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Meeting ID: 825 1215 9155
Recognizing God’s Love in Us - In Memory of Tom Going
Feast of St. John the Baptist
Welcome and Theme (Dennis): This weekend is the Feast of John the Baptist a prophet of the Jewish Scriptures and as we gather today we remember another prophet who walked and sat among us, John Thomas Going, who we affectionately called Tom. He was a father, husband, friend, and priest, who graced our community with his presence. He was also a teacher who shared with us two of his favorite words, Namaste and Ubuntu. Let us celebrate these two meaningful words in song and spoken word.
Opening Prayer (Mary Theresa): O Great Spirit of Love and Compassion, we come to this Table of Friendship and New Life as a people called to follow in the ways of our brother, Jesus, who fully lived the philosophies of Namaste and Ubuntu. May we, likewise, see in each other the Divine that resides in each of us, and embrace the truth that I am because You are. Amen.
Opening Song: Namaste by Mark Hayes
LITURGY OF THE WORD
First Reading: Ubuntu by Archbishop Desmond Tutu
(from Everyday Ubuntu by Mungi Ngomane, Desmond Tutu's granddaughter)
Ubuntu is a concept that, in my community, is one of the most fundamental aspects of living lives of courage, compassion and connection. It is one that I cannot remember not knowing about. I understood from early on in my life that being known as a person with ubuntu was one of the highest accolades one could ever receive. Almost daily we were encouraged to show it in our relations with family, friends and strangers alike. I have often said that the idea and practice of ubuntu is one of Africa’s greatest gifts to the world. A gift with which, unfortunately, not many in the world are familiar. The lesson of ubuntu is best described in a proverb that is found in almost every African language, whose translation is, “A person is a person through other persons.” The fundamental meaning of the proverb is that everything we learn and experience in the world is through our relationships with other people. We are therefore called to examine our actions and thoughts, not just for what they will achieve for us, but for how they impact on others with whom we are in contact. At its most simple, the teaching of this proverb and of ubuntu is similar to the Golden Rule found in most faith teachings: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you!” But one who has ubuntu goes a step beyond that. It is not only our actions we are called to keep track of, but our very being in the world. How we live, talk and walk in the world is as much a statement of our character as our actions. One with ubuntu is careful to walk in the world as one who recognizes the infinite worth of everyone with whom he or she comes into contact. So it is not simply a way of behaving, it is indeed a way of being!
These are the inspired words of Archbishop Desmond Tutu and we affirm them by saying, Amen.
Alleluia: Celtic Alleluia
Gospel: A reading from the Gospel attributed to Luke
Now it was the turn of Zechariah’s priestly class to serve. And as he was fulfilling his priestly office before God, it fell to him by lot, according to priestly usage, to enter the sanctuary of our God and offer incense.
Then, when the whole assembly of the people was praying outside
at the hour of the incense offering, an angel of our God appeared to him,
standing at the right of the altar of incense. Zechariah was deeply disturbed upon seeing the angel, and was overcome with fear.
But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear a son, and you shall name him John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the sight of God.
John will drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb, and he will bring many of the children of Israel back to their God Most High.
He will go before God as a forerunner, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of parents to their children, and the rebellious to the wisdom of the just—to make ready a people prepared for our God.”
These are the inspired words of the anonymous gospel writer known as Luke, and we affirm them by saying, Amen.
Homily Starter - Dennis
When preparing the liturgy for today, I discovered that yesterday was the Feast of St. John the Baptist, and I knew immediately that it was perfect for celebrating the life of John Thomas Going. I’m sure many of you were unaware of Tom’s real first name was John. I saw Tom in the words of today’s Gospel,
“He will go before God as a forerunner, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of parents to their children, and the rebellious to the wisdom of the just—to make ready a people prepared for our God.”
