Zoom link for video Jan. 16, 2021 4 PM Eastern Standard Time
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85108095506?pwd=Y3IyS0xkaWZ1WGRUOXlZMm5qcE1Fdz09
ID 851- 0809-5506
Password 1066
Theme: “I have a dream” and we the people...
Welcome and Opening Expression
(Joan): Welcome everyone to this liturgy at Mary Mother of Jesus Inclusive Catholic Community. We have all come together - as brothers and sisters - in our one human family to break bread and to share the blessings of this day.
(Lee): In this Zoom process, each one of us will be “muted” for much of the liturgy .. that means that it is the time that we will not be heard by others ...but do not let that affect your prayerful spirit. We certainly do invite everyone to pray the liturgy together where the text says ALL, especially for the music where we are encouraged to sing our hearts out. We ask the readers to “unmute” themselves for their spoken parts - and then, when they are finished, to “re-mute” themselves. And those who want to offer a comment to the community after the homily are asked to follow the same procedure as the readers.
(Joan): We may recall that five years ago, Pope Francis addressed the Congress and talked about Martin Luther King Jr whose birthday we celebrated yesterday, the 15th. The Pope described MLK as “a prophet who awakened us to carry out God’s will for justice and the elimination of all prejudices.” Today, we praise him for all he did as the most visible spokesperson and leader in the civil rights movement.
Opening Hymn -- Here in this place
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9LZURdBJxE
Opening Prayer
(Lee): Holy God, you not only directed the drama of the “creation of the cosmos,” you also became one of us, sharing our humanity on planet earth in the person of Jesus. Through him, you showed us how to live the life that you have blessed for each one of us here on earth until we move on to the eternal home that you have prepared for each of us. We ask you to open our hearts to the messages of Jesus’s teaching so that your peace may rule in our hearts and that your justice may guide our lives. We pray that we may do that, always conscious of your constant presence in us, and do so in a way that we may reflect your compassionate care to everyone, everywhere, in all we say and do. Amen.
Community Reconciliation, Healing and Transformation
(Joan): Creator God, all of us have very often prayed to you - knowing that our hearts are always open to you and that none of our secrets are hidden. We ask you to send your Spirit to us to give us the strength to cleanse our hearts so that we may live more fully according to your will…and then we may be truly worthy to be called your “Blessed People.” We ask you to instill in us the virtues of understanding, compassion, forgiveness and peace. Give us the courage and strength to extend your merciful concern and care to everyone we meet, with no exceptions.
(Lee) and ALL: Christ Jesus, we ask for the grace to recognize our continual need to grow in mercy, compassion and caring for ourselves, for our brothers and sisters, and for our planet earth.
(Joan): …and we pray…
(Joan) and ALL: God, grant us these graces so that we may – in turn – forgive each other in our personal failures to care for everyone, everywhere without prejudices to any, this day and always.
Liturgy of the Word
(Lee): The first reading is from Paul’s letter to the Romans 8: 18-25, 28. It will be proclaimed to us by Janet Blakeley ARCWP
Friends, I know that what we are waiting for at this present difficult time cannot be compared with the good times coming when the Holy One’s glory is revealed to us in due time. We know that everything in creation has been held back for us. God is reining it in until both creation itself as well as all its creatures are ready for God’s plan - and then, will God’s plan be made known to both, creation and the created, at the same time. However, until then, our anticipation deepens….and it does that so much that all of us who possess the first fruit of the Spirit will groan inwardly and deeply as we wait for that time.
It is in hope during our period of anticipation that we are saved. But hope is not hope if its object is seen; who of us “hopes” for something that we have already seen? Hoping for what we cannot see involves our awaiting for it with patient endurance. During our waiting period, the Spirit comes to help us; God knows perfectly well what the Spirit is saying and doing. And one thing that we certainly do know is that in all things, God works for good with those who love God.
These are the inspired words of Paul … and we affirm them by saying … Amen.
(Lee) and ALL: Amen…. we know that justice shall someday flourish in its time, as will the fullness of peace forever.
(Joan): This second reading is several reworded pieces selected rom I Have A Dream, and it will be presented to us by Michael Rigdon
(Joan): This speech was delivered in 1963, it was in a difficult civil rights era. There were more than 250,000 people gathered at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC. At the opening of this talk, Martin Luther King said: “Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning.” During his talk, he talked of values that were very well understood by those who he was addressing at that time … and they still are with us here today, more than a half century latere. And this is what Martin Luther King said …
(Reader #2): I say to you today, my friends, even though we face the many uncertainties of these days…
I still have a dream, deeply rooted in my personal self and in my dream.
I have a dream that one day we will rise up and live out the true meaning of our creed.
