Bridget Mary's Blog: 2021

Friday, December 31, 2021

Holy Mother , Hear My Prayer- by Eric Clapton and Sung by Pavarotti

https://youtu.be/x9uYu4R2nk8

A prayer for healing and peace for our world

Holy Mother, where are you?
Tonight, I feel broken in two
I've seen the stars fall from the sky
Holy Mother, can't keep from crying

Oh, I need your help this time
Get me through this lonely night
Tell me, please, which way to turn
To find myself again

Holy Mother, hear my prayer
Somehow I know you're still there
Send me, please, some peace of mind
Take away this pain

I can't wait (I can't wait)
I can't wait (I can't wait)
I can't wait any longer (can't wait any longer)
I can't wait
I can't wait (I can't wait)
I can't wait for you

Holy Mother, hear my cry
I've cursed your name a thousand times
I've felt the anger running through my soul
All I need is a hand to hold

Oh, I feel the end has come
No longer my legs will run
You know I would rather be
In your arms tonight

When my hands no longer play
My voice is still, I fade away
Holy Mother, then I'll be
Lying in, safe within your arms

Source: Musixmatch

Songwriters: Stephen Bishop / Eric Clapton

Meet the trailblazing nuns who took on the patriarchy of the church in the 1960s, A Review by Frida Berrigan

https://wagingnonviolence.org/2021/02/rebel-hearts-film-trailblazing-nuns-patriarchy-church/

The Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary marching in Los Angeles in 1964. (Twitter/Rebel Hearts)

·
A new documentary tells the story of the Los Angeles nuns who stood up for the people and faith they served, paying a high price for change.

Frida Berrigan February 9, 2021

The Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary marching in Los Angeles in 1964. (Twitter/Rebel Hearts)

Big white signs with the phrase “I Like God” flapped on a spring afternoon. Other people carried “God Likes Me” signs. There were guitars, flowers, bare feet and a general vibe of hippie love, but also lots of nuns and political statements.
“What does Mary — patient, Virgin Mary — have to do with revolution? Only everything,” declared Sister Helen Kelley, president of Immaculate Heart College in Los Angeles.
It was Mary Day, 1964, and despite the festive but reverent atmosphere, Cardinal James McIntyre was furious.
“Rebel Hearts,” the documentary that tells the story of these nuns who stood up to the patriarchy and rigidity of the pre-Vatican II church premiered at virtual Sundance last month and is now taking a turn on the festival circuit. It’s the story of religious women who stood up for the people and the faith they served, and who paid a very high price for their spirit and courage.
‘Wake up and be open to your responsibility’
2021 is the perfect time for “Rebel Hearts” to burst on the scene. As director Pedro Kos and producer Shawnee Isaac-Smith note, the film took 20 years to complete. They could not have predicted that it would be released on the heels of a brutal and uncertain national election or in the midst of a global pandemic — let alone at a time when public space feels dangerous and contested, with white supremacist mobs marauding, rioting and killing. Such chaos may seem a far cry from the religious upheaval of Vatican II — and surely the stakes today seem higher — but the questions for anyone living through a time of radical change remain the same: Will the change be lasting? Will we change too?

The Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary immersed themselves in the movements for change in the world.

The great juxtaposition in the film is images of nuns marching in the streets against the Vietnam War and for civil rights while the jewel encrusted Cardinal processes like a pasha for a procession through the ornate cathedral. The “nuns took the vow of poverty and we kept it,” a priest with a gleaming watch quipped to the filmmakers.

Cardinal James McIntyre, an old-school authoritarian from New York, is sent to Los Angeles to oversee the church. He had a background in finance from his days on Wall Street before becoming a priest. He oversaw a Catholic building boom in Los Angeles of churches and parochial schools. The women watched this boom and thought “Who is going to teach in all these schools?”

The Cardinal viewed nuns as nothing more than “coolie labor for his schools.” The nuns were sent to work in the schools with no training, no resources and no wages. They had 80 children in a class. One nun had 83 sixth and seventh graders in her class. “I didn’t have the skills to manage that many youngsters, much less teach them anything.”

The Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary were immersing themselves in the movements for change in the world. They were educators and artists, scientists and musicians, administrators and activists. They were bringing the Gospel out of the schools, convents and church naves and integrating it into all their interactions.

