Mary Mother of Jesus Inclusive Catholic Community
Second Week of Lent
February 24, 2024
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/93473708926?pwd=VHFKZGJ5N3ljbzZtVU1qQVRZY1lodz09
Meeting ID: 934 7370 8926
Passcode: 552967
Presiders: Suzanne King Bires and Kathryn Shea
Readers: Jim Brandi and Ann Cooke
Prayer Leader: Lee Breyer
Music Ministers: Linda and Rick Miller
IT: Cheryl Brandi
Theme: “Here I Am”
Welcome and Gathering
Suzanne: Welcome to our Zoom liturgy at Mary Mother of Jesus, an inclusive Catholic Community where all are welcome.
We invite you to pray the liturgy and respond where it says “All.”
-All participants will be muted during the liturgy except for the presiders and readers.
-Please have bread and wine/juice nearby as we pray our Eucharistic prayer.
Whoever you are,
Wherever you are,
Just as you are,
You are welcome at this table. (Integral Christianity by Paul Smith)
Let us now take a few minutes to collect ourselves as we prepare to focus our minds and our hearts on our knowledge that we are all one, brought together at this time to transfigueourselves and our world through love; love for our Holy One, love for our neighbors, love for ourselves, and love for our planet. Let us begin our liturgy by expressing this love through song.
Gathering Song: Here I am Lord sung by Eric Tom
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcxOkht8w7c
Opening Prayer
Kathryn: In the name of our Creator, Jesus our brother, and Holy Spirit Wisdom, we gather to celebrate our oneness with and in you and in all things. This Great Mystery is the foundation and template for the entire universe, and when fully experienced, has the capacity to change everything. We seek to fully understand this Great Mystery, but more importantly to understand how we live it in our lives. Let our ears hear, our eyes see, and our hearts receive as we remember and expand the power of love on Earth. During these dark days, we live with the certainty that you walk with us, Infinite One, as we continue to awaken to the fullness of grace consciousness; united as one people, one planet, one universe, expressing unconditional love toward all living things. We know you are here with us as we walk this journey as companions.
Rite of Transformation
Ann: We pause now to remember the times we have not born fruit in caring for self and others. Take a moment to recall one missed opportunity, one broken or damaged relationship. (Pause briefly and extend your hand over your heart)
Ann and ALL: As we ask for and receive forgiveness, we open our hearts to Infinite Love embracing and healing us. Let it be so.
Liturgy of the Word
Jim: First Reading: Genesis 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18
In those days; God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” God said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. But the angel of the Holy One called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” The angel said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that youlove God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” And Abraham lifted uphis eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. And the angel called to Abraham a second time from heaven and said, “By myself I have sworn, declares our God, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of all enemies, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have listened to my voice.”
Responsorial – Psalm 116 – The Name of God
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIibFUTWutw
Ann: Second Reading: Following Jesus Is a Journey by Richard Rohr
Brian McLaren points to Jesus’ time in the wilderness as essential to his spiritual journey, one that he invites his disciples to engage in as well:
Jesus needed that time of preparation in the wilderness. He needed to get his mission clear in his own heart so that he wouldn’t be captivated by the expectations of adoring fans or intimidated by the threats of furious critics. If we dare to follow Jesus and proclaim the radical dimensions of God’s good news as he did, we will face the same twin dangers of domestication and intimidation.…
Soon he began inviting select individuals to become his followers.... To become disciples of a rabbi meant entering a rigorous program of transformation, learning a new way of life, a new set of values [and] skills. It meant ... facing a new set of dangers on the road. Once they were thoroughly apprenticed as disciples, they would then be sent out as apostles to spread the rabbi’s controversial and challenging message everywhere. One did not say yes to discipleship lightly.
These are the inspiring words of Richard Rohrand we respond by saying: ALL: Let it be so, and so it is.
Spirit of the Living God
https://youtu.be/R3967aJi6UU
Lee: Gospel: Mark 9:2-10
At that time: Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. And Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified. And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.” And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only. And as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead might mean.
These are the inspiring words of the Gospel writer know as Mark and we respond by saying: ALL: Let it be so, and so it is.
Spirt of the Living God
https://youtu.be/R3967aJi6UU
Homily Starter and Community Sharing
Communal Statement of Faith
Suzanne and ALL: We believe in one God, 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 God's Word, bringer of God's healing, heart of God's compassion, bright star in the firmament of God's prophets, mystics, and saints.
We believe that we are called to follow Jesus as a vehicle of God's love, a source of God's wisdom and truth, and an instrument of God's peace in the world.
We believe that God's 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 and for the Community
Kathryn: We now bring our prayer intentions to the Table, saying, “I bring to the Table…”
Our response is: All: Holy One, we know you respond to our prayers.
We pray for all who are suffering, lonely, and without faith or hope. Response
We pray for all those suffering as a result of the natural disasters taking place on our planet.
Response
We pray for all those living in the conditions of war and fear.
Response
We pray for the intentions in our MMOJ community prayer list. (Joan shares)
Response
And, for what else should we pray?
Response: Holy One, we know you respond to our prayers.
Kathryn: Holy Mystery may we respond to the needs of our sisters and brothers in loving prayer and solidarity. Amen
Presentation of the Bread and Wine
Ann: Gracious God, you have set the banquet table and have invited all of us to a feast of unending delight. Blessed are You, Holy One, through Your divine providence we have this bread, to share, the Bread of Life.
Ann and All: Blessed are You, Holy One, forever.
Jim: Blessed are You, O Loving One through Your divine providence we have this wine to share, our spiritual drink.
Jim and All: Blessed are, You, Holy One, forever.