I have a dream ….
that all people are created equal
that everybody should be able to sit down together with one another at the table of “oneness”
that there needs to be an oasis of freedom and justice in every group and
in the whole of society
that everyone will be judged by the content of their character
that every person will greet all others as brothers and sisters, as friends, regardless of differences of race, creeds, cultures, religions, nationalities, and gender…
and do so with no exceptions
and Martin Luther King ended his speech with a statement that when these dreams take on a state of awareness and action: “freedom will ring” and “thank God, everyone will be ‘free at last!’”
These are selections from one of the most widely recognized famous speeches in history…and we affirm these prophetic words of Martin Luther King, Jr. as we say … Amen.
(Joan) and ALL: Amen, we know that justice shall someday flourish in its time, as will the fullness of peace, forever.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPA24bwYBp4
(Lee): Today’s Gospel is from Mark 1: 14-15a. It will be proclaimed to us by Janet Blakeley
(Reader #1)After John’s arrest, Jesus went to Galilee proclaiming the Message of God. And he said:
“This is the time of fulfillment. The reign of God is at hand! Change your hearts and minds and believe this Good News!”
These are the inspired words of Mark…and we affirm them by saying… Amen.
(Lee) and ALL: We believe that justice shall someday flourish in its time, as will the fullness of peace …. forever.
Celtic Alleluia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPA24bwYBp4
Shared Homily and Community Reflections
Homily Starter: Lee Breyer
Profession of Faith
(Joan) and ALL: We believe in God, the Creator of the Universe, a divine mystery who infuses all that has ever existed, that exists now, or will ever exist in an expanding universe. And by God’s presence, everything in the cosmos is made sacred.
(Lee) and All: We believe in Jesus, the Christ, who is our prophet and hope, our love and our peace. He is the touch of God to humanity, leading everyone to the fullness of life. It is as a result of his Incarnation that we have become a new people…a holy gathering called beyond the consequences of our brokenness.
(Joan) and All: We believe in the Spirit, the Breath of God, who keeps the Christ-vision present to all those who are searching for meaning and wholeness in their lives. She is the Sustainer who heals and energizes us when our strengths grow weary in our journeys.
(Lee) and All:And we believe that God’s kin-dom is here and with each of us now. It is stretched out around us for those with eyes to recognize it, hearts to receive it, and hands to share it with everyone with whom we come in contact.
(Joan) and All:We say amen to faith, hope, and love. We say amen to the partnership and equality of all people, regardless of gender, race, and beliefs. We say amen to a world of peace and justice for everyone, everywhere, with no exceptions. In all of this, we surely believe.
Prayers of the Community
(Joan): We are a people of faith; we believe in the power of prayer. Always mindful of God’s unconditional love and care for each one of us, we bring the needs of the people to our merciful and gracious God.
(Joan): We pray for all those subject to hurt and injury in the Capitol insurrection,
Lee and ALL: please God, give them peace.
(Joan) We pray for Sally and Bridget Mary, that they may heal and regain strength from their surgeries,
Lee and ALL: please God, give them health.
(Joan) We pray for those doctors, nurses and caretakers that they may be safe in their own personal health in their service of others,
Lee and ALL: please God, keep them safe.
(Joan): We pray for all those who have no “retreat” shelter from the cold weather wherever they may be,
Lee and ALL: please God, give them warmth and health.
(Joan): We pray for all those who have proven positive in their contacts with Covid-19,
Lee and ALL: please God, give them the power and patience to overcome that virus.
(Joan): We pray for those who are mentioned in Katy’s Community Care book,
Lee and ALL: please God, give them the relief in which they have need.
(Lee): Healing God, we ask you to strengthen all of us in our concerns for one another here and throughout the world. We ask you to bless our efforts for justice and social equality so that, with our sisters and brothers, we may promote cultures of peace and nonviolence. We make these prayers to you, O God, in the names of Jesus, our brother, and the Holy Spirit, our sister. Amen.
Offertory
Please lift up your bread and wine for this short blessing, then put it down.
(Joan): Blessed are you, God of Creation, through your goodness we have this bread and this fruit of the vine. Through your presence and our prayers in this liturgy, these earthly products will become for us the Body and Blood of Christ.
(Joan) and ALL: Blessed be God forever.
(Lee): Blessed are we who are gathered together as brothers and sisters of Jesus and who have been made holy by your grace. In our blessed respect for one another, we sing our gratitude for the gift that we share.
