Gracious God, one of the sins of politics is talking about facts and figures and policies and practices when we’re really torturing your people and hurting our sacred human family.
We claim we’re having a debate about sports rules, but we’re really hurting children who won’t be allowed to play. We claim we’re having a debate about DEI instead of talking about the broken promise of liberty and justice for generation after generation of children who just deserve a fair shake – and we know that grieves your heart.
And we say we’re talking about immigration policy, when the story is really about people doing the jobs U.S. companies have given them — putting food on their table, taking care of their families and communities and paying their taxes, doing the best they can to get through their days.
Holy one, everyone our government has seized in these cruel workplace raids has someone waiting at home for the news that most of us take for granted – that the people we love and depend on are OK, and that they’re coming home soon.
From Santa Ana to downtown Los Angeles to the Central Valley, you know that workers aren’t going to work. They’re not being paid. And their families are at risk of going hungry. Our government’s cruelty is breaking 20 million hearts – and while they may not vote, gracious God, in your kingdom, they are higher than the angels. You call them each by name, and you number them one by one.
God of all, we pray you will put some charity in our leaders’ hearts.
We pray they will stop these cruel workplace raids. We pray in the name of the Holy Family that you reunite every family that has been divided by our greatest civic sin – our politicians making us a nation of selfish users by refusing to regularize the status of these 13 million immigrant workers. In your name we pray. Amen.
My opening prayer and scrapbook at Wednesday evening’s interfaith prayer walk for family unity, sponsored by L.A. Voice and co-sponsored by the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles. We began near La Placita Church in downtown Los Angeles and walked to the federal building, leaving flowers on the stairs in recognition of those being held or deported by ICE.
