THE
PRESIDENT: Thank you all very much. (Applause.) Thank you for the warm
welcome. You know, last night was a prayerful occasion. (Laughter.) I
noticed a lot of members were praying that I would keep my speech short.
(Laughter.) I want to thank you for getting up so early in the morning.
You resisted temptation to sleep in. Thanks for having us.
I appreciate Jo Ann Emerson's leadership on this prayer breakfast.
(Applause.) I want to thank Elaine Chao for her prayer and for
representing my Cabinet. And I want to thank all my Cabinet officers who
are here today. (Applause.) I appreciate the leadership of the Congress,
Senator Frist and Leader Pelosi, Leader DeLay. I want to thank the
senators who spoke, and appreciate the Congresspeople who are on the
stage here, as well.
I want to thank His Excellency Marc Ravalomanana, from the --
Madagascar, the President of that great country. And welcome to our
country, Mr. President. (Applause.) Tambien, mi amigo, the President of
Honduras, Ricardo Maduro -- welcome, glad you're here. (Applause.)
I want to thank Wintley Phipps for his beautiful music. (Applause.)
Sergeant Norman, your prayers worked. (Laughter.) You did a fantastic
job. Pretty darn eloquent for a person from Wyoming. (Laughter.) Don't
tell the Vice President. (Laughter.)
Tony Hall, as you can tell, I obviously made the right choice to send
somebody -- (applause.) Really good job. And, Janet, thank you for your
service, as well.
Laura and I are really honored to be here to -- it's a fabulous
moment in our Nation's Capital. This morning reminds us that prayer has
always been one of the great equalizers in American life. Here we thank
God for his great blessings in one voice, regardless of our backgrounds.
We recognize in one another the spark of the Divine that gives all human
beings their inherent dignity and worth, regardless of religion.
Through fellowship and prayer, we acknowledge that all power is
temporary, and must ultimately answer to His purposes. And we know that
affirming this truth is particularly appropriate in the heart of a
capital built upon the promise of self-government. No one understood
this better than Abraham Lincoln.
In November 1864, after being reelected to his second term, Lincoln
declared he would be "the most shallow and self-conceited blockhead on
Earth if he ever thought he could do his job without the wisdom which
comes from God and not from men." Throughout a terrible Civil War, he
issued many exhortations to prayer, calling upon the American people to
humble themselves before their Maker and to serve all those in need.
Our faith-based institutions display that same spirit of prayer and
service in their work every day. Lincoln's call is still heard
throughout the land. People of faith have no corner on compassion. But
people of faith need compassion if they are to be true to their most
cherished beliefs. For prayer means more than presenting God with our
plans and desires; prayer also means opening ourselves to God's
priorities, especially by hearing the cry of the poor and the less
fortunate.
When the tsunamis hit those on the far side of the world, the
American government rightly responded. But the American response is so
much more than what our government agencies did. Look at the list of
organizations bringing relief to the people from Indonesia to Sri Lanka.
They're full of religious names: Samaritan's Purse, American-Jewish
World Service, Baptist World Aid, The Catholic Medical Mission Board.
They do a superb job delivering relief across the borders and continents
and cultures.
Today, millions of people across this Earth get the help they need
only because our faith-based institutions live the commandment to "love
thy neighbor as thyself." Often, that means remembering the people
forgotten or overlooked in a busy world: those in Africa suffering from
HIV/AIDS, young girls caught up in the global sex trade, victims of
religious persecution.
In these great moral challenges of our times, our churches,
synagogues, mosques, and temples are providing the vision that is
changing lives. I've seen some of their miracles up close. Last June, I
met Veronica Braewell, a 20-year-old refugee from Liberia. As a
13-year-old child, Veronica witnessed armed men killing children in
horrific ways. As she fled this madness, Veronica left -- was left for
dead atop a pile of bodies, until her grandmother found her. In August
2003, Catholic Social Agency helped resettle her in Pennsylvania, where
Veronica is now completing the circle of compassion by working in a home
for elderly in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and studying to become a
certified nursing assistant.
When Veronica told me of her story, it was through the kind of tears
no young woman should ever know. And when she finished, she dried her
eyes and said, "Thank you, Mr. President, for my freedom." But I told
her, it wasn't me she needed to thank, she needed to thank the good
hearts of the United States of America. The America that embraced
Veronica would not be possible without the prayer that drives and leads
and sustains our armies of compassion.
I thank you for the fine tradition you continue here today, and hope
that as a nation, we will never be too proud to commend our cares to
Providence and trust in the goodness of His plans.
God bless. (Applause.)