Theme: Walk on Holy Ground- Lead with Love
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https://zoom.us/j/93473708926?pwd=VHFKZGJ5N3ljbzZtVU1qQVRZY1lodz09
Meeting ID: 934 7370 8926
Passcode: 552967
GREETING AND WELCOME:
Jeanne:
Welcome:
We warmly welcome you to the inclusive Catholic Community of Mary Mother of Jesus on Zoom. Our theme is Walk on Holy Ground, Lead with Love.
Opening Song: Let Justice Rain by the Many
https://youtu.be/RORyLr9y2Y0
Transformation Rite:
Bridget M: Called out of slavery to freedom and abundant life,
we pray:
All: May we walk on holy ground and lead with love.
Bridget M: Called to see negative behaviors and unloving actions in ourselves that harm others, we pray:
All: May we walk on holy ground and lead with love.
Bridget M: Called to respond to the cries of the exploited in our areas, we pray:
All: May we walk on holy ground and lead with love.
(pause)
Jeanne: Opening Prayer:
Holy One, We walk on holy ground today as we let go of own negative behaviors that support a world invested in greed, exploitation and competition. We walk on holy ground as we challenge unfair policies and unjust laws that impoverish communities, nations and our earth. We walk on holy ground as we live our compassionate care for all who are suffering and in need of liberation from injustice. We walk on holy ground when we lead with love. ALL: So be it. Amen.
LITURGY OF THE WORD
Luca:
A Reading from the Book of Exodus 3:1-7, 9-10, 13-15
Moses was tending the flock of Zipporah’s family. Zipporah and Moses were wife and husband. Moses led the flock deep into the desert and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There, an angel of God appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that although the bush was on fire, it did not burn up. He thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.” When God saw that Moses had gone to look, God called to him from within the flaming bush, “Moses! Moses!” Moses replied, “Yes. Here I am.” God said, “Take off your sandals. The place where you stand is holy ground. I am the God of Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob, Leah and Rachel.” At this, Moses hid his face. He was afraid to look at God.
God continued: “I have witnessed the affliction of my people in Egypt. I have heard their cry against their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their suffering... The outcry of the Israelites has reached me. I have seen how they are oppressed. Now, go! I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.
Moses responded to God: “But if I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is this god's name?’, what do I tell them?” God replied: “I am who I am,” and added: “This is what you will tell the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”
God spoke further to Moses: "You also will say to the Israelites, ‘The God of your ancestors, of Abraham and Sarah, the God of Isaac and Rebekah, and the God of Jacob, Leah and Rachel, has sent me to you.’”
“This is My name forever, My title for all generations.”
These are the Word of the ancient Yahwist writer in the Book of Exodus and we respond to them by saying: .
All: Thanks be to God.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 103(excerpts with minor edits, Merrill)
The Psalm response is: You love us more than we can imagine.
R: You love us more than we can imagine.
Bless the Beloved, O my soul, and all that is within me.
Bless Your Holy Name. Bless the Beloved, O my soul
and remember the goodness of Love.
R: You love us more than we can imagine.
You forgive our wrongdoings.
You heal our dis-ease.
You liberate us from the snares of fear.
You crown us with steadfast love and compassion.
You satisfy our every need and renew our spirit like the eagle's.
R: You love us more than we can imagine.
Through You comes peace and justice for all who are oppressed.
You make known the pathway of truth and guide us on the Way.
You are compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love.
You love us more than we can ask or imagine.
In truth we belong to You.
R: You love us more than we can imagine.
You understand us, relating to us in Divine Compassion, not according to our ignorance and errors.
As far as the universe extends beyond Earth,
so great is Your loving response to those who are humble.
R: You love us more than we can imagine.
Susie: Reading II
A reading from “Standing on Holy Ground” by Kristin Heyer
God calls us to set captives free… God’s message to Moses is one of compassionate liberation for those who suffer…We too are invited to join in this mission of freeing captives for abundant life. It is in light of the Israelites’ own experience of suffering that God frames laws for the treatment of outsiders. “You shall not wrong or oppress a resident alien; for you were aliens in the land of Egypt.” Indeed, after the commandment to worship only one God, no moral imperative is repeated more frequently in the Hebrew Scriptures, than the commandment to care for the stranger.
Across our globe in unprecedented numbers, women, children and men cross borders. They flee gang violence, food insecurity and proxy wars. Too often we become numb to statistics or cynical in the face of politicians’ manipulative rhetoric. Yet, God’s clear summons interrupts: Who is crying out in our midst, and what insulates us from their cries? As modern forms of empire continue to exploit, what idols prevent us from showing hospitality? How are our own lives bound up with deaths in the Mediterranean or the Sonoran Desert?
These are the sacred words of Kristin Heyer in Catholic Women Preach and we respond to them by saying;
All: Thanks be to God.
