Today our pilgrims will be spending the bulk of the day touring Washington, D.C. There are numerous museums and historical monuments in the area that offer the pilgrims a chance to learn about our nation’s history.

Because Generation Life is more than just a vacation or a fun trip though, groups are spending some time remembering the purpose for their trip in prayer.  We remember the words of St. John Chrysostom who said:

It is possible to offer fervent prayer even while walking in public or strolling alone, or seated in your shop, …while buying or selling, …or even while cooking.

For those whose touring includes the Capitol, Supreme Court, Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, or the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, groups are encouraged to have a prayer service that ties into that particular monument or building.

Wherever you are, we hope you will join with our pilgrims in praying for our nation’s leaders:

May we as a nation be guided by the Divine to rediscover the sacred flame of our national heritage, which so many have given their lives to safeguard;

Let the wounds of separation and division be healed by opening our hearts to listen to the truth on all sides, allowing us to find a higher truth that includes all;

May we learn to honor and enjoy our diversity and differences as a people, even as we more deeply touch our fundamental unity;

May we, as a people, undergo a transformation that will draw forth individuals to lead our nation who embody courage, compassion, and a higher vision;

May our leaders inspire us, and we so inspire each other with our potential as individuals and as a nation, that a new spirit of forgiveness, caring, and honesty be born in our nation;

May we as a nation rededicate ourselves to truly living as one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

And may God’s will be done for the United States, as we, the people, align with that will. Amen.