The Gospel of Luke describes the weeping women of Jerusalem who encountered Jesus, bleeding and on the way to his execution. He spoke to them with compassion, urging them to weep for those who do not recognize him as their atoning mediator.
My contemporary rendering of that moment includes women of all ages and origins offering the traditional prayer of confession on behalf of all their descendants in every nation:
"We have not loved you with our whole hearts. We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry, and we humbly repent."
May the prayers of faithful women continue to rise.