Mary Mother of Jesus Inclusive Catholic Community
Third Sunday of Easter
May 3, 2025
Liturgy Team: Mary Theresa Streck, Joan Chesterfield, Pat and Bob Ferkenhoff, IT: Michael Rigdon
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https://us06web.zoom.us/j/8644
Meeting ID: 864 4889 7947
Passcode: 403977
Theme: Love Rises in Us
Welcome and Greeting: Mary Theresa
Welcome to Mary, Mother of Jesus Inclusive Catholic Community where all are invited to celebrate Eucharist. Please have bread and wine at your table as you join in our sacred meal.
In the Gospel today, we see Jesus meeting his disciples by the water—not with judgment, but with the warmth of fellowship and nourishment. Here, at the shore, every heart is welcomed, every story honored, and every journey celebrated. Like the miraculous catch of fish, our lives overflow with gifts when we embrace each other in compassion and truth.
As we share our time together in prayer and reflection, may we be inspired by the gentle, courageous invitation to love unconditionally. Let us open our hearts to the healing and restoration found in the presence of the Divine, and may we extend that same love to one another in all our diversity.
Gathering Song: Love Rises
https://youtu.be/PQdvb5ldJ4k?si=f71DniuoI3jZWaqc
COMMUNITY RECONCILIATION RITE
Joan: Let us pause now to pray with one another for forgiveness for the times we failed to give our all in service to our sisters and brothers in need.
(Pause for silent reflection)
Community Raises hands in gesture of mutual forgiveness
Joan and all: I am sorry, Please forgive me, I love you and I thank you.
Opening Prayer:
Mary Theresa: We gather today conscious of the gift that is ours: the capacity to give voice to all that is. In us, the power and energy that drives the universe has conscious awareness. In us, the universe can express wonder, appreciation and gratitude and so we sing:
ALL: Sing Glory to God- Linda Lee Miller
LITURGY OF THE WORD
First Reading: Shine Through Me by Mother Teresa
Pat: Holy One, help me spread your fragrance where I go.
Flood my soul with your spirit and life.
Penetrate and possess my whole being so utterly that all my life may only be a radiance of yours.
Shine through me, and be in me, so that every souI I come in contact with may feel your presence in my soul.
Let them look up and see no longer me, but only you!
Stay with me, then I will begin to shine as you do; to shine so as to be a light to others. The light will be all from You; none of it will be mine; it will be You shining on others through me.
Let me praise You in the way you love best, by shining on those around me.
Let me preach You without preaching, not by words but by my example, by the catching force, the sympathetic influence of what I do, the evident fullness of the love my heart bears to You.
The community affirms these words with AMEN!
Responsorial Psalm - Psalm 29
Adapted by Nan Merrill
Joan: Give praise to the Beloved, heavenly hosts,
sing of Love’s glory and strength,
Exalt the glory of Love’s name,
Adore the beloved, in holy splendor.
The voice of the beloved is upon the waters;
Love’s voice echoes over the oceans and seas.
The voice of Love is powerful,
majestic is the heart of l love.
The mercy of the Beloved
breaks the bonds of oppression,
shatters the chains of injustice.
Love invites all to the dance of freedom
to sing the Beloved’s song of truth.
The beloved lives in our hearts;
Love dwells with us forever.
You who awaken to the light of universal Oneness
will know the blessed joy
of serving in the great work of love.
Gospel acclamation: Celtic Alleluia by Christopher Walker
Gospel: A Reading from the Gospel of John
Bob: Assembled were Simon Peter, Thomas, Nathanael, Zebedee’s children, and two other disciples. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going out to fish.” “We will join you,” and they all went into the boat.
All through the night they caught nothing.
Just after daybreak, Jesus was standing on the shore, though none of the disciples knew he was Jesus. He said to them, “Have you caught anything, friends?” “Not a thing,” they answered. “Cast your net off to the starboard side, and you will find something,” Jesus suggested.
So, they cast their net and caught so many fish that they couldn’t haul the net in. Then the disciple who Jesus loved, cried out to Peter, “It is the Teacher!”
Upon hearing this, Simon Peter threw on his cloak-he was naked-and jumped into the water. Meanwhile the other disciples brought the boat to the shore.
When they landed, they saw a charcoal fire had been prepared. Jesus said “bring some of the fish you caught.” Peter went aboard and hauled ashore the net. In spite of the great number of fish the net was not torn.
Jesus took some fish and bread and gave it to them. When they had all eaten, Jesus said to Peter, “Simon ben John, do you love me more than these? Peter said, “Yes, Rabbi, you know that I’m your friend.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” A second time Jesus put the question, “Simon ben John, do you love me?” Peter said, “Yes, Rabbi, you know I’m your friend.” Jesus replied, “Tend my sheep.”
A third time Jesus asked him, Simon ben John, do you love me as a friend would?
Peter was hurt because Jesus asked, “Do you love me?” a third time.
Peter said “You know everything, Rabbi. You know that I am your friend.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. The truth of the matter is when you were young you put on your own belt and walked where you liked; but when you grow old you will stretch out your hands and someone else will put a belt around you and take you where you do not want to go.”
These are the words of the disciple known as John. The community affirms them by saying AMEN.
Shared Homily – Mary Theresa
Mary Theresa: The story in John 21 is rich and strange. A resurrected Jesus stands on the beach cooking breakfast, and the disciples—after an exhausting, fruitless night—don’t even recognize him at first. It’s a moment filled with metaphor and mystery. But isn’t that the way of sacred story? Often, what’s most true is not literal, but deeply real.
