Call to Confession
One:
Last night 8,000 people died of AIDS.
Response:
Forgive us for our complacency.
One:
Last night 5,760 children were orphaned because of AIDS.
Response:
Forgive us for our apathy.
One:
Every 9 seconds someone new is infected with HIV.
Response:
Forgive us for not having the time to raise awareness.
One:
Every day people with AIDS starve to death, too poor to afford food and too sick to work.
Response:
Forgive us for turning a blind eye to your children.
One:
About 20% (1 in 5) of your population is infected with HIV.
Response:
God, help us to see how to help them.
One:
As Americans, many of our domestic and foreign policies think only of the bottom line; we lose sight of your children living with AIDS by supporting these policies.
Response:
Let us not be partners of greed, but of good will.
One:
As leaders of faith, we fail your children with HIV/AIDS.
Response:
Forgive us for being too busy to visit those who are sick in the hospital.
One:
As leaders of faith, we fail your children with HIV/AIDS.
Response:
Forgive us when we preach words of harm, rather than of love.
One:
As leaders of faith, we fail your children with HIV/AIDS.
Response:
Forgive us when we put those with AIDS on the back of our agenda in worship, meetings, and assemblies.
One:
As leaders of faith, we fail your children with HIV/AIDS.
Response:
Forgive us when we, as your pastors, refuse to conduct funerals for people who have died of AIDS.
One:
We stereotype your children with AIDS, we shun them, we hurt them and we disregard them.
Response:
Help us to see with the eyes of our heart, God. Help us to welcome those who are suffering into our Churches, our communities, our houses and into our hearts.
One:
AIDS has devastated your children. Millions are dying, millions are orphaned, millions are sick. Yet, we do nothing and keep “those” people at arm’s length.
Response:
Dear God in Heaven, help us.
One:
We are far from powerless in this fight against HIV/AIDS. With hearts full of love and souls full of grace we can make a difference.
Response:
Dear God in Heaven, help us to stand in solidarity with the suffering and have the courage to help those in need.
One:
Let us be comforted in the sure faith through Jesus Christ that God indeed forgives those who repent. Let us be reassured by the words of St. Augustine when he replied that love “has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten the poor and needy. It has the eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear sighs and sorrows.” That, my friends, is what love looks like.
No comments:
Post a Comment