    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2005, Book II)]
    [September 16, 2005]
    [Pages 1444-1446]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at the National Day of Prayer and Remembrance Service
    September 16, 2005

        On this Day of Prayer and Remembrance, our Nation remains in the
    shadow of a storm that departed 2 weeks ago. We're humbled by the vast
    and indifferent might of nature and feel small beside its power. We
    commend the departed to God. We mourn with those who mourn, and we ask
    for strength in the work ahead.

        The destruction is immense, covering a city, a coastline, a region.
    Yet the hurt always comes down to one life, one family.

    [[Page 1445]]

    We've seen the panic of loved ones separated from each other, the lonely
    pain of people whose earthly possessions were swept away, and the
    uncertainty of men and women and children driven away from the lives
    they knew. Many did not survive the fury of the storm. Many who did ask,
    ``Why?'' and wonder, ``What comes next?''
        In this hour of suffering, we're prayerful. In a wounded region, so
    many place their faith in a God who hears and helps. And so many are
    bringing their grief to a Savior acquainted with grief. Our Nation joins
    with them to pray for comfort and sorrow, for the reunion of separated
    families, and a holy rest for the ones who died.
        Through prayer, we look for ways to understand the arbitrary harm
    left by this storm and the mystery of undeserved suffering. And in our
    search, we're reminded that God's purposes are sometimes impossible to
    know here on Earth. Yet even as we're humbled by forces we cannot
    explain, we take comfort in the knowledge that no one is ever stranded
    beyond God's care. The Creator of wind and water is also the source of
    even a greater power, a love that can redeem the worst tragedy, a love
    that is stronger than death.
        In this hour of suffering, our Nation is thankful. We have been
    inspired by acts of courage and goodness: Coastguardsmen and military
    personnel reaching out of helicopters and lifting victims from rooftops;
    firefighters wading through mud and debris to search for victims and
    survivors; doctors and nurses defying danger so their patients might
    live. Many of those who saved others lost their own homes and were
    separated from their own families. And many stories of heroism and
    rescue will never be told because they are known to God alone.
        We're thankful for a spirit, seen across the gulf coast, that faces
    the worst and chooses to hope. We're thankful as well for the many
    ordinary citizens who heard the cries of neighbors and answered them.
    Across the country, Americans saw the hungry and gave them something to
    eat, saw the thirsty and gave them something to drink, saw strangers and
    invited them in. One man who was rescued and given shelter after the
    storm said, ``I didn't think there was so much love in the world.''
        In this hour of suffering, our Nation is also mindful of the work
    ahead. Through this tragedy, great duties have come to our Nation. The
    destruction of this hurricane was beyond any human power to control, but
    the restoration of broken communities and disrupted lives now rests in
    our hands. And we accept this responsibility not as a burden or a chore
    but as an opportunity to serve our fellow Americans, as they would do
    for us.
        This task will measure our unity as a people. Americans of every
    race and religion were touched by this storm, yet some of the greatest
    hardship fell upon citizens already facing lives of struggle, the
    elderly, the vulnerable, and the poor. And this poverty has roots in
    generations of segregation and discrimination that closed many doors of
    opportunity. As we clear away the debris of a hurricane, let us also
    clear away the legacy of inequality. Let us deliver new hope to
    communities that were suffering before the storm. As we rebuild homes
    and businesses, we will renew our promise as a land of equality and
    decency. And one day, Americans will look back at the response to
    Hurricane Katrina and say that our country grew not only in prosperity
    but in character and justice.
        On this National Day of Prayer and Remembrance, we pledge ourselves
    to the demanding work of revival and renew the faith and hope that will
    carry that work to completion. In the worst of storms and in the rush of
    flood waters, even the strongest faith can be tested. Yet the Scriptures
    assure us, ``Many waters cannot quench love; neither can the floods
    drown it.''
        So now we go forward, confident in the good heart of America and
    trusting that even among the ruins, the love of God remains at work.

    [[Page 1446]]

        May God bless and keep the souls of the lost. May His love touch all
    those in need, and may He always watch over the United States of
    America. God bless.

    Note: The President spoke at 11:58 a.m. at the Washington National
    Cathedral. The National Day of Payer and Remembrance proclamation of
    September 8 is listed in Appendix D at the end of this volume.