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An invitation to be Prophets in our Time
Welcome everyone. We are now gathered as witnesses to the Way of Jesus to help us navigate the anxious times we have been born into. The challenges are many during these difficult times of war and global unrest. We welcome the wisdom of Sophia to help us discern our unique gift of understanding so that we may answer the call from our gatekeeper Jesus to be prophets in our own time.
Opening Prayer and Song: Gather Us In
LITURGY OF THE WORD
First Reading: from the writings of Diarmuid O’Murchu
What did you go out to see?
A reed shaking in the wind?
Swaying to the whimsical mood
Of imperial royal demeanor,
Impervious to those who seek power to set people free.
What did you go out to see?
Another royal patron,
Dressed to the kilt in splendid décor,
Wallowing in opulent luxury,
Deaf to the cry of all who stand outside the gate.
So, what did you go out to seek?
Not a king, but a prophet!
One who turns the system upside down,
Denouncing all that consumes in power,
While proclaiming hope – oft in the face of desperation.
And the one who follows on this way,
A prophet I tell you and a great deal more!
For the least in God’s new reign,
Like the reeds along the lakeside,
Dance and flicker to the light of new hope.”
These are the words from Christianity’s Dangerous Memory: A Rediscovery of the Revolutionary Jesus and we affirm them by saying Amen.
Gospel Acclamation: Celtic Alleluia by Christopher Walker
Gospel: The Gospel according to John 10:1-10 from The Inclusive Bible
To the Pharisees Jesus replied, “The truth of the matter is, whoever does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for the shepherd.
The sheep know the shepherd’s voice; the shepherd calls them by name and leads them out. Having led them all out of the fold, the shepherd walks in front of them and they follow because they recognize the shepherd’s voice. They simply do not follow strangers – they flee from them because they don’t recognize the voice of strangers.”
Even though Jesus used this metaphor with the Pharisees, they didn’t grasp what he was trying to tell them. So, Jesus explained saying, “The truth of the matter is, I am the gate for the sheep. All who have come before me were thieves and robbers, and the sheep have not listened to them.
I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be safe – you ‘ll go in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal, slaughter and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.”
These are words attributed to the evangelist, John, and we affirm these words by saying AMEN.
Please pause briefly to reflect on these readings.
Homily Starter
Last weekend we heard another story from the Gospel writer John about how Jesus calmed the disciples’ fears and earned their trust after he ‘walked on water’. Scholars generally agree that John was addressing both Gentiles and Jews who lived throughout the Greco-Roman territories. His recall of events was intended to strengthen their belief that Jesus was the promised Messiah. In her homily last week, Denise reminded us that it was a dangerous time when the Roman emperors were on a rampage against Jews and the converted Christians. Fearing the loss of control and dominance over the region, Emperor Titus destroyed the Temple in Jerusalem in 70 CE, which had been the epicenter of all aspects of Jewish life. It was a time of life-threatening chaos and deep questioning about personal and cultural identity.
Today’s Gospel is unique to John, as he described how Jesus is an accessible Good Shepherd and the Gatekeeper thereby fulfilling the Old Testament. In Psalm 23, we hear the voice attributed to King David [c. 1010-970 BCE] who describes his relationship with God as his personal shepherd leading him to nourishing green pastures. In typical scripture fashion, it is a metaphor for a safe place to contemplate his future. It is there that King David finds strength and reassurance to follow the path of goodness by resisting the evil he finds in life’s valley of darkness. To settle disputes with his enemies, he leads the expansion of Israel’s territories as the military commander of war. The goal for peace continued to be placed side by side with violence.
Four centuries later, the Prophet Jeremiah [c. 626-583 BCE] warned the Hebrews to turn away from their sinful ways, otherwise, they would face God’s punishment and wrath. At the same time God gave a promise to protect and bring the scattered people back together by using the same metaphor, “I will gather my flocks and bring them back to their pasture … and place shepherds who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid or terrified” [Chapter 23]. The Prophet Ezekiel was a contemporary of Jeremiah who proclaimed God’s vengeance against nations who were hostile to Israel. He exposes corrupt ‘shepherds’ who are in leadership roles and portrays God as the true shepherd who will heal the ‘broken sheep’. Another profound promise is given by God, “I myself will search for my sheep and seek them out … to look after them and feed them with justice” [Chapter 34].
