G. Linhart rscj  | | Music: | Song of the Body of Christ
(Cassette: Our Lady of the Poor) | | Refrain: | We come to share our story.
We come to break the bread.
We come to know our rising from the dead. | - We come as your people. We come as your own, United with each other, love finds a home. Ref.
- We are called to heal the broken; to be hope for the poor, We are called to feed the hungry at our door. Ref.
- In Hawaiian
- In Spanish
- You will lead and we shall follow. You will be the breath of life.
Living Water, we are thirsty for your Life. Ref. - We will live and sing aloha. Alleluia is our song.
May we live in love and peace our whole life long.
“I am the Way.”
First Reader: John 14: 1-7
“... Thomas said to (Jesus): ‘Lord, we do not know where you are going.
How can we know the way?’
Jesus said to him: ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on, you do know him and have seen him’.” pause
Reflection:
Before Christ’s followers were known as Christians, they were called ‘People of the Way’. Though they tried to follow in his footsteps, yet in a unique sense, they knew that Jesus himself was THE WAY. (Jn. 14:6)
Jesus lived his road map, as ‘he set his face to go to Jerusalem’. It was both a physical journey and a journey of obedience; both a route to be travelled and a commitment to make. He travelled a way, but he was THE WAY. The early Christians saw the way in the crucified and risen Christ. They were soon to know it in their own lives of
obedience. It is the way to which Christ still calls us — suffering in his name leads to Easter in his name. Then we shall be living his way, his truth, and his life. (From: 46 Images, by George Morrison, #23) Silent Reflection Response: (Altogether)
Lord, Jesus Christ, we know You are THE WAY. But we know too well
how often we ‘lose our way’ in the maze of ‘the ways of the world’. Help
us to renew now, our obedience to THE WAY you have charted for us.
Amen.
“I am the Truth”
Dialogue between the centurion and a woman: Procula:
| Centurion, were you at the killing of that teacher today?
| Longina:
| Yes, lady.
| Procula:
| Tell me about his death.
| Longina:
| It is hardly ‘fit hearing’ for you, my lady.
| Procula:
| Do not tell it all, then, but tell me what he said.
| Longina:
| he people were mocking him at first, and he prayed God to forgive them. He said: ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do’. | Procula:
| Was he suffering much? | | Longina: | No, lady. He wasn’t a strong man. The scourging must have nearly killed him. I thought he was dead by noon, and then suddenly, he began to sing in a loud voice that he was giving back his spirit to God. I looked to see God come to take him. He died singing. Truly, lady, that man was the Son of God, if I may say that.
| | Procula: | What do you think the man believed, centurion?
| | Longina: | He believed he was God, they say.
| | Procula: | What do you think of that claim?
| | Longina: | If a man believes anything up to the point of dying on the cross for it, he will find others to believe it.
| | Procula: | Do you believe it?
| | Longina: | We saw a fine young fellow, my lady; not past middle age. And he was all alone, and defied all the Jews and all the Romans, and, when we had done with him, he was a poor broken-down thing, dead on the cross.
| | Procula: | Do you think he is dead?
| | Longina: | No, lady, I don’t.
| | Procula: | Then where is he?
| | Longina: | He is let loose in the world, lady, where neither Roman nor Jew can stop His Truth. |
| (From “The Trial of Jesus” by John Masefield) | | Leader: | Jesus speaks clearly about the risks of ‘living in truth’. ‘Whoever wants to save his life with lose it.’ (Luke 9: 24) ‘No one can serve two masters.’ (Mt. 6:24)
‘If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone.... If you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses.” |
Silent reflection: Which risks challenge me at this time?
Response in song: In the Likeness of Jesus
(From Celtic Songs of Earth and Heaven, Briege O’Hare, O.S.C. & Carmel Boyle)
“I am the Life.”
Leader:
We live in a world that craves knowledge of God. Many of the images that (we) continue to use to describe Jesus... (may) mislead people.... Jesus must be seen in the quality of our lives, as well as in our words. Our reflection of his life cannot be reduced to a creed or a manual. It is LIFE that responds to each person and situation uniquely, because it is responsible to God. In John 1:4 we read: “In him was life and the life was the light of all people.”
(From: 46 Images, by George Morrison, #46) Silent Reflection | Response: | (Altogether)
| | Rt. Side: | You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on your hearts, to be known and read by all.
| | Lt. Side: | And you show that you are a letter from Christ, delivered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of human hearts.
| | Rt. Side: | Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to claim anything as coming from us; our sufficiency is from God...
| | Lt. Side: | Since we have such a hope, we are very bold.... And we all... beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness, from one degree of glory to another — for this comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
| | Rt. Side: | For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord with ourselves as your servants, for Jesus’ sake.
| | Lt. Side: | For it is God who said, “Let the light shine out of darkness” who has shone in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God, in the face of Christ.
| | Together: | Lord, help us to witness to your way, your truth, your life. Our Father, who art in heaven.... |
Closing Hymn: Holy God of Truth (From The God of Life, J.M. Talbot)
O holy God of Truth, O Loving God of mercy,
Compassion and God of Life, Forgiveness to me give.
In my wanton talk, in my lying-o,
In my foolish deeds, in my empty speech,
As thou wast before, at my life’s beginning,
Be my soul again, at my journey’s end.
In my wanton talk, in my lying-o,
In my foolish deeds, in my empty speech
O holy God of Truth, O loving God of mercy,
Compassion and God of Life, Forgiveness to me give. Maureen Currie rscj
Province of Canada
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