Gospel Acclamation: Spirit of the Living God by Michael Crawford
https://youtu.be/xoJN0owUoWA
Jeanne: Gospel
A Reading from the Gospel of Luke 13:6-9
GOSPEL
A Reading from the Gospel attributed to Luke 13:6-9
Jesus told them this parable: “Once, a farmer had a fig tree planted in the orchard. Coming in search of fruit on it, the farmer found none. The farmer then said to the gardener, ‘For three years now I have come in search of fruit on this fig tree and have found none. Cut this tree down. Why should it waste the soil?’ The gardener, however, said in reply, ‘Sir, leave it this year also, and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it. It may bear fruit in the future. If not, then you can cut it down.’”
These are the sacred words in the Gospel of Luke and we respond to them by saying:
All: Praise to you, Jesus the Christ.
Bridget Mary: Homily Starter:
Homily: Walk on Holy Ground, Leading with Love
Scripture: Exodus 3:1-12; Luke 13:6-9
Walking on Holy Ground
We find ourselves today standing with Moses before the burning bush, invited to recognize the sacredness of the ground beneath our feet. In Exodus, God calls Moses to remove his sandals, for he is standing on holy ground. This moment is not just about reverence; it is an awakening—a call to lead with love and justice.
Elizabeth Johnson speaks of how “God is not an impassive spectator of human history but One who suffers with the world and acts to redeem it.” When Moses encounters God in the burning bush, he is called to do more than marvel at the mystery. He is called to step forward, to listen, and to act. This is the same call we receive in our own lives—to recognize that every place where suffering cries out is holy ground. We do not need to wait for some distant moment of divine revelation; our sacred calling is here and now.
“It is not enough simply to see injustice and weep over it., Joan Chittister writes, “ We must see injustice and do something about it.” The holy ground we stand on is wherever oppression is challenged, where compassion is lived out, where love leads the way.
Prophetic leadership—whether in Moses, Jesus, or in us—is not about certainty but about trust. When God calls Moses, Moses resists, fearing he is not enough. But God does not call those who are already equipped; God equips those who are called.
Kristin Heyer reminds us that Jesus, in today’s Gospel, speaks of a fig tree that has not yet borne fruit. Instead of cutting it down, the gardener pleads for more time, offering care and nourishment so that it may flourish. This is God’s justice—marked not only by righteousness but by mercy, patience, and the relentless hope that we, too, might grow into the fullness of love.
Leading with Love
To lead with love is to embrace what Richard Rohr calls “the path of descent.” He teaches that true spiritual maturity comes when we let go of ego, power, and control, and instead move toward radical solidarity. Leading with love does not mean leading with dominance; it means serving, forgiving, and building bridges.
Mary Hunt writes about the necessity of feminist, justice-seeking theology: “Love is not merely an individual feeling but a public ethic.” Our faith is not private—it calls us into the messy, complicated, beautiful work of justice. It is a love that challenges empire, liberates the oppressed, and yet, as Heyer reminds us, also forgives, reconciles, and nurtures growth.
Bridget Meehan speaks of a “radical re-imagining” of power, where leadership is not about control but about co-creation with God. Jesus models this in the parable of the fig tree: rather than condemning, he nurtures; rather than punishing, he cultivates. Leading with love means seeing potential even where the world sees failure.
The Invitation of Lent
The season of Lent offers us the space to reflect: Where are we standing on holy ground? Where are we being called to remove our sandals and listen more deeply? What in our lives needs pruning so that we might grow in love?
John Philip Newell reminds us that the sacred is woven into the very fabric of creation, present in all things. This means that every encounter, every relationship, every act of justice and mercy is a chance to stand on holy ground.
And so, today, we are called. Called to walk on holy ground. Called to lead with love. Called to resist injustice but also to nurture growth. Called to a Lent that is not just about personal piety but about transformation—of ourselves, of our communities, and of the world.
May we answer with courage. May we lead with love. And may we, like Moses and like Jesus, trust that God walks with us.
Community Sharing: What did you hear in the readings, songs, or homily today that inspires or challenges you?
Luca and All: Statement of Faith:
We believe that God is love and that Divine Presence is beyond anything we can imagine.
We believe in Jesus, prophet and teacher, who journeyed on the earth, proclaiming good news, healing the sick, liberating those bound by fear, and inviting everyone to an open table.
We believe in Sacred Spirit, Wisdom Sophia, breathing in us and loving through us.
We believe in the communion of saints, our heavenly friends who, help us on our journey.
We believe in the partnership and equality of women and men in our Church and our world. Here we live our prophetic call of Gospel equality.
Susie: Prayers of the Community:
We now bring our prayer intentions to the Table.
Our response is: All: May we lead with love.
We pray for the devastated families of those still suffering from fires, and all the natural disasters in our world.
All: May we lead with love.
We pray for the people of Ukraine and Russia and Israel and Palestine, Syria and Sudan that they may live in peace without fear and that justice will prevail for all.
All: May we lead with love.
We pray that our political leaders will put the flourishing of all people before power and greed.
All: May we lead with love.
We pray for our MMOJ intentions on our community prayer list. (Joan shares)
All: May we lead with love.
For what else should we pray?
All: May we lead with love.
