Greeting: Good Evening. As we gather for our Moment of Oneness, we begin by listening to The Lilies of the Field. I invite you to breathe in the beauty all around us – a beauty that is free and available at any moment. Our readings and prayers are an invitation to discover or rediscover that ever present beauty amidst our very busy and often distracted lives.
Opening Song:Consider the Lilies of the Field by Roger Hoffman
Holy One, help us arrive at the beautiful truth that, without a doubt, we are immersed in the Holy One.Help us to realize that The Sacred is not an occasional find in life, in church, or even in a sunset.Help us arrive at the deep conviction Joan Chittister describes: The Beloved ‘is a sense of life now and of life beyond life.’She ‘is what calls us to live into the heart of the universe’’.
Reading:Start with a Stone by Richard Rhor
Abraham Maslow points out in his hierarchy of needs that you cannot meet higher needs at any level of depth if the lesser needs are not first tended to.You cannot do an end run to levels of communion and compassion, for example, when your basic security and survival needs have not been met.As Jesus might put it, when you are “worried about many things” (Luke 10:41), you cannot have faith.When you cannot enjoy the lilies of the field or the sparrows in the sky, don’t waste time thinking you can enjoy God or respect people at any depth.So, start at the bottom, if you can, and try to love a rock!If you can do that, it only gets bigger, wider, higher, deeper, and better.
History tells of too many people who have tried to be spiritual before they have learned how to be human!Maybe this is why Jesus came to model humanity for us – much more than divinity.Once you get the simplest human parts down (stop slamming the doors and start loving rocks), God will most assuredly take it all from there. Get the ordinary human thing down and you will have all the spirituality you can handle.
Adapted from Contemplation in Action, pp 83-84
Silent Reflection:
Intentions:
Response:Let itbe so.
May we awaken to the mystery of being in the here and now and enter the quiet immensity of the Sacred
For all of us ‘who worry about many things’, may we go back to the bottom and discover the beauty and oneness of nature
For all those living without the most basic security and survival networks
For anyone imprisoned by fear and/or trauma, that we can reach out with support and the gift of love
That we all might ‘get that human thing down’ so that the spiritual in each of us can thrive.
That we may learn to enjoy and appreciate the lilies of the field and the sparrows in the sky
That we might live the heart of the universe
Silence to add your intentions
Closing Prayer: from An Altar in the World on seeing theworld through a tree’s eyes.
What do the tall trees say
To the late havocs in the sky?
They sigh.
The air moves, and they sway,
When the breeze on the hill
Is still, they stand still.
They wait.
They have no fear.Their fate
Is faith.Birdsong
Is all they’ve wanted all along.
Closing Song:
May we recognize that We are a Blessing to the World
Mary Theresa: Welcome to our Upper Room Community. Today we honor and celebrate St. Mary of Magdala, beloved companion and disciple of Jesus.
Today we honor and celebrate all of the strong and courageous women who confronted the darkness in their lives and pushed through the darkness to recognized the Divine Light within.
Today we honor Juanita who was ordained a priest fourteenth years ago on the feast of Mary and we honor all women who walked the pathway to ordination in the Roman Catholic Church.
We are grateful that Edwina Gateley is joining us today and will read a selection on Mary of Magdala from her book: Soul Sisters.And we are grateful that Edwina will lead us in our homily sharing.
Opening Prayer
Juanita: Like Mary of Magdala, apostle to the apostles, we rejoice that our spiritual power to live the Gospel is rooted in the presence of Spirit within each and all of us. Like Mary of Magdala, we rejoice that our oneness with the Holy One frees us from rules, projections and expectations that limit our ability to be a radiant reflection of Divine love and compassion.
Amen
Gathering Song: Women of the Church by Carey Landry
Our First Reading Mary of Magdala from Soul Sisters by Edwina Gateley
This is an excerpt from the text:
Ah, Mary of Magdala, they did not tell us your story.
It was lost, buried deep in layers of fear and denial, that such a one as you – female, fiercely loyal friend of Jesus - could walk so closely with him, never leaving his side even as you stood before the gates of hell.
What dread sickness was it, Mary, that gripped you with all of seven symptoms?
