A NATIONAL CRY FOR MERCY AND RENEWAL

A NATIONAL CRY FOR MERCY AND RENEWAL

Leader:

Lord God, our Shepherd, hear the cry of Your people in the Philippines as we walk in the valley of darkness.

We come before You today, humbled and broken, like a stray sheep that has fallen from the cliff, clinging desperately to a brittle branch, crying out for rescue.

All:

Save us, Lord, for we are sinking!

Leader:

Like the psalmist, we feel ourselves sinking in the mire (Ps 69:2), overwhelmed by the floods of corruption, as Jeremiah once sank into the mud of the cistern (Jer 38:6).

We confess, O Lord, with contrite hearts as Baruch prayed: “We have sinned against the Lord, we have been disobedient, we have not listened to His voice” (Bar 1:18–19).

Forgive us, Lord, for by our compromises—small or great—we have let darkness thrive:

—by bribing fixers and traffic enforcers,

—by tolerating lies and falsehood in media,

—by accepting donations from plunderers and exploiters,

—by covering injustice with silence or convenience.

Forgive us, Lord, for we have allowed the Evil One to take hold of our society.

All:

Have mercy on us, O God, according to Your steadfast love! (Ps 51:1)

Leader:

We are submerged, Lord, in calamities—floods, earthquakes, fires, typhoons.

But worse are the wounds we inflict upon ourselves: scandalous budget insertions that deprived the poor of funds for health care, education, and welfare; substandard infrastructure that robs us of genuine progress; political dynasties that act like new feudal lords, keeping our people poor and dependent on dole-outs— a rich nation drowning in taxes, yet kept poor by a politics of patronage.

All:

“If my people, who are called by my name, humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will heal their land” (2 Chr 7:14).

Heal our land, O Lord!

Leader:

You have told us, O Lord, what is good and what You ask of us: “to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with You” (Mic 6:8).

We have failed, but we will not lose hope. For You, Lord, have not created us for corruption but for goodness; You have redeemed us and clothed us in a new humanity in Christ (Gal 2:20; Eph 4:24).

All:

Come, Holy Spirit, renew the face of the earth, renew the heart of our nation! (Ps 104:30)

Leader:

Breathe into us courage to rise above greed and power, and awaken in us care, empathy, compassion, and unconditional love. Let the survival of the weakest, not just the strongest, be the mark of our humanity. Empower us to build a Philippines where truth, justice, and mercy prevail.

All:

Lord, have mercy on us.

Christ, save us.

Spirit, renew us.

Through the intercession of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, we entrust our beloved country into Your hands.

Amen.