[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 16]
[House]
[Page 22745]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

                                 PRAYER

  The Chaplain, the Reverend Daniel P. Coughlin, offered the following 
prayer:
  Lord God, as Infinite Being, You have no beginning. In You there is 
no end. Have mercy on us who are so bound by time. You know us better 
than we know ourselves. You are aware how differently we act when we 
are near the final hour.
  Whether it is the end of a lifetime or final moments before a 
performance or surgery or simply pondering a grave decision, all Your 
people need Your help at such critical moments. Be with the 110th 
Congress as it nears the end of this summer session.
  The ancients called it final causality. We might refer to: the end 
product, the ultimate goal, final score or simply the end. Each calls 
forth judgment and draws us into its own abrupt closure.
  As Americans we say, ``In God We Trust.'' So prepare us, strengthen 
us, and enable us to embrace all endings with grace and finally say 
with free abandon, ``So be it.''
  Amen.

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