Benediction prayer
You probably didn’t hear this last night, with all the balloon popping
and such, but here’s the benediction prayer that Fr. John from the
Paulist Center offered.
Let us pray…
God of all holiness, we have invoked
Your Spirit to guide these delegates in their work over the past four
days. As we take leave of this convention, in the place where our
country’s quest for freedom began, words of liberty and equality for
all must not be left idly behind in this arena. We rely on You, O God
of strength and wisdom, to inspire these candidates, these delegates,
and indeed all citizens of this great nation to go forth and build a
stronger America and to work for respect, and accomplish peace around
the world.By the power of Your grace, instill in
Senators Kerry and Edwards the fortitude to uphold the Constitution,
which promotes the dignity of every person and frees all people to
serve You as You have called them. Help these public servants to
safeguard the common good; give them courage to live lives of
integrity; inspire them to speak with a prophetic voice for the
disenfranchised and disinherited; and when these candidates hear Your
call, give them the strength and wisdom to say, “Send us.”By
the power of Your grace, guide every citizen of our United States to
cherish all life. Help us to seek unity in diversity; give us the
courage to embrace each person as our neighbor, regardless of gender,
race, or ethnic origin, regardless of sexual orientation, religious
tradition, or age. Inspire us to support all families in their pursuit
of happiness; and when we hear Your call, give us the strength and
wisdom to say, “Send us.”By the power of Your grace,
remind us that Your love knows no national boundaries. Give counsel to
world leaders so they may never again declare an unjust war; help all
peoples of the world overcome prejudice and poverty; inspire everyone
to work for justice so we may know true peace. And when we hear Your
call, give us the strength and wisdom to say, “Send us.”Therefore,
O God, lover of us all, open our eyes to the bright future that is
before us! Give us the strength to labor with a lively faith. Send us
forth with a firm hope. Send us forth with a charity that knows no
bounds. Send us forth as one people, that we may realize the splendor
of Your creation now and forever. AMEN.
A couple of thanks and further links are available at http://www.paulist.org/boston/news/articles/dnc_benediction.htm.
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