The Resurrection of Lazarus,
Painted by Giovanni di Paolo (active ca.1420-1482)
Painted in 1426
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/93473708926?pwd=VHFKZGJ5N3ljbzZtVU1qQVRZY1lodz09
Meeting ID: 934 7370 8926
Welcome:
Presider : Beth
We warmly welcome you to MMOJ inclusive Catholic Community Please have bread and wine or juice with you as we pray the Eucharistic Prayer. Today’s Gospel invites us into a sacred story of love delayed, grief honored, and life restored. May we unbind one another and stand beside those burdened by fear, grief, and the violence of systems that value power over life. May we help one another to remove the bindings of structural harm that take life without accountability. May we walk together toward resurrection in this moment of pain and loss.
Greeting:
Presider: BMM:
We begin our celebration in the name of God our Creator,
in the name of Jesus our brother,
and in the name of the Holy Spirit, our Wisdom.
Gathering Song: Be Not Afraid- Bob Dufford
https://youtu.be/_H_kgDXcKIw?si=3VoyQm6jUqLqoKuI
Transformation Rite:
Presider:Beth
Holy One,
Like Martha and Mary,
we come with honest hearts—
naming grief, loss
and our deep belief that your love always embraces us
We pray this in the name of Jesus,
the Resurrection and the Life.
(Pause briefly… then extend hands in gesture of mutual forgiveness and pray together)
All: BMM
God of Compassion,
Mothering and Fathering Love,
through Jesus, our brother,
you show us that nothing can separate us
from your unconditional love.
Roll away the stones that bind our spirits.
Breathe your Spirit into what seems lifeless.
Call us forth into resurrection living,
that we may serve with courage, compassion,
and freedom in Christ.
Amen.
(No Gloria in Lent)
Opening Prayer
Presider:Beth
Holy and Loving God,
You are the Source of Life
who stands with us at every tomb,
who hears the cries of love and loss,
and who calls us by name into new life.
We gather today as women and men of faith,
leaders, companions, and seekers,
carrying both hope and grief,
trust and unanswered prayers, trusting always that your love will have the last word.
Amen.
Liturgy of the Word
First Reading: Ezechiel 37: 12-14 Bob F.
A reading from the prophet Ezekiel
Our Sovereign God says this: I am going to open your graves. I mean to raise you from your graves, my people, and lead you back to the land of Israel. And you will know that I am the Most High, when I open your graves and raise you from your graves, my people. And I will put my breath in you, and you will live. And I will resettle you on your own soil, and you will know that I, Your God, have said and done this- it is Your God who speaks.
These are the inspired words of the prophet knowns as Ezechiel and we respond to them by saying: Thanks be to God.
Responsorial Psalm: O, Lord hear my prayer (Taize), video Maureen Teresa Ward
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f51n-yb11dY
Second Reading: Joan M
A Reading from Catholic Women Preach by JoAnn Melina Lopez
There are times when the forces of destruction, death, and dehumanization are so strong, that we cannot see the path forward, and all we can do is cry out to God. Sometimes our only comfort when confronted by the crushing power of oppression, violence, and alienation is remembering that Jesus loves us and weeps with us outside the tombs.
I have had my own moments where I could not imagine past the tomb – when I had no choice but to say goodbye to life as I knew it. When every door to my future seemed closed. Confronted by relationships that could not be reconciled. Injustices that seemed insurmountable. Grief that broke my heart. Moments that felt like dying. Perhaps you have too. I also know, going through these moments, that God is bringing life in new and transforming ways to us, each and every day – in ways we may not quite expect, or have ever imagined. Through new opportunities. Communities of support. The transformation of my heart. Through creative, joyful, prophetic action. Through resilience and resistance movements that challenge the powers that be. God is bringing life to birth, restoring and renewing our world. Do we see it? God is calling us to partner in rolling away the stones and untying the bonds of injustice. Do we hear it?
This resurrection hope in the life-giving power of God is not just something for us to say we believe, but it must be encountered and experienced – and it only comes to us who are at the tomb. We must be willing to acknowledge our suffering, and the suffering of the world, and open ourselves up to God's Spirit at work.
These are the inspired words of Joann Melina Lopez and we respond to them by saying Thanks be to God.
