To receive this Liturgy in a Word document, email grassroots@womensordination.org
LITURGY IN REMEMBRANCE OF
POPE JOHN PAUL II
Introduction for the leader of prayer:
This prototype liturgy and the suggestions for readings and music contained herein are intended for those who plan a local prayer service at the time of the passing of Pope John Paul II, and who wish to focus on the theme of transition and of looking toward the future of the church.
Thematically the service begins with remembrance and prayer for John Paul, then gradually shifts to the theme of openness to the future.
Two sets of some suggestions are provided: Model I could be used by a fairly conventional, middle-of-the-road, parish community. Model II is intended for base communities, women’s liturgy groups and social justice groups. Of course planners can pick and choose whatever options they think best for their community.
This document is designed for you to add or delete the prayers that best fit your community, although we ask that your final document please acknowledge Susan Roll and the Women's Ordination Conference.
Suggestions for sung music marked "RS" are taken from RitualSong, A Hymnal and Service Book for Roman Catholics, published by GIA publications, Chicago, 1998, ISBN 1-57999-038-X.
GIA can be contacted at 7404 S. Mason Ave, Chicago IL 60638, phone 1-800-442-1358 for permission to make copies of their music, or just the lyrics, for congregational use. Normally they will grant one-time permission for free over the phone, with the stipulation that you send them a copy of your printed sheet afterward. Doing this is not only required by law, but is a social justice imperative to protect the rights of composers and writers to ownership of their own work.
In places some of the lyrics may need to be 'tweaked' for inclusivity and "Lord"- language.
The "Liturgy of the Word" section consists of suggestions for scripture readings and short quotes from the writings of John Paul himself, for the planners to choose whatever they like.
An effective Liturgy of the Word should not be just a sequence of readings, since the ritual dynamism disappears and it quickly becomes verbose and boring. Intersperse your selected readings with your choice of a moment of reflective silence, a short piece of meditative background music, a psalm, congregational song, or liturgical dance.
Note that the underscored portions of citations from John Paul show his own emphasis in the original printed text, and need not affect the way in which the text is read aloud in a prayer service.
The option of a sung Canticle of Mary (Magnificat) is given both to help move the liturgy toward a social justice orientation, and to shape the service into a more standard form for Evening Prayer, if that is when it will be used.
Liturgy in Remembrance of
Pope John Paul II
Written by Susan Roll for the Women's Ordination Conference
OPENING SONG
* (See note at end of liturgy regarding song selections)
On Eagle's Wings (RS 740)
Be Not Afraid (RS 734)
Awake O Sleeper (RS 729)
Comfort, Comfort O My People (RS 488)
INTRODUCTION by a leader or leaders (in these or other words):
In Gaudium et Spes, the 'Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World' of Vatican Council II, we read, "At all times the Church carries the responsibility of reading the signs of the times and of interpreting them in the light of the Gospel, if it is to carry out its task.” The long pontificate of John Paul II has spanned changing times, and a changing church. The stresses and challenges of the church of 1978 are in many ways very different from those of 2005. We gather together today to remember and pray for our brother in faith, to take note of the gifts and insights which he has left us to point us toward the future of the church, and to embrace and build that future with renewed courage and joy and hope.
"Let us begin with a moment of silence."
OPENING PRAYER
Model I
O God our loving Creator,
you entrusted John Paul your servant
with the responsibility of guiding the work of your church on earth.
Welcome him into eternal life in your presence,
and by your Holy Spirit sustain us, the church,
which makes the living presence of Christ
visible on the earth.
We ask this through the same Jesus Christ your son,
who lives and loves with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever. Amen.
Model II
O God our loving Creator,
you are present to the joys and sorrows
of your people in every age of history.
We thank you for the life of your servant John Paul;
may he enter your rest,
and praise you in the company of all the holy women and men.
Let us hear your voice clearly, and discern your wisdom,
that we may look boldly toward the future
and embody your living presence, and justice, and peace in our own age.
We ask this together with Christ, who is God with us. Amen.
LITURGY OF THE WORD
Options from Scripture:
Isaiah 25: 6-10
Isaiah 38: 10-19 (shorter version: eliminate vss 15-17)
Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8
Jeremiah 30: 18-22
Matthew 28: 1-10
Mark 5: 21-43 (shorter version: eliminate vss 25-34)
John 11: 1-44 (shorter version: eliminate vss 7-16)
Options from the writings of John Paul:
1. "Permit me to recall the years of my early youth. I remember that one day my father gave me a prayerbook which contained the 'prayer to the Holy Spirit.' He told me to recite it daily. So, from that day on, I have tried to. I understood for the first time the meaning of Christ's words to the Samaritan woman about the true worshipers of God, about those who worship [God] in spirit and in truth. There were to be many more steps in my journey. ...