Lee: Let us lift up our hearts.
Lee and All: We lift them up to the Holy One, abiding with us and loving through us.
Eucharistic Prayer
Suzanne: Gracious Wisdom, you embrace us with your extravagant affection in our times of both blessedness and weakness. Even though we have times of doubt, we know You are always with us…you living in us and we living in you. In this festive meal, your Spirit is poured out on each of us gathered in the circle of your friends and disciples, we also ask that your Spirit be spread to those of our community who are not with us today.
Let us rejoice as we sing:
All: Holy, Holy, Holy Linda Lee Miller
(adapted from Holy, Holy, Holy by Karen Drucker)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orKBBIj5LZA
Kathryn: We thank you for the gift of Jesus of Nazareth in history -- and the gift of Jesus in faith. On earth, his life burned with the vision of his mission on earth. Through the example of his life – his teachings and actions - he showed us not only how we should live, but also what was worth even dying for.
Suzanne: When his time on earth had come to an end, Jesus – aware of and accepting his destiny – gave us his life for the values that he deeply believed, lived and taught…his conviction that love is stronger than death. And then, in providing an example of this wisdom for all people in ages to come, he opened wide his arms…and died. And the spirit that lived in Jesus resurrected him to a new life, a promise made to all of us too who live the new story. Jesus is with us today and he will be through the end of time.
(With an outstretched arm, we pray the consecration together. We remember the gift that Jesus gave us on the night before he died. He gathered with his friends to share a final Passover meal. And it was at that supper that Jesus took bread, said the blessing and shared it with them saying: take this, all of you, and eat it. This bread is you; this bread is me. We are one body, the presence of God in the world. When you do this, remember me and all that I have taught you. This is the new and everlasting covenant.
[short pause]
Jim: In the same way, Jesus took a cup of wine, said the blessing and gave it to his friends saying: take this, all of you, and drink it. This wine is you; this wine is me. We are one blood, the presence of God in the world. When you do this, remember me and all that I have taught you. This is the new and everlasting covenant.
Ann: Jesus, who was with God “in the beginning of the creation of the heavens and the earth,” is with us now in this bread. The Spirit, of whom the prophets spoke in history, is with us now in this cup. Let us proclaim this mystery of faith.
Ann and All: Jesus has died. Christ is risen. The Divine Presence lives in us and through us in the world today.
Kathryn: God, we know that you bless your church throughout the world. We, your people, ask for your grace that we may continually grow in our love and caring for Francis, our Pope, Bridget Mary, our Bishop and for everyone with whom we come in contact, especially those who live on the margins of church and society. They are all our brothers and sisters, members of your Blessed Family. We remember also all those, living and dead, who touched our lives and left their footprints on our hearts. We remember especially….(mention names here, if you would like to..)
Kathryn and All: We believe that the Spirit of God is at work in and among us and will do more than we could ever ask or imagine. We believe that it is through Christ, with Christ, and in Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, Creator God, forever and ever.
Great Amen: Linda Lee Miller
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dy76fpfkNsg
COMMUNION RITE
The Prayer of Jesus
Lee: Let us pray as Jesus taught us.
Lee and All: O Holy One, you are 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 your 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 Adapted, Miriam Therese Winter, MMS
Sign of Peace:
Suzanne: Eternal wellspring of peace-
May we be drenched with the longing for peace
That we may give ourselves over
As the earth to the rain, to the dew,
Until peace overflows our lives
As living waters overflow the seas. (Marcia Falk)
Jesus said to his disciples, “My peace I leave you. My peace I give you.” Let us now extend a sign of peace to one another as we say, “Namaste, Namaste, Namaste.”
Ann: Please join in praying the Litany for the Breaking of the Bread:
Ann and All: Holy One, You call us to speak truth to power; we will do so.
Holy One, You call us to live the Gospel of healing and justice; we will do so.
Holy One, You call us to be Your presence in the world; we will do so.
Jim: This is the bread of life and the cup of blessing. Blessed are we who are called to Christ’s table.
Jim and All: May we live as the Body of Christ in the world, serving all in need, especially those living on the margin.
Lee: Please receive/share Eucharist now, saying: “You are the bread of life.” And “You are the cup of compassion.”
Communion Song: I Am The One Within You by Karen Drucker
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXZ6Je4xeRU
Introductions/Thanksgiving/Announcements
Closing Community Prayer
Suzzane: Holy One, WE are here! We go forth in our calling to serve and commit to our own spiritual transfiguration so that we might work together to transform our earth to one of peace, equality, and justice for all. Timeless One, Youreternal love wraps courage around us as we enter into your invitation to dance and to bring your Light into the world. Your ageless presence draws us to you as we step forward, ready to embrace where you lead us. Your sustaining peace rests within our every heartbeat and accompanies us into the unknown future. We have no fear, for we live with the assurance that you are always in us and we in you. We are forever grateful to live in your presence and your love. Amen.
Closing Community Blessing
Kathryn: And together with our arms extended webless one another and our hurting world:
May our lives radiate the light of the Holy One. May we have the
courage to speak truth to justice in our church and in our world.
May we be humble enough to be like children in receiving the kin-dom of Great Mystery. May we be a blessing in our time and the Face of God to all whom we meet.
ALL: Thanks be to all that is holy! Go in Peace and be the transfiguration of our world! Alleluia!
Closing Song: The Rebel Jesus by Jackson Browne
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tr1d0ivyTTk
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
www.marymotherofJesus.net where the day’s liturgy is found. Zoom instructions are also included there.
Please support our community, send your check to:
Mary Mother of Jesus Inclusive Catholic Community
5342 Clark Road #3079
Sarasota, FL 34233
