Topic: MMOJ's Liturgy
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Theme: Follow Me –
Dotty: Welcome to our inclusive Catholic Community, Mary Mother of Jesus, on Zoom. We gather to hear a message of challenge and sacrifice, a painful passage to hear as we struggle to find the depth of meaning hidden in these words.
Remember to stay muted unless you are a reader, prayer leader, or have something to share. Please re-mute as soon as you have finished. Remember to have bread and wine/juice available on your home altar.
Whoever you are,
Wherever you are,
Just as you are, you are welcome to this table.
Opening Song: Follow Me Sung by: Liza D'Souza
https://youtu.be/XoxlvKch9t
Joan P: In faith we stand in the company of the early followers of Jesus. We open ourselves to the message of today’s gospel reading. It is one nobody really wants to hear. We pray that we find our way to embrace these challenges asked of the followers of Jesus as we come to a broader meaning of what this is really all about.
And together we say:
All: And so it is
Our world is troubled, it is broken, it is divided. The response of the follower of Jesus must be to accept all of humankind where they are in their hearts and souls.
I accept that I will put forth the effort to do more.
All: Transform me, Holy One
When we are harsh and unforgiving of those we are closest to who have caused pain and heartache in our lives, I accept that I will make the effort to heal my differences.
All: Transform me, Holy One
When I reach out to the poor, when I share my coat, when I share my food…. When I turn the other cheek and withhold a hurtful comment… Let me seek to deepen my understanding that I bring Christ to all those I meet.
All: Transform me, Holy One
Let us share a gesture of deep peace with everyone in our circle: Namaste …. (3x)
First Reading: Andrea Seabaugh
LOVE ACCORDING TO JESUS – Author: Anonymous
We’d venture to say that love carries as many shades of meaning as there are shades of color —Literally more than a million shades by some estimates. From the feelings we as children have for a parent to the deep respect and admiration for a lifelong friend or partner, love is understood on some level by all of us, and misunderstood by all of us, too. Is there a word to describe the shade or color of Jesus’ love? The word that comes closest is probably “agape” — an ancient Greek word that represents the highest form of charity or the love of God for humankind and vice versa. This is the love Jesus taught, selfless love that doesn’t come with any conditions nor require anything in return.
Jesus showed this kind of love through acts of selflessness
and kindness, not only toward family and friends but also
toward strangers and enemies. He commanded his
disciples to “love one another, as I have loved you.” In
essence, Jesus asked his closest followers to mimic the
love he’d demonstrated to them and toward others.
This is the call of Jesus to each of us.
We affirm these inspired words and together say:
ALL: Let it be so!
Alleluia – MTVideo
https://youtu.be/4cs8NDVM3Vk
Jack Mc. Gospel: A reading from the Gospel of Matthew 10:36-42
(The Message, New Testament by Eugene Peterson)
“Don’t be intimidated. Eventually everything is going to be out in the open, and everyone will know how things really are. So don’t hesitate to go public now.
“Don’t be bluffed into silence by the threats of bullies. There’s nothing they can do to your soul, your core being. Save your fear for God, who holds your entire life—body and soul—in his hands.
“What’s the price of a pet canary? Some loose change, right? And God cares what happens to it even more than you do. He pays even greater attention to you, down to the
last detail—even numbering the hairs on your head! So don’t be intimidated by all this bully talk. You’re worth more than a million canaries.
“Stand up for me against world opinion and I’ll stand up for you before my Father in heaven. If you turn tail and run, do you think I’ll cover for you?
Mary M. “Don’t think I’ve come to make life cozy. I’ve come to cut—make a sharp knife-cut between son and father, daughter and mother, bride and mother-in-law—cut through these cozy domestic arrangements and free you for God. Well-meaning family members can be your worst enemies. If you prefer father or mother over me, you don’t deserve me. If you prefer son or daughter over me, you don’t deserve me.
“If you don’t go all the way with me, through thick and thin, you don’t deserve me. If your first concern is to look after yourself, you’ll never find yourself. But if you forget about yourself and look to me, you’ll find both yourself and me.
“We are intimately linked in this harvest work. Anyone who accepts what you do, accepts me, the One who sent you. Anyone who accepts what I do, accepts my Father, who sent me. Accepting a messenger of God is as good as being God’s messenger. Accepting someone’s help is as good as giving someone help. This is a large work I have called you into, but don’t be overwhelmed by it. It’s best to start small. Give a cool cup of water to someone who is thirsty, for instance. The smallest act of giving or receiving makes you a true apprentice. You won’t lose out on a thing.”
These are the words inspired and translated by Eugene Peterson in “The Message New Testament.
