Corpus Christi 2023

Mary of Magdala Inclusive Catholic Community

Regina, Saskatchewan

Sunday, June 11, 2023 - 10:00 a.m. CST

Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

(Corpus Christi)

WE GATHER AS COMMUNITY

Welcome/Introductions:

Gathering

P: Dear Family of Faith, come; Be gathered in the embrace of the Divine Holy: + Source of Being, Love Incarnate and Abiding Wisdom. All: Amen.

Centering Chime

Acknowledgement of Territory:

V1: In the Spirit of Truth and Reconciliation we Acknowledge the Land and the Territory on which we live. For thousands of years, Indigenous people walked the lands of Turtle Island; relationship with the land is at the centre of their lives and spirituality. In Regina, we gather on Treaty 4 territory, traditional lands of the Nêhiyawak (neh HEY o wa), Nahkawé (NUK ah way), Nakota, and homeland of the Métis, Lakota, and Dakota. You may silently acknowledge the land where you are located.

We acknowledge our responsibilities as settlers and treaty people: that solidarity with our indigenous relatives with whom we share this sacred trust requires active participation in the ongoing struggle for justice, restitution and reconciliation.

Gathering Song

I am the living bread from heaven. I am the living bread from heaven.

R. With this bread we will walk with each other, with this cup we will follow the Lord.

Compassion, love overflowing, God’s love ever knowing, we share it in our song.

I am the living bread from heaven. I am the living bread from heaven.

To offer assistance when others are blind to the need, | |

to give loving care to each other is planting God’s seed. | |

Walking the promise and falling on mercy, believing we’ll walk you. | R.

Washing the wounds of division we seek to ease pain. | |

sharing the burden of others, like God’s gentle rain. | Befriending the

one who is lonely and lost, believing we’ll walk with you. | R.

We hold the key to our future as we share our souls, | |

nurturing love in a time when compassion unfolds. | | Dancing in joy,

sharing in wonder the prayer that we sing to you. | R

Prayer for Wholeness

V2: God in the earth brings forth the ingredients for us to make our daily bread, may we all together feast on the goodness of God/de.

ALL: Give us this day our daily bread.

Yeast allows bread to rise. May God/de our Creator rise up in us to feed those who are in need of spiritual, emotional, or physical sustenance.

ALL: Give us this day our daily bread.

May the bread we receive, the Holy Eucharist, strengthen and guide us to become the people we were meant to be.
ALL: Give us this day our daily bread.

P: Soften our hearts this day, God of Life, that we lay aside all that keeps us from recognizing your life-giving and life-sustaining presence in all of your creation. Forgive all that keeps us from you and separates us from one another that we may be one with you in the Cosmic Christ in a Trinity of Love.

All: Amen.

Song of Praise:

MASS OF JOYFUL HEART – Steve Angrisano & Tom Tomaszek (Inclusive language adapted)

Refrain:

Glory to God/de in the highest, and peace to all people on earth.

1) O God/de most holy One, almighty God, Creator, we worship You, we give You thanks, we praise You for Your glory…

2)…Jesus, the Christ, beloved Son of the Mother….Lamb of God/de, you take away the sin of the world: have mercy on us;

You are seated at the right hand of the Father, receive our prayer…

3) For You alone are the Holy One, you alone are our God/de, for You alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit in the glory of God/de the Father.

Opening Prayer

P: Creator of All, in whom we live and move and have our being, be with us and guide us as we walk the way you set before us. May your message of love for all echo in our hearts and radiate in our lives. This is our prayer today and always, now and forever.

All: Amen.

LITURGY OF THE WORD

P: Let us attend to the Holy Word of God/de.

1^st Reading - Samuel 2:2-27, 32-33

(For the First Reading, the Comprehensive Catholic Lectionary substitutes the story of Abigail, which does not appear in the Sunday and Major Feast Days canonical Lectionary.)

V3: An abridged reading from the Book of Samuel.

Abigail, the wife of wealthy herdsman, Nabal, was alerted by one of their shearers that Nabal refused David’s request for hospitality despite the hospitality he had formerly shown Nabal.

Understanding that the refusal of hospitality (an important cultural value in desert societies) could mean total devastation, Abigail quickly put together generous amounts of bread, wine, meat, grains, dried fruits and cakes, loaded the foods on donkeys and went towards David’s encampment. They met on the road.

Falling at David’s feet, as Moses did before God, Abigail asked to take the blame for Nabal’s failure. David accepts her gifts, thereby exonerating Nabal. He thanks Abigail for saving him from the guilt of bloodshed.

A Word for us to ponder.

All: Thanks be to God.

Psalm

Ps 116: Our blessing cup is a communion with the Blood of Christ

Refrain: Our blessing cup is a communion with the Blood of Christ

How shall I make a return to the Lord, for all the good He has done for me?

The cup of salvation I will take up, and I will call upon the name of the Lord.

Precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of His faithful ones.

I am your servant, the son of Your handmaid; You have loosed my bonds.

