A prayer for use during this year as we move towards the Referendum on Recognition and Voice.
Please feel free to use it as you wish.
God who listens,
open our hearts to hear the gentle invitation of those without a voice;
placeless and dispossessed of all that was theirs,
instead of anger, revenge or blame,
they offer in their open hand absurd generosity,
an act of transformational forgiveness
from the centre of their being to ours:
May we sense the integrity of country speaking to country, body to body;
and find within ourselves the humility to accept and journey together,
to become our nation’s better future,
resolving our colonial memory, Australia’s original sin.
As Jesus gave his body for ours,
help us to receive and pass on this gift of new life,
for his name’s sake. Amen.
(Glenn Loughrey 2023)
Hi Glenn, I attended your St Michael’s Nth Carlton meeting. Wondering which is the most apt Gospel reading for an service on The Voice. Also is the image of the Uluru Statement copyright-free?
Elaine Furniss
Galatians 3:28: There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is [aj]neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
6. Where does Galatians 3:28 come into this as Christians. There are neither Jew nor Greek nor slave nor free, neither male nor female for we are all one in Christ Jesus.
1. Without sounding heretical, it is not relevant as not all people are in Christ in the sense as recognising Christ. This verse refers to the truth that when we in Christ we become a new creation. It does not translate into the space where not all are Christian.
2. It doesn’t translate into the space of social justice except within the circumstances noted in (a).
3. For Christians the constant admonition in both the Old and New Testaments to love God and to love your neighbour as yourself are more appropriate in this space.
4. When we see ourselves in Christ the imperative Is to do justice out of love of God and love for our neighbour.
5. I’ll leave you to find the proof texts for this. I just prefer to do what is right in my imperfection.
Thank you for sharing this beautiful prayer. I will definitely use it in meetings this year. Thank you Glenn.
Thank you for the beautiful prayer and the other recommended resources, especially in the Webinar July 4 at 7.30pm
I can publish this information in our Parish Bulletin.
For example something to be read each week.
Would like to include a different prayer for reconciliation and or The Voice each week etc.
Denise