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Meeting ID: 934 7370 8926
Dotty: Welcome to our Mary Mother of Jesus Inclusive Catholic Community Liturgy, our “Church Without Walls.” Today we celebrate the beauty in our world and Creation.
Whoever you are.
Where ever you are. Just as you are.
You are welcome at our table.
Let us pray…
Opening Prayer: We are surrounded by the beauty of Creation. For no more than an hour, give or take a little, as difficult as it may be, let us pause and embrace that we stand in the midst of the beauty of Creation. Let us together, in one voice, give thanks to the Maker of it all.
Opening Song: Colors of The Wind - Vanessa Williams (Lyric Video)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ob5UggoNtjc
LITURGY OF THE WORD
Joan: First Reading: A reading from The Great Search by John Philip Newell
What is the spiritual vision at the heart of our religious inheritance that we have forgotten or neglected? The Spirit is urging us to remember that we are to do to others, including Earth and every species, what we would most want done to us. This is the teaching of Jesus at the heart of our Christian inheritance, with its equivalent in the ‘Golden Rule’ of nearly every great spiritual tradition in the world. It is the teaching that can lead us into new beginnings.
In our Great Search of today, we are searching for what will bring healing, not only for ourselves, whether as individuals or nations or races, but for all people and for every species. And it is for all things that we are seeking a new sense of home address, not only physically but spiritually. We are longing for a deeper sense of shared origin and spiritual kinship, including a sense of family responsibility for everything that has being.
We are being invited to remember what our souls, at some level, have always known which is that our true spiritual center is not Rome or Jerusalem or Mecca or any of the other places that religion has claimed to hold special authority over us. Our true spiritual center is Earth and the human soul. Rome, Jerusalem and Mecca have occupied a significant place in our faith traditions over the centuries but, essentially, they exist to serve Earth and the human soul, not the other way around.
We are longing for an expanded vision of the Universe, a reawakened love affair with Earth, and a deepened sense of spiritual presence in every moment and encounter of life. We are yearning to grow in awareness, to find wellness, and to delight in love. And we are longing for the recovery of wisdom, for meaning in both the joy and pain of life, and for a reimagined faith in the immortal light that shines in all things.
These are the yearnings of the Great Search today.
These are the inspired words of mystic, John Philip Newell, and we affirm them by saying, “Let it be so and So it is!”
Second Reading: Galapagos, written by Denise Hackert- Stoner ARCWP
https://youtu.be/gZ2Th3hmHV8?si=_YNJQp29LuIIarup
These are the inspired words of Denise, and we affirm them by saying, “Let it be so and So it is!”
:
Alleluia Celtic Alleluia by Christopher Walker
https://youtu.be/o1rc7ojQtJU
Beth: Gospel: A Reading from the Gospel of Matthew
Matthew 6, 25-24, adapted from The Message Bible
“If we decide for the Holy One, living a life of reverence, it follows that you don’t fuss about what’s on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to any way of dealing with painful separation, careless in the care of the Holy One. And you are as precious.
“If the Holy One gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think the Holy One will attend to you, take pride in you, do the best for you? Relax, do not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to what has been given to you.
“Give your entire attention to what the Holy One is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. The Holy One will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.”
These words are adapted from the Gospel of Matthew and we affirm them
by saying, “So be it and So it is!”
Shared Homily
What are your thoughts? Please share your wisdom.
David: 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 and for the Community:
Jane: Today we remember Wanda Russell ARCWP. We celebrate her life and the many gifts she brought to so many people. Wanda ‘s love for ARCWP was and still is unwavering: her faithfulness in serving wherever she was needed was a gift to all of us. We have faith that Wanda is covered in the light of Jesus. She will always walk with as we continue our missions. We pray for our dear Miriam, may she experience our love, may she know she is not alone and may she believe that Wanda will be opening new doors for her and always be by her side. Amen
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….”
