MMOJ's Liturgy
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Feast of St Catherine of Siena (1347-1380)
April 29, 2023
Liturgy Team: Andrea Seabaugh, Pat Lewis,
Mary Al Gagnon, Joan Pesce, Beth Ponce,
Jim Brandi, Jack McKillip, Michael Rigdon
IT: Cheryl Brandi & Jerry Bires Music: Linda Lee Miller
Welcome. Andrea. We warmly welcome you to the inclusive Catholic Community of Mary Mother of Jesus in Sarasota. All are welcome here.
Whoever you are,
Wherever you are,
Just as you are,
We welcome you to this table.
(Integral Christianity by Paul Smith)
Theme. Michael. Lent: from asceticism to contemplation.
Sign of Peace. Andrea. Let us offer each other a sign of peace.
All: (Namaste pose 🙏🏿 toward Hollywood squares) Namaste. The peace of Christ be with you! Namaste.
Gathering 🎶 Prayer of St Francis
https://youtu.be/hC77O0fMuL0 (2:55)
Make me a channel of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me bring your love.
Where there is injury your pardon, God,
And where there’s doubt, true faith in you.
Make me a channel of your peace.
Where there’s despair in life, let me bring hope.
Where there is darkness only light,
And where there’s sadness, ever joy.
Oh God, grant that I may never seek
So much to be consoled, as to console,
To be understood as to understand,
To be loved, as to love with all my soul.
Make me a channel of your peace.
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
In giving of ourselves that we receive,
And in dying that were born to eternal life….
Make me a channel of your peace.
Transformation Prayer. Beth P. We commit ourselves to respond to the needs of others in whatever ways we can and to share our faith that goodness and love will prevail.May we be transformed by our sharing in the paschal mystery of Jesus’ death and resurrection.
All: Transform us, O Holy One!
Liturgy of the Word (Please pause for a moment of silence.) Michael. Intro.
Pat L. The first reading is from the Acts of the Apostles.
Things calmed down after that and the church had smooth sailing for a while. All over the country—Judea, Samaria, Galilee—the church grew. They were permeated with a deep sense of reverence for God. The Holy Spirit was with them, strengthening them. They prospered wonderfully.
Peter went off on a mission to visit all the churches. In the course of his travels he arrived in Lydda and met with the believers there. He came across a man—his name was Aeneas—who had been in bed eight years paralyzed. Peter said, "Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and make your bed!" And he did it—jumped right out of bed. Everybody who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him walking around and woke up to the fact that God was alive and active among them.
Down the road a way in Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha, "Gazelle" in our language. She was well-known for doing good and helping out. During the time Peter was in the area she became sick and died. Her friends prepared her body for burial and put her in a cool room.
Some of the disciples had heard that Peter was visiting in nearby Lydda and sent two men to ask if he would be so kind as to come over. Peter got right up and went with them. They took him into the room where Tabitha's body was laid out. Her old friends, most of them widows, were in the room mourning. They showed Peter pieces of clothing the Gazelle had made while she was with them. Peter put the widows all out of the room. He knelt and prayed. Then he spoke directly to the body: "Tabitha, get up."
She opened her eyes. When she saw Peter, she sat up. He took her hand and helped her up. Then he called in the believers and widows, and presented her to them alive.
When this became known all over Joppa, many put their trust in the Master. (From The Message, by Eugene H Peterson)
https://youtu.be/ID5UGWcS6Ws
Mary Al. Second reading from the Good News attributed to John.
Many among his disciples heard this and said, "This is tough teaching, too tough to swallow.”
Jesus sensed that his disciples were having a hard time with this and said, "Does this throw you completely? What would happen if you saw the Son of Man ascending to where he came from? The Spirit can make life. Sheer muscle and willpower don't make anything happen. Every word I've spoken to you is a Spirit-word, and so it is life-making. But some of you are resisting, refusing to have any part in this." (Jesus knew from the start that some weren't going to risk themselves with him. He knew also who would betray him.) He went on to say, "This is why I told you earlier that no one is capable of coming to me on his own. You get to me only as a gift from the Father."
After this a lot of his disciples left. They no longer wanted to be associated with him. Then Jesus gave the Twelve their chance: "Do you also want to leave?"
Peter replied, "Master, to whom would we go? You have the words of real life, eternal life. We've already committed ourselves, confident that you are the Holy One of God.”(From The Message, by Eugene Peterson)
https://youtu.be/ID5UGWcS6Ws
Shared homily. Michael & MMOJ community
When I shine, you shall glow.
When I flow, you shall become wet.
When you sigh, you draw my divine heart into you.
A blissful abiding prevails between us.
—Mechthild of Magdeburg
Profession of Faith. Jim & All
We believe in God, who creates all things,
who embraces all things, who celebrates all things,
who is present in every part of the fabric of creation.
We believe in God as the source of all life,
who baptizes this planet with living water.
We believe in Jesus Christ, the suffering one, the poor one, the malnourished one, the climate refugee, who loves and cares for this world and who suffers with it.
And we believe in Jesus Christ, the seed of life,
who came to reconcile and renew this world and everything in it. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the breath of God,
who moves with God and who moves among and with us today. We believe in everlasting life in God.
And we believe in the hope that one day
God will put an end to death and all destructive forces.
