FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT

                Mary Mother of Jesus Inclusive Catholic Community

FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT

November 26, 2022

Anna and Joachim

Presiders: Joan Pesce and Dotty Shugrue

Readers: Joan Meehan and Pat Lewis

Prayer Leaders:  Andrea Seabaugh, Mary Kay Staudohar, 

Suzanne and Jerry Bires

IT Team: Cheryl Brandi and Peg Bowen

Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81534075389?pwd=TTdGY2NxS3AzTW13ODJESkdYME9aUT09 

Meeting ID: 815 3407 5389

Passcode: 803326

Theme:   Gentle Woman, Quiet Grace

Co-Presider:  Dotty S.  

Good afternoon and welcome to the celebration of the Liturgy for the first Sunday of Advent.  Let’s pause and remember who we are as the community of Mary Mother of Jesus.  We are inclusive, as all are welcome to be with us.  We are committed to Gospel values in all that we do.  We welcome active participation in our Liturgies.  There is but one rubric, please unmute when you read or share and then remember to mute again when you are finished.  

Whoever you are,

Wherever you are,

Just as you are,

You are welcome at this table.

The Blessing and Lighting of the Wreath

Prayer Leader:  Elena   

As we begin the Season of Advent, Christians create a wreath with four candles.  Advent candles readily demonstrate the strong contrast between darkness and light, which is an important biblical image. Jesus referred to himself as the "Light of the World" that dispels darkness: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).  You are the light of the world let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to the Cosmic Christ. (Matthew 5:14-16)

Holy One, we believe that your Sacred Presence fills every space in the universe.  All life is your life with us.  Together we pour forth blessings on this Advent Wreath.  We light the first week candle and we pray that we who use it may prepare our hearts for the coming of Christ, born anew in us.  MAKE IT SO

Opening Song: “In the Footsteps of Mary” 

written and sung by Kathleen Deignan, CND

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBgeg0wBP8c

Co-Presider:  Dotty

This is Mary, the Mother of Jesus’s Season!  It is Mary who sets the tone within us as we begin our preparation to celebrate the life of Jesus.  We gather in this circle to begin another Advent. Let us share our dreams, our beliefs, and our ways of preparing for the Child of humanity, the Christ within.  We prepare to bring the Christ, to give birth to new hopes to our world. 

Co-Presider:  Joan P.

Transformation Rite:

Called to respond with faith, hope and love to our world, called to recognize the presence of the Divine in all those we meet,  we commit to consistently bring Christ to all we pass on our journey through life.

Transform me Holy One

Called to believe that our younger generations have vision and new perspectives in what the future holds and embrace the power we have to create peace.

Transform me Holy One

Called to prepare, during this Advent Season, to recognize that the Christ is born anew within us every day as we celebrate this profound Gift to all creatures of the earth and beyond.

Transform me Holy One

Reader:  Pat Lewis 

This first reading is recorded in the Book of the prophet Jeremiah. 

The days are surely coming, says YHWH, when I will bestow on Israel and Judah all the blessings I promised them.  In those days and at that time, I will raise up a righteous branch from the line of David, who will bring justice and integrity to the land.  In those days Judah will be safe, and Jerusalem will be secure. They will call the land, “YHWH is our Justice.”

These are the inspired words of the prophet Jeremiah, and the community affirms them by saying: 

Let it be so.

Reader:  Joan Meehan

The second reading is excerpts from “The Reed of God” by Caryll Houselander.

This time of Advent is essential to our contemplation.  If we have truly given our humanity to be changed into Christ, it is essential to us that we do not disturb this time of growth.  It is a time of darkness, of faith. We shall not see Christ’s radiance in our lives yet; it is still hidden in our darkness; nevertheless, we must believe that He is growing in our lives; we must believe it so firmly that we cannot help relating everything, literally everything, to this almost incredible reality. This attitude makes every moment of every day and night a prayer.  

This Advent awareness does not lead to a selfish preoccupation with self; it does not exclude outgoing love to others—far from it. It leads to them inevitably, but it prevents such acts and words of love from becoming distractions. It makes the very doing of them reminders of the Presence of Christ in us. It is through doing them that we can preserve the secrecy of Advent without failing to offer the loveliness of Christ in us to others.

When a woman is carrying a child, she develops a certain instinct of self-defense.  It is not selfishness; it is not egoism. It is an absorption into the life within, a folding of self like a little tent around the child’s frailty, a God-like instinct to cherish, and some day to bring forth, the life. A closing upon it like the petals of a flower closing upon the dew that shines in its heart.

This is precisely the attitude we must have to Christ, the Life within us, in the Advent of our contemplation. This dependence of Christ lays a great trust upon us. During this tender time of Advent, we must carry Him in our hearts to wherever He may never go unless we take Him to them.

These are the inspired words of the mystic author of “The Reed of God”.  And the community affirms them by saying 

LET IT BE SO

Celtic Alleluia

https://youtu.be/o1rc7ojQtJU

Reader: Joan M.  

The Gospel is taken from the writings of Mary Mother of Jesus believed to be written by the apostle John.  (summarized)

The Gospel According to Mary Mother of Jesus 

According to noncanonical sources, Anne was born in Bethlehem in Judaea. She married Joachim, and, although they shared a wealthy and devout life at Nazareth, they eventually lamented their childlessness. Joachim, reproached at the Temple for his sterility, retreated into the countryside to pray, while Anne, grieved by his disappearance and by her barrenness, solemnly promised God that, if given a child, she would dedicate it to God’s service. Both received the vision of an angel, who announced that Anne would conceive and bear a most wondrous child. The couple rejoiced at the birth of their daughter, whom Anne named Mary. When the child was three years old, Joachim and Anne, in fulfillment of her divine promise, brought Mary to the Temple of Jerusalem, where they left her to be brought up.