One thread running through “Rebel Hearts” is the social activism and radicalism of the nuns, exemplified in the film by Sister Patrice Underwood who traveled from Southern California to answer the call from the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee to participate in the 1965 march from Selma to Montgomery for civil rights. She would later share her experiences of marching behind Martin Luther King, having a quiet lunch with Coretta Scott King and being targeted for extra verbal abuse because of her iconic habit. “Wake up and be open to your responsibility to reach out to those suffering racial prejudice and injustice,” she would tell people. The Cardinal asked “Who gave her permission [to go to Selma]?”

The male power structure of the church was threatened by their assertions and tried to shut them down, but the sisters knew their hearts, their power and their worth.

It was Sister Mary Humiliata — Anita Caspary — the Mother General of the Immaculate Heart Sisters who gave Sister Patrice permission, and she suffered the consequences. In “Rebel Hearts,” Sister Anita stands out again and again for her compassionate leadership, principled diplomacy and capacious resolve in the face of the church’s intransigent patriarchy. She studied English and received a doctorate from Stanford and eventually came to lead the college and then the order.

Sister Corita Kent, the exuberant pop artist whose colorful prints invited and challenged, was another member of the community. It was her clear vision and deft hand that organized the new Mary Day in 1964, attracting many new people. The Cardinal hated her artwork, was threatened by her popularity and sought to have the scope of her vision blinkered.

Dispensing with the habit and the patriarchy

With the Second Vatican Council, Pope John XXIII sought to “throw open the windows of the church so that we can see out and the people can see in.” The Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary could feel the fresh air thousands of miles away. Vatican II gave a framework to the openings and connections that the sisters were already pursuing with such vitality. It was a period of profound discovery. The Immaculate Heart of Mary Sisters had 540 members and began to enact the Vatican II ethos within the community. Everything was up for reexamination and revision — from the way they prayed and how often, to how they dressed and who they looked to for guidance. They circulated questionnaires, they experimented, they held frequent meetings.

More than 300 of the 400 sisters renounced their vows to form a new non-canonical community.

And then, by their 1967 general assembly, the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart had their answers and began to enact the changes they wanted to see. They addressed the labor issues that brought the nuns so much pain and exhaustion. They insisted that it would be inhuman — and unfair to both teachers and students — for any sister to teach more than 40 or so students at a time. They demanded sisters should have training and education of their own before they started teaching. Regarding the habit, the sisters’ experiments had proved they could dress modestly and modernly and be nuns without the traditional garb. They dispensed with the habit. They declared that sisters did not need priests to tell them when and how to pray. Finally, after much discernment and prayer, they concluded that they did not need permission to be involved in social and political causes, to march, to organize, to follow their conscience.
The male power structure of the church was threatened by these assertions and tried to shut them down, but the sisters knew their hearts, their power and their worth. In one day, 200 nuns left their positions at Catholic schools. The church responded by closing the poorer schools and trying to blame it on the nuns.
Finally, a delegation was sent from Rome to tell the sisters they must comply. But in the meeting, the priests asserted if the rules are too much, the sisters should just accommodate and pretend to do what they are told. It is a stunning moment in the film and a shameful rupture for the faithful. The lie, the silence: It infects the whole church — from silence and accommodation in the face of sexual abuse and predation to the silence and accommodation toward militarism.

Thursday, December 30, 2021

You are the Christ Light

In the Christmas Season, we celebrate the presence of the Christ Light. Let us welcome and acknowledge that light within, around and among us.

Open Song: May the Christ Light Shine in You by Kathy Sherman

https://youtu.be/tY0Rj9Yd2lk

A Christmas Prayer

O Holy One, during this Christmas season, help us see Your light
–radiating in the tiniest grain of sand,
In the fungi that grows beneath our feet, in the wildflowers and trees,
–and in every living creature.
For You are love, and love is the energy that ignites and enkindles.
To live in Your love is to realize that darkness is simply differing
–degrees of light,
And light pervades our universe!

Dispel our fears, and awaken the hope that lies within us,
For justice, for peace, for unity, for a sustainable earth,
Knowing that with You, all things are possible, and that living in You
All fear surrenders to joy.

As we celebrate Your birth;
–help us to know that it is our birth as well.
Help us to know that without us,
You have no place to dwell, to call ‘home.’
Without us You cannot come to birth,
And if You cannot be born in us, then what do we live for?

