[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 15364]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

                                 PRAYER

  The Chaplain, the Reverend Daniel P. Coughlin, offered the following 
prayer:
  Lord God, Your holy scripture asserts ``that everyone who exalts 
himself will be humbled and the one who humbles himself will be 
exalted.'' Show the Members of the House of Representatives today, as 
they gather to do the work of the people, the wisdom found in the 
ladder of humility.
  The ladder represents our life in this world which You, O Lord, erect 
to lead us to Your kingdom when our heart is humbled before Your truth.
  The sides of the ladder represent our soul and body between which You 
have placed several rungs of humility and discipline whereby we are to 
ascend, if we answer Your call.
  Life itself has taught us that all exaltation leads only to illusion 
and, left to ourselves, we can easily slip and fall. Yet as leaders in 
government, Members must have high aspirations and at the same time be 
grounded in the people they serve.
  Therefore, ascent and descent on the ladder of humility means that we 
go downward when we exalt ourselves and rise when we are humbled.
  We beg You, O Lord, with all humility, that we may see ourselves in 
this light now and forever. Amen.

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