These are the writings believed to be recorded by John the apostle.  And the community affirms them by saying:

LET IT BE SO

Celtic Alleluia

https://youtu.be/o1rc7ojQtJU            

Shared Homily

Prayer Leader:  Andrea S.

Statement of Faith: 

We believe in the Holy One, a divine mystery
beyond all definition and rational understanding,
the heart of all that has ever existed,

that exists now, or that ever will exist. 

We believe in Jesus, messenger of the Divine Word,
bringer of healing, heart of Divine compassion,
bright star in the firmament of the Holy One's
prophets, mystics, and saints.

We believe that we are called to follow Jesus
as a vehicle of divine love,
a source of wisdom and truth,
and an instrument of peace in the world.

We believe in the Spirit of the Holy One,
the life that is our innermost life,
the breath moving in our being,
the depth living in each of us.

We believe that the Divine kin-dom is here and now,
stretched out all around us for those
with eyes to see it, hearts to receive it,
and hands to make it happen.

Prayer Leader:  Mary Kay S.

We pray together our prayers of petition:  

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 all members of the LGBTQ+ community, women and men who have lost their lives because of crimes of hate for just being their true selves.

We bring to the table our elected officials that they will remember their duty to create programs and structures that serve the needs of all Americans as well as those who seek refuge in our country.

We bring to the table the immigrant children and the countless men and women still being held in inhumane conditions by our own government.  We pray our elected officials will act to create those procedures that will right this terrible wrong.

We bring to the table all members of our MMOJ community that any personal suffering will be healed, that they may find strength in the love we share with one another.

(For what else do we pray?  Share any of your petitions)

Our confidence will never waver for we believe in the power of our prayer and as we hold all the concerns of our hearts, we looked to Mary to strengthen within us confidence, faith and hope.

LET IT BE SO

Prayer Leader:  Suzanne B.   

Holy One, blessed are we as we gather around our tables to celebrate the memory of Jesus.  He lived among us teaching us to dream of a world healed and made whole, to believe in the power of Divine Presence within us and to prepare for the birthing of the Christ within. 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 people in our world. We are committed to the teachings and the ministry of Jesus.

The Holy One is praised forever.

Please join in praying the Eucharistic prayer:

Prayer Leader: Jerry B.

O Holy One, you are always with us. In the blessed abundance of creation, we gather to celebrate Your nourishing gift of life. May our hearts be open to You as You invite us to participate in the wise and wonderful work of co-creation.

May we be ever aware of Your Spirit within and among us as our world unfolds amid pain and beauty into the fullness of life.

May we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus as we focus on this Advent for the Christ born again within each of us. 

We are grateful for Your Spirit whose breath inspired the primal waters, calling into being the variety and abundance we see around us. Your Spirit sustains us and gives us hope in our every endeavor, inviting us to act in wisdom and in truth. 

In gratitude and joy, we lift our voices to proclaim a song of praise:

Here in This Place by Christopher Grundy    

https://youtu.be/sgkWXOSGmOQ

Co-Presider:  Joan P.

As your people, we gather in the power of your Spirit. As followers of Jesus, we seek to live as wise and holy Spirit-filled people: courageous, prophetic, ever hopeful and hope-filled as we answer your call to serve one another.

[Please extend your hands over your bread and wine)

We invoke Your Spirit upon these gifts of this Eucharistic table, bread of the grain and wine of the grape, that they may become gifts of wisdom, light and truth which remind us of our call to be the body of Christ to the world.

Co-Presider:  Dotty  

On the night before he faced his own death, Jesus sat at supper with his companions and friends.  He reminded them of all that he taught them, and to fix that memory clearly, he bent down and washed their feet.

[lifting bread]

When he returned to his place, Jesus took bread, gave thanks, and offered it to them saying: Take and eat; this is my very self.

[lifting cup]

Jesus then raised a cup of blessing, spoke the grace, and offered the wine 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. 

This is the bread of life and cup of blessing. May our eating and drinking strengthen our hope!  

Prayer Leader:  Mary Kay S.

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.

Receive bread and cup now with the words 

“YOU ARE THE FACE OF GOD”

Communion Meditation.  

Gentle Woman, Quiet by Carey Landry

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUey6ytEXqY

(Pause after music)

Prayer Leader:  Mary Kay S.

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 exemplified the qualities of Mary who have gone before us, especially Jack Meehan on the 10^th anniversary of his transition from life on earth to complete union with the fullness of the Universal Christ.  For the gift his magnificent music that continues to inspire us all. We remember, too, family members, friends, and member of MMOJ. 

(Pause to remember names) 

We remember all 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:   So Be It

Prayer Leader:  Jerry B. 

Let us pray the prayer of Jesus:

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)

Holy One, your transforming energy is ever present, moving within and working through us. With joyful hope, may our lives glorify you at this time and in all ways. Amen.

Community Sharing:   

Introductions, Thanksgiving and Announcements

Prayer Leader:  Suzanne B.

Together we extend our hands in blessing one another.

May the Holy One bless us as we dream in infinite possibilities.

May we let our dreams urge us to prepare to meet the reality of the day with the dream and hope of tomorrow. 

May we recognize the Holy One in our lives, the Divine Presence within us as we begin the journey of Advent.

Closing Song: “Breath of Heaven

Amy Grant (Mary’s Song)

https://youtu.be/FWo3qlqyW1c

________________________

If you want to add an intercession to our MMOJ Community Prayer book, please send an email to jmeehan515@aol.com

If you want to invite someone to attend our liturgy, please refer them to the day’s liturgy 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, FL 34238