Find Your Voice. . .Break the Chain
Taken from No. 87 Summer 2010
Topic Human Trafficking
The following is taken from the Innercommunity Peace and Justice Center publication entitled "A Matter of Spirit". Please consider doing this alone or with a friend or a group of friends.
Prayer for Conversion of Heart: Human Trafficking
Set Up
Chairs around a small table—with a cloth, candle and basket of small stones.
Leader: Let us begin by observing a moment of silence in solidarity with the more than 27 million men, women and children in slavery-like conditions
today. [moment of silence]
Leader: Human trafficking can be an overwhelming reality, but we must not forget that our God is bigger.
Reader: “A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will remove from your body the heart of stone and give you a heart offlesh.” (Ezekiel 36)
Leader: Let us pray that God will convert the hearts of all human traffickers.
Response Prayer
For those who have become so hardened that human suffering no longer tugs on their hearts.
R. “Give them hearts of flesh.”
For those so long consumed with greed that they no longer recognize the inherent
value of the human person. R
For those so caught up in seeking pleasure that they buy sex or exploit other human beings. R
Leader: Let us pray for all of us who participate in systems that continue the demand for human trafficking. That we will change our consumer choices and habits to promote fairly traded products.
R. “Give us hearts of flesh.”
That we will demand corporate responsibility and slave-free products and services. R
That we will challenge others when they use language that demeans or objectifies women and girls. R
Leader: Let us end by taking a few moments of quiet to reflect on this question:
What prayer of conversion is stirring in my heart?
[quiet reflection]
Distribution of Stones
Leader: I now invite each of you to take a stone from the basket. As you take your stone, share one word or phrase that reflects the
stirring of your heart. [pass basket]
All: Loving God, we take these stones home both as a reminder of your promise to us and of our commitment to pray for an end to human trafficking. We ask for conversion of heart for all human traffickers, and for courage to recognize and respond to our own role in society’s
demand for human trafficking. We pray this in solidarity with all victims of human trafficking. Amen.
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