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Welcome
Mary Theresa: We warmly welcome you to Mary Mother of Jesus Inclusive Catholic Community as we celebrate this joyous feast of the Baptism of Jesus. As we listen and pray, let us consider the life and story that Jesus was baptized into. And let us remember with joy that we are baptized into that same life, that same story which continually evolves as we live it.
Opening Song: Belovedness by Sarah Kroeger
Transformation Rite
Bridget Mary: Holy One, aware of the wounds in our lives and our shortcomings and failures to be the Christ Presence in our world, we remember the power of love within us to give and receive forgiveness, and to extend compassion and understanding to all our brothers and sisters regardless of beliefs, nationalities, races and actions. We pause now to pray for healing and wholeness, unity and harmony with all people and all creation.
Opening Prayer
Mary Theresa: Holy One, at the baptism of Jesus You revealed to him that he was Your beloved Son. May we live into our calling as Your beloved children, empowered by the life of Jesus, listening to you and guided by Your Spirit to fulfill our unique purpose in this world, in this place, at this time in history. Amen.
Jerry: First Reading: Isaiah 43:1–3
But now thus says the Holy One,
who created you, O Jacob and Rachel,
who formed you, O Israel:
Do not fear, for I have called you by name, you are mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you.
For I am the Holy One your God,
the One who saves you.
These are the words of the prophet known as Isaiah and we respond to them by saying, Amen.
Psalm Response: Psalm 139 sung by Kathryn Christian
Suzanne: Second Reading: A reading from Thomas Merton.
(God’s glory) is in everybody, and if we could see it we would see these billions of points of light coming together in the face and blaze of a sun that would make all the darkness and cruelty of life vanish completely… I have no program for this seeing. It is only given. But the gate of heaven is everywhere.
In Louisville, at the corner of Fourth and Walnut, in the center of the shopping district, I was suddenly overwhelmed with the realization that I loved all those people, that they were mine and I theirs, that we could not be alien to one another even though we were total strangers. It was like waking from a dream of separateness, of spurious self-isolation in a special world, the world of renunciation and supposed holiness… This sense of liberation from an illusory difference was such a relief and such a joy to me that I almost laughed out loud… I have the immense joy of being man, a member of a race in which God Himself became incarnate. As if the sorrows and stupidities of the human condition could overwhelm me, now I realize what we all are. And if only everybody could realize this! But it cannot be explained. There is no way of telling people that they are all walking around shining like the sun.
These are the words of Thomas Merton, prophet and mystic, and we respond to them by saying, Amen
Gospel Acclamation: Celtic Alleluia by Christopher Walker
https://youtu.be/o1rc7ojQtJU
Gospel
Jerry: A reading from the Gospel of Luke 3:21-22
Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan river, to be baptized by him. John tried to dissuade Jesus with the words, “It is I who need baptism from you, and yet you come to me?” Jesus replied, “Allow this. This way, we do the right thing, fulfilling all righteousness.” John allowed it. No sooner had Jesus been baptized and emerged from the water than the skies opened and the Spirit of God was seen, descending like a dove, coming upon Jesus. A voice came from the heavens, “This is my Beloved, my Own, in whom I delight.”
These are the words in the Gospel of Luke, and we affirm them by saying Amen.
Homily Starter: Mary Theresa
Before Jesus teaches a parable.
Before he heals a single body.
Before he confronts empire or unsettles religion.
He hears a voice.
“You are my beloved.”
The baptism of Jesus is not the beginning of his work; it is the grounding of his identity. In the waters of the Jordan, Jesus does not receive instructions or expectations. He receives love.
Jesus comes to John not because he needs repentance, but because he chooses solidarity. He steps into the river with everyone else—with sinners, seekers, the weary and the hopeful. And it is there, not above humanity but immersed in it, that the heavens open.
“You are my Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”
That word beloved matters. Jesus is named as beloved before anything else defines him. His worth is not earned. It is given. His belovedness is not conditional on success or holiness—it is the starting point.
Thomas Merton caught a glimpse of this truth one ordinary afternoon on a street corner in Louisville, Kentucky. Surrounded by shoppers and traffic, he was suddenly overwhelmed by the realization that he loved all those people and that they were his brothers and sisters. He wrote that it was as if he had awakened from a dream of separateness and discovered that “there is no way of telling people that they are all walking around shining like the sun.”
Merton realized something unsettling and freeing at the same time: that he had been living as if holiness meant distance, as if God was found apart from the crowd. But in Louisville, he saw what Jesus reveals in the Jordan—that belovedness is shared, not scarce. That the same love spoken over Jesus is spoken over everyone, whether they know it or not.
Psalm 139 sings this truth in intimate language:
“You have searched me and known me…
You knit me together in my mother’s womb…
I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”
This psalm refuses the lie that we are strangers to the Holy One—or to one another. We are known, fully and tenderly. Not just our best selves, but our whole selves. There is nowhere we can go where the Holy One is not already present, already loving.
Isaiah speaks to a people afraid and displaced:
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name, you are mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you.”
The Holy One does not promise a life without rivers or fire, but promises presence.
The baptism of Jesus gathers all these voices together. The river, the Spirit, the opening heavens, the voice of love—this is not only Jesus’ story. It is ours.