They did not tell us your story….
But we know your spirit was battered in a society which had no place for you.
Was your sickness then a soul-sickness, sister? Were the demons that devoured you, offsprings of despair in a patriarchal culture where your voice could never be spoken? Your words never heard?
They did not tell us, Mary. They did not tell us your story.
Could your seven demons be those very ones that reside still in your sisters, two thousand years later, cowering in shadowy apartments, brutalized by domestic violence and believing it deserved? Afraid to speak, to break the chains that bind them.
Ah, Mary of Magdala, were you also imprisoned by your story never told? Your story of the empty grave was dismissed as rambling – distraught woman-nonsense.
How was it with you then, Mary of Magdala? Standing in the place of revelation, singular woman witness of the Resurrection? How was it to be so bereft and then be thrust, still weeping, into the bliss of the Realm of God, to run then, with that vision – that new of life – to those who lived in fear?
Ah, Mary, we your sisters (and brothers) need to hear your running and your story resurrected and dusted from the tomb of scriptural exegesis into the bright sunlight. We need to claim your vision breaking through dead history into our warm lives.
We, women waiting, need to find you, Mary of Magdala. In the torn threads of our own journeys, we need to weave you, Mary, sister and friend, into our lives that we might stir and rise, fluttering in hope of new beginnings, no matter how long dead we have lain in the ground. Ah, then, Mary, brave woman of Magdala, we too will run from our tombs singing our song of resurrection with you, soul sister, into the bright, bright sun.
Mary Theresa: These of the inspired words of Edwina Gateley, disciple of Jesus, and we affirm them by saying, Amen.
Alleluia
Gospel: (Juanita) A Reading from the Gospel of Mary (4:8-10, 5:1-10)
Translated by Jean-Yves Leloup
Jesus said, “Go and proclaim the good news of the kin-dom. Impose no law other than that which I have witnessed. Do not add more laws to those given in the Torah, lest you become bound by them.” Having said all this, he departed.
The disciples were in sorrow, shedding many tears, and saying: “How are we to go among the unbelievers and announce the gospel of the Kin-dom?
They did not spare his life, so why should they spare ours?”
Then Mary arose, embraced them all, and began to speak to her brothers:
“Do not remain in sorrow and doubt, for his Grace will guide you and comfort you. Instead, let us praise his greatness, for he has prepared us for this.
He is calling upon us to become fully human.
Thus, Mary turned their hearts toward the Good, (The Holy One) and they began to discuss the meaning of Jesus’ words.
These are sacred words from the Gospel of Mary, and we affirm them by saying:
All: Amen.
Homily Starter: Edwina Gateley
STATEMENT OF FAITH
Mary Theresa: Please join in proclaiming our Statement of Faith.
Denise: 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.
Julie: 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.
Denise: 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.
Julie: 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.
Denise: 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
Mary Theresa: 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.
We pray for these and all unspoken concerns. Amen.
Mary Theresa: With open hands and hearts, let us pray together our Eucharistic prayer:
O Nurturing, Mothering One, You are always with us. We are grateful for Your constant loving and unconditional presence. You give us life, and we live and breathe with your Spirit. You create us female and male; You call us good, and we live as equal partners. You share the earth with us, and we, as co-creators with you, complement your ongoing activity of creation.
Joan: O Heart of Love, Your Spirit moved through Mary of Magdala as she taught us that we are in continuous communion with you. Your Spirit moves through the love within us, expanding in widening circles to embrace all people and creation in our evolving universe. United with all our blessed ancestors, with Mary of Magdala and all women and men who confronted the structures of oppression in their times with unique vision and compassion, we sing:
Juanita: We give grateful thanks for all your faithful servants, opening for all of us a path to life.
Please extend your hands in blessing.
Your Spirit is in us and among us at this Eucharistic table.We are grateful for this bread and wine which reminds us of our call to be the body of Christ in the world.
We thank you for Jesus, simple servant, lifting up the lowly, revealing you as God-With-Us, revealing us as one with you, and all creation. He had nothing in this world but your love, companions on the journey, and his very self. Together, that was more than enough.
