Fifth Sunday In Ordinary Time.

Transcription

1 Fifth Sunday In Ordinary Time. February 9-10, 2019, at Casa Hallinan 1) Opening Song (Canberra Affirmation). Transforming is the path we take WIth others to community; This path involves compassion bold, Inclusion and integrity. This path entails a peaceful stance; It seeks non-violence in its heart; And with forgiveness at its core Has harmony its counterpart. This path invites a passion strong In stewardship of all the earth, For all life forms and nature's charm, For us to recognize its worth. 2) Opening Prayer (Pope Francis) All-powerful God, you are present in the whole universe and in the smallest of your creatures. You embrace with your tenderness all that exists. Fill us with peace, that we may live as brothers and sisters, harming no one. O God of the poor, help us to rescue the abandoned and forgotten of this earth, so precious in your eyes. Bring healing to our lives, that we may protect the world and not prey on it, that we may sow beauty, not pollution and destruction. Touch the hearts of those who look only for gain at the expense of the poor and the earth. Teach us to discover the worth of each thing, to be filled with awe and contemplation,

2 to recognize that we are profoundly united with every creature as we journey towards your infinite light. We thank you for being with us each day. Encourage us, we pray, in our struggle. 3) 1st Reading (excerpt from Pope Francis' TED talk) None of us is an island, an autonomous and independent 'I,' separated from the other We can only build the future by standing together, including everyone. Good intentions and conventional formulas, so often used to appease our conscience, are not enough. Let us help each other, all together, to remember that the other is not a statistic or a number. Through the darkness of today's conflicts, each and every one of us can become a bright candle, a reminder that light will overcome darkness, and never the other way around. (Tenderness is) the love that comes close and becomes real and the path of choice for the strongest, most courageous men and women. The more powerful you are, the more your actions will have an impact on people, the more responsible you are to act humbly. If you don't, your power will ruin you, and you will ruin the other. 4) Responsorial Song (sung three times) God is love And they who abide in love Abide in God And God in them. 5) Second Reading (from Val Webb - Stepping. Out With The Sacred, in Why Weren't We Told? - A Handbook on "progressive" Christianity) At the Parliament of the World's Religions in Australia in 2009, some seven thousand people from across religions listened to how others engaged the Sacred and how this shaped the way they lived. During the opening Plenary, Buddhist, Sikh, Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Baha'i, Aboriginal and Shinto blessings were offered, representing a plethora of wisdom and

3 human transformation stretching back through time. In seven days of meetings, I heard no one making superior or exclusive claims for their beliefs except for the Christian lobby with a sign proclaiming Jesus as the only way, truth and life, and the atheists beside them offering ten thousand dollars to anyone who could prove there is a God. Progressives are busy reinventing themselves in response to failures within our Christian tradition, yet we are surrounded by people from other religious traditions, who have long worked at engaging the Divine and who will share their discoveries if we read their sacred writings and listen to their wisdom. We share human desires and a planet in turmoil. Should we not also share our hopes and solutions, not in order to convert each other but to live and work together? Religion scholar Ursula King says we need more 'world believers' who, like world citizens living in more than one country yet retaining a sense of 'home,' have deep roots in one faith but relate to, and learn from faiths other than their own--spiritually multi-lingual and multifocused people. This, I believe, is the progressive challenge. 6) Gospel Acclamation and Reading (Luke 5:1-11) God be with you. And also with you. A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke. Glory to you, O God. While the crowd was pressing in on Jesus and listening to the word of God, he was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret. He saw two boats there alongside the lake; the fishermen had disembarked and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, he asked him to put out a short distance from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. After he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch. Simon said in reply, Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets. When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish and their nets were tearing. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come to help them. They came and filled both boats so that the boats were in danger of sinking. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said, Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man. For astonishment at the catch of fish they had made seized him and all those with him, and likewise James and

4 John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners of Simon. Jesus said to Simon, Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people. When they brought their boats to the shore, they left everything and followed him. The good news of salvation. Glory and praise to our Savior, Jesus Christ. 7) Silent Reflection and Discussion 8) Intercessions (O God, hear our prayer) 9) The Breaking of Bread (adapted from the The Didaché) God be with you. And also with you. Lift up your hearts. We lift them up to God. Let us give thanks to God our Creator. It is right to give God thanks and praise.. As bread that was scattered on the hillside was gathered together and made one, so too, we your people, scattered throughout the world, are gathered together around your table and become one. So let us prepare to eat as Jesus taught us: inviting the stranger to our table and welcoming the poor. May their absence serve to remind us of the divisions this breaking of bread seeks to heal. And may their presence help transform us into the Body of Christ we are called to be. (Here the bread is broken) Recognizing Jesus, as did the disciples of Emmaus, in the breaking of the bread, we pray as Jesus has taught us to pray: Our Father. (Chant while the bread is shared) Eat this bread, drink this cup, come to me and never be hungry. Eat this bread, drink this cup, trust in me and you will not thirst.

5 11) Silent Reflection 12) Closing Prayer (Jane Deren, PhD) Mary, our mother, mother of all, we journey as pilgrims to sacred spaces Where all are welcomed, all are family. Guide our steps as we search for your face. in the faces of those who suffer, those who thirst for healing, for justice, for peace. May we know the place we are called to when we recognize and embrace them and know we have reached home. 11) Closing Song Love Now Ascending (Tune: Holy, Holy, Holy -- words by Jim Burklo) Holy, holy, holy, love now ascending. Early in the morning our song shall rise to you. Holy, holy, holy, joy that has no ending, Giving, forgiving, breathing life anew. Holy, holy, holy, love without a limit. Care that binds Creation in sacred unity. Holy, holy, holy, birthing every minute. Christ, love's revealer, sets our spirits free. Holy, holy, holy, infinite compassion. Makes a place for every soul in God's eternal reign. Holy, holy, holy, truth beyond religion. Love that endures should nothing else remain. Holy, holy, holy, raise your voice in singing. Join the cosmic chorus in praise of Love divine. Holy, holy, holy, God beyond all naming, Echoes our song in harmony sublime.