Help us to see that, like You, we are undergoing the pangs of new birth,
–like You, we are not finished,
Our work together, You and I, is to become whole and complete,
You in me and I in You.

Christmas is the feast of the whole person,
–the whole creation,
–the whole cosmos
-celebrating the wonder of new birth.
The universe is Theotokos,
–God-bearing.
Everything alive is seeking You,
–longing for You.

Christmas is the celebration of love:
In love with love and through love, You and me and all fragile creatures
-are being born
–into a new future together, a new reality.
This new reality is the Christ; the humanity of Jesus is our humanity.

Awaken in me the truth of Christmas: You and I are bound together in love.
Together, You and I and all creation, we are the Christ;
And only through us can your dream for the earth be realized.
Joy to the future fullness of love!

These are the inspired words of Ilia Delio, OSF, a light of Christ, and we affirm them by saying, Amen.

Prayers for the Community:

(light a candle for each of the following)

We light a candle and pray for all who are marginalized, dispossessed, vulnerable, hungry for good nutrition, thirsty for good drinkable water, desperate to know that they are not forgotten.

We light a candle and pray for all who have asked for our prayers.

We light a candle and pray for the Word Made Flesh in us. Let our hearts glow with that light so that we become candles through which the Holy One shines.

Closing Song: I’ll Light a Candle by Karen Drucker

https://youtu.be/vqM1_u_aUR8

Social Justice Vigil Outside John Hopkins University in Baltimore To Ban Killer Drones to Prevent Deaths of Children by Janice Sevre Duzynska ARCWP

Janice Sevre Duszynska and Max Obuszewski on right, Cindy Farquhar and Brian Barrett on left

When Kathy Kelly and Nick Mottern with Ban Killer Drones called for actions on December 28th, the Christian Feast of the Holy Innocents, the Baltimore Nonviolence Center responded. From 4 to 5 PM, there was a vigil outside Johns Hopkins University’s Homewood campus in Baltimore. Joining the vigil were Janice Sevre-Duszynska, Cindy Farquhar, Brian Barrett and Max Obuszewski. The main two signs were Ban Killer Drones and Drones Kill children. A number of passersby, in vehicles or walking, expressed support for the vigil. They thanked us for speaking out. The recent report in the New York Times, "Civilian Casualties Files," was another reason to take action. Besides the call for actions, Ban Killer Drones is urging concerned citizens to lobby House Democrats to investigate the U.S. military’s systematic cover-up of civilian casualties caused by its drone-dependent air wars. There must be an investigation into the numbers and identities of all people killed by U.S. drones in the past twenty years. Finally, consider contacting the president of John Hopkins University to urge him to take a stance against killer drones. You may contact President Ron Daniels at Office of the President, 242 Garland Hall, The Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N. Charles St., Baltimore, Maryland 21218. You can also reach his office by Phone: (410) 516-8068, Fax: (410) 516-6097 or Email: president@jhu.edu.

Tuesday, December 28, 2021

SAVE THE DATE: Celebrating Brigit of Kildare - February 1, 2022 at noon EST, Bridget Mary Meehan

Celebrating Brigit of Kildare

In this one-hour sacred journey, meet Brigit of Kildare as a wisdom figure and mentor for our time.

Featuring video clips with Dolores Whelan in Faughart, and Sr. Mary Minehan in Kildare, reflections, music and prayers.

Retreat Facilitator: Dr. Bridget Mary Meehan

February 1, 2022 – noon EST in Zoom and Facebook Live

Register for free at:

https://pcseminary.teachable.com/p/pcs-705-celebrating-st-brigid-of-kildare

We are Called to Act with Justice, Love Tenderly, Walk Humbly with God; ARCWP Video (2011)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_yF0GlnwO4

Saturday, December 25, 2021

"Keep the Lights On", Christmas and the Holy Family by Rev. Richard S. Vosko, An Inspiring Sermon about an Expanding Definition and Experience of Family

Tyler Nix- Unsplash

During this past week the Associated Press released an article that read: “In the darkest days of the year, in a very dark time, there is a longing for illumination. And so, all around the world, the holiday lights go on — some of them humble, some of them spectacular, all of them a welcome respite from the dark.”

