoom link for video- 4:00 PM Eastern Standard Time

ID 851- 0809-5506

Passcode 1066          

Theme: “… forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who..."




Welcome


Kathryn:  Welcome everyone to our Zoom liturgy at Mary Mother of Jesus Inclusive Catholic Community.  We will share together the compassionate presence of God that is in each and every one of us.  We know that we are companions with one another on our journeys.  Each one of us has the same goal of blessedness, but with different paths to that common goal. 

Today our travels on our paths will be helped along by Zoom; they will be supported by the hard work of our IT team.  And, as you would expect, there are some “rules of the road” that are familiar to many here today and will serve as reminders to all of us.

Lee:  We will all be “muted” (silenced) as we open the liturgy, except for the presiders and the readers.  When they have something to read, they will be “unmuted;” they will then be able to be heard by everyone.  All of us are invited to pray the liturgy and respond to where it says “ALL”.  And if you have a comment to make after the homily starter, or some information you would like to share with the community near the end of the liturgy, please “unmute” yourself when you speak, and then remember to “re-mute” yourself when you are finished. 

Kathryn:  So let us take a few minutes to settle our bodies and minds for the blessed time before us.  Our path leader, Jesus, and our supporter, the Spirit, will move us along on our path today. 

Opening Song

Gather Us In by Marty Haugen; performed by Linda Lee Miller



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnom5mFwJaI

Opening Prayer

ALL and Kathryn:  God of life, wholeness and holiness, you who direct all creation to its complete fulfillment in Jesus the Christ, open our hearts to the messages of the Gospels so that your peace may rule in our hearts and your justice guide our lives.  Loving God, bless us in our efforts to follow the example of Jesus, especially his concern for everyone everywhere he went.  And may we learn to love as he did, regardless of their behaviors … including even those who, in the end of his time on earth, actually killed him.

Penitential Right and Community Forgiveness

Lee:  Loving God, we may not fully open our hearts to your Spirit living within us; we have lessons to learn. 

ALL and Kathryn: Help us to open ourselves to her message and to be your voice among the people we meet on our paths to our common goal. 

ALL and Kathryn: Christ Jesus, help us to grow in our understanding and confidence that your word will certainly bring peace to us and our world.

ALL and Kathryn:  Help us to recognize and respond to your presence in us and share that blessing with our brothers and sisters in your earthly family.

Glory to  God

Lee:  Glory and praise in the highest, and peace to all God’s people. Creator God, heart of the universe, we thank you for the breath of the Spirit at work in everything that exists, everywhere in the cosmos.  Through the life and teaching of Jesus, you opened our minds so that we could truly know that you are always with us – and that we can experience you in our brothers and sisters.  We believe that in everyone with whom we celebrate this liturgy…even on Zoom!  With you, space is no separator.

Liturgy of the Word

Lee:  Today’s first reading will be presented to us by Cheryl.  In it Paul is providing information about whom we are, the roles that we play and the result of this.  He did so in his Second letter to the Corinthians.

Cheryl:  We are Christ’s ambassadors, as though God was making this message to others - through us.  As Christ’s co-workers, we beg you not to receive the grace of God in vain.  For God said through Isaiah: “At the acceptable time I heard you, and on the day of salvation I helped you.”  Now, my people, is the acceptable time!  Now is the day of salvation!

This is the word of God, through Paul to us.  We are grateful, as an ambassador of God’s message and share this message. And, for that, we all say: Thanks be to God. 

Lee:  Jim B will lead us in our response to this sacred message.

Jim B:  Our response to Psalm 146 is:

      Response: Happy are the poor in spirit, the reign of God is theirs.

You who keep faith forever, secure justice for the oppressed…you give food to the hungry.  And you set the captives free.

R:  Happy are the poor in spirit, the reign of God is theirs.

Adonai, You give sight to this blind person.  You raise up all those who are bowed down in their physical and spiritual difficulties... and you give much love to all those like them.  You do so while setting the captives free.

R:  Happy are the poor in spirit, the reign of God is theirs.

The orphan and the widow you support, but even the ways of the wicked ones you attend to.  Adonai, You will reign forever; You will live through all generations.  Alleluia!

