Holy Mary, mother of us all,
we see a world filled with violence toward one another;
we ask for mercy.
We see children and the elderly dwelling in poverty;
we ask for mercy.
We see the earth being slowly choked and poisoned;
we ask for mercy.
We live in a culture that values people only
for what they produce and achieve;
we ask for mercy.
We recognize the ways our own
moment-by-moment choices contribute
to the above realities; we ask for mercy.
In your gracious mercy, help to transform us.
Strengthen our resolve to live as a witness to another way of being,
one rooted in kindness, compassion, rest, delight, and nourishment.
May this birthing of new possibilities be our most sacred work.