Good morning, everybody. (Applause.) Thank you, thank you, thank you very much. Please,please have a seat. Thank you so much. Well, good morning, everybody.
Welcome to the White House andwelcome to our annual Easter prayer breakfast. As always,we are blessed to be joined by so many good friends fromaround the country. We'vegotdistinguished guests. We've got faithleaders, members of my administration who are here.And I will once again resist the temptationto preach to preachers. (Laughter.) It never worksout well. I am reminded of the admonition from the Bookof Romans -- “Do not claim to bewiser than you are.” (Laughter.) So this morning, I want to offer some very brief reflections aswe startthis Easter season.
But as I was preparing myremarks, something intervened yesterday. And so I want to justdevote a few words about yesterday's tragedy inKansas. This morning our prayers are withthepeople of Overland Park. And we'restill learning the details, but this much we know. A gunmanopened fire at two Jewish facilities-- a community center and a retirement home. Innocentpeople were killed. Their families were devastated. And this violence has struck the heart ofthe Jewish community in KansasCity.
Two of the victims -- agrandfather and his teenage [grand] son -- attended the UnitedMethodist Churchof the Resurrection, which is led by our friend Reverend Adam Hamilton.Some of you may know that during myinauguration, Reverend Hamilton delivered the sermonat the prayer service atthe National Cathedral. And I wasgrateful for his presence and hiswords. He joined us at our breakfast last year. And at the Easter service for Palm Sunday lastnight, he had to breakthis terrible news to his congregation.
That this occurred now -- as Jewswere preparing to celebrate Passover, as Christians wereobserving Palm Sunday--makes this tragedy all the more painful. And today, as Passoverbegins, we're seeing a number of synagogues andJewish community centers take addedsecurity precautions. Nobody should have to worry about theirsecurity when gathering withtheir fellow believers. No one should ever have to fear for theirsafety when they go to pray.
And as a government, we're goingto provide whatever assistance is needed to support theinvestigation. As Americans, we not only need to open ourhearts to the families of the victims,we've got to stand united against thiskind of terrible violence, which has no place in oursociety. And we have to keep coming together acrossfaiths to combat the ignorance andintolerance, including anti-Semitism thatcan lead to hatred and to violence, because we'reall children of God. We're all made in His image, all worthy ofhis love and dignity. And we seewhathappens around the world when this kind of religious-based or tinged violencecan rear itsugly head. It's got no placein our society.
So this Easter Week, of course werecognize that there's a lot of pain and a lot of sin and alot of tragedy inthis world, but we're also overwhelmed by the grace of an awesome God. We'rereminded how He loves us, so deeply,that He gave his only begotten Son so that we might livethrough Him. And in these Holy Days, we recall all thatJesus endured for us -- the scorn of thecrowds and the pain of thecrucifixion, in our Christian religious tradition we celebrate theglory of theResurrection -- all so that we might be forgiven of our sins and grantedeverlastinglife.
And more than 2,000 years later,it inspires us still. We are drawn toHis timeless teachings,challenged to be worthy of His sacrifice, to emulate asbest we can His eternal example tolove one another just as He loves us. And of course, we're always reminded each andevery daythat we fall short of that example. And none of us are free from sin, but we look to His life andstrive,knowing that “if we love one another, God lives in us, and His love isperfected in us.”
I'll tell you, I felt this spiritwhen I had the great honor of meeting His Holiness, PopeFrancis,recently. I think it's fair to say thatthose of us of the Christian faith, regardless of ourdenomination, have beentouched and moved by Pope Francis. Now,some of it is his words --his message of justice and inclusion, especially forthe poor and the outcast. He implores ustosee the inherent dignity in each human being. But it's also his deeds, simple yet profound--hugging the homeless man, and washing the feet of somebody who normallyordinary folkswould just pass by on the street. He reminds us that all of us, no matter whatour station, havean obligation to live righteously, and that we all have anobligation to live humbly.Becausethat's, in fact, the example that we profess to follow.
So I had a wonderful conversationwith Pope Francis, mostly about the imperatives ofaddressing poverty andinequality. And I invited him to come tothe United States, and Isincerely hope he will. When we exchanged gifts he gave me a copy ofhis inspiring writings, “The Joy of the Gospel.” And there is a passage that speaks to ustoday: “Christ's resurrection,”hewrites, “is not an event of the past; it contains a vital power which haspermeated this world.”And he adds,“Jesus did not rise in vain. May wenever remain on the sidelines of this march ofliving hope!”
So this morning, my main messageis just to say thank you to all of you, because you don'tremain on thesidelines. I want to thank you for yourministries, for your good works, for themarching you do for justice anddignity and inclusion, for the ministries that all of you attendto and havehelped organize throughout your communities each and every day to feedthehungry and house the homeless and educate children who so desperately need aneducation.You have made a difference inso many different ways, not only here in the United States butoverseas aswell. And that includes a cause close tomy heart, My Brother's Keeper, an initiativethat we recently launched to makesure that more boys and young men of color can overcomethe odds and achievetheir dreams.
And we're joined by several faithleaders who are doing outstanding work in this areamentoring and helping youngmen in tough neighborhoods. We're alsojoined by some of theseyoung men who are working hard and trying to be goodstudents and good sons and goodcitizens. And I want to say to each of those young men here, we're proud of you,and we expecta lot of you. And we'regoing to make sure that we're there for you so that you then in turn willbethere for the next generation of young men.
And I mention all this because ofall of our many partners for My Brother's Keeper, it's clergylike you and yourcongregations that can play a special role to be that spiritual andethicalfoundation, that rock that so many young men need in their lives.
So I want to thank all of you whoare already involved. I invite those whoare not to get moreinformation, see if you can join in this effort as brothersand sisters in Christ who “never tire ofdoing good.”
In closing, I'll just recall thatold prayer that I think more than one preacher has invoked atthe pulpit: “Lord, fill my mouth with worthwhile stuff,and nudge me when I've said enough.” (Laughter.) The Almighty isnudging me. I thank you for joining usthis morning of prayer. Iwish you all ablessed Holy Week and Easter, and I'd like to invite my friend Joel Huntertodeliver the opening prayer. Come on up,Joel. (Applause.)