Gospel Acclamation: Jesus, remember me ,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6tVReXsioM
Gospel: Beth
John 11:3–7, 17, 20–27, 33b–45 – (shortened version, raising of Lazarus)
Mary and Martha sent this message to Jesus, ‘Rabbi, the man you love is ill.’ On receiving the message, Jesus said, ‘This sickness will end not in death but in God’s glory, and through it the Son of God will be glorified.’
Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, yet when he heard that Lazarus was ill he stayed where he was for two more days before saying to the disciples, ‘Let us go to Judaea.’
On arriving, Jesus found that Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days already. When Martha heard that Jesus had come she went to meet him. Mary remained sitting in the house. Martha said to Jesus, ‘If you had been here, my brother would not have died, but I know that, even now, whatever you ask of God, he will grant you.’ ‘Your brother’ said Jesus to her ‘will rise again.’ Martha said, ‘I know he will rise again at the resurrection on the last day.’ Jesus said:
‘I am the resurrection and the life.
If anyone believes in me, even though he dies he will live,
and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.
Do you believe this?’
‘Yes,’ she said ‘I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who was to come into this world.’
Jesus said in great distress, with a sigh that came straight from the heart, ‘Where have you put him?’ They said, ‘Lord, come and see.’ Jesus wept; and the Jews said, ‘See how much he loved him!’ But there were some who remarked, ‘He opened the eyes of the blind man, could he not have prevented this man’s death?’ Still sighing, Jesus reached the tomb: it was a cave with a stone to close the opening. Jesus said, ‘Take the stone away.’ Martha said to him, ‘Rabbi by now he will smell; this is the fourth day.’ Jesus replied, ‘Have I not told you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?’ So they took away the stone. Then Jesus lifted up his eyes and said:
‘Father, I thank you for hearing my prayer.
I knew indeed that you always hear me,
but I speak for the sake of all these who stand round me,
so that they may believe it was you who sent me.’
When Jesus had said this, he cried in a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, here! Come out!’ The dead man came out, his feet and hands bound with bands of stuff and a cloth round his face. Jesus said to them, ‘Unbind him, let him go free.’
Many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary and had seen what he did believed in him. These are the inspired words in the Gospel of John. And we respond to them by saying Thanks be to God
Homily: BMM
Homily: “Unbind and Let Go — Resurrection in a Time of Sorrow and Violence”
John 11:3–7, 17, 20–27, 33b–45
Today we proclaim a Gospel that is deeply alive within our world right now — not distant or abstract, but embodied in the streets of our cities and in lands around the world, the lives of our neighbors and of people we will never meet.
Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA hospital was killed by U.S. Border Patrol agents during a protest ,shortly after the January 7 killing of Renee Good, another protester shot by a federal agent, setting communities on edge and raising profound questions about power, authority, and the value of human life.
Like Martha and Mary, our world today looks at suffering, loss and death and cries out:
“Jesus, if you had been here…”
In those words, we hear the lament of mothers and fathers, of brothers and sisters, of neighbors, of our sisters and brothers in Ukraine and Russia, the Middle East, Iran, Sudan and in distant lands who wonder why violence visits the vulnerable and yet seems distant from divine mercy.
Jesus does not dismiss their grief.
“I am the resurrection and the life.”
In the midst of political upheaval, in the midst of communities grieving loved ones lost to state violence, this promise does not bypass our pain. It meets it. It names it.
Jesus wept.
He did not rush past grief to preach a principle.
He stood in solidarity with suffering.
So must we!
In today’s world — where citizens grieve deaths they never imagined, where protests fill city streets, where families demand transparency, accountability, and human dignity — the Church is called to that same holy lament. Presence before resurrection. Compassion before answers.
Standing before the tomb, Jesus says:
“Take away the stone.”
This is a call that resonates in our time:
Take away the stones of dehumanization.
Take away the stones of policies that prioritize force over justice.
Take away the stones that silence communities crying out for fairness and safety.
Take away the stones of violence, war and hatred that bring death and destruction near and far.
Resurrection is not merely spiritual; it is social, political, embodied, communal. It is the work of rolling away stones that block human flourishing, stones that imprison dignity and life.
But when Lazarus emerges, he is still bound.
And Jesus says:
“Unbind him and let him go.”