Whether it is the luster of Christmas trees in our homes or the gigantic displays in parks and streets across the globe the radiance casts a glow of cheer and hope. The bright lights offer us a brief but much needed break from the fears, the sadness, and the darkness caused by the gloom that surrounds us everywhere.

The gospel (John 1:1-18) for today’s Christmas liturgy today reminds us that Christ is the word of God in the world. John wrote: “What came to be through [the birth of Jesus of Nazareth] was life, and this life was the light of the human race; the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

Christians will find ways to unwrap the light of Christ burning inside them, to “enlighten everyone.” In the Letter to the Hebrews (1:1-16), the unknown author challenges us: “In times past, God spoke in partial and various ways to our ancestors through the prophets; in these last days, God has spoken to us [my emphasis] through the Son .…” ¹

This summons, to act for justice on this fragile planet was echoed at the Vatican Two Ecumenical Council regarding Christians and their momentous task in modern societies. They “are not only bound to penetrate the world with a Christian spirit, but are also called to be witnesses to Christ in all things in the midst of human society.” ²

Responsible citizens of heaven and earth have much to do in these United States. We are exasperated by myopic self-serving politicians, a new unconscionable military budget, reluctance to build back America, disagreements over climate control, unrelenting pandemics, and the sad fact, according to the Forbes magazine, that over 42.5 million families are trying to survive while living below the poverty level.

New Testament scholar, Gayle R. O’Day ³ stressed that today’s gospel promotes relationships among humanity. It is a call for human beings to emphasize blessings, peace, and justice. She wrote, [the gospel] is about the “purpose of Jesus’ ministry … to create a new family of God …. People who have no families, who come from destructive families, or who are alienated from their birth families” can become children of God.

The liturgical celebration of the Holy Family this weekend is a fitting complement to the Nativity narratives; and it raises more questions for us who are called to be luminaries in our communities.

Simply the word “family” cannot be defined in one way. Relational experiences are overriding the traditional — wife and husband with children — household. How do we greet and treat emerging familial associations?

In his commentary on defining family Dan H. observed that many families today are blended and extended, a mix of stepparents, half siblings, and couples without children. For some, family is made up of people who are not related to them. Rather than biological ties those relationships are rooted in loyalty, love, and shared responsibilities.

In the United States the number of single parents is on the rise. Same sex partners, married or not, are birthing, adopting, and raising children. Partnership without a marriage certificate is a rewarding relationship for more and more couples. Countless LGBTQI and transgendered persons find caring companionship with those they love. Immigrant families seek to be reunited.

The second reading for the Holy Family liturgy, from Colossians 3:12-21, is the switch that could turn on more light in the world. It begins with a list of virtues that the community should “put on” — heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another .…”

This letter has baptismal overtones. The charge to “put on” refers to the early Christian initiation practice of disrobing before entering the water and then dressing with new clothing after being baptized. To be baptized is not about saving one’s soul. It is about joining a community that practices the social gospel in the public square.

All of us who are baptized Christians are members of God’s holy family. This is not an exclusive club. It extends beyond denominational roots. In communion with other religious and non religious members of the human family Christians are humble and loving luminaries casting light on their respective communities.

As we ponder familiar biblical stories this holiday weekend, the James Webb telescope will be launched into space. It is designed to capture the light of some of the first galaxies that coalesced after the “Big Bang.” It will explore a wide range of questions to help us understand the origins of the universe and our place in it.

Nothing stays the same. Scientific advancements and our life experiences tell us that Christ is always being born and reborn and is constantly emerging in new electrifying ways throughout the cosmos and our lives. The radiance of Christ will continue to shine as long as we keep the lights on.

_________

¹ In another letter Paul writes to the Philippians 2:15 and states that the believers [in Christ] are luminaries in the world.

² Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, December 7, 1965, no. 43

³ O’Day, Gayle, “The Gospel of John” in Women’s Bible Commentary. C. Newsome, S. Ringe, J. Lapsley (editors), Louisville KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2012, 517 ff.

Pastor Dawn Hutchings: Christmas Sermon -LOVE Comes By Here and Our Weary World Rejoices!

The following is an excerpt from Love Comes By Here and Our Weary World Rejoices!!