Tom was forever sharing his insights from the reading that he did including the National Catholic Reporter, Commonweal, and America. He would often bring copies of articles to share, ones that he thought provided a deeper awareness of how to be more open to the Divine, readying people to prepare for the calling to be in relationship with the Divine, and by cultivating that relationship, being moved to relationship with others.
And from this prophetic vision, he introduced us to Namaste and Ubuntu.
Our opening song introduces us to the philosophy of Namaste, “the Divine in me blesses and honors the Divine in You.” Tom exhibited this philosophy in his interaction with others. I had the pleasure in the final year of Tom’s joining us for liturgy of driving him to and from the Upper Room. In that time, I came to a deeper appreciation of his profound belief in the value of each person’s divine nature, which when embraced captured the heart of Namaste, that all are one in the Divine.
Our first reading, provided by Mary Theresa, was taken from the book, Everyday Ubuntu by Mungi Ngomane. In the forward Archbishop Tutu explains the concept of Ubuntu saying, “a person is a person through other persons”. Again, the philosophy that we are all one due to our common humanness. Tom also shared this with us, and often during homily sharing would remind us of this important concept. In the current time Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu popularized Ubuntu and it moved beyond Africa to other parts of the world. At the 2013 tribute to Mandela, former President Obama said this, “Mandela understood the ties that bind the human spirit. There is a word in South Africa – Ubuntu – that describes his greatest gift: his recognition that we are all bound together in ways that can be invisible to the eye; that there is a oneness to humanity; that we achieve ourselves by sharing ourselves with others, and caring for those around us.”
I am thankful that Tom graced our community with these two concepts, and I am grateful that my life was touched by his. Each time I hear either of these words, I am connected once again with Tom. Another translation for Namaste, that I learned from theDeepak Chopra site, is “I honor the place in you where the entire universe dwells.” Tom, like all of us, dwells in the universe, and the Divine in him blesses and honors the Divine in me. It is so.
Please share your reflection on the readings or Tom.
Shared Homily
Statement of Faith - All
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.
Intentions
Mary Theresa: As we prepare for this sacred meal, we are aware of our call to serve, and just as Jesus is anointed, so is each of us. We bring to this table our blessings, cares and concerns.
Intentions read
We bring these and all deeply held blessings, cares, and concerns to the table of friendship and peace.
Dennis/Mary Theresa: Please join in praying the Eucharistic prayer together:
All: 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, Holy, Holy: Here in this Place – with lyrics – Christopher Grundy
All: 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.
Dennis/Mary Theresa: Please extend your hands in blessing.
All: 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 the Seder 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:
Upon returning to the table, Jesus lifted the bread, spoke a blessing and shared the bread of life for all who hunger.
(pause)
Then he lifted the cup of the covenant, spoke the grace and shared the cup of compassion for a broken world.
Whenever you remember me like this, I am among you.
All lift their cup and pray the following:
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 consume the bread and drink the cup with the words: I Am because You Are
Communion Meditation: Namaste by Annie Garretson
In faith and hope we are sustained; in grace and dignity reclaimed. In praise, we thank you.
In union with all peoples living and dead, we unite our thoughts and prayers, asking wisdom and courage:
- to discern more wisely your call to us in the circumstances of our daily lives;
- to act justly and courageously in confronting the pain and suffering that desecrates the Earth and its peoples;
- to take risks in being creative and proactive on behalf of the poor and marginalized;
- and to love all people with generosity of heart, beyond the labels of race, creed and color.
And may we ever be aware and alert to the new things Your Spirit makes possible in us, as our world unfolds amid pain and beauty, into the fullness of life to which all are called, participating in the wise and wonderful work of co-creation.
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.
Dennis/Mary Theresa: 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)
BLESSING
Dennis/Mary Theresa: Let us pray together our blessing:
May we walk carefully into the world recognizing the infinite worth of everyone we meet. May we compassionately greet the Divine in each other and may we be a blessing in our time.
Amen.
Closing Song: Ubuntu by Mark Hayes
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