Saying the Holy Rosary is a special focus of prayer and meditation that provides for each of us a state of contemplation and mystical connection.
When aligning to the Grace of Mary, we can have a sense of purpose in praying for others and ourselves. It can be a singular and private prayer or a community endeavor.
For those of us who are becoming steeped in Original Blessing Theology, the traditional prayers of the Holy Rosary can be daunting. When changing the wording to better reflect the concepts of Blessing Theology, it seems important to keep a sense of the timing and inflection of the prayers as we have learned them.
The Companions' Rosary is an attempt to combine the prayers of the rosary within present-day theology of original blessing.
To all whom feel called to pray in this way, prayers and blessings to you. May we all continue to connect, in whatever way we can, to the Holy One, to Mary and to each other.
And so it is.
The Sign of the “Cross”. A Shield of Protection and Love.
The sign of the cross can impress on us the concept of a theology of sacrifice and atonement. The sign of the “cross”, here, building on the trinity and St. Paul's greetings, can also be a Shield of Protection and Love.
In the name of Peace (hand at the forehead)
And Love (hand at the heart)
And Grace (The Infinity sign across from one shoulder to the other, and back to the heart.)
AMEN.
Rose Aglow,
DETrees, 2017
THE COMPANIONS’ ROSARY
Praying the Holy Rosary
In Original Blessing Theology
The Sign of Protection and Love
In the name of Peace and Love and Grace. Amen.
A Simple Companions’ Creed
I believe in the Holy One, Lover, Creator, Enhancer, WHO IS Infinite and Present all at the same time.
Our Field of PEACE in all things.
I believe in Jesus, Friend and Companion, who shows us the Face of God in our human form.
Our Sign of LOVE in all things.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, Our Heart and Soul, moving within and among us.
Our Show of GRACE in all things.
I believe in this, our creed, in our communion of angels and saints and in life everlasting. Amen.
The Prayer of Jesus
(From Miriam Therese Winter)
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 that 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.
The Hail Mary
Hail Mary, Full of grace, Our God is with you.
Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother and Friend,
Be with us now, at our hour, and beyond. Amen.
The Glory Be
Glory and Joy Be to Peace and Love and Grace.
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be,
World without End. Amen.
Hail Holy Mary
Hail Holy Mary, Mother and Leader, Our Life, our Sweetness and our Hope. You show us how to live with Courage in our convictions. You teach us to stand by each other with unending support and love.
Thank you for being with us now. Walk this path with us as you did with your son, Jesus. May we follow his example of inclusive love, as you taught him.
O Clement, O Loving, Sweet Mary of Nazareth. Be with us as we look to you.
Praying the Companions’ Rosary
1.Make the Sign of the Protection and Love.
2.Say the Simple Companions’ Creed.
3.On the first bead, say The Prayer of Jesus.
4.Say The Hail Mary on each of the next three beads.
5.Say TheGlory Be on the fifth bead.
6.For each of the five decades, announce the Mystery or a special intention then say The Prayer of Jesus
7.While fingering each of the ten beads of the decade, say ten Hail Marys while meditating on the Mystery or Intention. Then say a Glory Be.
8.After saying the five decades, say the Hail, Holy Mary.
Diagram from USCCB, Accessed 9-29-19
A PRAYER FOR YOU
For all who say the Companions’ Rosary, a special Blessing from our Lady and Above. The Angels watch over you in Peace, Grace and Love.
Welcome: Welcome to you all! This weekend marks the midpoint between the winter solstice and spring equinox. I’m so happy to be here with you all today as we celebrate not only the return of sunlight but also the feasts of two saints, St. Brigid of Kildare and St. Blaise of Armenia.
Opening Prayer: Let us pray. Through the intercession of St. Blaise may we be delivered from all illnesses of the throat and any other ailments. May we keep our throats and voices strong so that we may continue to speak truth to power. AMEN
Opening Song: Behold the Kingdom – John Michael Talbot – video by Denise Hackert-Stoner https://youtu.be/TWd0OE5jaoA
LITURGY OF THE WORD
PSALM
Psalm 146:5-6, 7-9, 3-4 by Nan Merrill with adaptation
The Psalm Response is: We are companions to one another.
R: We are companions to one another.
Blessed are those whose strength is in the Beloved,
whose trust is in You, O Divine Lover,
Who gave birth to the universe –
the heavens, earth, and sea, and all that is within them.
You are ever-faithful.
R: We are companions to one another.
You uphold the cause of the oppressed.
You fill the hungry. You set prisoners free.
You give sight to the blind,
and insight to those who would see.
You lift up those made low,
and love those who walk in integrity.
R: We are companions to one another.
God protects the resident alien,
and aids those bereft of family or support.
