[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 14]
[Senate]
[Page 19577]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

                                 prayer

  The guest Chaplain offered the following prayer:
  Let us pray.
  Eternal God, before Whom the children of humanity rise and pass away, 
the living who seek Thee find a faithfulness that knows no end. Thy 
love transcends not only time and space, but human evil in its 
arrogance and cruelty, prejudice and pride. Teach us that we do not 
exist by ourselves, in ourselves and for ourselves, but only learn what 
life means when in a true relationship with others and with Thee. Teach 
us that our context is not an accidental cosmos but a purposeful 
Creator; our destiny no cosmic accident but a love-fashioned creation, 
and Thy self-revelation, O God, the key to our knowledge of the dust 
and the divine.
  We mortals are made in Thine image, which is certainly not dust. If 
we deny or ignore the revelation of Thy Word, then we make the dust our 
final goal and our way to it paved, at best, with ephemeral success, 
or, at worst, with evil done and its sad harvest multiplied. Lord, we 
know that this need not be so. When we acknowledge that our destiny is 
in Thee then the past can be forgiven, the present empowered and the 
future unchecked by death. Increase this faith in all homes whose loved 
ones have died and in particular those whose beloved have been serving 
this Nation's present and future safety. Death is pointless especially 
to those for whom life is ultimately pointless, but when any life, long 
or short, is faithfully spent for the good of others and Thou, O God, 
art its goal, then powerless death is swallowed up in the victory of 
life eternal.
  Grant to these Senators of this 108th Congress a daily awareness of 
this larger context, as they use talents entrusted and opportunities 
sent. Help them to match the one with the other as they strive for this 
peoples' long-term good and the human family's gain. And upon them 
individually and together we ask Thy blessing. Amen.

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