Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God

Transcription

1 Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God 1. Announcements 2. Opening Song Holy Mother (on CD - words on back page) 3. Gathering Meditation (based on Luke 1: 26-28) Ain t That Good News Ciona D. Rouse A whisper of grace landed in my ear, You re going to have a baby boy, Mary! Now ain t that good news? But my mind captured every question overwhelming me, and only one found its way free. How can this be? Mary, don t you know? Nothing is impossible for God! Nothing! December 31, 2011 Barbara Clarihew And that s the only reminder I needed. Somewhere inside of me something was breathing life into my faith and calling me to speak. These words came from the gut of my soul where joy and pain, laughter and tears, life and death are born. They came from a place where God s Spirit dwells. And that soul smiled as these words journeyed from my mouth. I am the Lord s. Let it be. 4. Responsorial: A Psalm of Bringing to Birth WomanWord: Women of the New Testament Miriam Therese Winter Women, what will we bring to birth in the world of the new creation? Wisdom and justice, peace and compassion, concern for all God s little ones, for the homeless and the destitute, the hungry and all who bear the brunt of indifference and oppression Women, what will we bring to birth in the world of the new creation? A deep respect for our planet, its windsong and its waters, its topsoil and its forests, and a oneness with the wilderness that is the image of our soul. Women, what will we bring to birth in the world of the new creation? A total distain for power that diminishes or destroys, divestment of wealth and status, a sharing of human resources based on mutality and the sudden surprise of grace. Women, what will we bring to birth in the world of the new creation? An unbreakable bond in the Spirit that binds as one all brothers and sisters, transcending class, color, culture, religion, race and gender, that treats no personal preference, no physical or spiritual difference as aberration or handicap. One has been born among us Who heralds such liberation. Human liberation, women s liberation have taken flesh among us and in Spirit dwell with us. Holy the woman who helped this happen. Blessed are we when we give birth to the Word made flesh in us. 1

2 5. First Reading: (based on Galatians 4: 4-7*) When the clock had run down and the time was right,...god sent a rescuer,...god s own Son;...born to a woman in the usual way,...growing up under the thumb of the law,...just like the rest of God s people. God sent him into such circumstances...so that he could get everyone else out of them; paying the price of our freedom... and giving us the opportunity to be adopted into God s family. Because you are now God s children,...the Spirit of God s child, Jesus,...has been sent into your hearts;...the Spirit who makes us as eager for God...as children running into their parents arms...crying, Daddy! Mommy! So you are no longer at the beck and call...of those things that once dictated your every move; now you are God s own children,...and as God s children, you will receive from God...all that has been kept in trust for God s children Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net 6. Second Reading: (based on Matthew 18:23) Mary, did you know that your baby boy will give sight to a blind man? Mary, did you know that your baby boy will calm a storm with His hand? Did you know that your baby boy has walked where angels trod? And when you kiss your little baby you ve kissed the face of God. 2. The blind will see The deaf will hear The dead will live again The lame will leap The dumb will speak the praises of The Lamb

3 Mary, did you know that your baby boy is Lord of all creation? Mary, did you know that your baby boy will one day rule the nations? Did you know that your baby boy is heaven s perfect Lamb? This sleeping child you re holding is the Great I Am. And they will call Him Immanuel which means God with us. 7. Third Reading April 1, 3762 Cairo, Egypt Breaking news: A refugee family arrived in Egypt earlier this week fleeing the wrath of Herod, king of Judea, Israel, who went on a killing rampage after having been duped by three visiting astronomers. After identifying and tracking a new star in the heavens, the wise men met with the young family shortly after the birth of their son in a stable in Bethlehem. Following the visit, the sages left by a different road to avoid running into Herod, having been warned in a dream of the King s plan to murder the child. Reliable sources say that after having realized his plan had been sabotaged, Herod--in a violent rage--ordered all the boys, in and around Bethlehem, two years old or younger to be killed. Responding to the reporter s questions, Joseph, the father, said: I followed the instructions of an angel who came to me in a dream, and I took my family and fled by night to your wonderful country. We were given food, clothing, and housing at a local shelter to assist us in the transition. We are very grateful. Social workers are seeing to the young family s welfare during their adjustment period and are planning to assist Joseph in qualifying for the local Carpenters Union with possible apprenticeship opportunities for the son when he becomes of age. Local council members have expressed concerns about a possible influx of Jewish refugees if the persecution should continue. Last month the Egyptian legislature narrowly defeated a bill that would close Egypt s border to Jewish refugees. The bill is expected to be reintroduced in the next legislative session. Catholic Social Service of Central and Northern Arizona originally printed this story in a 1999 newsletter. 3.

