Good morning, Senators, staff, and guests! Happy New Year to all of you! And thank you, Senator De León for your kind introduction. I am honored to serve as Senate Chaplain, and I see my role as helping you connect what you do on a daily basis to the ongoing progression of our state to a reality where liberty and justice are truly experienced by all.
Before I begin the first prayer of 2015, I’d like to make a few remarks about the God I will be invoking on your behalf. For me, this God
- Is a God of unconditional love and compassion, not only for your constituents, but also for each one of you!
- This God is closer to each one of us than we are to ourselves, and He/She desires to be invited into the daily exigencies of our lives.
- And I also believe that this God has a sense of humor; otherwise, why would a Sister of Mercy be standing here 157 years after Sister Mary Baptist Russell purchased the land on which the Capitol stands, and who, two years later, had to sell it back to you for the same $4,000 or so that she paid for it! No, we don’t want it back, but I like to think that Mary Baptist may have completed some unfinished business, and here I now stand with gratitude and awe at God’s mysterious ways!
So, for our prayer today, I invite us to take a few moments to call to mind our ancestors - all those persons who paved the way for this moment of your beginning the legislative session of 2015
Let us remember our biological ancestors:
- What struggles did they encounter as they left their beloved homelands? What contributions did they make for our freedom and well-being?
Let us remember our spiritual ancestors:
- What experiences of God did they impart? What hopes and dreams did they inspire in their children?
And let us remember our legislative ancestors:
- What vision did they carry for the Golden State? What personal sacrifices did they make as they laid the foundations of the California that we now administer and serve?
So, gracious and loving God: God of the past, of the present, and of the future: we trust in your presence with us today. We thank you for our ancestors, on whose shoulders we stand and from whose perspective we benefit. We appreciate that this is our time to collaborate with many factors in the advancement of California and the continued creation of a better and safer planet for all.
- May we be patient with the sometimes slow progression of our plans as we acknowledge that our ancestors also encountered many obstacles.
- May we have the courage to delve into those issues that some tell us are impossible to solve.
- And may we act in visionary ways now so that our descendants in seven generations will thank us for our generosity, for our perseverance, and for our care for the future. We ask this in your name, ─ AMEN.