[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 212 (Saturday, December 30, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S19317]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

                                 prayer

  The guest Chaplain, Father Paul Lavin, pastor of St. Joseph's on 
Capitol Hill, Washington, DC, offered the following prayer:
  Let us listen to the words of the prophet Isaiah.
  Cry out full-throated and unsparingly, lift up your voice like a 
trumpet blast; Is this the manner of fasting I wish, of keeping a day 
of penance: That a man bow his head like a reed, and lie in sackcloth 
and ashes?
  Do you call this a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord?
  This, rather is the fasting I wish, releasing those bound unjustly, 
untying the thongs of the yoke; Setting free the oppressed, breaking 
every yoke; Sharing your bread with the hungry, sheltering the 
oppressed and the homeless; Clothing the naked when you see them, and 
not turning your back on your own.--Isaiah 58:5-8.
  Let us pray:
  Blessed are You, Lord God of mercy, You have given us the law, the 
prophets, the wisdom of scripture, the commandment of love for one 
another. Send down Your blessings on the men and women of the Senate 
and on their staffs who have sought and accepted these offices of 
service. When they are called on in times of need, let them be faithful 
to You, and to their neighbor. We give glory and praise to You for ever 
and ever.

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