[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 7]
[Senate]
[Page 10176]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

                                 prayer

  The guest Chaplain, Father Paul Lavin, pastor, St. Joseph's Church on 
Capitol Hill, Washington, DC, offered the following prayer:
  Brothers and sisters, 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.
       Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,
       And your wound shall quickly be healed;
       Your vindication shall go before you,
       And the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
       Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer,
       You shall cry for help, and he will say: Here I am!
       If you remove from your midst oppression,
       False accusation and malicious speech;
       If you bestow your bread on the hungry
       And satisfy the afflicted;
       Then light shall rise for you in the darkness,
       And the gloom shall become for you the midday;
       Then the Lord will guide you always
       And give you plenty even on the parched land.
  Let us pray:
  Blessed are you, Lord, God of mercy, who through Your Son gave us a 
marvelous example of charity and the great commandment of love for one 
another. Send down Your blessings on these United States, and send Your 
blessings on the men and women who serve in this Senate. Give them 
wisdom; Give them insight; Give them courage; Give them strength. Let 
them faithfully serve You in their neighbor. Glory and praise to You 
for ever and ever. Amen.

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