Let’s set the stage: Peter, still carrying the weight of his denial, returns to what he knows—fishing. Isn’t that what we all do when we’re overwhelmed or grieving? We default to what’s familiar. We try to lose ourselves in work or routine. But as often happens, the nets come up empty. And then—this stranger on the shore suggests something absurd: try the other side.
And it works.
Now, we could go down the road of trying to believe this is about a miraculous fish haul. But maybe the point isn’t about fish at all. Maybe it’s about what happens when we’re willing to shift our perspective. Maybe it's about how resurrection doesn’t just mean coming back to life—it means coming back to meaning, to connection, to calling.
Then there’s this beautiful, painful exchange between Jesus and Peter:
“Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
“Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
“Feed my lambs.”
Three times.
We know the echo. Peter had denied Jesus three times before the crucifixion. Now, he’s given three opportunities to choose again—to reaffirm love, not just in word, but in action. This is not about dogma. Jesus doesn’t say, “Agree with me,” or “Worship me.” He says: Feed. Tend. Care.
This is what faith calls us back to again and again. It’s not about believing the “right” things. It’s about how love takes shape in our lives. It’s about the breakfast tables we set for others. The nets we mend. The community we rebuild.
John 21 reminds us: resurrection isn’t some once-a-year celebration—it’s an invitation. To return to our true selves.
To move beyond guilt or failure.
To recognize that love—when acted on—has the power to restore everything.
In this story, the Divine is not thundering from a cloud, but quietly cooking fish on a beach. The sacred shows up not in a temple, but in the ordinary, the earthy, the hungry moments of human connection.
And so today, let’s hear this story not as a test of belief, but as a call to practice:
To feed what is hungry.
To mend what is torn.
To cast our nets—again and again—on the side of love.
What did you hear in today’s liturgy?
Statement of Faith
Let us pray together our Statement of Faith:
Pat: 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.
Bob: 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.
Pat: 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.
Bob: 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.
Pat: 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:
Bob: As we prepare for the sacred meal, we bring to the table our prayers and intentions, starting with the words I bring to the table.
MMOJ Book of Intentions
Please share your spontaneous prayers.
Bob: We pray for these and all unspoken intentions. 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: 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: and All: Blessed by God forever.
Preface
Mary Theresa: God dwells in us.
Mary Theresa and ALL: And in all people everywhere.
Joan: Lift up your hearts.
Joan and ALL: We lift them up in the joy of Divine Presence within us.
Mary Theresa: Affirm the power of love within you and within all.
Mary Theresa and ALL: Alleluia
Mary Theresa: Please join in praying the Eucharistic prayer:
God of surprising grace and ever-expanding love,
we gather as your Easter people—
startled again by the mystery of resurrection,
drawn not by certainty,
but by hope that the story is not over.
Like those who walked the road to Emmaus,
we come burdened, questioning,
our hearts aching with the weight of the world.
But you meet us on the way—
in bread broken, in stories retold,
in strangers who become companions.
And so, with all who dare to believe
that death is not the final word—
with those who doubt and those who dance,
with saints, seekers, prophets, and poets—
we sing the song of liberation:
Holy, Holy, Holy: Here In this Place
https://youtu.be/uXyu57tR2gk?si=KP4CbR8DqjBPhAav
Joan: Blessed are you, O Eternal LOVE, and blessed is Jesus, the Anointed One. Through his life, death, and resurrection, he revealed the depth of your love and called us to follow in his way. As we gather at this table, we offer ourselves anew as instruments of your peace and love.
Mary Theresa: Please extend your hands in blessing.
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.
Through Jesus, You have shown us the divine blueprint of love,
calling us not to escape this world, but to inhabit it more deeply.
On the night before he faced his own death and for the sake of living fully, Jesus 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.
(lift plate)
When he returned to his place at the table, he lifted the Passover bread, spoke the blessing, broke the bread and offered it to them saying:
Take and eat; this is my very self.
(lift cup)
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.
Pause for silent reflection
Joan and ALL: Let us proclaim the sacred presence of our nurturing God:
You are born again and again in us and through us each day.
Pat: 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.
Bob: 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
Joan: Let us pray as Jesus taught us:
(a Celtic adaptation of the Prayer of Jesus by John Philip Newell)
O Holy One beyond all names,
Eternal Wellspring
May Love rise again in us today
With food for every table
Shelter for every family
And reverence for every life.
Forgive us our failings in love
And free us from all falseness
That the light of our souls my shine
And the strengths of our our spirits endure
For Earth and all its people
This day, tonight, and forever.
Amen
THE SIGN OF PEACE
Pat: 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:
Pat: The peace of Christ be with you. Namaste, Namaste, Namaste.
LITANY FOR THE BREAKING OF BREAD
Bob: Let us pray the litany for the breaking of the bread:
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: What we have heard with our ears, we will live with our lives. As we share communion, we become Communion both love’s nourishment and love’s challenge.
Mary Theresa: Please receive communion with the words: Love rises in me and you
Communion Song: Follow Your Heart’s Desire by Jan Phillips.
Prayer after Communion:
Pat: Divine Spirit, may we ever be aware and alert to the new things Your Spirit makes possible in us, as our world unfolds amid pain and beauty, into the fullness of life to which all are called, participating in the wise and wonderful work of co-creation.
Bob: We welcome newcomers and ask you to introduce yourself. Are there any prayers of Gratitude? Are there any Announcements?
Mary Theresa: 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: Let us now bless each other.
Let us pray together our blessing:
May you meet the Risen One
in the ordinary, the humble, the every day.
May your hearts be filled with wonder
and stirred by the Spirit,
and your tables wide enough for all who hunger.
Go now to tend to the world with tenderness,
to speak truth with courage,
and to follow the Risen One in all things
with hearts open to surprise,
and lives grounded in grace.
Amen.
Closing Song: No Grave by Rend Collective
