[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 60 (Thursday, April 23, 2009)]
[House]
[Page H4691]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

[[Page H4691]]

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                        House of Representatives

  The House met at 10 a.m.
  The Chaplain, the Reverend Daniel P. Coughlin, offered the following 
prayer:
  ``After the earthquake came fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. 
And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he 
pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of 
the cave.''
  You, O Lord, are the subtle inspiration hidden in our deepest 
instincts to seek out goodness and love and content us with the whisper 
of truth and presence.
  Lord, if we desire You to be a part of our busy lives we need to find 
some cave of aloneness where we can heed Your voice and ponder Your 
Word with a clean heart.
  Enable us and our children not to be afraid of silence.
  Only from silence can come the depth of expression, the wellspring of 
beautiful and common language that will help us interpret all the 
sounds of our noisy world.
  Lord, help us to keep silent so that we can listen better. Help us to 
abide in the silence of prayer so prayer can live in us, now, and 
forever. Amen.

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