Susie: Holy Mystery may we respond to the needs of our sisters and brothers in loving prayer and service. Amen
PREPARATION OF THE GIFTS
Bridget Mary: Blessed are You, Holy One, through Your divine providence we have this bread, to share, the Bread of Life.
Bridget Mary and All: Blessed are You, Holy One, forever.
Jeanne:Blessed are You, O Loving One through Your divine providence we have this wine to share, our spiritual drink.
and All: Blessed are, You, Holy One, forever.
Bridget Mary: Nurturing One, we are united in this sacrament by the love of Jesus, whose presence draws work for justice and lead in love.
Bridget Mary and All: Amen, may it be
PREFACE:
Luca: God loves through us
Susie and All: And energizes our work for justice.
Luca: Lift up your hearts.
Susie and All: We lift up our hearts and embrace all.
Luca: We are blessed when our passions guide us to take action to alleviate wrong and correct wrongs in our suffering world.
Susie and All: Amen
Luca: In the pondering of our deepest desires right wrongs, and serve our sisters and brothers in need, with the angels and saints, we sing:
Holy, Holy, Holy: by Karen Drucker
https://youtu.be/orKBBIj5LZA
EUCHARISTIC PRAYER:
Jeanne: Like Jesus, may we walk the prophetic path to which God calls us, and choose love in every step. May we discover the path to wisdom in times of chaos and struggle. May we act to right wrongs and speak truth to power on behalf of all who are outsiders in our world today. May we savor the loving presence of the One as we walk together on holy ground. May we nourish one another at this welcome table.
(Please extend your hands in blessing.)
Bridget Mary and All: As we bless this bread and wine, we celebrate the outpouring Spirit within us, around us and among us liberating us and empowering us to be the face of love in the world..
(Community holds bread and prays together)
Bridget Mary 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. This is my body. Do this in memory of me.”
Pause
(Community holds cup up and prays together)
Jeanne 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. This is my blood. Do this in memory of me.”
Jeanne and All: Let us proclaim the sacred presence dwelling among us:
Like Jesus- we will speak truth to power;
Like Jesus- we will promote justice.
Like Jesus- we will love with passionate hearts.
Luca: We walk in communion with Mary, mother of Jesus and all the saints in heaven and on earth who triumphed over evil, loved tenderly, did justice and served generously. We remember our loved ones in the Communion of Saints.
(pause for silent prayer)
(Community members hold their plates and cups during Doxology)
Susie and All: Through Christ, with Christ, in Christ, in union with the Holy Spirit, may holy anger move us to action in responding to exploitation and injustice in serving God’s people and all creation.
The Great Amen. Linda Lee Miller
https://youtu.be/Dy76fpfkNsg
Bridget Mary : THE PRAYER OF JESUS
and All:
We pray together the prayer of Jesus:
Abwoon, Mother/Father God of the Cosmos,
Breathe life into our hearts.
May your power and counsel rule our lives
And the whole creation.
May your will to love find its home in each human heart
As it is at home throughout the Cosmos.
Grant us today both bread and wisdom
that we may in turn become bread for others.
Loose the cars of the secret debts that bind us
and In the strength this freedom gives us,
help us to loose the cords we hold of others’ guilt.
Don’t let surface things delude us, but free us from unripeness,
from all that holds us back from loving.
For from you is born the astonishing fire,
the ruling will, the power and son that gives life to all,
here and now and forever. Amen.
THE SIGN OF PEACE
Jeanne: Let us share a gesture of deep peace with everyone in the circle of life as we bow and pray:
All: Namaste! Namaste! Namaste!
LITANY FOR THE BREAKING OF BREAD
Bridget Mary and ALL:
Loving God, You call us to speak truth to power. We will do so.
Loving God, You call us to live the Gospel of peace and justice. We will do so.
Loving God, You call us to prophetic action. We will do so.
Bridget Mary: This is the Bread of Life and Cup of Blessing. How happy are we who are called to this Table.
Let us share the Bread of Life and Cup of Blessing saying:
You are the Body of Christ.
COMMUNION Surrender by Karen Drucker, video by Mary Theresa
https://youtu.be/cwq-3plNbWY?si=-vbV7vmd5-GPIX-v
Jeanne: Prayer after Communion:
May the Holy One, who called us to lead with love, fill us with holy energy to take action on behalf of justice. May this Lent be a time of pruning in order to grow spiritually in our personal lives and in our communities.
All: Amen, May it be so!
Bridget M.: Introductions/Thanksgivings/Announcements
Community Blessing:
Jeanne: Let us raise our hands and bless each other.
As we go forth,
May we care for the suffering and needy.
May we free captives, and serve outsiders,
May we bridge-build and forgive as together we walk on Holy Ground and lead with love.
Our Closing Song is: Lead With Love by Melanie DeMore and video by Mary Ann Matthys
https://youtu.be/wAeCRk3ahpU?si=E9FRFlMjYZJacjTi
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 :
Liturgy written by Bridget Mary Meehan https//:arcwp.org
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