Our Indigenous People

God of our ancient people,
lover of all tribes,
show those of us who are
more recent arrivals
in this great south land
how best we can allow Indigenous Australians
to recover their dignity
and to make their rich contribution
to the wellbeing of our growing nation.

Thank you for those in government
and in the church community
who are really listening
and responding with true wisdom
to their needs and cries.
Thank you for the land rights that have been recognised,
for progress among tribal groups,
for emerging Indigenous poets,
priests, ministers and managers.

We pray with anguished souls
for the descendants of tribes
disinherited long ago,
for those broken spirits
who gather without aim or hope
in parks and lanes of cities and towns.
God, guide us,
for we feel incapable of discovering
how we can best assist them -
except that perhaps to admit to them
that we are burdened to belong
to the race that helped corrupt them.

Merciful God, hear our cry.
Many of us long to undo
the many wrongs,
as far as is possible.
But how do we start, God?
Where do we start?
Merciful God, hear our cry!