The Chaplain, Dr. Lloyd John Ogilvie, offered the following prayer:

   Here is a promise from God for today. It is as sure as it was when it was spoken by Isaiah so long ago. Hear this word for today! ``Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.''--Isaiah 41:10.

   Let us pray.

   Dear God, we claim this promise as we begin this day's work. Your perfect love casts out fear. Your grace and goodness give us the assurance that You will never leave nor forsake us. Your strength surges into our hearts. Your divine intelligence inspires our thinking. We will not be dismayed, casting about furtively for security in anything or anyone other than You. Fortified by Your power, help us to focus on the needs of others around us and of our Nation. May this be a truly great day as we serve You. Bless the Senators as they place their trust in You and follow Your guidance for our Nation. You, dear God, are our Lord and Saviour. Amen.

   The Chaplain, the Reverend Daniel P. Coughlin, offered the following prayer:

   Lord God, source of life and constant guide to Your people, yesterday Members of this House stood at ground zero in New York City. Their stunned silence grieved the loss of over 5,000 lives; and hopefully, brief words of encouragement helped so many workers remove the dreadful consequences of evil which tried to crush the ordinary work-a-day world of America.

   With Your power to save, strengthen this Congress and Your people across this Nation that we may realistically embrace both the loss and the mighty task of the future.

   Throughout the history of New York and this Nation, You have blessed us, Lord, time and time again.

   Whereas evil has no imagination and feeds only on itself, Your blessings of goodness spiral into a dynamic of creativity and help us to see signs of hope born of pain and standing in the midst of suffering.

   May the vacuous space left by the World Trade Center open the minds and hearts of peoples of the world to deeper compassion and a new level of human understanding.

   Already in the smoking crater of death, we witnessed apostles of self-sacrifice and dedicated service: police, firefighters, FEMA workers, public officials, and volunteers.

   From the dust and twisted steel of Ground Zero, may the twin towers of liberty and unity lift all of us to a new dedication to perform our daily tasks well as true believers and builders on Your blessings, both now and forever. Amen.