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Meeting ID: 825 1215 9155
Welcome and Theme (Mary Theresa): Welcome as we gather in the Spirit of Pentecost. As we listen again to the ancient story of dry bones rising, we remember that the same Spirit who called forth life in Ezekiel’s vision is still moving among us. No matter how dry the valley, how lifeless the bones—hope rises. May we open ourselves today to that sacred wind of renewal. Let us rejoice that even in the valley of death, life springs anew, birthing a new beginning.
Opening Prayer (Denise): Spirit of Life, Breath of the Holy One, We come before you as people yearning for new life, as a world longing for restoration. Breathe into us, as you breathed into the valley of dry bones. Where our hearts are weary, give us courage. Where our dreams have withered, renew our hope. Where justice lies dormant, stir us to action. Speak your word over us once more, that we might rise—alive, connected, and empowered to love boldly and live faithfully as we strive to live in the way of our brother, Jesus.
Opening Song: Veni Sancte Spirtus
LITURGY OF THE WORD
First Reading: Ezekiel 37:1-14
The hand of the Holy One came upon me,
and led me out in the Spirit
and set me in the center of the plain,
which was now filled with bones,
and made me walk among the bones in every direction.
I saw how many there were on the surface of the plain.
How dry they were!
The Spirit asked me:
can these bones come to life?
I answered, “you alone know that.”
Then the Spirit said to me:
Prophesy over these bones, and say to them:
Dry bones, hear the word of God!
See! I bring my Spirit into you, that you may come to life.
I will put sinews upon you, make flesh grow over you,
cover you with skin, and put Spirit in you
so that you may come to life and know that I am your God.
I, Ezekiel, prophesied as I had been told,
and even as I was prophesying I heard a noise;
it was a rattling as the bones came together, bone joining bone.
I saw the sinews and the flesh come upon them,
and the skin cover them, but there was no Spirit in them.
Then God said to me:
Prophesy to the Spirit, prophesy, Ezekiel,
and say to the Spirit: Thus says our GOD:
From the four winds come, O Spirit,
and breathe into these slain that they may come to life.
I prophesied as God told me, and the Spirit came into them;
they came alive and stood upright, a vast army.
Then God said to me:
these bones are the whole house of Israel.
They have been saying,
“Our bones are dried up,
our hope is lost, and we are cut off.”
Therefore, prophesy and say to them: Thus says our GOD:
O my people, I will open your graves
and have you rise from them,
and bring you back to the land of Israel.
Then you shall know that I am yours,
when I open your graves and have you rise from them,
O my people!
I will put my Spirit in you that you may live,
and I will settle you upon your land;
thus you shall know that I am your God.
I have promised, and I will do it.
These visions were given to the ancient priest, Ezekiel. We acknowledge his words with Amen.
Gospel Acclamation: Alleluia Misa Delgado Book1 by Lester Delgado
Gospel: John 20:19-23
On the evening of that first day of the week,
when the doors were locked where the disciples were out of fear,
Jesus came and stood in their midst
and said to them, "Peace be with you."
When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.
The disciples rejoiced when they saw him.
Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you."
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,
"Receive the Holy Spirit.”
These words describing Jesus as the Peace-giver come to us from an ancient writer we call John. We acknowledge his words with Amen.
Shared Homily
On his thirtieth birthday, on the day he would have been installed as a priest in Jerusalem, Ezekiel sat at the edge of an irrigation ditch at an Israelite refugee camp in Babylon. He was one of many taken into exile after that first attack. He must have feared for his beloved city. He must have been horribly worried about friends and family. He must have mourned the way his own dreams turned to dust. Dry bones. I imagine that his vision of the dry bones of the House of Israel fusing together, standing upright, plumped up with flesh, and filled with the Spirit of God must have been surprising, to say the least. Even more surprising that the words of God came out of his own mouth!
And here we are, 2500 years later. Yes, here we are, as individuals, as church, as nation, surveying a similar field of dry bones.
Where are the spirited conversations we remember with dear ones; those conversations where we could disagree on politics but remain in the firm knowledge that our relationships were stronger than those disagreements? Dry bones.