4 8. Gospel Acclamation 9. Gospel God be with you. And also with you. A reading based on the holy gospel according to Matthew. Glory to you, O God. * Matthew 2: Jesus was born in Bethlehem, in the territory of Judea, during the reign of King Herod. Some time after his birth, a group of eastern mystics turned up in Jerusalem looking for him. Where can we find the child who has been born to be the king of the Jews? they asked. We observed the appearance of the star that heralds his birth, and so we have come all this way to pay our respects.... When King Herod heard this, he went berserk, and when Herod was agitated, everybody in Jerusalem was on edge. Pulling himself together, he called in the city s top priests and religious scholars and asked them whereabouts the Messiah was supposed to be born. They were in no doubt: Bethlehem in Judea, they said. The prophet Micah spelled it out quite clearly:... Bethlehem in Judea, you re it!...i m going to put you on the map!...you will be the home town of my chosen ruler,...the one who will lead my people on the right track.... Having sorted that out, Herod met behind closed doors with the visiting mystics and pumped them for information about exactly when the star had first appeared. He then gave them directions to Bethlehem and sent them on their ways, saying, Go, and leave no stone unturned until you find the child. When you ve found him, drop me a line so that I can come down and pay my respects too.... So, having gained this information from the King, they hit the road. As they did, they spotted the star again, the same one they had first seen appear. Taking a line from the star, they were able to track down the exact place where the child was. Their search was finally at an end, and they were over the moon! They were allowed into the house and there they saw him, a little child in the arms of his mother, Mary. Overcome with awe, they fell to their knees in reverent wonder before the child. From their luggage, they brought him exotic gifts of gold, and aromatic frankincense and myrrh.... They were warned in a dream to avoid contacting Herod, so they kept a low profile and took the back roads out of Judea as they began their journey home to their own country. 4.

5 The visit of the mystics from the east had tipped off King Herod about the birth of a potential rival. Before it was too late, a messenger from the Lord made contact with Joseph in a dream and said, Get out of bed, pack up the family, and get out of town, because Herod is about to send out a death squad to hunt the child down. Seek asylum in Egypt and stay there until I say otherwise....so Joseph hurriedly prepared the child and his mother for the journey. They made their getaway under the cover of night and hit the road for Egypt. They lived there until the death of Herod. It was just as the prophet Hosea had written: I, the Lord, have called my son out of Egypt....When Herod realised that the visiting mystics had pulled a swifty on him, he went right off his head. Based on what they had said, he calculated that the child could not yet be two years old, so he sent out his death squads with orders to kill every child in the district of Bethlehem under the age of two. It was just as the prophet Jeremiah had said: Hear the noise in the land of Ramah; grief-stricken cries and screams; Rachel weeping inconsolably, wailing for her children, for they have been wiped out.... Some time later, when Herod died, a messenger of the Lord once again appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, The coast is clear. Those who were out to get the child are dead, so you can pack up and take him and his mother home to Israel....So Joseph did just that. He packed up the family and set out for Israel. However, he was unnerved when the news reached him that Archelaus was now king of Judea, taking over where his father Herod had left off. His fears were confirmed in a dream, so they pushed on further north to the region of Galilee, where they made their home in a town called Nazareth. This too was consistent with the words of the prophets: They will call him the man from Nazareth. 10. Silent Reflection and Dialogue 5.

6 11. Intercessions We remember the journey of the Holy Family, who became refugees in Egypt before returning home and we recognize the similar refuge journeys of millions of families in the world today. We pray that the theme of the United Nations World Refugee Day for 2011, One Refugee Without Hope is too Many. becomes a reality for these families. May refugees rebuild their lives in safety and dignity.. Holy Mother, hear our prayer. Wherever possible, may they return to the homes and communities they have left... Holy Mother, hear our prayer. When they cannot return home because of war, poverty, persecution, may they be welcomed and allowed new lives in new lands... Holy Mother, hear our prayer End their homelessness and bring them to safe harbor, Mary, Mother of Refugees... Holy Mother, hear our prayer. With confidence born of your faithfulness we offer our hopes and prayers: for ourselves and all most dear to us (your silent or spoken prayers here).. Holy Mother, hear our prayer. for the world, its peoples and its leaders.. Holy Mother, hear our prayer. For the mission and faithfulness of the Church here and everywhere.. Holy Mother, hear our prayer