Centuries later Jesus followed these three prophets and brought Good News, circumventing war and violence by advocating loving compassion and forgiveness. Violence was no longer an option. As God’s Divine messenger he drew on the ancient pastoral theme to calm the terrifying fears that had been brewing for centuries. In a cloaked message Jesus challenged the pompous religious authorities and offered protection from the thieves and wolves who prey on the sheep. Listening carefully, sheep can distinguish their shepherd’s voice amidst the confusion that is created when grazing together along the hillsides. As dusk approached, the sheep are gathered into their own safe and secure enclosure. Believers took time to listen to John as he shared the stories and teachings from Jesus while contemplating the deeper meaning of hope in the face of desperation.
It is interesting that in this narrative, Jesus represented himself not only as a humble shepherd, but as the protective gate and barrier against false teachings. Fears are calmed through trust in the shepherd’s guidance to discover a peaceful way of living. By recognizing the inherent goodness of the Divine Creator as Jesus proclaimed, faith replaced fear and a purposeful and fulfilling existence became a possibility in times of debilitating chaos.
The poem by Diarmuid O’Murchu invites modern day seekers to find meaning in ancient biblical texts. He begins his poem by recalling a rhetorical question that Jesus asked the crowd regarding John the Baptist [Luke 7:24; Mt 11:]. They are both doing God’s work, with John preparing the way while at the same time Jesus was beginning his healing ministry. O’Murchu subtly reveals the heart’s desire to expose cultural pressure and the power systems that idolize the dangerous normalized trappings of materialism. He refers to the common Galilean reed as a traditional symbol of human vulnerability that can easily be broken and represents a dangerous threat. As Jesus introduced a new understanding of God’s compassionate ‘New Reign’ on earth, the frail lakeside reed dances in the light of hope, not to be broken.
The entire Gospel collection culminates with the transformative resurrection shattering the notion that salvation and freedom from oppressive mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual suffering would have to come through a warrior’s sword as in times past. Today’s readings offer a message of hope that has been echoed over time, that there will always be an alternate path that leads out of the dark valley that seekers find themselves in. This path is paved in compassionate love, humility and ideals of unity. It leads to an open gate where Jesus our Shepherd is patiently waiting with an invitation to rest into the Good News and learn how to become prophets serving in our own time.
Please feel free to share your thoughts and insights on what you have heard.
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.
Prayers of the Community
As we prepare for the sacred meal, we voice our intentions beginning with the words, “We bring to the table ….”
We pray for these and all unspoken intentions. Amen.
LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST
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:
Here in this Place – Holy Holy Holy by Christopher Grundy https://youtu.be/sgkWXOSGmOQ
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.
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:
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 receive the bread and the cup with the words: I am on a path of compassionate love.
Communion Meditation: For Her Speak, by MaMuse
Jesus taught us how to love and care for one another and all of creation. We are grateful for our brother, Jesus, who taught us how to pray.
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:
- o to discern more wisely your call to us in the circumstances of our daily lives;
- o to act justly and courageously in confronting the pain and suffering that desecrates the Earth and its peoples;
- o to take risks in being creative and proactive on behalf of the poor and marginalized; and
- o 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 ourselves to see through the illusion, 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 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.
(adapted by Miriam Therese Winter)
BLESSING
Let us pray together our blessing:
May wonder in seeking fill us, may compassion penetrate the numbness and confusion that sustains injustice. Help us to find the sacredness within ourselves and one another and may we be a blessing in our time! Amen.
Closing Song: Get together by The Youngbloods https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBJYxPN8qIA
References
O’Murchu, Diarmuid. (2011). Christianity’s Dangerous Memory: A Rediscovery of the Revolutionary Jesus (pg. 194). The Crossroad Publishing Company.
The Catholic Youth Bible: International Edition, New Revised Version, Catholic Edition. (2004). Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA. St. Mary’s Press.
The Inclusive Bible: The First Egalitarian Translation
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