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phone-in for (audio only) Phone Number: (646) 558-8656
Meeting ID: 825 1215 9155
Welcome: Please center yourselves with the awareness of your feet on the floor and take a deep breath. We place ourselves in this sacred space whether here in the Upper Room or in our own personal and internal space, as we commit our lives to the work of the Divine. We acknowledge that we are important and tangible, signs of God’s love to each other and to those we serve by our witness.
Opening Prayer: Holy One, you are with us in every step we take. Thank you for being with us now. Help us to serve you in everything we do. We ask this in the name of all that is Holy, AMEN.
Opening Song: More Light by Christopher Gundy video by MTStreck
LITURGY OF THE WORD
First Reading: A Reading from the Book of Wisdom,
I prayed, and prudence was given me;
I pleaded, and the spirit of wisdom came to me.
I preferred her to scepter and throne,
and deemed riches nothing in comparison with her,
nor did I liken any priceless gem to her;
because all gold, in view of her, is a little sand,
and before her, silver is to be accounted mire.
Beyond health and comeliness I loved her,
and I chose to have her rather than the light,
because the splendor of her never yields to sleep.
Yet all good things together came to me in her company,
and countless riches at her hands.
These are the words from the Book of Wisdom, and we affirm them by saying AMEN.
Second Reading: Our second reading from the Letter to the Hebrews.
Brothers and sisters:
Indeed the word of God is living and effective,
sharper than any two-edged sword,
penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow,
and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.
No creature is concealed from him,
but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him
to whom we must render an account.
These are the words from the letter to the Hebrews, and we affirm them by saying AMEN.
Alleluia: Celtic Alleluia by Christopher Walker – MTVideo
Gospel: A Gospel reading from the Book of Matthew.
As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up,
knelt down before him, and asked him,
"Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
Jesus answered him, "Why do you call me good?
No one is good but God alone.
You know the commandments: You shall not kill;
you shall not commit adultery;
you shall not steal;
you shall not bear false witness;
you shall not defraud;
honor your father and your mother."
He replied and said to him,
"Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth."
Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him,
"You are lacking in one thing.
Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor
and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me."
At that statement his face fell,
and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.
Jesus looked around and said to his disciples,
"How hard it is for those who have wealth
to enter the kingdom of God!"
The disciples were amazed at his words.
So Jesus again said to them in reply,
"Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!
It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle
than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God."
They were exceedingly astonished and said among themselves,
"Then who can be saved?"
Jesus looked at them and said,
"For human beings it is impossible, but not for God.
All things are possible for God."
Peter began to say to him,
"We have given up everything and followed you."
Jesus said, "Amen, I say to you,
there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters
or mother or father or children or lands
for my sake and for the sake of the gospel
who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age:
houses and brothers and sisters
and mothers and children and lands,
with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come."
These are the words of the scribe known as Matthew, and we affirm them by saying AMEN.
Shared Homily: Deb Trees
My grandmother always taught me: “If you can’t say anything good, don’t say anything at all.”
I love her dearly and will follow her soul, all the days of my life.
So, I wonder, “How am I to share my own life experience and leadership with those around me, and follow Jesus too?”
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB’s) mission is to encounter the mercy of Christ and to accompany His people with joy. This is a Quote from the website of the USCCB.
During the entire month of October from October 1 to October 31 the following are “important“ to the USCCB.
Domestic Violence Awareness Month
Respect Life Month
Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month
If we want to do any of these things, Really??!!
We would support women as equals who have power, know their own bodies and priorities, and support their families and communities.
We would make sure that justice is done by making sure that women are paid the same as men for any job or profession. (Including women serving in the Roman Catholic Church).
We would help women and families with healthcare that is inclusive, childcare that supports women and children including all families, and awareness that only the individual woman knows and understands her particular health and family situation.
We would understand that only the woman herself has the wherewithal to make the right decision for herself and her family.
We would support the dignity and profound sacredness of woman.
There is something harmful when you have a whole month, devoted to these things and never once mention the word “woman”!
