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Meeting ID: 934 7370 8926
Passcode: 552967
Theme: Holy Family and Holy Human Family
GREETING and WELCOME!
Mary Theresa: Welcome to Mary Mother of Jesus Inclusive Catholic Community where everyone is welcome to share in our celebration of the Eucharist. Please have bread and wine/juice nearby as we pray our Eucharistic prayer.
Today is Holy Family Sunday and we celebrate not just one holy family but also our entire human family. Our opening song is a chant for our human family. The communion song reminds us that every child is born holy and our closing song celebrates our diversity.
Opening Song: Circle Chant sung by Linda Hirschhorn with Vocolot
Transformation Rite:
Joan C.: Let us recall times when we did not understand we are all part of the human family and kept us from doing good and reaching out to those in need.
Pause for several moments of silent reflection as you place hand over your heart.
Joan C. and ALL: We are sorry, please forgive us, We love you.
ALL: Sing Glory to God- Linda Lee Miller
https://youtu.be/dgn_8q1UWwk
Opening Prayer: Mary Theresa
Holy One, as we gather together today, we ask you to send us your spirit as we seek to embrace a revolutionary kind of love that flows from the heart, free from limitations and conventions; a love and understanding that opens wide the doors of humanity and allows all people to see themselves as part of a holy family.
LITURGY OF THE WORD:
(Suzanne B.)The first reading is from Paul’s letter to the Colossians:
Col 3:12-17
Brothers and sisters:
Put on, as the Holy One’s chosen, holy and beloved,
heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience,
bearing with one another and forgiving one another,
if one has a grievance against another;
as the Holy One has forgiven you, so must you also do.
And over all these put on love,
that is, the bond of perfection.
And let the peace of Christ control your hearts,
the peace into which you were also called in one body.
And be thankful.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly,
as in all wisdom you teach and admonish one another,
singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs
with gratitude in your hearts.
And whatever you do, in word or in deed,
do everything in the name of our brother Jesus,
giving thanks through him.
These are the inspired words of the Apostle, Paul, and we affirm them with, Amen.
Psalm Response: More Light by Christopher Gundy
(Andrea S.)The second reading is: Who Is the Sage Warrior? By Valerie Kaur from her book: Sage Warrior
The sage is someone who loves deeply. You cultivate wonder for others and the earth and wake to Oneness. You befriend the body—parts of the world, and parts of yourself. You practice pleasure through music, meditation, movement, and more as channels for awakening. You build sovereign space where you can find refuge and rest in wisdom within you. The warrior is someone who fights for humanity, including your own. You access your agency and activate power. In the face of injustice, you harness rage and refuse to surrender your humanity. You join others to grieve together and alchemize pain into energy and action. You choose courage in the face of crisis. In doing so, you become victory. You embrace rebirth. The warrior fights; the sage loves. It’s a path of Revolutionary Love. I believe Revolutionary Love is the call of our times.
These are the inspired words of Valerie Kaur and we affirm them with, Amen.
(Suzanne B.) The third reading is: Practicing Revolutionary Love by Brian McLaren
Revolutionary love means loving as God would love: infinitely, graciously, extravagantly. To put it in more mystical terms, it means loving with God, letting divine love fill me and flow through me, without discrimination or limit, as an expression of the heart of the lover, not the merit of the beloved, including the correctness of the beloved’s beliefs.…
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus doesn’t teach a list of beliefs to be memorized and recited. Instead, he teaches a way of life that culminates in a call to revolutionary love. This revolutionary love goes far beyond conventional love, the love that distinguishes between us and them, brother and other, or friend and enemy (Matthew 5:43). Instead, we need to love as God loves, with non-discriminatory love that includes even the enemy.…
These are the inspired words of Brian McLaren and we affirm them with, Amen.
Alleluia –https://youtu.be/4cs8NDVM3Vk
Gospel: (Joan C.) A reading from the Gospel of Luke
Lk 2:41-52
Each year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the feast
of Passover,
and when he was twelve years old,
they went up according to festival custom.
After they had completed its days, as they were returning,
the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem,
but his parents did not know it.
Thinking that he was in the caravan,
they journeyed for a day
and looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances,
but not finding him,
they returned to Jerusalem to look for him.
After three days they found him in the temple,
sitting in the midst of the teachers,
listening to them and asking them questions,
and all who heard him were astounded
at his understanding and his answers.
When his parents saw him,
they were astonished,
and his mother said to him,
“Son, why have you done this to us?
Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.”
And he said to them,
“Why were you looking for me?
Did you not know that I must be in my Abba’s house?”
But they did not understand what he said to them.
He went down with them and came to Nazareth,
and was obedient to them;
and his mother kept all these things in her heart.
And Jesus advanced in wisdom and age and grace.
These are the inspired words of the Gospel writer known as Luke and we affirm them with, Amen.
Homily: Mary Theresa Streck
Community Sharing:
Statement of Faith: Suzanne B. and All:
We believe in God who is creator and nurturer of all. We believe in Jesus, the Christ, who is our love, our hope, and our light. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the breath of Wisdom Sophia, who energizes and guides us to build caring communities and to challenge injustices. We believe in the communion of saints our heavenly friends, who support us on life’s journey. We believe in the partnership and equality of women and men in our church and world. We believe that all are one in the community of creation. We believe that God calls us to live fully, love tenderly, and serve generously. Amen.
(Statement of Faith from Bridget Mary)
Prayers of the Community: Andrea S.
As we prepare for the sacred meal, we are aware that just as Jesus is anointed, so is each of us. We bring to this table our blessings, cares and concerns. Please feel free to voice your concerns beginning with the words “I bring to the table….”