In a world gone mad, in a world where we have yet to learn just how to love one another, Christ comes to us. When we are hurting, when we are in pain, when our world is darkest, Christ comes to us. When we are sick and tired. Christ comes to us. When we have given up and can no longer bear to hope. Christ comes to us. CHRIST is our GOD which is the LOVE taking on flesh and dwelling among us. Christ laughs with us, cries with us, rejoices with us, suffers with us, heals with us, walks with us, shouts with us, struggles with us and loves with us. That beautiful parable of Jesus’ birth in the midst of deep darkness is the story of a child born to liberate people from fear. In that beautiful parable of Jesus’ birth is the Cosmic truth of LOVE’s power to burst forth even in the darkest of times.

For our GOD is the LOVE in which we live and move and have our being. Our GOD lives and breathes in, with, through, and beyond us. LOVE lives and breathes in, with, through, and beyond us. LOVE comes to us in each and every person who is working right now to keep us all safe and healthy, the doctors, nurses, orderlies, delivery drivers, retail workers, scientists, lab technicians, politicians, bureaucrats, paramedics, police, public health workers, vaccinated people, people wearing masks, people staying at home, people cancelling events, every single person who is doing their part to take care of their neighbours, is the way our GOD comes to us. As we feast during these Holy Days and when the feasting is done, I pray that LOVE will continue to work in us, through us, and beyond us to heal our weary world, for we are ONE with the LOVE which is DIVINITY and when one of us is suffering, we all suffer. So, let LOVE be born in us over and over again, as often as it takes for all the world to know that LOVE is the SOURCE of ALL, so we need not be afraid.

Have no fear for LOVE is born over and over again, in us, among us, through us, and beyond us. Therein lies the hopes and fears of all the years, met in LOVE tonight. Come by here O LOVE, come by here. Come by here and help us to bring the good news of great joy for all the people. Come by here and help us to sing Glory to God in the highest heaven and on Earth peace good will, and good health to all. Come by here O LOVE. Come by here. O LOVE come by here.

Do you hear what I hear? It is the sound of the SPIRIT of LOVE breathing in us. LOVE has come by here. LOVE has come by you. LOVE comes into the world day after day after day. Embrace LOVE, so that you can bring Good News of great joy. Joy to the world. For LOVE has come! You are ONE with the LOVE, which IS BEYOND, the BEYOND, and BEYOND that ALSO, our LOVER, BELOVED, and LOVE Itself! Merry Christmas! GOD has blessed us everyone! Amen.

Friday, December 24, 2021

Christ is Born Through Us: A Christmas Meditation by Bridget Mary Meehan ARCWP

https://youtu.be/5Zd_c3vuP4M

(Text)

BMM: Imagine that you were present in the stable with Mary and Joseph when Jesus was born.

Be aware of what you see, hear, or feel...

Like Jesus, Mary and Joseph who were forced to flee a ruler's terror, Christ is born today in refugee families, fleeing war and violence in their native lands...

Christ is born each day in the hungry, the homeless, the nobodies, the least and the last in our midst....

Christ is born through us when we visit the sick, comfort the grieving, and help those in need...

Christ is born through us when we look at life with eyes filled with child-like wonder...

Christ is born through us when we gather at table with family and friends to nourish one another...

Christ is born through us…when we listen to people with whom we disagree and treat them with respect....

Christ is born through us…when we welcome people of every race, nation and gender into a circle of love...

We rejoice this Christmas that we are Bethlehem where Christ is always welcome, loved and cherished!

We Are Bethlehem by Alana Levandoski

https://youtu.be/rLpdfXSIdFo

Tuesday, December 21, 2021

Mary Mother of Jesus Inclusive Catholic Community Christmas Liturgy, December 24, 2021, Liturgical Team: Presiders: Bridget Mary Meehan, ARCWP, and Peg Bowen Readers: Suzanne Bires and Joan Pesce; Prayer Leaders: Beth Ponce and Elena Garcia , Music: Linda Lee Miller

MMOJ's Liturgy New Link

Join Zoom Meeting

Meeting ID: 815 3407 5389

Passcode: 803326

https://i0.wp.com/www.the-exponent.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/6398397231_4e40e27afa_z.jpg

THEME: CHRIST IS BORN THROUGH US

GREETING and WELCOME!