On the night before he died, Jesus came to the table with the women and men he loved. 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 plates and pray the following)
Back at the table, Jesus took the Passover Bread, spoke the grace, broke the bread and offered it to them saying, Take and eat, this is my very self.
(All lift their cups and pray the following)
Mary Theresa: Then he took the cup of blessing, spoke the grace, and offered it to them 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.
What we have heard with our ears, we will live with our lives,
As we share communion, we become communion, both Love’s nourishment and Love’s challenge.
Please receive communion with the words: The Divine Spirit is within me.
Communion Meditation: Courageous Women by Jan Novotka
https://youtu.be/x8YdXUl4ZsQ
PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
Joan: O Divine Love, your transforming energy is within us and just as you called Mary of Magdala, you also call us to go forth and to tell the Good News.
We pray for wise leaders in our religious communities. We pray for courageous and compassionate leaders in our world communities.
We pray for all of us gathered here and like Jesus, we open ourselves up to your Spirit, for it is through living as he lived that we awaken to your Spirit within,
moving us to glorify you, at this time and all ways.
Amen.
Joan: 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
Mary Theresa: Please raise your hands in blessing:
May our lives radiate the love of the Holy One.
May we live justice and equality in our church and world.
May Mary of Magdala be our model of courage and faithful service.
May we be a blessing in our time. Amen.
Mary Theresa: Our closing song is Women Spirit by Karen Drucker- A tribute to all strong and courageous women.
Moment of Oneness, Reflections of Our Paths to Today.
Last year we said these prayers:
As we gather in our homes, sheltered and supporting each other, we bring a sense of hope to our lives.Our love for each other and for our communities, both small and large, is evident in our actions. We give our gifts with a sense of freedom and presence. We know that we can only give what we have ourselves. Our work, rest and play, our very existence, is a unique facet of our Creator, who blesses us and through us, blesses all.May we continue to know the Holy One’s companionship. AMEN.
Today we complete this part of our Journey with these reflections:
As we gather now together in the presence of each other, in so many venues and tribes, we bring a sense of gratitude to our lives. We remember our place with each other in respectful and responsible ways. We continue our love for each other and our communities and honor our shared experience. May we continue in this awareness and holiness.
The Prayer of Thanksgiving, Early Christian Prayer found at Nag Hammadi.
The Prayer of Thanksgiving (from the Early Christian writings found at Nag Hammadi.)
1 This is the prayer they said: We give thanks to you, every life and heart stretches toward you, O name untroubled, honored with the name of God, praised with the name of Father.
2 To everyone and everything comes the kindness of the Father, and love and desire.
3 And if there is a sweet and simple teaching, it gifts us mind, word, and knowledge: mind, that we may understand you; word, that we may interpret you; knowledge, that we may know you.
4 We rejoice and are enlightened by your knowledge. We rejoice that you have taught us about yourself.
5 We rejoice that in the body you have made us divine* through your knowledge.
6 The thanksgiving of the human who reaches you is this alone: that we know you.
7 We have known you, O light of mind. O light of life, we have known you.
8 O womb of all that grows, we have known you.
9 O womb pregnant with the nature of the Father, we have known you.
10 O never-ending endurance of the Father who gives birth, so we worship your goodness.
11 One wish we ask: we wish to be protected in knowledge.
12 One protection we desire: that we not stumble in this life.
13 When they said these things in prayer, they welcomed one another, and they went to eat their holy food, which had no blood in it.”
— A New New Testament: A Bible for the Twenty-first Century Combining Traditional and Newly Discovered Texts by Hal Taussig
Silent Reflection
Prayers of Petition
Holy One, you give us hope for our life as we learn to listen and follow you.RESPONSE: We are full of hope and light.
Holy One, you make sure that we have the experiences to fulfill our calling to be servants, friends and companions on this journey.RESPONSE: We are full of hope and light.
Holy One, you allow us to have free will and to give thanks for all that we are given.RESPONSE: We are full of hope and light.
Holy One, we bless your name as you walk with us on this path.
RESPONSE: We are full of hope and light.