Today we are called not only to witness resurrection but to unbind one another — to stand beside those burdened by fear, by grief, by the violence of systems that value power over life. We are called to help one another walk free, to remove the bindings of structural harm: war, racism, militarized enforcement without accountability, dehumanizing rhetoric, policies that separate families and take life and bring destruction and death everywhere.
This is the work of love in the streets and in the pews.
This is the work of faith in the face of protest and political turmoil.
This is the resurrection that Christ invites us into now — not someday, but now.
So let us ask:
Where are the stones that need to be moved in our community and in our nation?
Whom are we called to unbind — those grieving, those excluded, those whose dignity has been denied?
How will we answer the call to stand with those who risk their bodies and voices to proclaim that every human life is sacred everywhere?
The raising of Lazarus assures us:
Love has the final word.
Grief is seen.
And God calls forth life even in places of death.
May we, as a faithful and compassionate community, be instruments of that life — unbinding, healing, advocating for justice, and walking together toward resurrection in this moment of pain and loss.
Sharing of Community in dialogue homily
A Communal Statement of Faith: Bob
With Martha and Mary,
we believe in a God who welcomes our honest questions
and receives our grief as prayer.
We trust a Holy Presence
who remains faithful even when answers are delayed.
We believe women are bearers of wisdom and revelation.
In Martha, we claim our voice as theologians of faith.
In Mary, we honor the sacred ministry of presence and compassion.
We affirm women’s leadership
as essential to the life and resurrection of the Church.
We believe in Jesus,
the One who weeps with us
and stands beside us at the tombs of our lives.
His compassion reveals the heart of God
and prepares the way for new life.
We believe resurrection is not only a future promise
but a living reality unfolding now.
We are called to trust life again,
to roll away stones together,
and to participate in God’s liberating work.
With Lazarus, we believe new life often begins bound,
and that Jesus entrusts the community
with the sacred work of unbinding.
We commit ourselves to releasing one another
from all that restricts dignity, freedom, and love.
This is our faith.
This is our hope.
This is the Gospel we proclaim
and the life we choose to live—together.
All: Amen.
Prayers of the Community: Joan M
Presider:
Trusting in the God who stands with us at every tomb
and calls forth life even in the midst of grief,
let us bring our prayers before the Holy One.
Response: God of Life, accompany us
For the institutional Church,
that it may listen with humility to the voices of women,
honor honest lament as holy prayer,
and become a community that rolls away stones
rather than seals tombs of fear and exclusion.
God of Life, accompany us
For women of faith and spiritual leaders,
especially those who have waited long to be heard or trusted,
that they may know the strength of Christ who weeps with them
and calls them forth into courage, freedom, and new life.
God of Life, accompany us
For all who grieve—
those standing at the tombs of broken relationships,
wounded communities, delayed justice, or silenced vocations—
that they may feel the compassionate presence of Jesus
who pauses, listens, and remains.
God of Life, accompany us
For our world,
where many remain bound by poverty, violence, racism, sexism,
clericalism, homophobia, and abuse of power,
that we may have the courage to name injustice,
to move stones together,
and to participate in God’s work of liberation.
God of Life, accompany us
For our inclusive faith communities,
that our leadership may be rooted in collaboration,
mutual accompaniment, and shared wisdom,
and that we may faithfully carry the sacred work
of unbinding one another with compassion and truth.
God of Life, accompany us
For all who are sick, discouraged, or weary,
and for those nearing death or mourning the loss of loved ones,
that they may be surrounded by love, comfort, and hope,
and know they are never alone.
God of Life, accompany us
For those who have died
and for all who now rest in God’s embrace,
that they may share fully in the resurrection promised in Christ,
where every tear is wiped away and every stone is rolled aside.
God of Life, accompany us
Presider:
Loving God,
you call each of us by name
and invite us into life beyond fear and death.
Receive these prayers we offer
in trust, hope, and love,
through Jesus, the Resurrection and the Life.
All: Amen.
Preparation of the Gifts:
Presider (raise bread and wine): BMM
Blessed are you, God of all creation. Through your goodness, each one of us has bread and the fruit of the vine to offer at this sacred meal which the earth has given and human hands have made. They will become for us our Bread of Life and Spiritual Drink.
Liturgy of the Eucharist
Presider: Beth
God is with you.
All: And with you.
Lift up your hearts. Bob
All: We lift them up to the Holy One
Let us give thanks to the Holy One, our God.