R.  Happy are the poor in spirit, the reign of God is theirs.

And to this good news, we say “thanks be to God.”

Kathryn: Cheryl will share with us Paul’s good words to all those who are part of the sacred family he fathers, those people who live in Corinth.

Cheryl:  The “cup of blessing” that we bless -- is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ?   The “bread” that we break – is it not a sharing in the body of Christ?  Because the loaf of bread is one, we who are many persons are one body, for we all share the one loaf.

This is the holy word of God, that we, who soon will share in the cup and the bread, Christ’s blood and body - are the one loaf Paul described. 

And to this description of a part of our liturgy, we all say:  Alleluia, Alleluia!

Lee:   The gospel for today will be proclaimed by Kathryn; it is a selection from John, chapter 13, verses 33-35.   And what Kathryn will share with us is a message from Jesus immediately after He finished His final meal and people were leaving the room. This was what He said when Judas had left the place where he had been with others for the paschal meal. 

Kathryn:  My friends, I will not be with you much longer.  I give you a new commandment: love one another.  And you are to love each other as I have loved you.  This is how everyone will know that you are my disciples: they will see and understand that you truly have love for one another.

Pause a bit before continuing

This is the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus, his message to all those he met on his time on earth…and that, of course, includes us, each one of us.   

And to this we all say:  Thanks be to God!  Alleluia, thanks be to God.

Shared Homily and Community Reflections

Lee Breyer

Communal Statements of Faith

Kathryn and ALL: We are a people of faith.  Having heard the words of scripture, we now add our own, individually and as a blessed community.  This is an opportunity for all of us to pray:

We believe in God, the Creator of the universe, whose divinity infuses all that exists, making everything, everywhere, sacred.

We believe in Jesus, the Christ, who leads us to the fullness of humanity. Through him, we become a new people, called beyond the consequences of our brokenness. 

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Wisdom who keeps the Christ-vision present to all those who are searching for meaning and wholeness in their lives.  She is the one who heals and energizes us when our spirits may grow weary in our journeys.  We say: Amen to courage, to hope, and to truth.  We say: Amen to the partnership and equality of all people of different genders, races and faiths. We believe in a world of justice and peace for everyone, everywhere, with no exceptions.  In all of this, we surely do believe.

Prayers of the Community

Lee :  We just said that we were “a people of faith,” and stated a number of actions that we believe and associate with the Holy Trinity.  We now bring to our prayer the needs that we know that we, family members and friends, suffer from results of the Coronavirus, especially Covid-19.

After each intercession, we will respond:

R/   Compassionate God, we believe in the grace of your healing power, have mercy on us.


Lee and ALL: 

That those who are injured by statements and actions of hatred and violence will find consolation and peace, we pray…R

That those who are sick, in need of physical and spiritual help, we pray…R

That those many, many people who have gone home ahead of us and now dwell in their heavenly homes, we pray…R

That those who suffer their separation from people and places, particularly due to the contagious nature of our disease, we pray…R

Lee:  Please take this opportunity to pray for your personal intentions.

We hold these and all our unspoken intentions in our hearts.

Our Preparation Of Our Gifts

Please have your bread and drink handy where you can handle them soon.

Cheryl:  Blessed are you, God of all creation. Through your goodness we have this bread that will become the bread of life, the Body of Christ.

Cheryl and ALL:  Blessed be God forever.

Cheryl:  Blessed are you, God of all creation. Through your goodness we have this fruit of the vine that will become our spiritual drink, the Blood of Christ. 

Cheryl and ALL:  Blessed be God forever.    

Kathryn:  Merciful God, we are united in this sacrament by our common love of Jesus. Though we are brought here by Zoom to our community gathering, we are united with everyone everywhere who proclaims your mercy.  Grant us your grace so that we may love tenderly, do justice, and walk humbly with you in solidarity with our brothers and sisters everywhere in the cosmos.  May we live as prophetic witnesses to the messages of the Gospel, and with the direction of Jesus and the support of the Spirit.


Eucharistic Prayer

Jim B:  Ever present and always caring God, we do well always and everywhere to give you thanks for the many blessings you have bestowed on us.  You are always with us…living in us, as we do in you.  Our hope is that we can reflect your compassionate care well, wherever we go and with whatever we say.  We pray that your Spirit makes aware of this.

