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https://zoom.us/j/93473708926?pwd=VHFKZGJ5N3ljbzZtVU1qQVRZY1lodz09
Meeting ID: 934 7370 8926
Theme: Priorities in Check/ There is only One God
Welcome and Gathering
(Jeanne ) Welcome to our Zoom liturgy at Mary Mother of Jesus, an inclusive Catholic Community where all are welcome.
Whoever you are,
Wherever you are,
Just as you are,
You are welcome at this table. (Integral Christianity by Paul Smith)
At certain times in the liturgy we invite sharing from the community, as at The Prayers of the Community and The Shared Homily. If you feel drawn to share, please remember to unmute your microphone, speak, and re-mute yourself. Even though your microphone is muted, wherever you are, please respond where the liturgy is marked “All,” and feel free to sing your heart out! Please have bread and wine/juice in front of you during the Liturgy.
In the Name of All That Is -by Jan Novotka (STOP at 2:30)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kR38ZBpAXZ8&sns=em
OPENING PRAYER
(Jeanne) O loving God of many names, you share your divinity with all of creation. You call us to heal the wounds of hatred and violence, discrimination and oppression in our world. You call us to see goodness and beauty everywhere and to live in harmony with all of creation. You call us to live life to the fullest and to journey into your heart of compassion always striving to unite our will to yours. In communion with Jesus, our brother and with the power of Holy Spirit Sophia, grant us the strength to respond with joy to your call and to trust in your providence to be able to overcome all adversity. All: AMEN.
COMMUNAL RECONCILIATION RITE
(Elena ) Let us pause for a moment to reflect, on a time when in hindsight we wish we had been less judgmental, more patient, more compassionate, more present, kinder and forgiving. Now imagine this person(s) or situation in the light of healing love as we ask for forgiveness and reconciliation.
(PAUSE for Reflection)
Please place your hand over your heart and say the “Ho’oponopono Prayer.”
All: I am sorry. Please forgive me. Thank you. I love you.
THE SIGN OF PEACE
(Cathy) It is fitting that, having asked for Divine and mutual forgiveness, we now extend an expression of Peace to each other.
(Cathy): Grant us Your peace, O Loving God, that following the example of Jesus and with the strength of the Spirit, we may be eager to spread your light and peace to everyone, everywhere, with no exceptions.
All: May the peace of our gracious and loving God be always with us. AMEN
(Elena) Let us turn to each other and with praying hands offer one another a sign of peace. NAMASTE 3x
GLORIA: Glory to God https://yout.be/udjH7EON5IY
by Marty Haugen - video by Bridget Mary Meehan and Mary Theresa Streck
(Jeanne ) Glory to the Spirit of Life, to the Holy One who surrounds us, who lives within us, whose Sacred Word is shared by us in our world.
All: Glory to the Spirit of Life, who offers us peace; peace in our hearts, peace in our thoughts, peace with one another as we reach out to one another and ask for blessing.
(Jeanne) Glory to the Spirit of Life, who cares for the health workers, postal workers, store clerks, garbage collectors and all who serve our special needs in numerous ways.
All: Glory to the Spirit of Life, who sent Jesus who teaches us how to live the Gospels, who brings hope and healing to all those in need.
(Jeanne) O Holy One, you are one with us. We are strong in our faith and will live life in hope and faithfulness to you, to be Church committed to the message of the Gospels. We depend upon the ever-present Spirit Sophia Wisdom to walk with us as we journey in the present and rejoice in the life before us.
All: Glory to the Spirit of Life, Amen
LITURGY OF THE WORD (Cathy)
First Reading: Isaiah 45:1,4-6
God’s message to his anointed, to Cyrus, whom he took by the hand to give the task of taming the nation, of terrifying their kings - He gave free rein with no restrictions: Opening doors before him and leaving the gates unbarred.
“Confirmations that it is, in fact, I, God, the God of Israel, who calls you by your name.
It’s because of my dear servant Jacob, Israel my chosen, that I’ve singled you out, called you by name, and given you this privileged work. And you don’t know me! I am God, the only God there is. Besides me there are no real gods. I’m the one who armed you for this work, though you don’t even know me, so that everyone, from east to west, will know that I have no god-rivals. I am God, the only God there is.”
This is a contemporary reading of Isaiah as found in “The Message” by Eugene Peterson, and our response is AMEN
Psalm 96 (Jeanne) Response: All Glory and Honor to the Holy One Who-Is
~Sing a new song to our God. O let all the world sing to this immensely gracious mystery. Sing your gratitude and praise. Proclaim the goodness of the One who made us.
Response: Glory and Honor to the Holy OneWho-Is
~Holy One, we tell of your gifts and rejoice in your blessings. We declare the depths of your love. We sing of your marvelous works among all the peoples.
Response: All Glory and Honor to the Holy OneWho-Is
~Yahweh our God, is beyond peer. Nothing equals God’s beauty. Nothing is above God’s greatness. Nothing approaches God’s mercy. Nothing matches God’s goodness. Everything else fades like smoke in the wind. When compared to the One Who-Is.
