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Meeting ID: 825 1215 9155
Welcome: We have two gospel readings today. The second gospel is the chosen gospel of the day from the US Bishops. The first gospel is the opening from the Gospel of Mary of Magdala. As we know Mary’s gospel was not included in the canon of the New Testament. But as she says her Gospel is true. If you will, please reflect on who is Mary of Magdala for you?
Let us pray: Holy One, over the centuries we have come to know and love you through Jesus. We have also come to know you by watching other’s love you. May we continue to grow in that same love, and share that love with our family, friends, and as you have asked, our enemies.
Spirt of the Living God
LITURGY OF THE WORD
A Reading from the Gospel of the Beloved Companion
This is the testimony of the son of humanity once called Yeshua. All that I say here is true; His words, his deeds, his life and his death. You will know my words are true because others have testified of the same, and their words are the same, and where two testify together the law says that it is true. I am with him in the beginning, and I am with him in the end, and I know that his testimony is true.
These are the inspired words of Mary of Magdala a disciple of Jesus. The community affirms them AMEN
Celtic Alleluia
A Reading from the gospel of Matthew (MT 12:14-21)
The Pharisees went out and took counsel against Jesus to put him to death. When Jesus realized this, he withdrew from that place. Many people followed him, and he cured them all, but he warned them not to make him known. This was to fulfill what had been spoken through Isaiah the prophet:
Behold, my servant whom I have chosen,
my beloved in whom I delight;
I shall place my Spirit upon him,
and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.
He will not contend or cry out,
nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets.
A bruised reed he will not break,
a smoldering wick he will not quench,
until he brings justice to victory.
And in his name the Gentiles will hope.
These are the inspired words of Matthew, a disciple of Jesus. The community affirms them, AMEN.
Shared Homily
This week we celebrate Mary of Magdala, and tomorrow’s liturgy will have one of the most well-known readings about Mary. Tonight’s readings are a way to look at Mary of Magdala’s beginnings.
Mary of Magdala would have been familiar with the Isaiah quote in the Gospel reading. She would have heard (not read) about the “servant” who G-d chose and called “beloved. She must have been an insightful, seeker who would have been waiting and watching for this servant to appear and “bring justice” to her world. Mary of Magdala heard stories about Jesus’ works, how he healed, how he loved, how he went to the margins to be with those considered less than.
Mary was ready. She was awake. When she met Jesus, she knew. She stopped waiting and followed him. We have heard the Roman Catholic Church describe Mary as a prostitute, the woman with 7 demons, the woman who washed Jesus feet with her hair and also Martha’s sister. Maybe some of these things are true, maybe not. Our understanding of who she is has been very confusing. We are fairly sure however, she was the first person Jesus appeared to, the one he sent to the disciples to tell them he had risen. We are also fairly sure the Gospel of the Beloved Companion is Mary’s Gospel, and her story is in there. She was with him from the beginning. Unfortunately, her writings and voice were left out of the canon of the church.
Mary of Magdala, is a wonderful model for us. She was a seeker, she was ready, she was awake, and once she discovered Jesus she followed him on the way. Watching Mary, knowing Jesus, has given us a wonderful understanding of the Holy One. Jesus wanted us to know and Mary came to know through following Jesus, we are all unconditionally loved.
Statement of Faith
All: We believe in one God, 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 God's Word,
bringer of God's healing, heart of God's compassion,
bright star in the firmament of God's
prophets, mystics, and saints.
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 in the Holy Spirit,
The life of God that is our innermost life,
the breath of God moving in our being.
The depth of God living in each of us.
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.
Eucharistic Prayer of Belonging
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 unspoken prayers and blessings. Amen.
We are a priestly people. We are anointed. With open hands let us pray our Eucharistic prayer as one voice:
All: O Nurturing, Mothering One, You are always with us. We are grateful for Your constant loving and unconditional presence. At times we forget that You are holding us, attending to us. We fall and You pick us up. You send strangers, friends, and family to our aid. We are never without Your Light and Spirit.
We experience great joy and we experience great pain and suffering. You are with us in the joy and the pain and suffering. When we experience Your presence we long to sing our hymn of praise:
Holy Holy Holy - Here in this Place by Christopher Grundy
All: Creator and Lover of all beings, we cannot grow in the darkness of this world without Your Light. Our desire to be in Your light is a gift from You. Help us keep our hearts and minds open to You through our love and care for each other and all creation
Please extend your hands in blessing
All: This bread and wine is a sign of Your nourishment and a sign of Your great love. Your Spirit is upon us and we belong to You and one another.
We thank you for Jesus, simple servant, lifting up the lowly, revealing you as God-With-Us, revealing us as one with you, and all creation.
On the night before he died, Jesus gathered for the supper with the people closest to him. Like the least of household servants, he washed their feet. Once again he showed us how to love one another.
(All lift the bread)
All: Back at the table, he took the bread, spoke the grace, broke the bread and offered it to them saying, Take and eat, this is my very self.
(All lift the cup)
ALL: Then he took the cup of blessing, spoke the grace, and offered it to them 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.
Bread and wine are transformed by Your Spirit, and we are transformed when we open ourselves to Your Spirit. Every time we share this bread and wine we choose to be transformed. We choose to love as You love us.
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.
Please receive the bread and cup with the words: I am unconditionally loved.
Communion Song: Come Holy Spirit by Julia Carbajal & Andy Delos Santos
Communion prayer:
Loving Source of our being, You call us to live the Gospel of peace and justice. We live justly, we love tenderly, we walk with integrity in Your Presence Amen.
Let us pray together 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 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 Prayer of Jesus as interpreted by Miriam Therese Winter
BLESSING
Please extend your hands and pray our blessing together
May we continue to be the Face of God to each other. May the certainty of our connectedness to one another and all creation ignite us to love more fully. May we stand together in the suffering and like Jesus be a shining light and a blessing for all.
All: Amen.
Closing Song: How Can I Keep from Singing? Sung by Judy Collins
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