Prayers from the Chamber

Barry C. Black has been the chaplain of the U.S. Senate for many decades at this point. But I imagine, in all of his years of ministry at the Capitol, he has never had a week like this one.

The quote below was taken from a prayer Reverend Black offered after Wednesday's breach of our nation's legislative hub. I have long admired surgically-crafted sentences, dazzling vocabulary, and the lyrical turn of a phrase. But I also harbor a profound respect for the brute force of words; their ability to change opinions, transform hearts, even alter the course of history.

"These tragedies have reminded us that words matter, and that the power of life and death is in the tongue." – Barry C. Black, U.S. Senate Chaplain