We are holy, you are holy, I am holy, We are whole (3x) Karen Drucker
https://youtu.be/orKBBIj5LZA
(Lee) and ALL: Loving and caring God, we – your people – gathered here this afternoon by your gift of Zoom, are united in this sacrament by our common love of Jesus. We are in communion with everyone, everywhere, who shares your gifts of compassion and peace, especially with all those who are marginalized and oppressed. May we love tenderly, act with justice, and walk humbly with you in solidarity with our sisters and brothers everywhere. And may we always live as prophetic witnesses to the Gospel of Jesus. Amen
Eucharistic Prayer
(Voice 1): Ever-loving God, it is through you that we live and move and have our very being. We know that in the days to come, the Spirit, who raised Jesus from the dead, will fulfill her promise to bring us to the paschal feast of heaven. Her dwelling with us gives us everlasting hope of unending peace and joy with you.
(Voice 2): We thank you for the gift of Jesus in history - and the gift of Jesus in faith. Through him, you breathe life into us. He was moved by his vision of your constant presence in everyone he met, everywhere he went. He revealed you in everything he did in his life well lived. And he showed us, through his example, not only how we should live, but also for what is worth dying.
(Voice 3): And when his time on earth had come to an end, Jesus surrendered his life for a value that he deeply believed, lived and taught…his conviction that love is stronger than death. And then, providing a personal example of this insight for the understanding of people in ages to come, he opened wide his arms on a cross and died. Then the Spirit, one stronger than death, raised Jesus to life, showing everyone that life is eternal and that love is immortal. Jesus is with us – and lives in us - today as he will do so through the end of time.
Then please have your bread and wine/juice close to you for the Consecration…
(Lee) and ALL: (With an outstretched arm, we pray the Consecration) We remember the gift that Jesus gave us on the night before he died. He gathered with his friends to share his final Passover meal. And it was at that supper that Jesus took bread, said the blessing, broke the bread and gave it to 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. [Please pause shortly]
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 the new and everlasting covenant.
(Lee) and nALL: Jesus, who was with God “in the beginning of the creation of the heavens and the earth,” is with us today in our bread. The Spirit, whom the prophets spoke of centuries ago in history, is with us today in our cups.
(Joan): Let us proclaim this mystery of faith.
(Joan) and ALL: Jesus has died. Christ is risen. Christ lives in us in the world today.
(Voice 4): In memory of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, we offer you, God, our life-giving bread and this cup. May everyone who shares this sacred meal be brought together in unity by the Holy Spirit. And may that Spirit, that Wisdom, that moved in Jesus move just as freely in our lives as She did in his.
(Voice 5): God, remember your church throughout the world. Help us grow in love, together with Francis, our Pope, Bridget Mary, our Bishop, and all your people everywhere - especially those who live on the margins of church and society. We remember, as well, the entire communion of saints, both those living and dead, who touched our lives and left your footprint on our hearts. We remember especially…
.(Pause if you would like to mention someone’s name... don’t worry, you will be muted)
(Lee) and ALL: Through Christ, with Christ, and in Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor are yours, Creator God, forever and ever. Amen.
The Sharing of a Sign of Peace
(You might put your folded hands in a “Namaste” gesture to us, through your camera).
(Joan): Jesus, you said to your disciples, “My peace I leave you; my peace I give you.” Look on the faith of those gathered here today and grant us your peace. O God, following the example of Jesus and with the strength of the Spirit, help us spread that peace through our words and actions to everyone, everywhere, with no exceptions. Amen.
May the peace of God be always with us, and let us extend that peace to one another as we sing…
Peace Hymn: Let There Be Peace on Earth
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_DxNpW1kHQ&feature=share
And let us now receive the body and blood of Christ
(Lee) and ALL: Loving God, may this Eucharist in which we share Christ’s healing love deepen our oneness with you and with one another. May we reflect, like Mary, your liberating and mothering love for all. And may your gifts of wonder and thanksgiving fill us with knowledge, understanding and memories of warm experiences of your love and compassion for us, your sacred people. We ask this in the name of Mary’s son, Jesus the Christ. Amen.
Post Communion Meditation Hymn: Be Still and Know That I am God
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rur2VC4W4p8
Introductions, Gratitudes, Announcements
(Joan) and ALL: Loving God, we have looked for others to save us and to save our world. Yet, it is us who have been called and blessed, and who are now commissioned and sent into the world to create cultures of peace and justice for everyone. May we always remember, with gratitude, that we are the face of God to the world.
(Lee): As we close up this liturgy for this day, we have not ended it in our lives. We are here in the peace of Christ; let us be the people that God created us to be. Let us be followers of peace and justice, the central message of the Dreamer.
(Lee) and ALL: Thanks be to God. Let it be so!
Closing Community Hymn: Make Me a Channel of Your Peace
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSnSZ1vtmZM&feature=youtu.be
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