"And all of this drew me more profoundly into the mystery of the Church, which, precisely because it is a mystery, has an invisible dimension. The Council spoke of this as well. This mystery is larger than the visible structure and organization of the Church. Structure and organization are at the service of the mystery. The Church, as the mystical Body of Christ, penetrates and embraces all of us."
Crossing the Threshold of Hope (1994), pp 141-143
2. "When, on October 22, 1978, I said the words 'Be not afraid!' in St. Peter's Square, I could not fully know how far they would take me and the entire Church. ... The exhortation ‘Be not afraid!’ should be interpreted as having a very broad meaning. In a certain sense it was an exhortation addressed to all people, an exhortation to conquer fear in the present world situation, as much in the East as in the West, as much in the North as in the South. ...
And thus we come to May 13, 1981, when I was wounded by gunshots fired in St. Peter's Square. ... With this event, didn't Christ perhaps say, once again, 'Be not afraid!' Didn't he repeat this Easter exhortation to the Pope, to the Church, and indirectly, to the entire human family?
"At the end of the second millennium, we need, perhaps more than ever, the words of the Risen Christ: 'Be not afraid!' Man[y] who, even after the fall of Communism, [have] not stopped being afraid and who truly [have] many reasons for feeling this way, [need] to hear these words. Nations need to hear them, especially the nations which have been born after the fall of the Communist empire, as well as those that witnessed the event from the outside. Peoples and nations of the entire world need to hear these words. Their conscience needs to grow in the certainty that Someone exists...who holds the keys to death and the netherworld; Someone who is the Alpha and Omega of human history. And this Someone is Love. ... It is Eucharistic Love. It is the infinite source of communion [who] alone can give the ultimate assurance... "Be not afraid!"
Crossing the Threshold of Hope, pp 218-222.
3. "I think of the Warsaw uprising in 1944--the desperate revolt of my contemporaries, who sacrificed everything. They laid down their young lives. They wanted to demonstrate that they could live up to their great and demanding heritage. I was a part of that generation and I must say that the heroism of my contemporaries helped me to define my personal vocation... Precisely in that period of absolute contempt for [humanity], when the price of human life had perhaps never been considered so cheap, precisely then each life became precious, acquiring the value of a free gift."
Crossing the Threshold of Hope, p 119.
4. "Today, perhaps more than in the past, people are realizing that they are linked together by a common destiny, which is to be constructed together, if catastrophe for all is to be avoided... the good to which we are all called and the happiness to which we aspire cannot be obtained without an effort and commitment on the part of all, nobody excluded, and the consequent renouncing of personal selfishness."
Sollicitudo Rei Socialis
5. "We must not be afraid of the future. We must not be afraid of [humanity]. It is no accident that we are here. Each and every human person has been created in the 'image and likeness' of the One who is the origin of all that is. We have within us the capacities for wisdom and virtue. With these gifts, and with the help of God’s grace, we can build in the next century and the next millennium a civilization worthy of the human person, a true culture of freedom. We can and must do so! And in doing so, we shall see that the tears of this century have prepared the ground for a new springtime of the human spirit."
Address to the U.N. General Assembly, 1995.
6. "Be generous in giving your life to [God]. Do not be afraid! You have nothing to fear, because God is the [God] of history and of the universe. Let grow in you the desire for great and noble projects. Nourish a sense of solidarity: these are the signs of the divine action in your hearts. Place at the use of your communities the talents which Providence has lavished on you. The more ready you are to give yourselves to God and to others, the more you will discover the authentic meaning of life. God expects much of you!"
Message for World Day of Prayer for Vocations, 1996.
7. "El misterio de una fe, porque el Senor crucificado y resucitado está realmente presente en la Eucaristía... La Sagrada Eucaristía, en efecto, además de ser testimonio sacramental de la primera venida de Cristo, es al mismo tiempo un anuncio constante de su segunda venida gloriosa, al final de los tiempos. Prenda de la esperanza futura y aliento, también esperanzado, para nuestra marchia hacia la vida eterna...
"La presencia sacramental de Cristo es también fuente de amor.... Amor, en primer lugar, al propio Cristo... y amor a [nuestras hermanas y a] nuestros hermanos. Porque la autenticidad de nuestra unión con Jesús sacramentado ha de traducirse en nuestro amor verdadero a todos [y a todas]... empezando por quienes están más próximos [-as]. Habrá de notarse en el modo de tratar a la propia familia... en el empeno por vivir en paz con todos [y todas]... Será, de este modo, la Sagrada Eucaristía fermento de caridad y vínculo de aquella unidad de la Iglesia querida por Cristo y propugnada por el Concilio Vaticano II."
"La piedad eucarística y la celebración de la Cena del Seňor," 1982.
Options for Responsorial Psalms and short songs between readings:
Psalm 23, "My Shepherd is the Lord" (with four antiphon variations) (RS 45)
Psalm 27, "The Lord Is My Light and my Salvation" (RS 57)
Psalm 63, "My Soul Is Thirsting," (RS 89 and 90).
