The Office of the Chaplain United States House of Representatives

Reverend John Robert Skeldon

Diocese of Forth Worth
Fort Worth, TX

Date of Prayer: 11/22/2013

Opening Prayer Given by the Guest Chaplain:

Lord God, as citizens of this great land, we mark today the 50th anniversary of the tragic death of the 35th President of the United States, President John F. Kennedy. In commemorating such a one whose life and Presidency were cut short, we do so not to ‘‘sow in tears,'' as the Psalm says, but rather to ‘‘reap with shouts of joy.''

Help us, Lord God, to make the late President's inaugural vision our own, so that together, as fellow Americans, we may ask not what our country can do for us, but rather what we can do for our country. And so, sacrificing ourselves for the sake of others, help us go forth to lead the land we love, asking Your blessing and Your help, and knowing that here on Earth, Your work, O God, must truly be our own.

In Your name, we pray. Amen.

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