Diane Bowman from Dauphin County delivered the PA Dems Fall 2016 State Committee Meeting Invocation and it has been the request of many members that we share the invocation in its text form.
What follows below is the full version of the invocation, along with credits and commentary below the prayer.
My name is Diane Bowman and I am the State Committee member from Dauphin County. Please join me in prayer.
Holy one, spirit of life and of love, as we gather we give thanks for the gift of life, and the gift of this new day. For the blessing of this community of colleagues, allies, friends, and extended family, we give thanks. For generations of men and women on whose brave and strong shoulders we now stand, we give thanks.
As we approach the November elections, let us give thanks for all those who have offered themselves for public service and opened their lives to scrutiny, and thanks for the days to be worked, dollars to be given, miles to be walked, and the hours of sleep that will be sacrificed by the candidates, their families, friends, volunteers, staff and allies. We look forward to celebrating with all who win their election and to those who don’t, we give thanks for putting their hearts into their campaigns.
As we gather today, let our minds extend beyond these walls to all those who are vulnerable and all who need our support and advocacy: children and families, people without enough to eat or a home, people suffering afflictions of body, mind or spirit, those who are victims of racism, sexism, homophobia, poverty and all other forms of violence. We extend our thanks for those who help others and those that make our local communities more livable and safe. Let our care extend around the globe to zones of war, occupation, and oppression. We pray for the safety of all now serving abroad, and we pray for peace for all who call such places home.
As the work of this meeting begins, we invoke the commitments that call us into service and sustain us through times of challenge as well as times of joy: the values of freedom and fairness, civic duty and personal responsibility; stewardship of the natural world, compassion, understanding and inclusiveness; and the values of dignity and respect for all members of the human family.
And in the words of the recently sainted Mother Theresa, we ask that we rise to the occasion, following her sage remarks.
“People are often unreasonable and self-centered. Forgive them anyway. If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives. Be kind anyway. If you are honest, people may cheat you. Be honest anyway. If you find happiness, people may be jealous. Be happy anyway. The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway. Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough. Give your best anyway. For you see, in the end, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.”
– Mother Theresa
We are drawn together this day by our love of this party, of Pennsylvania, of this country, and of its people. We are drawn together today by the visions of a better world and by the hope and care for the generations that will come after us. We are drawn together for good work and worthy purposes. So may it be.
In the names of all that we call holy, Amen.
Credits and Disclaimer:
Generally, the above invocation was given by the Sacramento, CA Democrats at an Executive Board meeting post-general election. It was altered by Diane Bowman, PA Democratic State Committee member from Dauphin County and delivered on September 10, 2016 at PA Dems Fall Membership meeting, and reflects similar sentiments pre-General election. Certain sections were omitted and other references were changed to reflect specificity for PA Democrats.