7 12. Prayer for the Breaking of Bread: Listening to Eucharist the breaking of the bread and the gushing of the wine the pain of sorrow and the pulse of hope the echo of our name and the bread in our teeth a cup on our lips and breathing at our side as we wait for the sounds of God the breaking of the bread and the gushing of the wine. We hear sounds in the distance: the vibration of human lives the crackle of fear and the murmur of distrust the scramble for rice and the tearing of garbage the shuffle of withered limbs and the sigh of rich tourists the growl of empty bodies and the splash of spent blood the breaking of the bread and the gushing of the wine. We hear the snarl of a bullet and the snap of a trigger the sudden yell of unseen mines the cough of smoking ruins the whisper of desolation and the silence of a lifeless field the breaking of the bread and the gushing of the wine. We hear the bleating of the lamb and the breaking of the womb the death of the lamb and the breaking of the tomb a word that was healing and a God that was feeling in the breaking of the bread and the gushing of the wine. And we listen for the bursting of joy and the bubble of children s faces and the dancing of willows and the surprise of open lives the shout of mountains SONG FOR SHARING OF THE BREAD -- Ave Maria - #709 in new books and the laughter of a second birth the leap of our spirit and the swirl of celebration in the breaking of the bread and the gushing of the wine. 7. (Interrobang Norman C. Habel )

8 Let us pray: Eternal Spirit, Earth-maker, Pain-bearer, Life-giver, Source of all that is and that shall be, Father and Mother of us all, Loving God, in whom is heaven: The hallowing of your name echo through the universe! The way of your justice be followed by the peoples of the world! Your commonwealth of peace and freedom sustain our hope and come on earth. With the bread we need today, feed us. In the hurts we absorb from one another, forgive us. In times of temptation and test, strengthen us. From trials to great to endure, spare us. From the grip of all that is evil, free us. For you reign in the glory of the power that is love, now and forever. Amen. 13. Silent Reflection 14. Closing Prayer: (Based on Luke 2:1-14) And now unto Him, who came as an illegitimate child in poverty, Who though born out of wedlock rose up to redeem the world. To Him who brings good news in bad situations, great joy despite incriminations. To Jesus, our Savior, be glory in the heavens, justice in our cities, honor in our homes, and peace in our streets Now and forevermore. Amen. 15. BLESSING Deep peace of the running wave to you. Deep peace of the flowing air to you. Deep peace of the quiet earth to you. Deep peace of the shining stars to you. Deep peace of the infinite peace to you. 16. CLOSING HYMN - Gesu Bambino (on CD) Happy anniversary, Mary and Michael Liturgy next week at Marisa, Delle and Cedar s 8.

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10 War Child is a non-profit charity founded in the mid 1900s by a group of musicians, including Luciano Pavarotti, to raise money to help the children of Bosnia who were affectd by the terrible fighting. Pavarotti was a child of war himself and, at the end of war, the artists want more than anything to come together to sing, hear and make music. In this way we can heal ourselves and feel we are truly alive again, he wrote. Holy Mother Lyrics Eric Clapton: Holy Mother, where are you? Tonight I feel broken in two. I ve seen the stars fall from the sky. Holy Mother, can t keep from crying. Oh I need your help this time, Get me through this lonely night. Tell me please which way to turn To find myself again. Holy mother, hear my prayer, Somehow I know you re still there. Send me please some peace of mind; Take away this pain. I can t wait, I can t wait, I can t wait any longer. I can t wait, I can t wait, I can t wait for you. Luciano Pavarotti: Holy mother, hear my cry, I ve called your name a thousand times. I ve felt the anger running through my soul; All I need is a hand to hold. Oh I feel the end has come, No longer my legs will run. You know I would rather be In your arms tonight. Eric Clapton: Luciano Pavarotti: Both: Eric Clapton: Luciano Pavarotti: Both: When my hands no longer play, My voice is still, I fade away. Holy mother, then I ll be Lying in, safe within your arms.

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