Welcome: Welcome friends to this evening’s Moment of Oneness. I ‘ve been thinking about the state of the world; political chaos, wars, the choices some people make to deliberately hurt others out of their own need for power, inflated ego and greed. We can get swept up by it and feel overwhelmed and helpless. However, what if we chose to respond to our world from a place of interior freedom instead of automatically reacting? In order to do that, it seems we have to be free within ourselves. Rooted in the Something/Someone that is bigger than ourselves.
Reading: Richard Rohr says “Until you are free from your own self, you are not free”. What does it mean to be free? Can you be trapped in a cage and still be free? I ‘m realizing now that when I pray for the grace of interior freedom, it is actually freedom from disordered attachments of ego, control, fear and the need for other people’s approval. Its freedom for being in the present moment, trusting and surrendering to God’s love and providence for me and my life. Even in the unknowns. It’s freedom for being an authentic reflection of the Divine within, knowing that you and I are the Beloved of God.
(pause)
“There is no promise that everything will be rosy. The first thing is not to play savior of the world but to keep living in the world as a child of God. I see all these things happening, but I do not allow them to seduce me into the darkness. I live in the world but belong to God”.
(pause)
“We pray to know not only in our head, but in our heart, and in the center of our being that we are fully loved. That is why we pray. We pray so we can walk around this world and not be so needy, not be wounding others, and not be giving so we can get something in return. We pray to be free”.
(pause)
“To put it boldly, contemplation is the only ultimate answer to the unreal and insane world that our financial systems and our advertising culture and our chaotic and unexamined emotions encourage us to inhabit… Contemplation teaches you how to stand guard and not let your emotions and obsessive thoughts control you. Contemplation and silence nip the ego and its negatives in the bud by teaching you how to watch and guard your very thoughts. As Paul says, “Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7)
Reflection Time: Let’s take a minute to ponder:
To what am I attached? (Specific outcomes, control, fear, unhealthy relationships etc.) From what attachment, do I need interior freedom?
Intentions: For whom or for what, would we like to pray this evening?
Closing Blessing:
May the Spirit of the Lord rest upon you
and may the call of God sustain you,
as you seek to be a person of hope.
Transformed by the Gospel,
may you announce good news to the poor of heart
and proclaim freedom to those
who feel bound and restrained.
May you continue to use all your talents,
as the Spirit guides you,
and may you empower others to do the same
so that they may be filled
with the Spirit of healing, justice, peace and hope.
Welcome (Kathie):Welcome!We are happy that you are here to celebrate with us! Today we think about how things are, how they should be, and what we can do to make things right.Along the way we may learn that we can move mountains!
Opening Prayer (Denise):
Holy One, you made us and we are good.We are strong.We can do the things that need to be done to make this world better.Help us to believe in our own strength, for we are your hands and feet on this earth.Amen.
First Reading:Our first reading this morning is by Malala Yousafzai.Malala is a young woman from Pakistan, where girls are not allowed to go to school.At just 11 years old, Malala began to give public speeches, demanding that girls have a right to an education.At age 12 she was shot by a person who wanted to silence her.But she survived. Her family moved to the United Kingdom, and she has continued to speak out for the rights of girls.When she was just 16, Malala gave a speech to world leaders at the United Nations.This is part of the speech she gave.
Excerpt from Malala Yousafzai's Speech United Nations, July 12, 2013
Dear Friends, on the 9th of October 2012, the Taliban shot me on the left side of my forehead. They shot my friends too. They thought that the bullets would silence us. But they failed. And then, out of that silence came, thousands of voices. The terrorists thought that they would change our aims and stop our ambitions but nothing changed in my life except this: Weakness, fear and hopelessness died. Strength, power and courage were born. I am the same Malala. My ambitions are the same. My hopes are the same. My dreams are the same.
These are the words of Malala.We affirm her inspiring words with Amen.
