Creator of all humanity,
Great truths transcend time and place. In 1624, the British cleric, John Donne wrote: “No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main; ...any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.”
None of us go through this world separate from all others, our lives are intertwined with our loved ones, our neighbors, our community, our State, our Country, and the world itself. Government is a reminder to us of the interdependent nature of the society in which we live, as well as the responsibilities and the vulnerabilities that are inherent in being a member of society. When we engage in the work of government, we are recognizing that none of is an island. When we treat each life as dear and precious to us as our own, we are recognizing that each of us is part of something greater than just ourselves.
May it be Your will o God, that the responsibility that we feel from being part of humankind inspire us to live and act in such a way that when the bell tolls for us, others will remember our lives as having been a blessing to them. May this be God’s will.-AMEN.
