6th Sunday of Easter
May 24, 2025
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87935930592?pwd=qZlKA506MIS9okXQQxBkaKsyhsZJDV.1
Responder: Judy
Greeting: John
On May 25, the Catholic Church celebrates Saint Mary Magdalene de Pazzi, an Italian noblewoman of the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries who became a Carmelite nun distinguished for her intense prayer life and devotion to frequent Holy Communion.
Extraordinary spiritual occurrences were a frequent feature of this Carmelite nun’s life, to a much greater degree than is typical in the tradition of Catholic mysticism. Many of her experiences of Abba God were documented by others in her community, although Mary herself disliked the attention and would seemingly have preferred for these events to remain private.
She did wish, however, to call attention to the Creator’s love, which she saw as tragically underappreciated by mankind. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi is remembered for making dramatic gestures – running through the halls of her monastery or ringing its bells at night – while proclaiming the urgent need for all people to awaken to Eternal love and respond in kind.
Here is one of her quotes.
Without Thee I could neither live nor be happy. […] If I were given all the happiness possible on earth, with all its pleasures; if I were given the fortitude of the strong ones, all the wisdom of the wise and the graces and virtues of all creatures, without Thee, I would consider it a hell. And if I were given hell itself with all its pains and torments, but with Thee, I would consider it a paradise.”
Karla So let us begin in the name of our Creator God, our brother Jesus, and the Sophia Spirit. May the love of our new life in the Spirit be with each of you.
R] And also with you
Opening Prayer Cathy W.
Holy One, we gather today to offer you praise and thanksgiving. We ask you to grant us the grace to joyfully and gratefully drink from the cup of love and forgiveness that you, who are never outdone in generosity, continuously fill and replenish. May we Learn to be aware of your Presence in our everyday comings and goings, and may we always remember that Christ’s Forgiveness is for Everyone, Everywhere.
All: May it be so.
Karla Let us pause for a moment to reflect on the message just shared with us in song.
Please raise your hand in blessing and say:
All] I am sorry. Please forgive me. Thank you. I love you.
Relighting of the Easter Candle (Juanita lights the Community's Easter Candle.)
John:
Holy One,
You are the unfaltering
Creator of every light.
We bless this fire in your name,
For you are the light that never fails.
Amen.
Penny: We now invite you to light your Easter candle
First Reading: Acts 15:1-2, 22-29
Rita
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles.
Then some Jewish Christians came down to Antioch and began to teach the believers, “Unless you follow exactly the traditions of Moses, you cannot be saved.” Paul and Barnabas strongly disagreed with them and hotly debated their position. Finally, it was decided that Paul, Barnabas, and some others should go up to see the apostles and elders in Jerusalem about this question.
The apostles and the elders decided, in agreement with the whole Jerusalem church, to
choose delegates to send to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas, known as
Barabbas, and Silas, both leading members of the community. They were to deliver this letter:
From the apostles and elders to our Gentile sisters and brothers in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia: “Greetings! We hear that some of our numbers, without any instructions from us, have upset you with their discussions and disturbed your peace of mind. Therefore, we have unanimously resolved to choose representatives and send them to you, along with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, who have risked their lives for the name of Jesus Christ.
So, we are sending you Judas and Silas, who will convey this message by word of mouth: it is the decision of the Holy Spirit, and ours as well, not to lay on you any burden beyond that which is strictly necessary — namely, to abstain from meat sacrificed to idols, from meat of un-bled or strangled animals and from fornication. You will be well advised to avoid these things. Farewell.
The Words of Eternal Life. R] Thanks be to Abba God.
Psalm 67
R] Let the nations praise You, Abba God.
Kathy N. Abba God, show kindness and bless us, / and make Your face smile on us!
For then the earth will acknowledge Your ways
And all the nations will know of Your power to save.
R] Let the nations praise You, Abba God.
Kathy N Let the nations shout and sing for joy, / since You dispense justice to the world.
You dispense strict justice to the peoples, / on earth You rule the nations.
R] Let the nations praise You, Abba God.
Second Reading: Revelation 21:10-14, 22-23
Lucia:
A reading from the book of Revelation.
The angel then carried me away in the Spirit to the top of an exceedingly high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven. It shone with Abba’s glory and gleamed like a precious jewel, like a sparkling diamond. Its wall was huge and very tall, and it had twelve gates with twelve angels as sentinels. On the twelve gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel; three of its gates faced east, three north, three south and three west. The wall had twelve foundation stones on which were written the names of the Lamb’s twelve apostles. I saw no Temple in the city, for Abba God and the Lamb were themselves the Temple. There was no sun or moon: Abba’ glory was its light, and the Lamb was its lamp.