To You I will offer sacrifice of thanksgiving, and I will call upon the name of the Lord.

My vows to the Lord I will pay in the presence of all His people.

2^nd Reading – 1 Corinthians 10:16-17 (First Nations Version)

V4: A Reading from the first Letter from Small Man (Paul) to the Sacred Family in Village of Pleasure (Corinthians).

Think about it this way: When we give thanks and drink from the cup Creator has blessed, are we not participating in the blood of the Chosen One? When we break and eat the frybread, are we not participating in the body of the Chosen One? Because we, who are many, all eat from the one piece of bread, we are all one body.

All: Thanks be to God.

Gospel Acclamation

m—m—m—m- ..Surrexit Christus Alleluia

m—m—m—m- ..Cantate Domino, Alleluia

Gospel –

(Our Gospel reading this morning is in two parts taken from the First Nations Version of the New Testament. The first part from the Gospels attributed to He Shows Goodwill Tells the Good Story (John) 6:48,51+. The second part is from Gift from Creator Tells the Good Story (Matthew) 10:5a,16,26-31. Together they present the complimentary aspects of Eucharist.)

V5: He Shows Goodwill tells the Good Story.

Creator Sets Free (Jesus) taught his message bearers:

“I am the bread that gives this life. I am the living bread from above. The ones who eat this bread will live beyond the end of all days. And this is the bread that I will give as a gift to the world—my human body.”

V6: Gift from Creator tells the Good Story.

Before Creator Sets Free (Jesus) sent out his twelve message bearers to represent him, he gave them these instructions:

“Look and listen! I am sending you out like sheep into a pack of wolves, so be as crafty as snakes but as harmless and gentle as doves.

“Do not fear their threats. For their evil ways will be found out. Even what they say and do in secret will be made clear for all to see. The things I have told you in secret at night, make them known when the sun rises! What I have whispered in your ears, stand on the rooftops and shout out loud for all to hear!

“Have no fear of your opponents, for they can only kill the body, but not your inner being. Instead, fear the one who can bring an end to your entire being in the Valley of Smoldering Fire. “Two small winged ones could be traded for two poorly beaded earrings, but not one can fall to the ground unless Creator knows it. Are you not worth more than many small winged ones? He knows the number of hairs on your head, so do not fear the ones who stand against you.

Receive the Good Story.

All: Praise to You, Creator Sets Free.

Homily & Sharing in breakout rooms

A brief period of silence

Profession of Faith

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUbxOli4HcI

P: To this, the Church says…

All: Amen.

Prayers of the Community

P: With confidence in the Risen Christ and bounty of Mother Earth, we pray: May the bread of life sustain us.

All: May the bread of life sustain us.

V7: For those who work the land to bring us our daily bread, may they adopt sustainable farming methods to protect the soil that holds the seed until it is ready to sprout, we pray: R.

For those who are in need of food and live in chronic food insecurity, that the nations of the earth will come together to ensure all those, who are created in the image of God/de, may be fed, we pray: R.

For those who are excluded from this banquet by rules regarding marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, or any other form of discrimination, may we see as God/de sees to ensure all truly are welcome, we pray: R.

For holy women priests to lead us in our Eucharistic celebrations, we pray: R.

As Nabal and David demonstrated, that all conflict, division, and pain in the world be overcome through the hospitality of breaking bread and engaging in dialogue that brings peace, we pray: R.

For indigenous peoples throughout the world, may we celebrate and help protect these cultures that have provided so much for us all, We pray: R.

For all those who have asked for our prayers, the intentions in the Chat, on our Bulletin Board, and those we carry in our hearts…(Pause)…. We pray: R.

P: Gracious and loving God/de, you know our needs even before we ask, thank you for hearing the longings of our hearts and answering them. All: Amen.

EUCHARISTIC PRAYER

We Offer our Gifts

P: Blessed are you, Most Holy One: through your goodness we have received the bread and wine we offer you: fruit of the earth and work of our hands. They will become for us the Bread of Life and the Cup of Blessing.

All: God/de of Life and Love, / receive these gifts we offer you in praise and thanksgiving / for the good of all your people.

V8: You invite us to come to your table.

You have baked the bread and poured the wine,

You set the places and said that there is always room for one more.

And so, we come:

From city streets and country farms near and far,

From mountains, deserts and oceans.

From the ravages of poverty and palaces of privilege, we come.

A broken people longing to be made whole,

A hungry people longing to be fed,

V9: You invite us to join the dance of creation in a mystical celebration

of oneness with all things created in your divine love.

We join our voices with all creatures you have made,

past, present, and yet to come in one unending hymn of praise.

Holy, Holy

Holy, holy, holy One, God/de of mystery, God/de of mirth

Heaven and earth are full of Your glory…hosanna in the highest.

Blessed is He Who comes in the name of our God/de,

in the name of our God/de

Hosanna in the Highest, hosanna in the highest.

Prayer of Thanksgiving

V10: This is the altar of the world, the table of Divine Abundance.

