Have mercy on those who are suffering,
have mercy on the persecuted, oppressed and marginalized.

Have mercy on those who are targeted because of the color of their skin; have mercy on those who are profiled because of who they decide to pray to, disregarded because of who they love.

Have mercy on those whose hopes get dashed on a daily basis,
and upon those whose struggles never turn into victories.

Have mercy on both the voiceless and silenced,
have mercy upon the ridiculed, the invisible, the untouchable, the ignored.

Have mercy on those whose bodies are exploited,
have mercy on those whose lands are stolen, excavated and destroyed.

Have mercy on the wanderer, the homeless, the immigrant, the foreigner,
have mercy on those who are displaced as a result of war and climate change.

Have mercy on the abused and the misused,
have mercy on the misunderstood and the victimized.

And please do not forget, have mercy upon those who oppress us all for they do not know what they do. They do not know that in exchange for wealth, they forfeit their souls. They do not understand that as they reach to grasp and hold onto power, they surrender their salvation.

Lord, have mercy. Knit back together the human fabric that has been torn apart by war, colonization, slavery, racism, genocide, and trafficking. The relationships that have been destroyed, weave back together through your eternal love. That we, the oppressed and the oppressor alike, would become one at the foot of the cross. Heal our collective memories as we rightly recall our past. Move us into a future where we walk hand in hand, restored and united as we worship you.