"In Germany they first came for the communists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me - and by that time no one was left to speak up." - Rev. Martin Niemoller Why is it important to speak out when we see something that is wrong, even if it doesn’t affect us directly?

FACT: While it is fine to be proud of your own cultural identity or heritage, it doesn't mean that yours is superior to someone else's. Dear Lord, under your care, the world holds six thousand million people. And not two of them are identical. May we realize - once and for all - that we cannot always place people into groups by race, appearance, age or anything else, because you have made them all different, unique. We ask this is Jesus’ name. Amen.

People need to be taught to respect others and not to pre-judge them. We can all help other people see that there is much to learn from people who are different from ourselves, including those who live far away or those who lived long ago. Why is it important that we help each other to respect every living thing and not pre-judge them?

O God, who created all peoples in your image, we thank you for the wonderful diversity of races and cultures in this world. Enrich our lives by ever-widening circles of friendship, and show us your presence in those who differ most from us, until our knowledge of your love is made perfect in our love for all your children; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

"I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character." - Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Why is it important to dream that what you see as wrong can change? Voice(s) 1 Our world is too small. Our lives are too small. Our vision is too restricted. Voice(s) 2 May the people of various countries, various cultures, tribes, and families find room in our world and our lives All Help us to widen our tents, Shaddai*, so that all are welcome among us. Amen. *Shaddai is an ancient Biblical way of speaking about God.

You set a good example when you: - Treat others with respect; - Avoid using stereotypes (even seemingly positive ones, such as generalizing a whole ethnic group as exceptionally good at maths or musically talented); - Make it clear that prejudice is wrong; - Don't allow bigoted comments by others, even friends or family members, to go unchallenged.

Loving God, we come before you as a new day begins with gratitude and trust to accept all the gifts you have to offer us. Send your Holy Spirit to be a vibrant presence with us, as we step into this new day. Help us to grow more fully into the people you want us to be and let us live peacefully in the holiness and mystery of life you offer. We ask all of this through Jesus, who leads us to you. Amen. Why is it important to be at peace with out inner-selves as well as with others on the outside?

Leader: Lord we have not appreciated or respected the image of God in the members of the human family, we have not loved others as we have loved ourselves, or done to others as we would have them do to us. All: Some have kept silent in the face of injustice and inequality, while others have sacrificed their lives in order to fight it.

Yesterday you prayed “Help us to widen our tents, Shaddai, so that all are welcome among us.” What personal attitudes/opinions do you need to change in order to be able to celebrate the diversity of God’s creation? Prayer: Let us have the courage to say: “No to selfishness; No to injustice; No to pleasure without moral rules; No to despair; No to hatred and violence; No to ways without God; No to irresponsibility and mediocrity. Yes to God, to Jesus Christ and to the church; Yes to efforts to elevate people and to lead them to God; Yes to justice, to love and to peace; Yes to solidarity with everyone, especially with the most needy; Yes to home; Yes to your duty to build a better society.” Amen. - Pope John Paul II