02/06/00
Prayer for the Journey of Healing
We who have come from every land give thanks for Australia,
This earth that feeds us;
The shores that bind us;
The skies that envelop us in freedom.
We stand together, united as one people:
Proud of our ability to work together;
Grateful for our gifts;
Nourished by our diversity and our harmony.
Yet we turn to the original owners of our land and see, too, what we
have taken.
We weep for their loss of freedom, of country, of children -
Even of their very lives.
We stand in awe at their survival, and in debt for their land.
We have shadows in our history which if unfaced diminish us
We have taken without asking;
Our nation has taken without asking;
Lives are wounded. We see the pain, feel the sorrow and seek forgiveness.
Let us look back with courage; see the truth and speak it.
Let us look around with compassion; see the cost and share it.
Let us look forward with hope; see what can be and create it.
Give us courage to face the truth;
Compassion to share the burden -
Strength to play our part in the healing -
And hope to walk forward to a place of justice.
With courage, compassion, strength and hope, we will walk together on
the journey of healing.
- WA Reconciliation Inter-Faith Working Group
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