We bring to the table, all birds, dragonflies, bees, all small creatures of the earth we pray…
All: We will hold them sacred
We bring to the table the wild animals that they will be safe in their natural habitat…
All: We will hold them sacred,
We bring to the table all trees and wild flowers that we keep them safe from destruction so they are protected where they live and grow…
All: We will hold them sacred,
And we bring to the table all human beings all over the world that they be safe, peaceful, protected from powers that are destructive to all life on our planet…
We will hold and keep safe all life on our planet with our faith in Divine Spirit who protects us all.
All: We will hold them sacred.
For what else shall we pray? (Joan Meehan)
We bring to the table all the concerns we hold silently in our hearts….
Let it be and so it is!
Liturgy of the Eucharist
Beth: With open hands let us pray our Eucharistic Prayer together:
O Holy One, you are always with us. In the blessed abundance of creation, we gather to celebrate the nourishing gift of life. May our hearts be open as we participate in the wise and wonderful work of co-creation. May we be ever aware of Spirit within and among us as our world unfolds amid pain and beauty into the fullness of life.
We are grateful for Spirit whose breath inspired the primal waters, calling into being the variety and abundance we see around us. Spirit sustains and animates our every endeavor, inviting us to act in wisdom and in truth.
In gratitude and joy, we embrace our calling and we lift our voices to proclaim a song of praise:
Holy, Holy: Here in This Place by Christopher Grundy
https://youtu.be/uXyu57tR2gk?si=DW76N-rNE9cCQXsh
.
Dotty: 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.
On the night before he faced his own death, Jesus sat at supper with his companions and friends. He reminded them of all that he taught them, and to fix that memory clearly, he bent down and washed their feet.
(Together we lift our plate of bread as we pray)
When Jesus 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 the Bread of Life
Whenever you remember me like this
I am among you. (pause)
Jesus then raised his cup of blessing, spoke the grace, and offered the wine saying:
Take and drink of the covenant made new again through my life in you.
Whenever you remember me like this, I am among you.
Jane: Please join in praying the prayer for the breaking of the bread:
Ever Present Sacred Spirit, you call us care for our world and all it’s people to live the Gospel of peace and justice.
We will live justly.
Ever Present Sacred Spirit, you call us to be Your presence in the world.
We will love tenderly.
Ever Present Sacred Spirit, you call us to speak truth to power.
We will walk with integrity
Beth. This is the bread of life and cup of blessing.
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.
Receive the Bread and Cup before you and share it with the words:
“You are the face of Jesus in this world.”
Communion Song and Reflection:
Travel the Universe While Relaxation Space Ambient Music (soften music after 2 off)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztVV54sPOns&list=RDztVV54sPOns&start_radio=1
David. Let us 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 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 (Miriam Therese Winter)
Joan. We are called to do everything you did on this earth Jesus: to be the living presence of a love that lives justly, of a compassion that heals and liberates, of a joy that generates laughter, of a light that illumines right choices and confronts us darkness.
So, we trust you to continue to share with us your own Spirit, the Spirit that filled Jesus, for it is through his life and teaching, his loving and healing, all honor and glory is yours, O Holy One, forever and ever. Amen
Before we leave let us offer one another as Sign of Peace:
Namaste, Namaste, Namaste
Introductions, Prayers of Gratitude, and Announcements
Dotty: Let us raise our hands and bless each other with the words:
May you be blessed with a restless discomfort about easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships.
May you seek truth boldly and love deeply within your heart.
May you continue to be the face of the Holy One to all you meet.
May your name be a blessing in our time.
We send one another on our way to celebrate the gifts of our world and all peoples and all life on our earth, and we celebrate the Universe, which continues to create even more of the Divine Presence. Adapted from the writings of Bishop Elizabeth Eaton
Closing Song: “For the Beauty of the Earth” sung by St Laurence’s Church Chorley
https://youtu.be/6j5dRP5UQIg?si=wTWsk52RvGtcoMMZ
For the Beauty of the Earth 🌏 with Lyrics
Please send personal intentions to Joan Meehan. Jmeehan515@aol.com
They will be added in our Community Prayer Book.
Website: marymotherofjesus.net