Response: Glory and Honor to the Holy One Who-Is
~Bring the offerings of your heart into Yahweh’s presence. Bow down in gratitude and joy. Let all the earth reverence our God. Say to the world: Yahweh is supreme! The Holy One comes to judge the earth. Yahweh judges the world with justice and all the peoples with equity.
Response: Glory and Honor to the Holy One Who-Is
Gospel Acclamation: (Alleluia) Jan Phillips
Gospel Reading: Matthew 22:15-21
( Elena ) The Pharisees went off and plotted a way to trap
Him into saying something damaging. They sent their disciples with a few of Herod’s followers mixed in, to ask, “Teacher, we know you have integrity, teach the way of God accurately, are indifferent to popular opinion, and don’t pander to your students, So tell us honestly: Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?
Jesus knew they were up to no good. “Why are you playing these games with me? Why are you trying to trap me? Do you have a coin? Let me see it.” They handed him a silver piece.
“This engraving—Who does it look like? And whose name is on it?”
They said “Caesar.”
Then give Caesar what is his, and give God what belongs to God.”
The Pharisees were speechless. They went off shaking their heads.
This is a contemporary reading from Matthew found in “The Message” by Eugene Peterson. And we respond: So Be It !
Repeat Gospel Acclamation https://youtu.be/IC4nbwmQDVw
Shared Homily Starter
COMMUNAL STATEMENT OF FAITH
(Cathy ) Creed
~We believe in you O God, Creator of the universe, whose divinity infuses all that exists, making everything sacred.
~Jesus, we believe in You, messenger of the Divine Word, the bringer of healing and the heart of Compassion.
~We believe in you Holy Spirit, the breath of our innermost life, and the Sustainer who heals and energizes us when our spirits grow weary in our journeys.
~We believe that You are here with us today in this gathering, calling us to be a loving and just people.
~We believe the poor have a priority in your plans and we are called to do our best to serve them in your name.
~We believe you are offering us freedom and grace to become our true selves, so that we can turn from false, worldly securities and look to you for our true identity as your children.
~We believe that as You were anointed by God to do God’s Will, through our baptism, we too, are called to be a sign of God’s Kingdom on earth by listening and responding to the needs of our sisters and brothers.
~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 THE COMMUNITY
(Jeanne ) As we prepare for the sacred meal, we bring to this table our blessings, cares and concerns, and we ask you to give us the courage to recognize and approach our still point and your call to listen and respond, we pray.
HEAR OUR PRAYER.
~We ask you to give us words to be a source of comfort to one another. For those who are dying, for those who have transitioned and for their grieving loved one.
HEAR OUR PRAYER.
~In the midst of our own anxiety we ask you to give us the courage to support one another as you showed us today in your example of remembering who we are and to whom we belong. For all who are suffering from the effects of
inflation, for our government and financial institutions and those who lead them, we pray.
HEAR OUR PRAYER.
~In the midst of our struggle to ensure a healthy future for all who live on this planet, we ask you to give us the hope that surpasses our current understanding. For health care workers, spiritual leaders and our faith communities, for artists and poets, for prophets and teachers, for political leaders, we pray.
HEAR OUR PRAYER.
~We pray for all who continue to be impacted from the natural disasters in our world. We pray for the people in all war-torn countries in our hurting world, most especially the children, that they may live in peace without fear and that goodness and sanity will fill the hearts and minds of those that would cause them harm.
HEAR OUR PRAYER
~In the midst of our growing awareness that all life on earth is connected, we ask for the heart to respect and cherish all life. That all peoples recognize that we are all your children we pray. HEAR OUR PRAYER.
( Joan ) MMOJ Prayer book intentions…………….Hear our Prayer
( Jeanne) For what else shall we pray?
(Unmute your microphone. Speak your concern when there is an opening and Re-mute ) Respond to each petition with: HEAR OUR PRAYER.
~We pray for these and all the unspoken concerns we hold in the silence of our hearts. AMEN
PRESENTATION OF GIFTS
(Please set out your own bread and wine.)
(Elena) Blessed are you, God of all life. Through your goodness we have bread, wine, all creation, these prayers of the heart, and our own lives to offer. Through this sacred meal may we become your new creation as we awaken to your call to listen and respond to the needs of our brothers and sisters.
All: Blessed be God forever.
(Elena) God is within you, blessing the world through you. All: And within you.
( Elena ) O Holy One, we lift up our hearts to You, You who gently invite us to enter into a deeper relationship with you that will affect how we live our lives and make decisions. This transformation seems to come through difficulties and pain, yet you are here with us always. Come Holy Spirit, be with us and with all who have gone before us, as we lift up our hearts in praise and sing:
We are holy, holy, holy (Karen Drucker) https://youtu.be/orKBBIj5LZA
~Our Holiness is your Holiness within us. Help us to seize opportunities to reveal it to the world.
