Leaver’s Mass 2010

A reading from the prophet Ezekial 17: 22-24

"'God, the Master, says, I personally will take a shoot from the top of the towering cedar, a cutting from the crown of the tree, and plant it on a high and towering mountain, on the high mountain of Israel. It will grow, putting out branches and fruit—a majestic cedar. Birds of every sort and kind will live under it. They'll build nests in the shade of its branches. All the trees of the field will recognize that I, God, made the great tree small and the small tree great, made the green tree turn dry and the dry tree sprout green branches. I, God, said it—and I did it.'"The Word of the Lord.

Psalm 92

A Sabbath Song

R/ What a beautiful thing, GOD, to give thanks, to sing an anthem to you, the High God!

What a beautiful thing, GOD, to give thanks, to sing an anthem to you, the High God! To announce your love each daybreak, sing your faithful presence all through the night, Accompanied by dulcimer and harp, the full-bodied music of strings. R/

You made me so happy, GOD I saw your work and I shouted for joy. How magnificent your work, GOD! How profound your thoughts! Dullards never notice what you do; fools never do get it..R/

When the wicked popped up like weeds and all the evil men and women took over, You mowed them down, finished them off once and for all. You, God, are High and Eternal. Look at your enemies, GOD! Look at your enemies—ruined! Scattered to the winds, all those hirelings of evil! R/

But you've made me strong as a charging bison, you've honoured me with a festive parade. The sight of my critics going down is

still fresh, the rout of my malicious detractors. R/

My ears are filled with the sounds of promise: "Good people will prosper like palm trees, Grow tall like Lebanon cedars; transplanted to GOD's courtyard, They'll grow tall in the presence of God, lithe and green, virile still in old age." Such witnesses to upright GOD! My Mountain, my huge, holy Mountain! R/

A reading from Paul’s letter to the Colossians 1:9-14

Be assured that from the first day we heard of you, we haven't stopped praying for you, asking God to give you wise minds and spirits attuned to his will, and so acquire a thorough understanding of the ways in which God works. We pray that you'll live well for the Master, making him proud of you as you work hard in his orchard. As you learn more and more how God works, you will learn how to do your work. We pray that you'll have the strength to stick it out over the long haul—not the grim strength of gritting your teeth but the glory-strength God gives. It is strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy, thanking the Father who makes us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that he has for us.

God rescued us from dead-end alleys and dark dungeons. He's set us up in the kingdom of the Son he loves so much, the Son who got us out of the pit we were in, got rid of the sins we were doomed to keep repeating.

The Word of the Lord

A reading from the Gospel of Mark 4: 26-32 Then Jesus said, "God's kingdom is like seed thrown on a field by a man who then goes to bed and forgets about it. The seed sprouts and grows—he has no idea how it happens. The earth does it all without his

help: first a green stem of grass, then a bud, then the ripened grain. When the grain is fully formed, he reaps—harvest time!

"How can we picture God's kingdom? What kind of story can we use? It's like a pine nut. When it lands on the ground it is quite small as seeds go, yet once it is planted it grows into a huge pine tree with thick branches. Eagles nest in it."

Communion Reflection: The Song of the Seed

Life unfoldsA petal at a time, slowly.

The beauty of the process is crippledwhen I try to hurry growth.Life has its inner rhythmwhich must be respected.It cannot be rushed or hurried.Like daylight stepping out of darkness, like morning creeping out of night, life unfolds slowly a petal at a timelike a flower opening to the sun, slowly.God’s call unfoldsA Word at a time, slowly.A disciple is not made in a hurry.Slowly I become like the Oneto whom I am listening.

Life unfoldsa petal at a timelike you and Ibecoming followers of Jesus, discipled into a new way of living deeply and slowly.Be patient with life’s unfolding petals.If you hurry the bud, it withers.If you hurry life, it limps.

Each unfolding is a teachinga movement of grace filled with silent pauses,

breathtaking beautytears and heartaches.Life unfoldsa petal at a timedeeply and slowly.

May it come to pass!

By Sr Macrina Wiederkehr OSB http://www.macrinawiederkehr.com/