Merton’s awakening in Louisville reminds us that baptism is not just a ritual from the past; it is a way of seeing. To live baptized is to see the world drenched in belovedness—to recognize Christ not only in sacred spaces, but in crowded streets, grocery stores, hospital waiting rooms, and protest lines.
Belovedness is not sentimental. It is revolutionary. A world built on fear, comparison, and scarcity does not know what to do with people who believe they are deeply loved—and who believe that everyone else is too. When we know we are beloved, we do not need to dominate or withdraw. We can risk compassion. We can choose justice. We can step into the waters of human pain, as Jesus did.
So today, as we remember the baptism of Jesus, may we listen again for the voice that names us—not by our failures or productivity, not by our fears or labels—but by love.
And may we, like Jesus—and like Thomas Merton on that Louisville street corner—live awake to the truth that we are all beloved and held in the same river of grace.
Amen.
Shared Homily: What did you hear in today’s liturgy? Please share your wisdom and insights.
Suzanne: 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 the Community
Jerry Bires: As we prepare for the sacred meal, we voice our intentions beginning with the words, “We bring to the table…..”
(Intentions are brought forth)
We pray for these and all unspoken intentions. Amen.
LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST
Preparation of the Gifts
Presiders (raise bread and wine):
Bridget Mary:Blessed are you, God of all creation. Through your goodness, each one of us has bread and the fruit of the vine to offer at this sacred meal which the earth has given and human hands have made. They will become for us our Bread of Life and Spiritual Drink.
Eucharistic Prayer
Jerry: Holy One, You dwell in us.
Suzanne and All: And in every living being.
Jerry: Lift up your hearts.
Suzanne and all: We lift them up to the Creator in whom all are one.
Jerry: Let us give thanks for the gift of life.
Suzanne and all: Amen, Alleluia
Suzanne: With the angels and saints we give thanks and praise.
for our oneness with all living beings in the family of God.
Suzanne: Please join in praying the Eucharistic prayer together:
Jerry: Blessed are you, Holy One, source of all creation. Through your goodness you made this world and called us to be Your co-creators. We give thanks for the diversity and beauty of life around us and within us.
Suzanne: We open our awareness to the goodness of all of creation and we remember our responsibility to serve. You invite us to build the earth into a community of love rooted in justice. You place confidence in us, for you made us and you know that we are good.
In joy and in thanksgiving we join with all the faithful servants who have gone before us, and we sing:
Holy, Holy, Holy by Peter Mayer
Mary Theresa: We thank you for Jesus, our brother, lifting up the lowly, revealing you as God-With-Us, and revealing us in our belovedness, as one with you and all of creation.
He lived among us to show us who we are and challenged us to know you, deeply, unabashedly, not holding anything back. He taught us the strength of compassionate love.
Please extend your hands in blessing.
Bridget Mary:We see in the bread and wine on our table, the Spirit of our Beloved. They are 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 within them, he bent down and washed their feet.
All lift their plate and pray the following:
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; do this in memory of me.
All lift their cup and pray the following:
Mary Theresa: 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.
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.
We remember the saints in every age, who lived their baptismal call as the beloved of God in service to their brothers and sisters and all of creation: Mary, Mother of Jesus, Peter, Andrew, Mary Magdalene, Hildegard and Francis of Assisi and all our beloved family and friends. We join in the cosmic dance in communion with all that is, all that was, and all that will be.
Through Christ, in Christ, with Christ, all creation leaps for joy!
The Great Amen with Linda Lee Miller
The Prayer of Jesus
Jerry: Let us pray the prayer 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)
Sign of Peace
Suzanne: Let us offer. One another a sign of Peace
The peace of Christ be with you.
Namaste, Namaste, Namaste.
Litany for the Breaking of the Bread
Suzanne and All:
God of love in you, with you and through you, we will love.
God of service, in you, with you, and through you, we will serve.
God of justice, in you, with you and through you, we will work for justice.
Communion
Suzanne: Please receive communion with the words, “You are the beloved child of God.”
Communion Meditation/Song: Become What We Love by Carmel Boyle
Post Communion Prayer
Mary Theresa: Holy One, your delight in us opens our hearts and awakens us to our calling. We are willing to follow the example of our brother Jesus, to re-create the living presence of a love that does justice, of a compassion that heals and liberates, of a joy that generates hope, of a light that illumines people and confronts the darkness of every injustice and inequity. Be ever present with us reminding us of your love and acceptance. Amen.
Bridget Mary: Gratitude: Introduction, Announcements
Concluding Rite
Mary Theresa: Let us go forth in peace and joy as the Beloved disciples of Jesus in our world today.
Blessing
Mary Theresa: Please raise your hands as we pray together our blessing:
May you hear the voice of Love as Jesus did,
rising from the waters and whispering through the heavens:
"You are my beloved; in you, I am well pleased."
May these words echo in the depths of your soul,
awakening the truth that has been yours since the beginning:
You are enough. You are seen. You belong.
In the Name of the One who walked into the waters
to walk with us all,
may you step forward,
blessed and a blessing to the world.
Amen.
A Blessing at the Waters of Belonging by Lizzie Berne DeGear
Closing Song: Love Can Build a Bridge sung by Westlife