Loving God, we thank you for the gift of Jesus of Nazareth in history – and the gift of Jesus the Christ in faith.  You brought him from among all your people to baptize us in your Spirit.  His life was moved by his consuming vison of your presence in himself and in his mission.  He extended that when he also recognized your presence in every person he met…and shared with them the love that was him.  He showed us with his example not only how we should live, but also for what was worth dying.

Cheryl: And when his time on earth had come to an end, Jesus – aware of and accepting his destiny, gave up his life as a witness of the values that he deeply believed, lived and taught … and that was his conviction that love is stronger than death.  In providing an example of this wisdom for everyone in the ages to come, he opened wide his arms…and died.  And the Spirit that lived in Jesus raised the “dead Jesus” to a new life.  The Spirit of resurrection is promised to each one of us as well.  Jesus is with us today in the coming of the kindom; he will be with us through the end of time.

Kathryn and 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 that I have taught you.  This is the new and everlasting covenant.  

Lee and ALL:  In the same way, Jesus took a cup of wine, said the blessing and gave it to his friends 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 that I have taught you.  This is our new and everlasting covenant.

Jesus, who was with God “in the beginning of the heavens and the earth,” is with us now in your bread.  The Spirit, of who the prophet spoke in history, is with us now in your cup.  Let us proclaim this mystery of our faith.

Jesus has died.  Christ has risen.  The cosmic Christ lives in and through us, as a Divine presence, in the world today. 

Jim and ALL: We believe that the Spirit of God, the Divine Presence, is at work in and among us always.  We believe that it is in Christ, through Christ and with Christ that the Holy Spirit moves in each one of us.  All glory and honor is with the Creator God, forever and ever.


Song: The Great Amen (Linda Lee Miller’s)



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dy76fpfkNsg

The Prayer of Jesus

Lee and ALL

Our Father and Mother, who are in heaven, blessed are your names.

May your kindom come; your wills be done…on earth as they are in heaven.

Give us this day, our daily bread.

Forgive us our trespasses … as we forgive those who trespass against us.

Strengthen us in times of temptations, and deliver us from evil.

For yours is the kindom, now and forever.

Amen,    Amen,    Amen.


The sharing of the peace of Christ

Cheryl and All: Jesus, we know that you have given us the gifts of peace and unity beyond any words we could express.  Help us to spread them around the world, everywhere we go. Let us be the peace of Christ in our neighborhoods.

Let us “get in the mood” with singing “Let there be peace on earth”


Song: Let there be Peace on Earth



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPH4LRASWbo&feature=share
 


Breaking of the Bread   and   Consuming Communion

Lee and All: Loving God, you call us to be your presence in the world and to be bearers of forgiveness and understand, healing and compassion everywhere in your name.

We will live justly

We will love tenderly

We will walk humbly with you

Loving God, when we eat this sacred meal – we who have always been worthy – ask you to strength us that we may always follow the teaching of Jesus and spread the Sacred Message of the Gospel everywhere.

Kathryn: Please receive/share the Eucharist now saying: “You are the face of God everywhere and always.”

Communion Song:


I Am the One Within You, performed by Linda Lee Miller



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Pz4wO1AJ2w

Introductions, Thanksgivings, Announcements

Closing Community Commissioning

Together with an arm extended to one another in mutual blessing we say:

Kathryn and All: May our hearts be glad on our journey as we dream new dreams and see new visions. 

May we all live and work for peace, justice, forgiveness and non-violence in our hearts.

May we learn to bless, honor and hold in reverence the Earth and one another.  Amen.

Closing Song

Wonder by MaMuse


https://youtube.com/watch?v=S2v2yBXAnqM&feature=share



If you would like to add your intercession to our MMOJ Community Prayers book,

Please send an email to Joan Meehan at jmeehan515@aol.com



If you would like to invite another person to attend our liturgy please refer them to

www.marymotherofJesus.org where the day’s liturgy is found. Zoom instructions are also included there.


Please support our community, send your check to:

Mary Mother of Jesus Inclusive Catholic Community

% St Andrews UCC, 6908 Beneva Rd., Sarasota, FL 34328












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