Liturgies March 6, 2011

Yesterday I attended my Bishop's parish in Sarasota; Mary Mother of Jesus. The mass is totally inclusive language with many images of the Feminine face of Godde.

Today I attended a traditional parish liturgy at the school where my three grandchildren are in 8th, 7th, and 4th grades. My granddaughter Ellie 9 read the first reading of the liturgy.

I was disjointed spiritually after the mass today and began to remember the liturgies I have attended in my life:

1. I was raised pre-Vatican II so I began RC my journey with a mass totally in Latin and we saying the rosary etc because it was in a foreign tongue except for the homily. Only the altar boys responded to the priest in Latin. Our prayer books had one column of English and one column of Latin on each page of the Mass. We spent the mass in private prayer as we had not role in the service.

2. After Vatican II and the change to English for the mass and music; the liturgy took on a communal form: we sat in a circle, the priest faced the people, guitar masses, home masses many different "experiments" took the mass to the People of God. We all participated: lectors and Eucharistic ministers were roles for adults not altar servers. Altar servers were boys and girls in many parishes.

3. In Floyd county VA (early 90's) I attended my first house church with Women Church Convergence. I wondered if I was going to be condemned for attending? We said the words of consecration, no priest present. The next day I attended a "traditional parish" and during the Mass I entered in Kyros time. For my WC-C liturgy was "super imposed" over the liturgy before me. I even became nauseated because of my "being in two places at once" I concluded "all liturgy is an acceptable offering to my God" The spiritual journey of women gathered is a different journey and relationship with God. Both are valid ways to worship and I never looked back theologically. I know all worship is acceptable to God across the world's religions.

4. Moving to Chicago in 1996 I began to attend The Harold, a small intentional community every Sunday and became one of the "in the monthly schedule" presiders for 13 years until I moved away in 2009. Here I learned and practiced "What can the liturgy look like, still remembering the passover meal and life and teachings of Jesus our brother, but without all the trappings of Empirical Rome. I loved the liturgy as I developed my own "style" and would love to use again. Maybe Sun City Center will have a small RC faith community.

From large to small faith circles gathering to worship our Godde. I have had rich liturgical life experiences which formed my faith and my faith formed them. Yet I know when I meet God face to face all this will be as naught for what I experience now through communal prayer will compare as nothing to the direct experience of God.