Mary, Your mother, prophesied
God is Holy,
showing mercy to everyone.
God scatters the proud,
pulling down arrogant thrones,
feeding the hungry,
and lifting up the lowly.

Zechariah, Your uncle, prophesied
God is merciful,
saving us from those who hate us,
rescuing us from our enemies,
so that we can serve God without fear.
God’s deep compassion breaks upon us like dawn,
God’s mercy lights our path,
God’s wisdom guides our feet along the path of peace.

You said,
Blessed are the hopeless and harassed, they are God’s people.
Blessed are the humble and those grieving, they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are the peace-makers, they are God’s children.

You taught us
To love our neighbors
To welcome the stranger
To protect the immigrant
To love our enemies.

You know the grief of injustice.
You wept in the garden.
You heard the denials.
You were betrayed with a kiss.
The courts falsely arrested You.
The police unjustly beat You.
The politicians callously mocked You.
The crowd crowned You with thorns.
They crucified You.

How could you say,
”Father forgive them…
they don’t know what they are doing?”
How could you have wept over a nation,
that kills the prophets and crucified You?

On the night you gave yourself up for us,
You broke bread, and said “Remember.”

Lord, teach me to remember Your ways,
so that I may walk in truth,
for You are compassionate,
Slow to anger, Very patient, Full of compassion,
Abounding in steadfast love,
You will not play the judge forever,
You do not treat us like we treat one another,
You forgive our inquiries,
You restore our souls,
You welcome us back home.

How can I make peace, if I forget Your steadfast mercy?
How can I heal the wounds, if I won’t stop punching?
How will hard hearts soften, If I cling to hate?
How will closed minds open, if I am not listening?

How can we find the path of peace,
If we can’t imagine some of “them” finding their way home?

Oh, Jesus, our hearts are breaking, as did Yours.
We are weeping and weary; angry, anxious and afraid
We say their names;
“Able, Alex, Briana, George, Martin, Renee… Zechariah son of Barachiah”
Deliver us from evil.
Teach us your ways.
Keep me resisting evil, injustice and oppression
without becoming hardhearted, unforgiving or hate-filled.
Lord, fill me with your boundless compassion
Guide my feet along the paths of peace. Amen