(Gurukul Theological college, India / adapted by Keld B. Hansen 2009)
Community prayers. Jack M. We now bring our prayer intentions to the table. (Response: You hear us, O Holy One)
We bring to the table our sister Peg Bowen. May she continue to experience healing love and strength. And for all our MMOJ members, family, and friends who are experiencing chronic or life threatening illness. R
We bring to the table the devastated familiesand all still suffering from tornadoes in the USand other natural disasters in our world. R
We bring to the table the people of Ukraine and Russia that they may live in peace without fear and that justice will prevail for all. R
We bring to the table our political leaders that they will put the flourishing of all people before power and greed. R
We bring to the table our MMOJ intentions inour community prayer book. R
For whom and what else shall we pray?
Holy Mystery, may we respond to the needs of our sisters and brothers in loving prayer and solidarity. All: Amen
We offer our gifts. Jack M (Have bread and wine/juice on your table)
O Holy One, these are our gifts from creation, bread 🥖of the grain 🌾 and wine 🍷 of the grapes 🍇. We recognize that they are holy in you their creator. And we know that they will make us holy, one with you and one with each other.
Michael. Please join in song to begin our Eucharistic prayer.
Eucharistic Prayer 🎶 We Are Holy
https://youtu.be/orKBBIj5LZA (1:33)
Jim & All. We thank you for the gift of Jesus in history and the gift of Jesus in faith. Through him, you breathe life into us. His life on earth was deeply moved by his vision of your constant presence in everyone he met. He reflected you in everything he said and did in his life well lived. And he showed us by his many examples not only how we should live, but also for what we might even die, as he did, in the service of the gospel message of selfless love.
(Hold your hand over bread and wine)
Andrea & All. Jesus, we celebrate the last meal you had with your followers. We call upon Sacred Spirit, ever and always with us, to bring blessing on this bread and wine as they are made sacred through our faith in the presence of Christ.
During Jesus’s life on earth, he lived and died loving the poor, healing the sick and challenging the injustices within society.Because of his ministry, Jesus was feared by the authorities, and they sought out ways to bring him to his death.
Joan P & All. On the night before he faced his own death, Jesus sat at the Seder supper with his companions and friends. He reminded them of what he had taught them, and to fix that memory clearly with them, he bent down and washed their feet. All lift 🥖 and pray:
When he returned to his place at the table, he lifted the bread, spoke the blessing, broke the bread and offered it to them saying:
Take and eat, this is my very self.
Pause, then lift the 🍷 and pray:
Beth P & All. He took the cup, spoke the grace, and offered it to them saying: Take and drink. This is the new covenant. Whenever you remember me like this, I am among you. (pause)
Jan & All. 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.
Let us share this bread and cup to proclaim and live the gospel of justice, nonviolence and peace, remembering that we are bearers of light and hope.
We are the Christ alive today. Everyone consumes the bread and wine now.
Instrumental 🎶 Sentinel Meadow, Mars Lasar
http://youtube.com/watch?v=B9JFOEcq1GA&fea 2:33
Joan P & All. Sacred Spirit, we rejoice that the Universal Christ remains always and ever present within and around us. We remember all those who have transitioned from life on earth to complete union with your Sacred Presence—Mary of Nazareth and all great saints, prophets and martyrs. We also remember family members, friends, and MMOJ members. We remember all those whose lives have been lost to covid, to war, to racism and other forms of exclusion and violence in our world. And we remember those you wish to be remembered (we pause to remember our loved ones) All are beloved souls who have blessed our lives and who continue to inspire us. And we respond together: All: So be it!
Jim. We pray our common prayer that Jesustaught us:
All: Eternal Spirit, Earth-maker, Pain-bearer, Life-giver,
Source of all that is and that shall be,
Father and Mother of us all,
Loving God, in whom is heaven:
The hallowing of your name echoes through the universe!
The way of your justice be followed by the peoples of the world!
Your will be done by all created beings!
May your beloved community of peace and freedom
sustain our hope and come on earth.
With the bread we need for today, feed us.
In the hurts we absorb from one another, forgive us.
In times of temptation and test, strengthen us.
From trials too great to endure, spare us.
From the grip of all that is evil, free us.
For you reign in the glory of the power that is love, now and forever. Amen.
(Adapted from The New Zealand Book of Prayer | He Karakia Mihinare o Aotearoa.
This version of the Lord’s prayer was influenced by Maori theologians)
Final prayer. Mary Al. O Holy One, may this season of Easter be for us a time of joy and compassion.
When you shine, we shall glow.
When you flow, we shall become wet.
When we sigh, we draw your divine heart into us.
A blissful abiding prevails between us. All:Alleluia
Michael. Please share the gratitude you hold in your hearts.
Announcements
Community blessing
🎶
https://youtu.be/2mWaoGn_jTY
Pat L. We go forth filled with the presence of Christ.
All: Alleluia, Amen.
Concluding 🎶 The saints go marching in! (Highlighting Jack Meehan)
https://youtu.be/xvIHW-UbtgA
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To add an intercession to our MMOJ Community Prayer book, please send an email to Joan Meehan jmeehan515@aol.com
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Mary Mother of Jesus Inclusive Catholic Community
5342 Clark Road #3079, Sarasota, FL 34233