[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 8]
[Senate]
[Page 10908]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

                                 prayer

  The guest Chaplain, Monsignor Lloyd Torgerson, offered the following 
prayer:
  Loving and gracious God, we are filled with gratitude for the many 
blessings that You lavishly bestow upon us and upon our beloved Nation. 
We thank You for giving the men and women of this Senate the privilege 
and responsibility of serving this great Nation.
  Inspired by the words of Oscar Romero, we pray that they may have the 
wisdom to understand their role of leadership, knowing that they can 
accomplish in their lifetime only a tiny fraction of the magnificent 
enterprise that is the Lord's work. Help them believe that they are 
essentially about planting seeds that will one day grow and watering 
seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise.
  As we enter this millennium may these men and women lay foundations 
that will endure and be the yeast that will produce effects far beyond 
their own capabilities. Show them what they can do to make the world a 
better place for all humankind. May the realization that they cannot do 
everything, give them a sense of liberation which will empower them to 
choose priorities and act with integrity.
  Bless them as they work to build a Nation of justice, peace, and 
right relationship; grant them insight; grant them steadfastness to 
respond to the challenges of this new century. May they always trust in 
a God of faithfulness who walks before them, behind them, and with 
them. Amen.

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