ALL: Let it be so!
Homily Starter - Community Sharing
Joan: Let us pray together our 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
PRAYERS OF THE COMMUNITY:
Mary and Jack. Nurturing One, we are united in this sacrament by the love of Christ, whose presence calms our deepest fears and emboldens us to be prophets for love, justice, and equity- no matter what persecution or ridicule we encounter.
As we prepare for this sacred meal, we are aware of our call to serve, and just as Jesus is anointed, so is each of us. We bring to this table our prayers for all our World.
We bring to the table our dear Peg. We are grateful for the gift of her life that she has shared with generosity of heart.
All: Send us peace, O Holy One.
We bring to the table all those who have heard the Call to embrace the ministry of Jesus and accept this call to serve.
All: Send us strength, O Holy One
We bring to the table the suffering of our sisters and brothers all over our world and ask that they may be comforted by all those who serve them in their needs.
All: Send us comfort, O Holy One
We bring to the table all those women and men who have profound courage as they risk their lives to minister to the people in war torn countries.
All: Send us peace of heart, O Holy One
We bring to the table all those who have asked us to pray for their intentions as listed in our Book of Prayer Requests.
All: Send us confidence to see Your Light even in suffering.
For what else shall we pray?
We believe in the power of prayer to heal and comfort. We believe in the power of our prayer as we hold in our hearts all those individuals whose suffering is unknown to us.
EUCHARISTIC PRAYER
Joan: We are powerful when we follow the example and teachings of Jesus, especially the teaching in today’s gospel: “if you wish to follow me, you will be called to suffer and be misunderstood. We fear nothing because we have a deep commitment to serve you through our faith in Sacred Spirit where we are made strong.
We are living our commitment to the ministry of Jesus offering compassion to those who grieve loss and need comfort. We are caring when we help those in need of food, shelter, and health care. We are prophets when we speak truth to power as we address human needs and social justice.
We are ever aware of your Spirit in us and among us at this Eucharistic table and we are grateful for this bread and wine which reminds us of our call to be the body of Christ in the world.
Holy, Holy, Holy: by Christopher Grundy
https://youtu.be/sgkWXOSGmOQ
Dotty: We are grateful for our brother, Jesus, who insisted on the way we must live if we are to be true followers of his ministry. We look to the incredible people in our history and here around us today who have modeled for us a way to live and love in challenging times.
It is difficult to follow the invitation of Jesus: “Give up all that you have.” Let go to attachments that take us away from the work of caring through service. We renew our commitment to embrace the ministry of Jesus and follow his teachings.
We are called to send blessing to all people of the earth. We are called to forgive especially those who trouble our hearts by the choices they make, choices of hate and violence that are destroying people’s lives. We recognize the broken world we live in. We know that it is only love that can heal.
Joan P. Please extend your hands in blessing over this Bread and wine.
Together we call on the Spirit of Life,the Spirit that lives and moves in the totality of our being as we bless thisbread and wine we have before us.
In blessing the gifts of this Eucharistic table, bread of the grain and wine of the grape, they become gifts of wisdom, light and truth which remind us of our call to be the body of Christ to the world: to live justly, love tenderly and walk humbly with our God.
Dotty: On the night before Jesus faced his own death he sat at supper with his companions and friends. He reminded them of all that he taught them, and to fix that memory clearly within them, he bent down and washed their feet.
(All lift their plate and cup and pray the following:)
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.
He then raised high the cup of the covenant, spoke the grace, and offered it to them saying:
Take and drink.
Whenever you remember me like this, I am among you.
Joan P: 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.
Please consume the bread and drink the cup with the words: We are one with our God.
Communion Reflection: Softening written and sung by Elaine Silver
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbFeY6FjJoU
Mary M: together we 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 that 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. (The Prayer of Jesus as interpreted by Miriam Therese Winter)
Introductions/Thanksgivings/Announcements
Dotty: Let us raise our hands and together pray a blessing for one another.
May Christ, our Light, enlighten us,
May Christ, our Love, embrace us,
May Christ, our Strength, empower us to accept the difficulties that cloud our path as we go forth committed to service in the world.
Closing Song: Choose to Serve the Lord - by Blake Gillette and Angie Killian
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fDKdtZGCJM
If you would like to add your intercession to our MMOJ Community Prayers book,
Please send an email to jmeehan515@aol.com
If you would like to invite another person to attend our liturgy, please refer them to our website: www.marymotherofJesus.net
where the day’s liturgy is found. Zoom instructions are also included there.
NEW PO BOX:
Please send donations to:
Mary Mother of Jesus Inclusive Catholic Community
5342 Clark Road #3079
Sarasota, FL 34233