How Firm a Foundation (RS 731)
The Lord Is My Light (RS 732)
How Can I Keep From Singing (RS 733)
Precious Lord, Take My Hand (RS 754)
Nada Te Turbe (RS 757)
"You Can't Kill the Spirit" (traditional)
UNFOLDING THE WORD
Some ideas for a preacher:
1. Resurrection is a core Christian belief which means a radical, hope-against-hope belief in life.
The life and death of a human body, while deeply personal, can be a metaphor for a community: the flame of hope need never go out, and adversity and oppression need not extinguish faith, because a loving God promises us that death does not have the last word.
2. The twentieth century has witnessed massive global social, political, ideological and cultural changes. The Roman Catholic Church experienced decades of theological development and pastoral experimentation which led up to the great shifts in policy and church law at the pivot point marked by Vatican II. Now we see a climate of retrenchment, fear, rigidity and blame in many areas of church life. But the twentieth century represents only 1/20th of the history of the Christian faith. As a church we have survived a great deal of turmoil. Our prophets have often been reviled in their own lifetime but later vindicated (examples can be drawn from Maureen Fiedler's Rome Has Spoken or Robert McClory's Faithful Dissenters). Yet the Spirit is amazingly persistent. And God is often most near when we are least aware. Faith gives us a means to persevere even when the short-term prospects are discouraging. And the more we know about the past, the less we have to fear from the future.
MOMENT OF MEDITATIVE SILENCE
THE CANTICLE OF MARY (Magnificat):
My Soul Rejoices (RS 209)
Holy Is Your Name (RS 210)
Proclaim the Greatness of God (RS 211)
Canticle of the Turning (RS 678)
GENERAL INTERCESSIONS / PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL
Model I:
1. Let us pray for the bishops of the world, and all those entrusted with teaching and governing responsibilities in the church, that they may always be guided by the light of the Spirit, let us pray to our God. God, hear our prayer.
2. Let us pray for theologians, catechists, pastoral ministers, and all those who work to make the presence of Christ visible and strong in their worshiping communities, let us pray to our God. God, hear our prayer.
3. For all those who are discerning the call of God to service: may their call be welcomed and their lives witness to the love of Christ, let us pray to our God. God, hear our prayer.
4. Let us pray for John Paul, now that his life's struggles are over: may he rest in eternal peace, let us pray to our God. God, hear our prayer.
5. And for those of our loved ones who have passed into the life which does not die, may perpetual light shine upon them, let us pray to our God. God, hear our prayer.
Model II:
1. Let us pray that the global church of the future may move courageously and wisely into the future, a future of welcome, of justice, a future in which the voices of all may be heard. Loving God, hear our prayer.
2. Let us pray that the church of the future affirms the native cultures of all peoples, and listens for the wisdom they speak. Loving God, hear our prayer.
3. Let us pray that the church of the future continues to acknowledge honestly the sins of the past, to reach out to heal wounds, and to speak a word of blessing to those in trauma and pain. Loving God, hear our prayer.
4. Let us pray that the church of the future affirms the full human personhood of women, that misogyny becomes a thing of the past, and that women be admitted to all ministries to which they may be called. Loving God, hear our prayer.
5. Let us pray for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered Christians, that they know that they can come home to the church of Christ which embraces them with love and understanding. Loving God, hear our prayer.
6. Let us pray for the poor of all countries and cultures, that they may secure the necessities of life, and an unshakable sense of their human dignity. Loving God, hear our prayer.
7. For any prayers or petitions anyone would like to share.
OUR FATHER optional
CLOSING PRAYER
Model I:
God, hear our prayers for your servant John Paul,
and for the church which he served.
Make us ever more faithful to the call to do justice,
to love tenderly,
and to walk humbly with our God.
Make us prophets, unafraid to speak the truth
and to defend the poor and oppressed,
as we live out our call
to build the church of the future.
We ask this through Christ, our brother.
Model II (said together):
Creator God, Lover God,
be close to us now as this new era dawns.
Fill us with wisdom and clarity of insight,
fortify us with courage and initiative,
soften our hearts with compassion,
and empower us to do the work of justice.
Amen! Amen! Alleluia!
CLOSING SONG
City of God (RS 799)
Here I Am (RS 802)
We Are Called (RS 820)
We Are Marching (RS 648)
Joyful, Joyful We Adore You (RS 669)
O Healing River (RS 715)
"We Shall Go Out, With Hope of Resurrection" (June Boyce-Tillman)
"Sister, Carry On" (Carolyn McDade)
"Keep On Moving Forward" (unknown)
Founded in 1975, the Women's Ordination Conference works for women's equality in all dimensions of life and ministry in the Catholic Church including women's ordination to a renewed priestly ministry.
www.womensordination.org
© 2001, Susan K. Roll.