God gives succor to those who weep.
You watch over all those on journey.
O, that we might become companions and guides
to one another!
R: We are companions to one another.
Put not your trust in riches, in the allure of power,
GOSPEL A Reading from the Gospel attributed to Matthew 5:1-12
Seeing the crowds, Jesus went up a mountain. When he sat down, his disciples came to him. Jesus began to speak, teaching them.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kin-dom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the gentle,
for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice,
for they will have their fill.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure of heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the kin-dom of heaven.
And blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you and utter all kinds of slander against you, falsely, on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your gift is great in heaven. In the very same way, they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
These are the inspired words of the anonymous storyteller we call Matthew, and the community affirms them by saying AMEN.
Homily Starter—Julie: On this very cold weekend when it feels like the world is on fire, I’ve bookended our liturgy with two old school saints. I have so many memories of having my throat blessed as a child. That was before my worldview expanded to include things like chakras, the energy centers throughout our bodies. We speak our truth from our throat chakra. We speak out and protest from it as well. I somehow doubt that my childhood parish priest invoking St. Blaise to bless my throat was doing it so that I could someday challenge church hierarchy by getting ordained but maybe I underestimate him.
St. Brigid modeled compassion, hospitality, and non-violence. Those values are as important today as they were in her lifetime 1500 years ago but don’t get the media coverage that the violence and cruelty get in this current moment. That doesn’t stop us from doing our best to live them in our own lives every day though.
Which brings me to my first question today—what makes a saint? Do you need to be a healer like Blaise or a leader like Brigid to be a saint? Or does doing what’s at hand, what Jean refers to as “what can I do within three feet of me?” count? Are the folks cooking and serving meals at Refuge Place saints? What about the ICU nurse in Minneapolis who was killed for helping a woman up when she was knocked down by ICE agents? Are saints more blessed than the rest of us?
Most of us have been hearing the “Blessed ares” of the Beatitudes our whole lives. They can be comforting and inspiring. Peacemakers are good! Hungering and thirsting for justice is good! But is this list complete? Nadia Bolz Weber doesn’t think so. She imagines Jesus also blessing “The kids who sit alone at middle-school lunch tables. The laundry guys at the hospital. The sex-workers and the night shift street sweepers…the losers and the babies and the parts of ourselves that are so small.” This list isn’t as inspiring. But it is so very real. I could add a few more. Blessed are the disabled and the elderly and anyone at the mercy of their caregivers would top my list. What about you? Who would you add?
My beloved community, what would you like to share about today’s readings? Who would you bless or call a saint?
S
tatement 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
As we prepare for the sacred meal, 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 pray for these and all the unspoken concerns held in the silence of our hearts. AMEN
LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST
O Holy One, you have birthed us in goodness, gifted us with life and cherished us in love. In the heart of our being, your Spirit dwells; a Spirit of courage and vision, a Spirit of wisdom and truth.
In the power of that same Spirit, we lift our hearts in prayer, invoking anew the gift of wisdom and enlightenment, that we may continue to praise and thank you, in union with all who sing the ancient hymn of praise:
Holy One, we see around us the work of your hands, the fruit of your wisdom and love. The unfolding story of creation witnesses unceasingly to your creative power. We, your creatures, often deviate from that wisdom, thus hindering your creative presence in our midst.
Sending among us Jesus, our brother, you birth afresh in our world the power of Sophia-Wisdom, and in the gift of Your Spirit, your creative goodness blooms anew, amid the variety and wonder of life.
(Extend hands in blessing.)
We invoke Your Spirit upon the gifts of this Eucharistic table, bread of the grain and wine of the grape, that they may 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 and for the sake of living fully, 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.
(Lift the bread)
When he returned to his place at the table, he lifted the bread, spoke the blessing, broke the bread and offered it to them saying:
Take and eat. Go and love one another.
(Lift the cup)
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.
In faith and hope we are sustained; in grace and dignity reclaimed. In praise, we thank you.
Please receive communion with the words: There is enough.
Prayer after communion: Let us pray. Like Jesus, we will open up wide all that has been closed about us, and we will live compassionate lives, for it is through living as Jesus lived, that we awaken to your Spirit within, moving us to glorify you, O Holy One, at this time and all ways. AMEN.
Let us pray as Jesus taught us:
Holy One, you are 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 that 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. Adapted by Miriam Therese Winter
BLESSING
Please raise your hands as we bless each other:
Like Brigid, may we keep peace firmly rooted in our hearts and in our world. May we be inspired to act justly and with reverence to all the Holy One has made. May it be so!
Closing Song: Canticle of the Turning by Rory Cooney Video by Denise Hackert-Stoner https://youtu.be/b-QR_OZB5ik