Joan Meehan shares Prayer Intentions in MMOJ book
and for what else do we pray?
Andrea S: We pray for these and all unspoken concerns. Amen.
LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST
Preparation of The Gifts
(All hold bread plate)
Mary Theresa: Blessed are you, God of all Life. Through your goodness we have received the bread we offer you fruit of the earth, and work of human hands. It will become for us the bread of life.
Mary Theresa and ALL: Blessed by God forever.
(All hold cup)
Joan C: Blessed are you, God of all creation, for through your goodness we have received the wine we offer you: fruit of the vine and work of human hands, it will become our spiritual drink
Joan C. and ALL: Blessed by God forever.
PREFACE
Suzanne: God dwells in us.
Andrea and ALL: And in all people everywhere.
Suzanne: Lift up your hearts.
Andrea and ALL: We lift them up in the joy of Divine Presence within us.
Suzanne: Affirm the power of love within you and within all.
Andrea and ALL: Alleluia
EUCHARISTIC PRAYER
Andrea: Let us pray our Eucharistic prayer with open hearts and hands:
Holy One, from the beginning of time, you have formed families of love, binding us together in your image and calling us to reflect your justice and peace. We give you thanks for the Holy Family—Mary, Joseph, and Jesus—whose story teaches us to embrace radical love, to widen our understanding of family, and to labor for a world where all may thrive. With prophets and peacemakers and saints and seekers, we join with all revolutionary lovers to praise you as we sing:
Here In This Place by Christopher Grundy
Suzanne: Holy are you, and blessed is your Son, Jesus, who showed us the way of revolutionary love. Born into a world of empire and struggle, he proclaimed the coming of your kingdom—a kingdom of justice, mercy, and boundless compassion.
Mary Theresa: Please extend your hands in blessing.
Mary Theresa: We call upon your Spirit, present in us at this Eucharistic table. We are grateful for the bread and wine that remind us of our call to be the light of Christ to the world.
Joan C. We thank you for Jesus, who knew what it was like to be an outsider in occupied and foreign lands. May his presence prompt us to bring gospel kindness and understanding to the divisions and conflicts of our time.
Mary Theresa and ALL: On the night before he died, while at supper with his friends, Jesus took bread, said the blessing, broke the bread and gave it to them saying, “Take this, all of you, and eat. Do this in memory of me.”
Pause for silent reflection
Joan C and ALL: In the same way, Jesus took the cup of wine. He said the blessing, gave the cup to his friends and said, “Take this all of you and drink. Do this in memory of me.”
Pause for silent reflection
Mary Theresa and ALL: Let us proclaim the sacred presence of our nurturing God:
Jesus, you are born again and again in us and through us each day.
Joan C.: We remember the prophet and saints in every age: Miriam and Moses, Mary, Mother of Jesus, and Joseph, and all our beloved family and friends. We recall the spiritual treasures they passed down to us through the ages.
Suzanne B.: We join in the divine cosmic dance in communion with all that is, all that was, and all that will be. Through Christ, in Christ, with Christ, all praise and glory echoes through the universe as your Spirit leaps for joy within us!
The Great Amen with Linda Lee Miller
THE PRAYER OF JESUS
Mary Theresa: Let us pray as Jesus taught us:
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 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. Adapted by Miriam Therese Winter
THE SIGN OF PEACE
Joan C.: Jesus, you said: Peace I leave you, my peace I give you. May we be the peace we wish to see in the world. Let us share a gesture of deep peace and justice with everyone in the circle of life as we bow toward you with hands folded, saying together:
Joan C. and ALL: The peace of Christ be with you. Namaste, Namaste, Namaste.
LITANY FOR THE BREAKING OF BREAD
Mary Theresa and ALL:
Loving God, we are called to speak truth to power. We will do so.
Loving God, we are called to live the Gospel of peace and justice. We will do so.
Loving God, we are called to be Your presence in the world. We will do so.
Mary Theresa: Let us share this bread and cup to proclaim and live the gospel of justice and peace.
Please receive Communion with the words: You are a part of me, you are my family.
Communion song: Silent Night, Each Holy Child by Shaina Knoll
PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
Joan C: Holy One, your transforming grace inspires us to follow our consciences and bring comfort to wherever people are in need. We pray for wisdom, patience and persistence to make a difference in our world.
We resolve to love as Jesus loved, to discern the better angels of our nature with hearts open to You, for it is through living as Jesus lived, that we awaken to your Spirit within, moving us to glorify You at this time and all ways.
ALL: Amen.
Mary Theresa: We welcome newcomers and ask you to introduce yourself. Are there any prayers of Gratitude? Are there any Announcements?
CONCLUDING RITE
DISMISSAL
Joan C.: The Holy One is within you.
ALL: May we sing and dance for joy as we celebrate every day as a Holy Family!
BLESSING
Mary Theresa: everyone please extend your hands in mutual blessing)
Mary Theresa and ALL: With wisdom and courage of the sage warrior, let us all go out into the world to grieve together, act against injustice, and love deeply and inclusively. In so doing, we participate in the renewal of the earth, allowing the heart of Christianity to beat for all to hear. Amen.
Closing Song: Everyday People - Playing for Change
If you want to add a prayer intention to our MMOJ Community Prayer book, please send an email to Joan Meehan. jmeehan515@aol.com
If you want to invite someone to attend our liturgy, please refer them our website :
To support our community, please send your check to:
Mary Mother of Jesus Inclusive Catholic Community
Please support our community, send your check to:
Mary Mother of Jesus Inclusive Catholic Community
5342 Clark Road #3079
Sarasota, FL 34233
Liturgy prepared by Mary Theresa Streck