Please add your silent reflections now…
Closing Prayer:
Send us forth with the knowing of your spirit inside us. Be with us in Hope as we live our lives of Love and Service. Keep us always close to you. Our hearts are full of your Grace.
Donna: Good morning. Welcome to the Upper Room Community. Today we celebrate the great challenge to be evangelists in the 21st century. We live in a time where religion is in decline but spiritual thirst and needs are as elemental to the human experience as they ever have been. We are each called to inner transformation through open hearted encounters with the Mystery of the Holy One. Through our own authentic spirituality, the light and love of this Mystery shines into the darkness of the world and the struggles of those we encounter.
Julie: Please join us in our opening meditation by joining us in singing Loving Kindness.
Tim: Excerpts from Wisdom Distilled from the Daily: Living the Rule of St. Benedict Todayby Joan Chittister
Spirituality is more than churchgoing. It is possible to go to church and never develop a spirituality at all. Spirituality is the way in which we express a living faith in a real world. Spirituality is the sum total of the attitudes and actions that define our life of faith.
Spirituality, or “life according to the Spirit,” was measured for many by the number of masses attended or the number of rosaries said or the number of commands accepted with docility or the number and kinds of things that were “given up” in order to lead a higher or more “perfect” life. As a result of those criteria, only nuns, monks, and priests were credited with really being able to live the spiritual life. This understanding persisted until Vatican II with its recognition of the universal call to holiness and the authenticity of the lay vocation in the Church.
We are beginning again, as people did in earlier times, to see the spiritual life through a wider angle lens. The spirituality we develop affects the way we image God, the way we pray, the types of asceticism we practice, the place we give to ministry and community in our definition of “the spiritual life.” It is spirituality that draws us beyond ourselves to find significance and meaning in life. It is our spirituality that defines our life values: self-abnegation or self-development; community or solitude; contemplation or evangelization; personal transformation or social justice; hierarchy or equality. The spirituality we develop, in other words, is the filter through which we view our worlds and the limits within which we operate.
These are the inspired words of Joan Chittister and the community affirms them by saying AMEN.
Then Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out in pairs, giving them authority over unclean spirits. He instructed them that they should take nothing for their journey except a mere staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belts. They were to wear sandals but, he added, “Do not take a spare tunic.”
And Jesus said to them, “Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave town. Any place that does not receive you or listen to you, as you leave it, shake the dust from the soles of your feet as a testimony against them.”
And so they set off, proclaiming repentance as they went. They cast out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.
These are the inspired words of the anonymous storyteller we call Mark and the community affirms them by saying AMEN.
Shared Homily
Donna: When you hear the phrase, your life as evangelism, what thoughts come to mind? The gospel reading describes early evangelism in a couple of ways: having authority over unclean spirits and preaching repentance. We hear this description today with the backdrop of tele-evangelists. So, the word evangelism can bring up troubling images of aggressive, pseudo-healers, and preachers who say we will go to hell if we do not give our lives to Jesus and send them seed faith money while we are at it. These images give the word evangelism an untrue and distorted meaning. As contemporary Christians, we are still spreading the message of Jesus today so there must be a better way to understand the concept.
Evangelism is defined as: Sharing the message and teachings of Jesus. It could be that Jesus’ instruction to his disciples to stay in one place in each town indicates that forming relationships was key to sharing his message. The word repentance came from the Greek word metanoia which means a change of mind and heart. Understanding repentance as a change of mind and heart can help us reframe evangelism from an unappealing idea to something in which we can all participate.
My favorite kind of movie or story has the theme of transformation. The hero myth studies that were popularized by Joseph Campbell are my kind of stories. These stories are called hero’s journey or monomyth. This is a story with a hero who goes on an adventure, is victorious in a decisive crisis and comes home changed or transformed. Could this be what Jesus and his disciples did when they were evangelizing? I think when people experience a hero’s journey they come back transformed and people they meet along the way are often transformed.
