phone-in for (audio only) Phone Number: (646) 558-8656
Meeting ID: 825 1215 9155
Body and Blood of Christ
Welcome: Welcome to you all! I’m so happy to be here with you all today as we remember how we, you and me, are the body of Christ.
Opening Prayer: Let us pray. Holy One, you created each one of us different. As we gather together to catch our breath in this busy world, help us see beyond our differences to be united as your body here on earth. AMEN.
Opening Song: Quiet Place by the Many – video by MT Streck
https://youtu.be/hcq385i1kHE
LITURGY OF THE WORD
FIRST READING
A Reading from Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians 11:23-26
For I received from Jesus the Christ what I also handed on to you: that on the night he was handed over, he took bread; and, after he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me."
In the same way, after supper, he took the cup saying, "This is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me."
For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the death of the Christ, until Christ comes.
These are the inspired words of the Apostle known as Paul and the community affirms them by saying AMEN.
PSALM
Psalm 116:12-13; 14-16; 17-19
Our Psalm response is: We will eat the Bread of Life and drink the cup of Love.
R: We will eat the Bread of Life and drink the cup of Love.
What shall I return to God for the bounty I have been shown?
I will raise the cup of Love, the cup of wholeness, and call upon the Name of God.
I will call upon You who have done wondrous things.
R: We will eat the Bread of Life and drink the cup of Love.
I will bear witness to You, O Bread of Life, in the presence of all people.
Precious and too costly in Your eyes is the death of even one of Your own.
O God, Life-Giver, I am Your servant, and my mother was Your servant.
You have loosed my bonds.
R: We will eat the Bread of Life and drink the cup of Love.
Lifting the cup, I will offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and call upon the Name of God.
I will bear witness to You, O Bread of Life, in the presence of all people.
R: We will eat the Bread of Life and drink the cup of Love.
Alleluia: Celtic Alleluia by Christopher Walker – MT Video
https://youtu.be/4cs8NDVM3Vk
GOSPEL
A Reading from the Gospel attributed to Mark 14:12ab; 16abd; 22-24
On the day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrificed the Passover lamb… Jesus’ disciples went off into the city... and they prepared the Passover.
While they were eating, Jesus took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them saying, “Take this and eat. This is my body.”
Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them. They all drank from it. He said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant which will be shed for many.”
These are the inspired words of the Gospel writer known as Mark and the community affirms them by saying AMEN.
Homily Starter—Julie: One of the things that makes preparing a liturgy special for me is when I get to use the lens of our progressive theology to look at something that I used to think was set in stone in a new way. In this case, the Inclusive Lectionary taught me an awful lot about the Body and Blood of Christ. In the atonement theology we all grew up with, Jesus died for our sins. Contemporary Catholic theology offers a different approach to Jesus’ death. In this theology, Jesus’ death is not separated from his life. Together, the two demonstrate how to live and what is worth dying for. Here, the Eucharist commemorates the Passover meal of Jesus with his disciples but emphasizes discipleship, living as Jesus lived, rather than atonement for human sin.
Our first reading from Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians situates Jesus’ words at the last supper in the context of that Passover meal. These verses are believed to be the earliest written record of the Eucharistic words of institution. Jesus becomes the Passover Lamb for purposes of a new covenant relationship between God and believers. It’s important to note that the Passover Lamb was NOT a “sin offering,” but was the meal “heralding liberation for the enslaved Hebrews.” Contemporary Catholic theology emphasizes the symbolism of liberation from oppression, underlying the exodus from Egypt, rather than sacrifice. Jesus’ death (and resurrection) liberated us to embrace the sacred in a new way, one that acknowledges the possibility of human transformation of suffering into new life. Today’s Gospel illustrates that Jesus’ last meal with the disciples was the celebration of a Passover meal, again, not as a “sacrifice” but as a passage to liberation. Today our challenge is to continue that path to transformation and liberation, to be the body of Christ in our world.
Once again, before the sharing begins, I have an invitation for each of you. I invite you to let the questions of your fellows here today remain shimmeringly unanswered as we each discern our own truth.
So what did you hear? What would you like to share about today’s readings?
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.
LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST
Julie: 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
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 by Christopher Grundy
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: I drink the Cup of Love.
Communion Meditation: St. Teresa’s Prayer by John Michael Talbot
https://youtu.be/tF7Yb9fobCg?si=R82Tb2WQrxMRTqKN
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:
May we carry joy and hope in our hearts every day. May we love and care for each always. May our name be a blessing in our time. AMEN.
Closing Song: Anthem by Tom Conry
https://youtu.be/HP2gwC5TGFs
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