That being said, our Christian and Roman Catholic Sisters and Brothers are hearing these words this weekend and being given these teachings based on the emphasis of the October month, the teachings we have noted above.
Of course, any one of us wants to do what is asked of us and follow our God and Spirit. We want to follow Jesus in our lives if we are truly espousing our Christian roots.
How can we then give our brothers and sisters the acknowledgement of their spiritual calling, and at the same time communicate our vision of equality? I believe that Jesus understood and acknowledges women as equals. How can we help our patriarchal society to change?
These readings and these questions challenge us as true followers of The Way. What did you hear in these readings? How does it inform your choices and love for the world in following Jesus?
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
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
Presider: 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 shared
We bring these and all deeply held blessings, cares, and concerns to the table of friendship and peace.
LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST
Presider: Please join in praying the Eucharistic prayer together:
O Holy One, you have been called by many names by many people in the centuries of our planet’s life. Yet, no name truly defines you or describes you. We celebrate you as the marvelous, loving energy of life who caused us and our world to be. We celebrate you as the Source of light and life and love, and we celebrate your presence and all-ways care.
Please join in praying the Eucharistic prayer together:
(Eucharistic prayer taken from the work of Diarmuid O’Murchu and Jay Murnane)
All: O Holy One, we stand at a critical moment in Earth’s history – a time when humanity must choose its future.
As the world becomes increasingly interdependent and fragile, the future holds both peril and great promise.
May we recognize that, in the midst of a magnificent diversity of cultures and life forms, we are one human family and one Earth community with a common destiny.
United with our vast universe, with our Mother-Planet and her people everywhere, with one another and You, Holy One, our spirits dance and sing this song of praise:
Holy, Holy, Holy: Here in this Place by Christopher Grundy
We give grateful thanks for those who came before us, for all those who gave from their hearts, who gave from their lives, that there might be a better world, a safer world, a kinder world, we pray for peace in their name.
And for the children, that they may live, that they may have children of their own and that it will go on - this great blossoming that is meant to go on and on – we pray for peace, in their name.
And for all peoples of this earth who have no voice in this,
For the animals that have no voice in this,
For the plants, the trees, the flowers that have no voice in this,
For all who share this earth with us, we pray for peace in their name.
We thank you for our brother, Jesus. He showed us so simply, so tenderly, how the world is in our hands. He had nothing in this world but your love, companions on the journey, and his very self. Together, that was more than enough, and that remains our clarity in the midst of confusion: the miracle of healing, new hope, nurturance, nourishment, liberation and life.
Presider: Please extend your hands in blessing.
All: Your Spirit is here in us and in the gifts of this Eucharistic table. May we 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:
Presider 1: When he returned to his place at the table, he lifted the Passover bread, spoke the blessing, broke the bread and offered it to them saying:
Take and eat; this is my very self.
All lift their cup and pray the following:
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.
Please consume the bread and drink the cup with the words: You are living the desires of the Divine in your life.
Communion Song: Everything is Holy Now, Peter Mayer.
Prayer After Communion
Loving Source of All, we have looked for others to save us and to save our world. Yet, we are called, and consecrated and sent into the world to establish justice and show the blessed fulfillment that comes with simplicity and the giving of ourselves in love. We will make new our commitment to the harmony of the original vision of creation.
We will open up wide all that has been closed about us, and our small circles. Like Jesus, in all openness, we will be filled with your own Spirit and renew the face of the earth.
For it is through learning to live as he lived,
And why he lived,
And for whom he lived,
That we awaken to your Spirit within,
Moving us to worship you truly,
O Holy One,
At this time and all time and in all ways.
And we say yes to You!
Presider: Let us pray together the prayer of Jesus:
All: 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
Presider: Let us pray together our blessing:
May wonder and thanksgiving fill us, may compassion penetrate us, that we may penetrate the numbness that continues our society’s injustices. May we know that we are loved.
May we continue to be the face of the Holy One to each other and may we be a blessing in our time! Amen.
Presider 2: Please join in singing our Closing Song
Closing Song: Rise Up by Maggie Wheeler and Golden Bridge Community Choir - with lyrics
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