18th Sunday in Ordinary Time August 2-3, 2014 Rosemary and Bill Hallinan 1) Opening Song Though the Mountains May Fall. #435, vv. 1 & 3 2) Call to Celebration (by Jim Burklo) Hungry for meaning? Thirsty for purpose? Yearning for comfort? Burning for challenge? Ready for learning? Eager for serving? And welcome to worship! 3) Opening Prayer (Prayer for Agitators) God, our mother and father, we pray to you to stir up hope in us and give us strength to keep going. Do not let us conform to the existing order -- cold facts, murder and violent death, children maimed. Let us not passively accept poverty and riches, nor be resigned to injustice. Keep us on the path to truth and keep us relentless in our rejection of the lies of those who abuse their power to increase their wealth. Set our faces like flint to escalate our work for justice and peace, as the rulers of this world escalate their wars of greed, careless of the lives of our sisters and brothers.
God of Life, stir up the life in us so that we will ever denounce death and struggle for the life that is liberation. Amen. 4) First Reading A reading from the Prophet Isaiah: (55:1 3) Thus says the Lord All you who are thirsty, come to the water! You who have no money, come, receive grain and eat; come, without paying and without cost, drink wine and milk! Why spend your money for what is not bread; your wages for what fails to satisfy? Heed me, and you shall eat well, you shall delight in rich fare. Come to me heedfully, listen, that you may have life. I will renew with you the everlasting covenant... 5) Responsorial Psalm (Ps. 145:8 9, 15 16, 17 18) You are gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness. You are good to all and compassionate toward all your works. The eyes of all look hopefully to you, and you give them their food in due season; you open your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing. You are just in all your ways and holy in all your works. You are near to all who call upon you, to all who call upon you in truth. 6) Second Reading From Jewish Voice for Peace, July 28, 2014:
A diverse group of celebrities, artists, and activists that includes American Jews and Palestinians are speaking out for Palestinian human rights in a video released online today. The video is a first of its kind expression of support for Palestinian freedom, equality and justice and features celebrities...and others holding signs with the names and ages of Palestinian civilians recently killed by the Israeli military in Gaza. The Israeli leaders seem sincere when they say they believe that their actions are appropriate. Apparently, one of us is worth many more of them, said actor and playwright Wallace Shawn, who provides the voice-over narration for the video. American leaders know they are lying when they defend the murder of children in their beds. And we, the public, pay for the bombs, pay for the airplanes, and pretend not to notice what s going on. We wanted to provide a platform for the growing list of prominent individuals who are outraged by Israel s brutal violence against Gaza s civilian population, said Rebecca Vilkomerson, executive director of Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), an organization that co-produced the video. Our message is that securing freedom and justice for Palestinians is the only pathway to a lasting peace. This is a scream on paper. This is a wail, said playwright Eve Ensler, one of the artists featured in the video. There are no more words. Only this moment where we rise against the illegal and deathly occupation of Palestine, against mass slaughter of the defenseless, against the complicit silence of the international community, against the military might and arrogance of the Israeli and the U.S. governments who choose annihilation over justice and love. "My family was forced to flee our beloved Jerusalem in 1948 and every day since then, we have longed for freedom, said Nina Saah, an 83-year-old Nakba survivor featured in the video. What is happening in Gaza breaks my heart all over again. And yet I am so moved by all those who have come together in this video and the outpouring of support I am seeing for Palestinians. It gives me hope that the people of the world will be the ones to change our situation and that freedom and justice will come.
7) Gospel Acclamation 8) Gospel Reading (Matthew 14:13 21) God be with you. And also with you. A reading from the holy gospel according to Matthew. Glory to you, O God. When Jesus heard of the death of John the Baptist, he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself. The crowds heard of this and followed him on foot from their towns. When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick. When it was evening, the disciples approached him and said, This is a deserted place and it is already late; dismiss the crowds so that they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves. Jesus said to them, There is no need for them to go away; give them some food yourselves. But they said to him, Five loaves and two fish are all we have here. Then he said, Bring them here to me, and he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds. They all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up the fragments left over twelve wicker baskets full. The good news of salvation. Glory and praise to our savior Jesus Christ. 9) Silent reflection, followed by discussion. 10) Intercessions (Any who wish may speak a petition aloud, ending with "let us pray." Each time we all respond by singing O God, hear our prayer. 11) The Breaking of Bread 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. We praise you and thank you, O God. Your holy love is a consuming fire. Your word is a living flame.
By your prophets you kindle our hope. When it is dark, you are our light. When it is cold and desolate, you are our warmth. We thank you for your great mercy. And we join our voices to those who know you and praise you as we sing: Santo, santo, santo es el Señor. Hosana en las alturas. Bendito es él que viene en nombre de Señor. We thank you, O God, for Jesus. He came to cast fire upon the earth, and his heart blazed until it was kindled. He has baptized us with the flames of his Spirit. He has sealed your eternal covenant of love. We remember that Jesus suffered and died, faithful to your call. You raised him to life. So we again call to mind the Easter story in Luke's gospel, where Jesus walked with disciples who did not recognize him. At table in the inn of the village of Emaus, Jesus took bread, blessed it, broke it and gave it to the disciples. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him in the breaking of the bread. (Pause while the bread is broken.) O God, purify our hearts by the power of the Holy Spirit. Strengthen us that we may live the gospel in joy and hope and love. Again we pray as Jesus has taught us: (We sing the Our Father, and then the bread is passed around.) 12) Song during the sharing of the bread. Come to the Water #626 13) Silent Reflection
14) Closing Prayer (from the planting of an olive tree last month by Shimon Peres, Mahmoud Abbas, Patriarch Bartholomew and Pope Francis in the Vatican gardens) (Francis) Peacemaking calls for courage, much more so than warfare. Instill in our hearts the courage to take concrete steps to achieve peace. (Peres) It is within our power to bring peace to our children. This is our duty, the holy mission of parents. (Abbas) O Lord, bring comprehensive and just peace to our country and region so that our people and the peoples of the Middle East and the whole world would enjoy the fruit of peace, stability and coexistence. Amen. (15) Closing Song God of Day and God of Darkness #581