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Editor's Note: Cardinal Roger Mahony delivered this prayer
at the July 1 inauguration of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on
the steps of City Hall.
Our
prayer today is grounded in our rich history and in the generous
spirit of the people of this City of Our Lady of the Angels
who seek to build solidarity, find common ground, and advance
the common good. Our prayer today is guided by the stories
of the least, the lost, and lonely among us.
Landmark moments like today inspire us to renew our commitment
to continue building a city known not only for its technological
advancements, its many tourist destinations, or its economic
prowess but a place where workers, families and children have
a place at the table and share in the bounty of this region.
With this in mind, let us turn our hearts to God and pray:
God of life and love,
God of compassion and mercy,
God of reconciliation and forgiveness,
God of justice and peace.
As you led your people into the land that was promised to
them, your prophets constantly called them to heed your voice
and follow your commandments. These commandments are at once
simple and profound: To love God above all else and to love
our neighbor as ourselves. The way we know and love God is
through our service to others.
Today we gather profoundly aware of our need for your wisdom
and grace to embody these principles in our laws and priorities
so that --- in the words of your prophet Amos --- "justice
will flow like a mighty river and uprightness like a never-failing
stream" (Amos 5:24). Strengthen our will to build a City that
measures progress by how the weak and vulnerable are faring.
We pray today that your Spirit will inspire each of us to
embody in our words, actions, and policies those values that
protect human life, establish peace, promote justice, and
uphold the common good. For it is in you, O God, that we trust.
In You, O God, we trust…that you will never let us waver
in our commitment to protect the life and well-being of all
people but especially the sick and the elderly, those who
are poor and downtrodden, those on skid row and those on death
row.
In You, O God, we trust…that you will instill in us the
resolve to work tirelessly to ensure that every family has
enough food to eat, the clothing to keep themselves warm,
adequate shelter to protect them from the elements, and a
decent education for their children.
In You, O God, we trust…that you will give us the courage
to create those conditions in society where working people
earn wages that can sustain themselves and their family members
in dignity, and that they have access to adequate healthcare,
childcare, and education.
In You, O God, we trust…that you will plant deep within
our hearts the truth that our neighbor is anyone near or far
who needs our assistance and support.
In You, O God, we trust…that we will recognize that the
dignity and worth of each person comes from you and is not
determined by race or ethnicity, by age or gender, by economic
or immigration status, by faith or creed.
In You, O God, we trust…that you will inspire us to establish
peace on earth by creating a world free from violence, war,
and oppression; that you will bless and protect the service
men and women in Iraq, Afghanistan, and in other places around
the world.
We
ask your blessings on Antonio Villaraigosa, on the members
of the City Council, and on all those who serve as elected
leaders and as civil servants that their work may truly advance
the common good. Today, O God, we pray for "a new kind of
politics --- focused on moral principles not on the latest
polls, on the needs of the poor and vulnerable not the contributions
of the rich and powerful, and on the pursuit of the common
good not the demands of special interests."*
God of grace and wisdom,
Give us the courage to bring your love to a world in
need of healing,
Your peace to people in need of reconciliation
Your justice to communities in need of new hope.
We make this prayer in your name. Amen.
*From "Faithful Citizenship: A Catholic Call to Political
Responsibility," A Statement on Political Responsibility by
the Administrative Board of the United States Catholic Bishops,
Washington, D.C., 2003.
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