We have grown familiar with chains.
Stumbled into by accident,
or carefully crafted by our own vice,
we have become used to their cold weight.
At times we even draw comfort from them,
finding a broken sense of identity in our victimhood,
or a platform for our self-righteous anger and violence.
And so our world remains imprisoned…
by the way we choose control and aggression
over peace and mutual understanding;
by the way we idolise quick answers and quick wealth
over preservation and careful management of natural resources;
by the way we allow our self-interest and greed
to overshadow the lives of the poor and hungry who die each day;
by the way we prefer hiding in a fortress of pride
over making things right and letting others into our hearts.
But, if we will listen, we can hear a voice
making a new way through this desert,
offering a new hope,
and gently seeking to loosen the chains.
Help us, Jesus, to follow this voice;
lead us like a Shepherd,
save us, and free us;
so that, as our chains fall away,
we may loosen the chains of others.
Amen.