All: It is right and just.
Preface: Joan
Holy Wisdom, Womb of Mercy,
it is truly right to give you thanks and praise.
You are the God who waits with us,
who does not rush past sorrow,
who weeps with those who mourn,
and who calls forth life even when hope feels sealed away.
You sent Jesus, born of your compassion,
to walk among us as healer, teacher, and friend.
He welcomed women as disciples,
honored their voices,
and entrusted them with the work of faith, courage, and proclamation.
In Bethany,
he listened to Martha’s questions,
received Mary’s tears,
and revealed that resurrection is not only a future promise
but a present power already at work among us.
Therefore, with all who trust in your life-giving love,
with saints and prophets, women and men of every age,
we sing your praise:
Holy, Holy
https://youtu.be/orKBBIj5LZA
Eucharistic Prayer
Epiclesis:
Presider and All: Beth
Holy One,
we ask you to send your Spirit upon these gifts
and upon us,
that this bread and wine
may become for us the bread of courage,
the cup of compassion,
the feast of resurrection.
Consecration:
Presider and All:BMM
On the night before he faced death,
Jesus gathered with friends who loved him.
He took bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to them, saying:
“Take and eat.
This is my body, given for you.
Do this in remembrance of me.”
After supper, he took the cup,
poured out the wine, and said:
“Take and drink.
This cup is the new covenant in my blood,
poured out for you and for all,
Do this in remembrance of me.”
Memorial Acclamation: Beth
Let us proclaim the mystery of faith:
All:
Christ has died.
Christ is risen.
Christ is alive among us now.
Anamnesis and Intercessions
Presider: Beth
Remembering Jesus—
his tears, his courage, his trust in your power—
we offer ourselves with these gifts.
We pray for your Church:
that it may unbind those long held by fear and exclusion
and welcome the full flourishing of women’s leadership and ministry.
Presider: BMM
We pray for all who stand at tombs today—
of broken systems, wounded communities,
silenced vocations, and delayed justice—
that they may hear your voice calling them forth.
We pray for those who are grieving,
for those who feel delayed, forgotten, or bound,
that your compassion may surround them
and your life may rise again in them.
Presider: Beth
Gather all who have gone before us
into the fullness of your resurrection life.
Through Christ, with Christ, and in Christ,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
all glory and honor is yours, Loving God,
now and forever.
https://youtu.be/0sDDgwZlijc
Communion
The Prayer of Jesus (Traditional or Inclusive adaptation)
Bob:
The Prayer of Jesus
Let us pray as Jesus taught — in the Aramaic translation — the language of Jesus:
Abwoon, Mother/Father God of the Cosmos,
Breathe life into our hearts.
May your power and counsel rule our lives
And the whole creation.
May your will to love find its home in each human heart
As it is at home throughout the Cosmos.
Grant us today both bread and wisdom
that we may in turn become bread for others.
Loose the cars of the secret debts that bind us
and In the strength this freedom gives us,
help us to loose the cords we hold of others’ guilt.
Don’t let surface things delude us, but free us from unripeness,
from all that holds us back from loving.
For from you is born the astonishing fire,
the ruling will, the power and son that gives life to all,
here and now and forever. Amen.
Sign of Peace: Joan:
Let us offer one another a sign of peace.
Breaking of the Bread: Joan
Prayer Leader: Joan
Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life.”
This is the bread of new life.
All are welcome at this table.
Communion: Share Eucharist with one another the Body of Christ on the Table and around the Table:
Communion Song:
I will not leave you comfortless by Jan Phillips
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOvXCb1h71w
Post Communion Prayer
Presider: Beth
God of Resurrection,
you call us out of fear into courage,
out of silence into voice,
out of death into life.
As we leave this table,
send us forth to roll away stones,
to unbind one another with love,
and to proclaim resurrection
through lives of justice, compassion, and truth.
Gratitude, Introduction and Announcements: BMM
Blessing: Beth
May the God who weeps with us bless you.
May the Christ who calls you by name walk beside you.
May the Spirit who breathes new life within you
give you courage to lead, to love, and to live freely.
Go in peace,
called forth, unbound, and alive in Christ.
All: Thanks be to God.
Closing Song: We will rise by Bernadette Farrell ( stop at 2:25)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnU53s-YNuM
