[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 12063]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. ERIC CANTOR

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 7, 2009

  Mr. CANTOR. Madam Speaker, I rise today to call special attention to 
an activity Americans engage in throughout every day--prayer. Today is 
the National Day of Prayer, an observation established by Congress and 
President Truman in 1952.
  Our Nation was founded on Judeo-Christian principles, which continue 
to permeate our daily lives--and need to be preserved. In recent times, 
these principles and the demonstration of them has come under attack by 
certain segments of society. From the very beginning of our Nation's 
history, our Nation's leaders have relied heavily on their faith, a 
fact that led our Founders to include the constitutional right to 
freely exercise one's religion in the very beginning of our Bill of 
Rights. This right is every bit as fundamentally important--and 
deserving of protection--today as it was in the 18th century.
  Since the first call to prayer in 1775, when the Continental Congress 
called on the colonies to pray for wisdom in forming the Nation, the 
leaders of our Nation have continued to pray for that wisdom to shape 
our Nation. We look to God to provide us with the direction to act in 
accordance with His will, on behalf of the Americans who have sent us 
here to represent them. The one thing we know for certain is that 
there's nothing we can't accomplish--here in Congress or anywhere in 
the world--with God's help and blessing.

                          ____________________