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Welcome, as we gather to celebrate our gifts as a community, in gratitude and love.
Opening Prayer
Holy One, open our minds and our hearts as we gather to listen to your Word. Amen.
Opening Song: Berakah, The Blessing by Jan Novotka
LITURGY OF THE WORD
First Reading: From “Truly Human in a Partially Human World,” by Ilia Delio
Ultimately, it was love that got Jesus into trouble. He loved to the point of tears and did not hold back those tears in the face of death. He healed the unclean, embraced women and raised the dead to life. The humanity of Jesus reveals the openness of the soul to the infinite love of God. His humanity is our humanity; his divinity is our divinity as well. Jesus is not the great exception to what we are but the epitome of what we can become.
These are the prophetic words of Theologian Ilia Delio. We affirm her words with Amen.
Gospel Acclamation: Alleluia (Eightfold) – Jan Phillips
Gospel: A reading from the ancient writer known as Mark (11:27-33)
Jesus and his disciples returned once more to Jerusalem.
As he was walking in the temple area,
the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders
approached him and said to him,
“By what authority are you doing these things?
Or who gave you this authority to do them?”
Jesus said to them, “I shall ask you one question.
Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things.
Was John’s baptism of heavenly or of human origin? Answer me.”
They discussed this among themselves and said,
“If we say, ‘Of heavenly origin,’ he will say,
‘Then why did you not believe him?’
But shall we say, ‘Of human origin’?”–
they feared the crowd,
for they all thought John really was a prophet.
So they said to Jesus in reply, “We do not know.”
Then Jesus said to them,
“Neither shall I tell you by what authority I do these things.”
These are the words of the ancient writer we know as Mark. We affirm his words with Amen.
Homily Starter
A first reading of today’s Gospel might give us the impression of Jesus as a canny lawyer finding his way out of answering a difficult question. And maybe that’s what he was trying to do: avoid answering a question that might get him into trouble. But let’s look at the question. Actually, there are two: “by what authority are you doing these things?” And “who gave you this authority?”
Jesus was a healer. It was an ability, a gift he shared with many who needed healing. In his time, many people believed that the ability to heal either came from a benevolent God or from evil spirits. So, the question was put to him: which is it?
Let’s think, for a minute, how we might answer these, or similar, questions. I know a person with a beautiful singing voice. If he were asked, “by what authority are you able to sing like that?” and “who gave you this wonderful gift?” I wonder how he would answer. My daughter has the ability to de-escalate tension in any situation she walks into. Who gave her that ability? Who gave her such authority?
Of course, we now know that talents like these are the result of many things. Genetics and environmental factors each play roles in forming them, and they are a part of the whole person who carries these gifts; a whole person who is an expression of Divinity.
Ilia Delio reminds us that like us, Jesus was a whole person. The gifts he shared were part of his personhood. And like us, his personhood was an expression of the Love that is God. Jesus was completely open to that Love, and it flowed through him in the form of healing. It flows through my friend in the beautiful sound of his singing. It flows through my daughter in the peace she brings to tense situations.
So how to answer a question like, “who gave you the authority” to do this or that? There is no straight answer to the question. DNA? Supportive role-models? Luck? None of these or a combination of all? We can’t answer the question simply. But in all cases, because we are human persons full of the Love that inhabits us, we, like Jesus, can embrace our gifts, whatever they may be, and celebrate and share them, knowing that they are a living expression of the Divine within us.
What did you hear in today’s readings? Please share your thoughts.
Shared Homily
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 are aware that just as Jesus is anointed, so is each of us. We bring to this table our blessings, cares and concerns. Please feel free to voice your prayers beginning with the words “I bring to the table….”
We pray for these and all unspoken concerns. Amen.
LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST
adapted from Diarmuid O’Murchu
With open hands let us pray our Eucharistic Prayer together:
Gracious God, source and sustenance of life, redeeming presence to the pain and brokenness of our world, Holy Spirit, who enlivens and inebriates all that exists, we beseech your healing power upon us and all we pray for today.
Down through the ages, you rescue us from darkness. You light up our ways with wise and holy people. You restore our spirits and you revive our dwindling hope.
May the Spirit of life and wholeness transform us that we may be refreshed in our inner being and be empowered to bring mercy, love, and healing to those whose lives we touch.
For all you bring to our lives, and for all we seek amid pain and suffering, we acclaim your love and greatness, and we join with all creation to sing our hymn of praise:
Holy, Holy, Holy by Karen Drucker video by Denise
Source of our health and wholeness, healer of body, mind, and spirit, we come before you as we are. We thank you for these bodies, in all their strengths and frailties. We thank you for our minds, ever enquiring, ever expanding in your knowledge. We thank you for our hearts, strengthened in your love, yet ever breakable. We know you love us as we are, even as you call us to become even more.
Please raise your hands in blessing:
We ask you to awaken anew in our hearts the empowering grace of your abundant Spirit as she infuses these gifts of bread and wine, and all here present, with the transforming energy of life.
As we gather around this friendship table, we recall God’s blessing and love from ages past, and we celebrate anew the gift of life which we share among us at this Eucharistic feast.
The bread we break and the cup we share are symbols of our world of abundance where all are invited to partake of the fullness of life.
On the night before he died, Jesus gathered for supper with the people closest to him. Like a household slave, he washed their feet. Once again, he showed us how to love one another.
All lift the plate and pray:
Back at the table, he took the Bread, spoke the grace, broke the bread and offered it to them saying, Take and eat, this is my very self.
All lift the cup and pray:
Then he took 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.
We share this bread and cup to proclaim and live the gospel of justice and peace. We choose to live justly, love tenderly, and walk with integrity.
Please receive communion saying: “My gifts are an expression of your Love.”
Communion Song: What Shall I Give by Sara Thomsen video by Denise
Prayer After Communion
In faith and hope we are sustained,
In grace our dignity reclaimed,
In praise we thank our God.
Grant that we may strive to create a world where suffering and pain are diminished, where justice and peace are restored, and where all people can live in health and wholeness, united in acclaiming the God of life, whose abundance is offered to each and to all, bringing your Kin-dom into being.
This prayer we make in the name of our healing and nurturing God through, with, and in whom we offer these gifts, sources of life, love, and goodness, now and forever. Amen.
Let us pray as Jesus taught us:
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
Let us raise our hands and bless each other.
May we embrace the gifts given to us through the Love that birthed us. May we share them widely and in great joy, knowing that we are growing the Kin-dom. Amen.
Closing Song: I Am the One Within You by Karen Drucker
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