Welcome
Presider 1: Welcome to our liturgy for the second Sunday in Lent. Today as we journey to Mt. Tabor we are blessed by Jesus’ radiance that illuminates our heart.
Greeting:
Presider:
We begin our celebration in the name of God our Creator,
the Sacred Source who breathes life into Earth and all her creatures;
and in the name of Jesus our brother,
companion of the poor, healer of the broken,
and prophet of inclusive love;
and in the name of the Holy Spirit, our Wisdom. Amen.
Opening Song: Transfiguration by Carey Landry
https://youtu.be/FfJw-xh0opE
Transformation Rite
Presider:
Holy One,
we come before you aware of our wounds
and the ways we have fallen short
of living as the Christ Presence in our world.
Yet we trust in the love you have placed within us—
a love that heals, forgives, and restores.
(Brief Silence)
Breathe in the tenderness of God.
Breathe out compassion for yourself, for one another, and for our Earth.
(Please extend hands in gesture of mutual forgiveness and pray together)
God of Compassion,
Mothering and Fathering Love,
through Jesus, our brother,
you show us that nothing can separate us
from your unconditional love.
Through the Spirit—Holy Wisdom, Sophia—
we receive healing and peace.
We forgive one another
and renew our care for each other
and for all creation.
Amen.
Opening Prayer
Presider 2: Holy One, as we gather in prayer, we open our hearts to Your presence. May your light dispel all darkness within us for You Transform us by Your grace. May we listen to Your Son, follow Him faithfully, and be renewed in holiness. Amen.
First Reading: A reading from “Loud, Clear and Nonviolent” by Joan Chittister
Peter longed to stay atop the mountain, where he recognized the presence of holiness. But he was challenged to come down the mountain and bring his new awareness of God’s presence with him. If there is anything about the prophetic dimension of life that is clear, it is surely this: more people decline to accept the appointment than to embrace it. The struggle to escape the world–to avoid conflict and let things take care of themselves–stays strong in us.
No doubt about it: The purpose of prophecy is to leaven the world, not to leave it, to bring it closer to the Reign of God. The quality of life we create around us as followers of Jesus is meant to seed new life, new hope, new dynamism, the very essence of a new world.
The local messenger of God’s word of justice for the poor becomes known as the expert on an issue. They do their best to follow new material, to write short pieces for the local newspaper on current problems, and to lead discussions on those issues as well. It has been said that every community needs at least one prophet. The poet Mary Oliver may have written the best definition of what it means to be a prophet, “Instructions for living a life: Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.”
Maybe we should start by writing those instructions on every church wall. Then we might be alert enough to notice when God’s beloved sons and daughters are deported, when their healthcare costs rise, when their food assistance is slashed. Maybe we could start telling people about it who have the power to change things. Then we could take our place among the prophets.
These are the inspired words of contemporary prophet and writer, Sr. Joan Chittister and the community affirms them by saying “Amen”
Gospel Acclamation: Spirit of the Living God by Michael Crawford-video by MTStreck
https://youtu.be/xoJN0owUoWA
Gospel: A reading from the Gospel of Luke
( 9:28b-36)
Jesus took Peter, John, and James
and went up a mountain to pray.
While he was praying his face changed in appearance
and his clothing became dazzling white.
And behold, two men were conversing with him, Moses and Elijah,
who appeared in glory and spoke of his exodus
and what he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem.
Peter and his companions had been overcome by sleep,
but becoming fully awake,
they saw his glory and the two men standing with him.
As they were about to part from him, Peter said to Jesus,
“Teacher, it is good that we are here;
let us make three tents,
one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
But he did not know what he was saying.
While he was still speaking,
a cloud came and cast a shadow over them,
and they became frightened when they entered the cloud.
Then from the cloud came a voice that said,
“This is my beloved Son; listen to him.”
After the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone.
They fell silent and did not at that time
tell anyone what they had seen.
May this good news, attributed to Luke, inspire us. Amen.
Homily: Bridget Mary
The Transfiguration is not a reward for the faithful few. It is a revelation for the journey. It prepares the disciples for what comes next: the road down the mountain, toward suffering, resistance, healing, and costly love.
I remember a moment like this in my own ministry. Several years ago, after an ordination in an inclusive Catholic community, we gathered around a simple table—bread, wine, and people who for much of their lives had been told they did not belong. Some had been excluded because they were women called to priesthood, others because of divorce, sexuality, or simply asking questions that made institutions uncomfortable.
As we prayed together, something shifted. The room grew quiet in that unmistakable way when people sense they are standing on holy ground. One woman later said to me, with tears in her eyes, “For the first time, I felt seen by God.”
It was a mountaintop moment—not because everything was solved, but because the light of love became visible among us. And yet, like the disciples, we knew we could not remain there. The call was to carry that experience back into the world—to continue building communities where dignity is restored and love made visible.
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.
Presider 2: As we prepare for the sacred meal, we voice our intentions beginning with the words, “We bring to the table…..”
Presider 2: We pray for these and all unspoken intentions. Amen.
Presider:
On the mountain, his face shone with light—
not to escape the world,
but to reveal what humanity can become
when fully open to you.
Moses and Elijah stood with him,
the voices of liberation and prophecy,
reminding us that glory is always bound
to justice, memory, and hope.
Send your Spirit upon these gifts of bread and wine,
and upon us, your people.
May this table be a mountain of revelation
where fear is transfigured into trust,
where wounds are held in compassion,
where all are seen, named, and welcomed.
Make us the Body of Christ—
many members, one living communion—
radiant with courage,
grounded in mercy,
bold in our witness.
Presider and All:
On the night before he faced betrayal and death—
a night shadowed by fear yet filled with love—
Jesus gathered his friends, women and men,
all who dared to trust him.
He took bread, blessed it, broke it, and shared it, saying:
“Take and eat.
This is my body, given for you.
Do this in remembrance of me.”
After supper, he took the cup,
a cup of covenant and courage, and said:
“Take and drink.
This is my life poured out for you and for all,
for the healing of the world.
Do this in remembrance of me.”
All:
We remember his life of love.
We proclaim his transforming presence.
We commit ourselves to the way of justice and peace.
As we are nourished here,
send us down the mountain,
transformed by what we have seen and tasted,
to shine your light in places of suffering,
to speak truth with tenderness,
to labor for justice with joy.
Until that day when all creation is transfigured,
and every tear is wiped away,
we praise you, Source of Life,
through Christ, with Christ, and in Christ,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit.
All:
Amen.
Prayer of Jesus:
Sign of Peace,
Breaking of Bread:
Communion:
“Sent Down the Mountain”
God of transforming love,
we thank you for this sacred meal—
for bread broken and shared,
for life poured out in hope.
Here we have tasted your glory,
not as escape from the world,
but as strength for the journey.
Let what we have received
continue to transfigure us—
our hearts made braver,
our vision clearer,
our lives more generous.
As we go from this table,
send us down the mountain,
carrying your light into places of struggle and pain,
into communities longing for healing,
into a world waiting for signs of hope.
May we shine with quiet courage,
listen with open hearts,
and live as witnesses to your love
until all creation is made new.
May the light you glimpse in prayer
steady you for the work ahead.
May the voice you hear—“You are my beloved”—
echo when the road is hard.
And may we, as a community of equals,
carry the fire of Transfiguration
into a world longing to be made whole.
Amen.
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