[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 3]
[House]
[Page 3707]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

                                 PRAYER

  The Chaplain, the Reverend Daniel P. Coughlin, offered the following 
prayer:
  Lord God, Divine Architect of history, the birthday of Abraham 
Lincoln is a moment to not only hear his voice echoed in countless 
prayers of people the world over, now is the time for this Nation to 
touch his spirit, for we are caught up again in the lingering debate of 
war and peace.
  Perhaps, Lord, the wordsmith Carl Sandburg best describes our 
debility and Lincoln's vision for us when he writes:
  ``Decreed beyond any but far imagining of its going asunder was 
Lincoln's mystic dream of the Union of States achieved. Beyond all the 
hate or corruption or mocking fantasies of democracy that might live as 
an aftermath of the war were assurances of long-time conditions for 
healing, for rebuilding, for new growth.
  ``As a result flowing from the war, the United States was to take its 
place among nations counted world powers . . . and as a world power, 
the expectation was it would be a voice of the teachings of Washington, 
Jefferson, Jackson, and Lincoln speaking for a republican government, 
for democracy, for institutions `of the people, by the people, for the 
people.'
  ``Though there might come betrayals and false pretenses, the war had 
put some manner of seal on human rights and dignity in contrast with 
property rights, and even the very definition of property . . .
  ``Out of the smoke and stench, out of the music and violet dreams of 
the war, Lincoln stood perhaps taller than any other of the many great 
heroes. None threw a longer shadow than he. And to him the great hero 
was the People. He could not say too often that he was merely their 
instrument.''
  Lord God, in our own day, take us beyond the hate and mocking 
fantasies. Hammer out renewed commitments for healing, for rebuilding 
and for new growth. Make today's government an instrument of Your 
people, that we may take our rightful place among the nations as a 
world power, which is witness to human rights and dignity for all Your 
people. Amen.

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