Where is the Church, gone off the rails 1500 years ago when it joined forces with Empire and has yet to find its way back on track? Dry bones.
Where is the soul of our nation; never a perfect union, but always striving – until now, to become more and more like the grand vision of our American Dream? Dry bones.
The shadows of what once was, of what should be, lie in ruins and dust at our feet. I imagine the disciples, locked up in a self-exile of fear. They too were witnesses to the destruction of a dream. They stood amidst the wreckage of a failed ministry, a defunct mission. Until their friend and teacher came to them. Somehow, in some manner, he offered them peace. And breathed the Spirit of God into them. And just like the House of Israel, the dry bones of their dead ministry re-formed. Like another resurrection, they were brought from despair to hope; from fear to courage.
Today, on this Pentecost weekend, let us remember that the same Spirit Jesus breathed into the disciples, the same Spirit Ezekiel invoked, is with us still. Let us call on that Spirit, for courage, for hope, and for peace. Let it be that we are the voices that call out those words of our Holy One:
“O my people, I will open your graves and have you rise from them,
Then you shall know that I am yours.
I have promised, and I will do it.”
What did you hear in today’s readings? Please share your thoughts.
Statement of Faith:
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.
Prayers of the Community
Denise: As we prepare for this sacred meal, we recall that just as Jesus is anointed, so each of us is anointed.
And 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 bring all of these prayers and unspoken concerns to the table of friendship. Amen.
LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST
Mary Theresa: Please join in praying our Eucharistic Prayer:
ALL: Holy Mystery, Source of Breath and Being,
From the dust of the earth you shaped us,
and from your own Spirit, you filled us with life.
Across the ages, your breath stirred creation—
waters parted, dry bones rattled,
and weary souls found their way home.
When we wandered into valleys of despair,
your prophets cried out,
"Come from the four winds, O Breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live."
And you did.
You have never ceased breathing new life into what was lost,
never stopped kindling fire where only ashes remained.
And so, with Ezekiel and the prophets,
with friends living now, with friends living in eternity,
and with all who dare to dream of dry bones rising,
we sing:
Spirit of the Living God by Michael Crawford sung by Dennis McDonald https://youtu.be/nkATdLfKufE
ALL: Holy Mystery, may we listen with assurance and excitement as the infinite, boundless, depths of love are revealed within and among us. May we awaken to the promise that we are always, no matter what the obstacles or setbacks we experience, embraced with love and compassion. May we be consumed with such a hunger and thirst for justice that our words and actions inflame others to become signs of justice. May we have eyes to see human need, hearts to care for our sisters and brothers and hands and feet to lighten others' burdens.
Mary Theresa: Please raise your hands in blessing:
Gathered here by the wind of the Spirit, we remember that The Holy One is present among us always, and present in the bread and wine on this table, and on all the tables throughout the world.
Denise: (lifts bread as community prays the following:)
All: On the night before he died, Jesus took bread, broke it, and shared it with friends who gathered around the table saying:
Take this bread and eat it.
This is my very self.
Mary Theresa: (lifts the cup as community prays the following: )
All: Jesus then raised a cup of blessing, spoke the grace 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. (pause)
All: We are called by the Spirit to live the Gospel of peace and justice. We will live justly.
We are called to be the presence of Love in the world. We will love tenderly.
We are called to speak truth to power. We will walk with integrity in your presence.
As we celebrate this memory of Jesus, let us experience the Spirit that enlivened him as she enlivens us.
Denise: Please receive Communion with the words: “We live in the Spirit.”
Communion Song: Come Alive (Dry Bones), Lauren Daigle https://youtu.be/uF6HlhGy3LM?si=Ss5VEWnu9hc4euz8
ALL: What we have heard with our ears, we will live our lives; as we share communion we will become communion, both love’s nourishment and love’s challenge.
Mary Theresa: 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 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
Denise: Please extend your hands in blessing.
All: Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your people and enkindle in them the fire of your love.
Send forth your Spirit and we shall be re-created, and with you, renew the face of the earth.
Closing Song: Sing a New Church by Delores Dufner, OSB
https://youtu.be/ETV1DXQk_Gk?si=fshfTGoZmCUPggmR
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