Please extend hands over the bread and wine as we pray:
(Elena and All) Pour out Your Spirit anew upon this bread and wine and upon us as we become more deeply the Christ Presence in our world. On the night before he died, Jesus gathered for the Seder supper with the men and women he loved. He washed their feet. For this they would remember him.
Please lift the bread as we pray.
(Elena and All)
When he returned to his place, he lifted the Passover bread, spoke the blessing, broke the bread and offered it to them saying:
Take and eat of the Bread of Life, my body, given to strengthen you. Whenever you remember me like this, I am among you. (pause)
Please lift the cup as we pray:
(Elena and All)
Jesus then raised a cup of blessing, spoke the grace 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. (pause)
(Jeanne and All) We are called to do everything Jesus did, to be the living presence of a love that does justice, of a compassion that heals and liberates, of a joy that generates laughter, of a light that illumines right choices and confronts the darkness of every injustice and inequity. We trustthat you will 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 that all honor and glory is yours, O Holy One, forever and ever. Amen
( Cathy ) Let us pray as Jesus taught us: All: Our Father and Mother who are in heaven, whose presence is with us always, and whose spirit dwells within. Hallowed be your name. May your kingdom come, and may your will be done, in our lives, and on earth, just as it is in heaven. Thank you for giving us this day, all that we need for sustenance, nourishment and growth. Forgive us, forgive us when we turn away from your love, when we trespass against you and those you put in our lives. Help us to forgive those who turn away from love and who trespass against us. Keep us from yielding to temptation. Direct us away from anything or anyone that would distract us from your will, your highest good for our lives. Deliver us and protect us from all that is evil. For all glory and power is yours Almighty God just as it was in the beginning, it is now and always shall be, world without end.
All SING: AMEN (LINDA LEE MILLER)https://youtu.be/Dy76fpfkNsg
( Jeanne) Please join in the prayer for the breaking of the bread.
All: O God of Courage, You call us to live the Gospel of peace and justice. We will live justly.
O God of Compassion, You call us to be your presence in the world. We will love tenderly.
O God of Truth, You call us to speak truth to power. We will walk with integrity in your presence.
(All hold up the bread and wine.)
(Elena) This is the bread of life and the cup of blessing. Through it we are nourished and we nourish each other.
All: Through him, we have learned how to live.
Through him, we have learned how to love.
Through him, we have learned how to serve. AMEN.
LINDA LEE Sanctuary: https://youtu.be/lQtTF3lWTc8
God prepare me to be a sanctuary,
Pure and holy, tried and true
With thanksgiving,
I’ll be a living sanctuary for you.
God prepare me to be a sanctuary,
Acting boldly in your name.
Seeking justice where there’s hurting
Offering hope where, there is pain.
God prepare me to be a sanctuary. Pure and holy, tried and true. With thanksgiving, I’ll be a living sanctuary for you.
(Elena ) Let us share this bread and cup, and welcome everyone to the Banquet as we live the gospel of justice and peace in our world.
Please now receive Communion with the words “ I am (You are) the Body of Christ” and “I am (You are) the Blood of Christ” The music that follows provides us with the opportunity to remain silent and listen to the words or to sing along as the Spirit moves us.
COMMUNION MUSIC
“I am the One within you” https://youtu.be/N8Fi9dK_6dY
I am the infinite presence.
I am the one in all.
I am the truth in beauty,
The answer to Spirit’s call.
I am the one within you.
I am the one you seek.
Within your heart there is a doorway.
The arms of love await you...with these golden wings take flight.
(Sung through twice)
Prayers of Thanksgiving, Introductions, Announcements
BLESSING
(Jeanne and All) LET US RAISE OUR HANDS AND BLESS EACH OTHER.
All: May we be blessed with a restless discomfort about easy answers,
half-truths, and superficial relationships.
May we seek truth boldly and love deeply within our heart.
May we continue to be the face of the Holy One to all we meet.
May our name be a blessing in our time.
CLOSING PRAYER
(Cathy and All) O Holy One we believe that Jesus, your Incarnate Word lives in us. Strengthen our faith, hope and love that your reign will be proclaimed in our lives and the presence of your Spirit be manifested in our thoughts words and actions. We ask this through Jesus and in the Holy Spirit, Sophia Wisdom. AMEN
CLOSING SONG “The Greatest Thing”- Linda Lee - words & music by MarkPendergast https://youtu.be/KmCbaTxI1Mk
1.The greatest thing in all my life is knowing you.
The greatest thing in all my life is knowing you.
I want to know you more. I want to know you more.
The greatest thing in all my life is knowing you.
2. .... is loving you.
3. ... is serving you.
4. ... is sharing you.
5. ... is seeing you.
6. ... is being you.
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If you would like to add your intercession to our MMOJ Community Prayers book,
Please send an email to jmeehan515@aol.com