The Living Word. R] Thanks be!
https://youtu.be/mBja4hDWqaw?t=54
Gospel Reading: John 14:23-29
Karla: A reading from the Holy Gospel according to John.
Jesus said to the disciples: “Those who love me will be true to my word, and Abba God will love them; and we will come to them and make our dwelling place with them. Those who do not love me, do not keep my words. Yet the message you hear is not mine; it comes from Abba God who sent me. This much have I said to you while still with you; but the Paraclete, Sophia Spirit, whom Abba God will send in my name, will instruct you in everything, and she will remind you of all that I told you. Peace, I leave with you, my peace I give to you; but the kind of peace I give you is not like the world’s peace. Do not let your heart be distressed; do not be fearful. You have heard me say, ‘I am going away but I will return.’ If you really loved me, you would rejoice because I am going to Abba God, for Abba is greater than I. I tell you this now, before it happens, so that when it happens you will believe.”
The Good News of Salvation!
R] Glory and praise to our Savior Jesus Christ!
Homily
Communal Statement of Faith:
Patti and Jaycee alternate verses
We believe in the Trinity, 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 Abba’s Word, bringer of healing, heart of compassion, bright star in the firmament of the Creator’s prophets, mystics, and saints.
We believe that we are called to follow Jesus as a vehicle of eternal love, a source of wisdom and truth, and an instrument in the world of the peace that passes all understanding.
We believe that Abba’s 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.
Sign of Peace Penny
Jesus said to his disciples, “My peace I leave You. My peace I give You.” Please offer a sign of peace to one another.
Prayers of and for the Community Kathy P.
We now bring our prayer intentions to the Table of Blessings.
For whom or what else should we pray?
With the Spiritual Elders, may we respond to the needs of our sisters and brothers in loving prayer and solidarity. Amen
Presentation of the Gifts
Marita Blessed are you, Maker of all creation! Through your goodness we have this bread to offer. Fruit of the Earth, work of human hands, it will become for us the bread of life.
R] Blessed be the Trinity forever
Gerry Blessed are you, Maker of all creations! Through your goodness we have this wine to offer. Fruit of the vine, work of human hands, it will become for us the cup of life.
R] Blessed be the Trinity forever.
Penny: Pray sisters and brothers that our offering may be pleasing to our loving Creator.
R] May the creator accept this offering from our hands for the praise and glory of Abba’s name. For our good and the good of all people.
Epiclesis Karla
Please raise your hands in blessing:
We open ourselves to your Spirit present in every moment, who transforms this bread and cup and all of us gathered here. May they become for us the + Body and Blood of Christ, May we become the Body of Christ as we fulfill your command of love.
Blessed are you, God of Resurrection. We have kept the holy days in oneness with you and one another. We now sit at your table of Grace to be nourished by the holy and everlasting mystery of your sacred meal.
Karla: Please lift your bread as I say: He took the Bread, spoke the grace, broke the bread, and offered it to them saying,’
All: Take and eat, this is my very self.
Karla: Please left your glass of wine as I say: Then he took the cup of the covenant, spoke the grace, and offered it to them saying:
All: Take and drink, this is the cup of my blood of the new and eternal covenant. Whenever you remember me like this, I am among you.
Linda: As we gather around this friendship table, we recall Abba’s blessing and love from ages past, and we celebrate anew the gift of life which we share among us at this Eucharistic feast.
Let us proclaim the mystery of faith:
All: Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.
Karla: The bread we break and the cup we share are symbols of our world of abundance where all are invited to partake of the fullness of life. R] Amen
Jesus Prayer: Gina
Let us pray as Jesus taught us:
O Holy One, who is 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 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 (Miriam Therese Winter)
Juanita: We share this bread and cup to proclaim and live the gospel of justice and peace. We choose to live justly, love tenderly, and walk with integrity.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_eIJalH8z4
Community Blessing After Communion Nick
Together with our arms extended to one another.
May our hearts be glad on our journey as we dream new dreams, see new visions, and create a new heaven and earth.
May we live and work for compassion and peace, justice, and non-violence in our hearts and in those of everyone we meet.
May we joyfully drink in the love and forgiveness poured into our cups by our All-Loving Compassionate Extravagant Trinity.
Karla: May the blessings of Abba God, our brother Jesus and Spirit Sophia be
Dismissal Karla
We are the Face of the Trinity in the world. So, as we leave here in the peace of Christ, let us be the people that we were created to be. Let our service to the kin-dom continue.
All: Let it be so! Alleluia! Alleluia!
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