Second Reading:Listen to the Mustn’t, by Shel Silverstein (from Where the Sidewalk Ends)
Listen to the MUSTN'TS, child, Listen to the DON'TS Listen to the SHOULDN'TS The IMPOSSIBLES, the WON'TS Listen to the NEVER HAVES Then listen close to me— Anything can happen, child, ANYTHING can be.
These words are from the poet and songwriter Shel Silverstein.We affirm his words with Amen.
Alleluia: (Dennis)
For Zoom Community: Celtic Alleluia by Christopher Walker
Gospel:In many of the Gospel stories we hear about the amazing things Jesus said and did.Today’s Gospel is special because in it, Jesus tells us about the amazing things we can do ourselves.
Matthew 17:20
[Jesus said to his friends,] "For truly I tell you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you."
Homily Starter: (Denise)
Malala faces a mountain, doesn't she? Her mountain is the injustice that denies education to women and girls in her home country of Pakistan. It's a very tall mountain. But Malala has faith, and her faith tells her that she can make a difference. Even after being very seriously injured by people trying to stop her, she keeps trying. And through her faith and action she has found new ways for girls to be educated, like on line classes and private tutors. So very slowly, and with a lot of hard work and strong faith, Malala is moving that mountain, inch by inch. Remember, Jesus says we can move mountains. He never said it would be easy.
We all face mountains in our lives. If we are paying attention, we all notice unfairness in our world. And we all hear the words mustn't, don't, shouldn't, and especially, impossible. But it is so important that we remember that if we have faith and are willing to act, anything can be.
What mountain would you like to move? What work can you do to move it?
Statement of Faith
We believe in the Holy One who is in everything we see
And even in everything we cannot see.
As far away as the most distant star and as near as the air we breathe
The Holy One is there, creating everything out of Love.
We believe in Jesus, who showed us the Holy One
In how he lived his life, He showed us that the Holy One is
In our lives too.
We believe that we are called to live like Jesus.
We are called to bring peace, and light, healing and kindness,
We are called to be brave and speak up, and help out when
Others are suffering or things are not right.
We believe that the Spirit of the Holy One
Lives in us and in all of creation.
We feel the Spirit in the wind, the warm sun,
The cold snow, and we see it in the faces of other people.
We believe that if we live in the Spirit of the Holy One,
If we remember to act with kindness and courage,
We will make the family of the Holy One larger and larger
Until the whole world is at peace.
Prayers of the Community
Kathie:There are many things we are thankful for, and there are many things that make us feel sad or scared.Now is the time to bring these things to this table, so that all of us can pray with one another.We begin our prayers with the words: “I bring to the table.”
(Kathie):We pray for all these things, and for all the prayers that we hold silently in our hearts.Amen.
LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST
(Denise)Next we will pray our great prayer of Thanksgiving, called our Eucharistic Prayer:
All: O Holy One, you have made us in goodness, given us life and held us in love. Your Spirit lives within each of us; each of us has been given your Spirit of courage and vision, your Spirit of wisdom and truth.
In the power of that same Spirit, we ask that once again your gifts come upon us as we sing your praise:
Kathie: (Invite the children, and anyone who would like to, to join in a circle at the table).
All: Holy One, we see around us all of your creation.The trees, flowers, birds, animals and insects sing with joy for your creative power.We are your creation too, and we thank you for our lives.
We thank you for sending Jesus, our brother, to show us how to live so that your love can show through in the world.We thank you for your Spirit, which showers your love and wisdom on the earth like rain, and which opens our eyes in wonder.
Denise: Please hold your hands out like this… (demonstrate) as we bless the bread and juice.
Holy One, you blessed the grain in this bread and the fruit in this juice as they grew on the earth. The people who baked the bread and made the juice blessed them with their work.Today, with your Spirit, we bless them again, as they become gifts of love, light and truth and remind us that we too are blessed with your Spirit.