PEG: Welcome to Mary Mother of Jesus Inclusive Catholic Community where everyone is welcome to share in our celebration of the Eucharist. We invite you to pray the liturgy and respond aloud and muted where it says “ALL.” All participants will be muted during the liturgy except for the presiders and readers. Please have bread and wine/juice nearby as we pray our Eucharistic prayer.

Today we celebrate the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem and of the Christ Presence in human hearts everywhere. Thomas Merton wrote: “Christ is born in us today in order that he may appear to the whole world through us.” We gather at this holy meal to celebrate the Christ Presence born in us and through us each day.

Opening Song: Cedarmont Kids - Angels We Have Heard on High

https://youtu.be/oSJUwoXciBY

Reconciliation Rite:

BMM: Let us recall times we did not see the Christ Presence everywhere.

Pause for several moments of silent reflection as you place hand over your heart.

For the times I failed to see Christ in my sisters and brothers and in creation.

BMM and ALL: I am sorry, please forgive me, I thank you, I love you.

ALL: Sing Glory to God- Linda Lee Miller

https://youtu.be/dgn_8q1UWwk

Opening Prayer:

BMM: Emmanuel, God-with-us, we rejoice in your birth in Bethlehem and in your coming anew as the Presence of Christ within our souls. We are your dwelling place. We are now your Bethlehem. Like the angels and shepherds who were filled with wonder long ago, we sing and dance for joy as we welcome you again and again, in the love that flows through us to others. Amen, Alleluia!

LITURGY OF THE WORD

SUZANNE BIRES : First Reading: Isaiah 9:1-6

The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
upon those who dwelt in the land of deep shadows
a light has shone.

You have brought them abundant joy and great rejoicing.

For a child is born to us, a son is given us;
They name him Wonder-Counselor, Prince of Peace.
His dominion is vast and forever peaceful.

These are the inspired words of the Prophet Isaiah, and we respond

ALL: Thanks be to God.

Psalm Response: When Love Was Born - sung by Mark Schultz

https://youtu.be/aKSU9Dbxvrw

JOAN PESCE: Second Reading: Dancing God by Joyce Rupp

Dancing God

passionate leap of creative energy

skipping among the stars

waltzing on rivers

birthing a Universe

Dancing God

tumbling from somewhere in Jewish territory

whirling Spirit

seeing Mary’s womb

with alluring divinity

Dancing God

uncontainable grandeur

kicking and rolling in Mary’s flesh

while untamed cousin

echoes the dance in Aunt Elizabeth

Dancing God

spark of angel’s song

shepherds hurrying like whirling dervishes

gasping in awe

at a surprising child

Dancing God

still passionate today

dynamic movement of love

wooing our hearts

toward oneness and peace

in a tear-stained world

Dance on, Passionate God,

we are your dance now

teach us the tune

show us the steps

it is Christmas

it is time to dance.

These are the inspired words of Joyce Rupp and we respond

ALL: Thanks be to God.

Gospel Acclamation: Alle, Alle, Alleluia with Linda Lee Miller

https://youtu.be/ID5UGWcS6Ws

PEG: Gospel: A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke 2:1-14

In those days, Caesar Augustus published a decree ordering a census of the whole Roman world. This first census took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria. Everyone went to register, each to the town of their birth. And so, Joseph went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to David’s town of Bethlehem in Judea, because Joseph was of the house and lineage of David; he went to register with Mary, his espoused wife, who was pregnant.

While they were there, the time came for her delivery. She gave birth to her firstborn and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them at the inn.

There were shepherds in the area living in the fields and keeping nightwatch by turns over their flock. The angel of God appeared to them, and the glory of God shone around them, they were very much afraid. The angel said to them, “You have nothing to fear! I come to proclaim good news to you - tidings of great joy to be shared by the whole people. This day in David’s city, a savior - the Messiah - has been born to you. Let this be a sign to you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.”

Suddenly, there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly hosts, praising God and saying,

Glory to God in high heavens! And on earth, peace to those on whom God’s favor rests.

These are the inspired words of the evangelist Luke. We respond

ALL: Thanks be to God.

Gospel Acclamation: Alle, Alle, Alleluia with Linda Lee Miller

https://youtu.be/ID5UGWcS6Ws

BMM: Homily Starter: A Meditation - Christ is born through us by Bridget Mary