I think the way we live our lives can potentially be evangelism. Our way of being in the world can share the message and teachings of Jesus or can block the message and teachings of Jesus. When we are open to growth and change that brings us to our higher selves, we experience multiple hero’s journeys in one lifetime. We face a serious illness with openness rather than bitterness. We face the loss of a job with trust rather than despair. Joan Chittister, in our first reading says, “Spirituality is the way in which we express a living faith in a real world.” If we live our lives open to lessons, growth and change we are choosing a spiritual path that expresses faith in the message of Jesus and brings the gospel to the world.
As we embrace the post Vatican II “universal call to holiness,” Joan suggests that we are drawn to things bigger than ourselves and we seek purpose and meaning to our lives. When we discover purpose and meaning we can be authentic to ourselves and others in the choices we make. Scripture is full of examples of Jesus developing his own spiritual life. He often prayed alone at key moments in his life and he acted in the world from inner metanoia rather than through religious legalism. Following the example of Jesus can lead us to live as evangelists. We may find ourselves rejecting rules or anything that impedes our purpose. We may feel inspired by and seek transformative experiences in ourselves and in others. To me this is true evangelism that continues to be active and alive today as it was when Jesus began his mission on earth.
Margaret and Ed: 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
(Written by Jay Murnane)
Julie: 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 prayers for the community.
Dennis: Prayers for the community.
We pray for these and all unspoken intentions. Amen.
Donna:Please join in praying the Eucharistic prayer together.
Blessed are you, Holy One, source of all creation. Through your goodness you made this world and called us to be Your co-creators. We give thanks for the diversity and beauty of life around us and within us.
We open our awareness to the goodness of all of creation and we remember our responsibility to serve. You invite us to build the earth into a community of love rooted in justice. You placed confidence in us, for you made us and you know that we are good.
In joy and in thanksgiving we join with all the faithful servants who have gone before us and we sing:
Julie: We thank you for Jesus, simple servant, lifting up the lowly, revealing you as God-With-Us, and revealing us as one with you and all of creation.
He lived among us to show us who we are and challenged us to know you. He taught us the strength of compassionate love.
Please extend your hands in blessing.
We are grateful for your Spirit at our Eucharistic Table and for this bread and wine which reminds us of our call to be the body of Christ in the world.
On the night before he died, Jesus gathered for supper with the people closest to him. Like the least of household servants, he washed their feet, so that they would re-member him.
(All lift their plates and pray the following: )
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, this is my very self.
(pause)
(All lift their cups and pray the following:)
Donna: 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.
(pause)
What we have heard with our ears, we will live with our lives. As we share communion, we become Communion both love’s nourishment and love’s challenge.
You are called, consecrated and chosen to serve.
Please receive Communion with the words: I embrace my call.
And it lives in the seed of a tree as it grows. You can hear it if you listen to the wind as it blows It’s there in the river as it flows into the sea. It’s the sound, in the soul of a man becoming free.
And it lives in the laughter of children at play, And in the blazing sun, that gives light to the day. It moves the planets and the stars in the sky. It’s been the mover of mountains, since the beginning of time.
CHORUS Oh Mystery, you are alive, I feel you all around. You are the fire in my heart. You are the holy sound. You are all of life. It is to you I sing. Oh, grant that I may feel you, always in everything.
And it lives in the waves as they crash upon the beach. And in the Gods that man has tried to reach. I feel it in the love we live for so much. And I know it in your smile my friend, when our hearts do touch.
And when I listen deep inside, I feel best of all, Like a moon that’s glowing white, I listen to your call. And I know you will guide me, I feel like the tide, Rushing to the ocean of my heart that opens wide.
Oh Mystery, you are alive…
Prayer after communion:
Julie: Holy One, we are willing to do everything Jesus did, to re-create the living presence of a love that does justice, of a compassion that heals and liberates, of a joy that generates hope, of a light that illumines people and confronts the darkness of every injustice and inequity.
We trust you to continue to share with us your own spirit, the spirit that animated Jesus, for it is through his life and teaching, all honor and glory is yours, O Holy One, forever and ever. Amen.
All: Amen.
Kim: 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
Donna:Let us raise our hands in blessing pray together:
May we continue to be the face of God to each other. May we call each other to extravagant generosity! May we walk with an awareness of our Call as companions on the journey, knowing we are not alone. May we, like Jesus, be a shining light and a blessing in our time!
