A Prayer

Almighty God,
You have ordained the authorities that are;
You have clothed them in a majesty
that is higher and stronger
than the given facts of their history,
a majesty that awakens fear in us
and claims honor from us.
O God, remember in Your mercy
the men who bear the burden of this majesty,
men like us easily bent
by the pressure of temptation,
by the impact of expediency.
Remember them and strengthen them
when they are moved
to shade the truth to their own ends,
to withhold what should be told,
to distort what must be told,
to disclose what does not serve
our common weal.
Keep intact their honor and their
credibility.
Purge us, O God,
of cynical distrust,
of party passion,
of the deafness
of our rebellious bent. ...
Your Son, our Lord,
would not speak ill of Caesar
even when Caesar’s power
nailed Him to the cross.
Give us the Spirit of Your Son.