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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