[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 203 (Monday, December 18, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S18791]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

                                 prayer

  The Chaplain, Dr. Lloyd John Ogilvie, offered the following prayer:
  Lord of history, we thank You for inspiring memories of heroism in 
the past that give us courage for living our faith boldly in the 
present. Today, we join in the celebration of Hanukkah, the Feast of 
Dedication. We join with our Jewish Senators, the Jewish people 
throughout our land, and the State of Israel. We remember 165 B.C. and 
the victory of the Maccabees over tyrant Antiochus Epiphanes and his 
troops who had occupied Jerusalem, desecrated the temple, and sought to 
destroy forever the Hebrew religion. We celebrate the Maccabean victory 
that enabled the Jews to rededicate the temple and once again to 
worship You freely. It is with gratitude we remember that there was one 
remaining flask of pure olive oil left in the temple that miraculously 
kept the eternal light on the altar burning for 8 days and 8 nights 
until the supply could be replenished.
  We claim the meaning of the word Hanukkah, dedication, as we 
rededicate ourselves to our duty to uphold religious freedom for all 
people today. We also reaffirm our commitment to battle against the 
forces of evil in our society. Lord, we seek to be temples of Your holy 
spirit. Help us to shine in the spiritual darkness of our time. Keep us 
aflame with Your spirit of truth. May the verse from Zechariah 4:6, so 
often repeated during the 8 days of Hanukkah, be our source of strength 
today: ``Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord.'' 
Amen.

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