Kathie lifts bread:
Jesus gathered his friends around a table like this.He took the bread, and said a prayer of thanksgiving.Then he broke the bread and shared it with his friends, saying, “Take and eat this bread. It is my very self.”
Denise lifts the cup: After the meal, Jesus took the cup of blessing.He said another prayer of thanks, and then he offered his friends the cup saying
Take and drink of the promise
Made new again through my life in you.
Whenever you remember me like this,
I am among you.
Kathie:
We are one today with all people who have ever lived, all the people and animals we have loved.With them we ask you, Holy One, for the wisdom to know what is right and the courage to do what is right.
- Help us to be kind to one another.
- Help us to take care of the earth.
- Help us to reach out to people who need our help.
And as we grow, help us to see where your Spirit leads us as our lives unfold in this world of pain and beauty so that we may become wise co-creators of the future.
Like Jesus, we will open up wide all that has been closed about us, and we will live loving lives, for it is through living as Jesus lived, that we awaken to your Light within.
Amen.
Denise:
We will pass the plate around the circle.When the plate comes to you please take a piece of bread and eat it.As you receive Communion remember the words, “I can move mountains.”
Kathie: O Holy One, You call us to live in peace and justice.We will live justly. You call us to be your presence in the world.We will love tenderly. You call us to speak truth even when it is difficult.We will be courageous in your presence.
Denise: 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)
BLESSING
Kathie: Please stand, and hold out your hands in blessing:
Holy One, bless everyone gathered here today.Help us remember to have faith and to do what we can to make this world the way it’s supposed to be.
Reading 1: “If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit.” (Gal. 5:25)
Let the fire of love be aflame in our hearts and in our lives.
Let the fire of joy be aflame in our hearts and in our lives.
Let the fire of peace be aflame in our hearts and in our lives.
Let the fire of patience be aflame in our hearts and in our lives.
Let the fire of kindness be aflame in our hearts and in our lives.
Let the fire of generosity be aflame in our hearts and in our lives.
Let the fire of faithfulness be aflame in our hearts and in our lives.
Let the fire of gentleness be aflame in our hearts and in our lives.
Let the fire of self-control be aflame in our hearts and in our lives.
Joyce Rupp, OSM
Reading 2:
“Love and ever more love is the only solution to every problem that comes up. If we love each other enough, we will bear with each other's faults and burdens. If we love enough, we are going to light a fire in the hearts of others. And it is love that will burn out the sins and hatreds that sadden us. It is love that will make us want to do great things for each other. No sacrifice and no suffering will then seem too much.”
Dorothy Day, Co-founder of the Catholic Worker Movement
Time of Reflection (1 minute)
O Taste and See
Response: O taste and see the goodness of our Creator.
We remember the beauty of our world, how all is interdependent, like bees in a hive, each part reliant on another part in order to exist.
We remember how the Holy One resides within and among us, energizing our love and encouraging our actions for good.
We remember people who are like nurturing honeycombs to us, offering the sweetness of their enduring affection and acceptance.
We remember the sustaining energy of nature, its ability to urge us to change,
the sweet taste of the seasons as they beckon us with their transitional beauty.
We remember the wonder of our minds, all we are given in thought, insight, and decision-making, our mental faculties that lead to greater well-being.
We remember our gatherings in prayer, the strength those moments give us for our spiritual paths, the energizing inspiration we gain to be our best selves.
Response: O taste and see the goodness of our Creator
Joyce Rupp, Prayer Seeds
Please share any prayers requests you have at this time.
We hold all these and all deeply held blessings, cares, and concerns in the loving embrace of the Great Healer. Amen.
Closing Prayer
All Embracing Love, as our day comes to a close give us a peaceful night of sleep, re-energizing us that we might be filled with the Fire of Love as we live to follow the way of Jesus. Amen.
Closing Song: Love Large by Joyce Johnson Rouse - video by Deven Horne and Mary Theresa Streck