It has been prepared for us, as a sign of hospitality and community,

so that we may be filled, healed, forgiven and blessed, being made new again.

It is made ready for all who seek relationship with the Holy One.

(Extend hands over gifts)

V11: May your Spirit come upon the gifts we offer: the harvest to be won by today’s labours, all the things which today will increase and all those that will

diminish or die; we them gather into our arms, holding them out to you.

We believe you are present in them.

P: We remember the supper Jesus had with his friends the night before he died.

He took bread, spoke the blessing, broke the bread and offered it to them saying:

All: Take and eat; this is my Body.

P: Then he took the cup of wine – the wine of suffering to be pressed from the earth’s fruits. He spoke the blessing, and offered it to them saying:

All: Take and drink; this is my Blood, the seal of the eternal covenant of love.

When you do this, remember me.

P: The mystery of faith.

Anamnesis

Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.

V12: As we celebrate this sacred meal, we call to mind

all you have shared with us through the gifts of creation,

and especially in the gift of Jesus, who entered fully into our humanity.

We praise you in union with the angels and all holy people,

friends of God and prophets, who have gone before us.

We remember Mary, mother of Jesus, faithful disciple,

and Mary of Magdala, the beloved,

to whom you entrusted the good news of your resurrection.

V13: May the Spirit of life and wholeness,

who transforms the gifts we present transform us, too,

that we may be refreshed in our inner being and be empowered to bring mercy,

love and healing to those whose lives we touch.

At the last day, bring us into the joy of the oneness in the Cosmic Christ.

V14: We remember all those in our world who are working for environmental healing,

human rights and justice in all forms. We pray for peace in places where there is war, for healing and reconciliation where there is pain and division,

especially with our indigenous relatives.

Awaken in us a passion for justice and generosity of spirit,

that all may feast at your table of abundance

and know your heart of boundless love.

P: For it is through Christ, with Christ, and in Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

all things are gathered into oneness and that all honour and glory and praise are yours, loving God/de, for all eternity.

Doxology Amen, Amen, Amen, Amen. 2x

P: With great joy we sing the prayer of Jesus to his Abwoon (Mother/Father).

Prayer of Jesus

Abba of Jesus Winter Name of God Michael Joncas

Abba of Jesus, our God in heaven.

How holy do we hold the name you bear!

Send forth your kin-dom, your rule upon us;

your will be done by all your creatures ev’rywhere!

Abba of Jesus, our God in heaven,

give us this day the bread we need to live.

Do not remember our sins against you;

forgive us all as we ourselves learn to forgive.

Abba of Jesus, save us from trial,

and keep your people far from evil ways.

Yours is the kin-dom, the power, the glory, through endless days.

Abba of Jesus…

Prayer for Peace

P: Risen Christ, you said to your disciples, “My peace I leave you, my peace I give you.” Look on the faith of all those gathered here. May we spread your peace throughout the world, always and everywhere.

All: Shalom, Salaam, Shante, Myr, Paz, paix, Peace. (Chime)

(Offer a greeting of peace to those you are with and/or one another).

Welcome to the Table:

P: This is Jesus the Christ, Bread of Life and Wine of Compassion.

Behold what we are; become what we receive.

All: We are the Body of Christ. Thanks be to God/de.

(We share this Eucharist together)

Communion Meditation

Eat This Bread - Jacques Berthier 1923-1994 TAIZE GC2 #806

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.

Prayer After Communion:

V15: God/de the source of all that serves and sustains, may you, the Bread of Life, strengthen us in our faith, hope, and love. Help us feed each other so that together we may grow, because we though many, are one body. May we go forth satiated knowing that the Bread of Life provides ongoing nourishment so that we may grow into the people we are called to be.

All: Amen.

WE GO TO BE WITNESSES

Announcements

Blessing/Dismissal – (adapted from Nick Fawcett)

P: Go out into the world rejoicing,

For God is waiting to meet you and surprise you with the

Beauty of Her presence….here, there, everywhere!

+ In all the names of the Holy One,

Go, walk … Along the path of light,

With the joy of love,

In the fullness of life.

All: May it be so! Amen.

Closing Song

Companions On The Journey

R. We are companions on the journey, breaking bread and sharing life; and in the love we bear is the hope we share for we believe in the love of our God, we believe in the love of our God.

1. No longer strangers to each other; no longer strangers in God’s house; we are fed and we are nourished by strength of those who care, by the strength of those who care. R.

2. We have been gifted with each other, and we are called by the Word of the Lord: to act with justice, to love tenderly, and to walk humbly with our God, to walk humbly with our God. R.

3. We will seek and we shall find; we will knock and the door will be opened; we will ask and it shall be given, for we believe in the love of our God, we believe in the love of our God. R.

4. We are made for the glory of our God, for service in the name of Jesus; to walk side by side with hope in our hearts, for we believe in the love of our God, we believe in the love of our God. R.

Music by Singing to Beat Hell, Jackie and Gerry Guimond, Fort Frances, ON.