A Prayer for These Days

Because the shooting of Representative Giffords seems to be painted with
undertones of her vote on health care reform, among other things, a prayer by
people of faith who are committed to health care justice seems appropriate at
this time.
We offered this prayer for the national moment of silence on Monday and
continue to pray with these words:
In the sacred bonds of our common humanity, we give thanks for the life
that we share and for our calling to care for each other.  In this time of
national tragedy, grief, and uncertainty, we remember the victims of this
senseless act of violence.  For those who were greeted by death, we pray for
the benediction of holy light and peace.  And for those who struggle to
recover from injuries, we pray for the blessing of healing. May those who hold
all of these persons dear feel the compassionate embrace of their national
family.
We pray also for ourselves, knowing that our most deeply held commitments
to the common good and our concern for our sisters and brothers are being
smothered by our inability to live together in peace. So we ask for
forgiveness, that we may rediscover the ties that bind us together and give us
strength for the journeys of our days. May the darkness and pain of these
moments be transformed into a dawn that invites us into new relationships in
which we not only give voice to our own ideals and passions, but deeply listen
to one another and respect the gifts and viewpoints of others.
In all things, may we be instruments of reconciliation and
compassion. 
Amen.
The above prayer is taken from The Faithful Reform in Health Care e-mail that I receive.  I felt it was very appropriate considering the speech that President Obama made last night at the prayer service.  We must not let that nine year old childs dreams of government down.
Jeannette