[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 142 (Tuesday, September 20, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1299-E1301]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                64TH NATIONAL PRAYER BREAKFAST: PART ONE

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. ROBERT B. ADERHOLT

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 20, 2016

  Mr. ADERHOLT. Mr. Speaker, on Thursday, February 4, 2016 I had the 
privilege of co-chairing the 64th Annual National Prayer Breakfast with 
Representative Juan Vargas. I would like to submit Part One of the 
transcript:


                64TH NATIONAL PRAYER BREAKFAST: PART ONE

       U.S. Representative Juan Vargas: Jesus once said, that when 
     we lift up his name, it would draw a crowd, and wow, it 
     worked. Look at this group, unbelievable. What a miracle you 
     are here this morning--elected and appointed officials, 
     religious leaders, business leaders, entertainers, athletes, 
     farmers, sons, and daughters, moms and dads, folks from all 
     50 states, and from more than 140 countries.
       U.S. Representative Robert Aderholt: We are not here this 
     morning to see a show, or to watch a ball game, or to 
     participate in a political rally. Each and every one of us 
     are here this morning with a single focused reason, and that 
     is to pray. And what a holy moment it is, for not only 
     Washington but also the entire world. We could not be more 
     different. The thousands of you who have gathered here this 
     morning, you know--just look around, everyone is different. 
     But what we are seeking and what we are asking God to do is 
     to bring us together in unity. Not just for today, but also 
     for the days ahead, and not just for us that are in this room 
     and that are hearing this message this morning, but for the 
     entire world.
       Rep. Vargas: Now, to gather our hearts and point us in the 
     right direction, I am honored to introduce Major General 
     Julie Bentz, to offer our opening prayer. Her important job 
     at the Pentagon, is figuring out how to protect American 
     soldiers who are in harm's way around the world from so 
     called improvised attacks. She is also part of a small group 
     of members of the military who meet regularly to focus on the 
     teachings of Jesus, General Bentz.
       Major General Julie Bentz: Jesus, here we are gathered in 
     your name from across this nation, in all corners of the 
     earth, here to learn how to pray together, with and for one 
     another. You ask all of us who are weary and are carrying 
     heavy burdens, to come to you and find rest. You ask us to 
     learn from you, who are gentle and humble of heart. You show 
     us, our Heavenly Father, not only as holy and just, but also 
     as good, loving, and merciful, full of tenderness and 
     kindness. And so we have the courage to stand in the presence 
     of Holy God and pray for a miracle of unity across borders, 
     boundaries, and beliefs. We ask you, Father, to look 
     favorably on those you have placed in our care, and on those 
     who have elected us to our current positions. I ask 
     specifically for your grace on behalf of our soldiers, 
     sailors, airmen, coasties, and marines, our commander in 
     chief, and all those in authority over us. In this year of 
     mercy, Lord God, let us discover your generous love, and be 
     transformed into patient, tolerant, and tender leaders. Enter 
     into our actions, oh God. Remove our fear of suffering, our 
     fear of humiliation, and our fear of failure. Lord, I 
     acknowledge before you and before those present here, that I 
     have failed, in my thoughts, in my words, and in what I have 
     done, and in what I have failed to do, but I trust in your 
     limitless mercy. You shower me and each one of us here 
     abundantly with your goodness. Oh God, Heavenly Father, holy 
     is your name. Your children yearn for your kingdom and pray 
     that your will be done. We thank you for our daily 
     sustenance, for forgiving us as we forgive others, you who 
     direct our paths, and secure us from evil. Pour out your 
     Spirit on us today, and in so doing, renew the face of the 
     earth. Amen.
       Rep. Aderholt: Well thank you so much General Julie, I like 
     the sound of that. The President of the United States is on 
     his way, and the First Lady, so at this time, please enjoy 
     your conversation and your breakfast.
       Speaker introducing the president: Ladies and Gentlemen, 
     the President of the United States and Mrs. Michelle Obama.
       Rep. Aderholt: We want to get started this morning. We have 
     a great lineup here this morning at our head table, and we 
     are excited that everyone is here. I am Representative Robert 
     Aderholt from the state of Alabama, and I am privileged to be 
     here with my co-chair for this event, my new best friend, 
     Juan Vargas from the state of California.
       Just so you know, over the past 13 months we have been 
     praying, and we have been working, and we have been praying 
     some more about what happens over the next 75 minutes. We 
     prayed this head table together. We have prayed for you who 
     are here in this ball room, for those that are in the 
     overflow room--which are probably enjoying an even better 
     breakfast than we are having. Some are out there watching it 
     on a computer screen monitor, some are watching it by 
     television. We pray for everyone that is listening, or that 
     is in our presence, because we believe that Jesus and his 
     reconciling power of prayer is so desperately needed these 
     days. So thank you for showing up and for your prayers. Here 
     is the most obvious thing that you will hear--and that is we 
     all need all the help we can get.
       I would like to introduce my co-chair, Congressman Juan 
     Vargas. He served in the jungles of El Salvador as a Jesuit 
     missionary, and now he serves in the jungles of the House of 
     Representatives. He grew up on a chicken ranch, and quite 
     honestly, that is a high qualification for government service 
     in my district. He brings great joy and passion to his new 
     responsibilities in the House of Representatives, and I wish 
     all of you could just spend a couple of hours with him.
       What is so maddening about the place where we work is that 
     there is so much division and it prevents us from 
     appreciating each other, and from understanding the wonderful 
     strengths that 435 unique individuals

[[Page E1300]]

     have that we all work with. And if you are not all from 
     around here, you might not know that Juan is a progressive 
     Democrat and that I am a conservative Republican. Our voting 
     records are probably about as similar as our hairstyles. But 
     I love him, and I know he loves me because we share a common 
     friend in Jesus. Juan, thank you.
       Rep. Vargas: Thank you. That is so true, I do love Robert 
     and I appreciate it, but compared to Robert, I just got here. 
     He has served 20 years in the House, which seems like 90 dog 
     years I think, quite some time. Prior to coming here, he was 
     a judge and I bet he was a great one. He is good at seeing 
     things from all sides and all angles, and it is really a rare 
     gift. I represent Southern California, and he represents 
     northern Alabama. These places are very different according 
     to most demographics, but they are alike in that they are 
     both full of folks with really a very deep faith.
       One of the landmarks of Robert's district is a beautiful 60 
     foot high sandstone bridge, called Natural Bridge, and like 
     that bridge, Robert is able to connect people. He brings 
     people together to get work done for America. Robert and I 
     have the responsibility of facilitating a weekly prayer group 
     of members of the House. The House has had such a group for 
     over 50 years now. This group includes Republicans, 
     Democrats, older members, younger members, women, and men and 
     folks from different faith traditions. We have much yet to 
     accomplish, but we are making progress by coming together in 
     unity around Jesus. This morning's event is simply a big, 
     public version of what we do intimately and privately every 
     week that the House is in session. We hope we all make 
     progress here today as well.
       One idea we would like to plant in your minds this morning 
     is, despite our very busy schedules and all our differences, 
     we make time to come together every week and pray. Could you 
     do that in your city, your workplace, your mission in life? 
     If a lefty Chicano from California and a conservative judge 
     from Alabama can do it, why can't you?
       Rep. Aderholt: Now I would like to introduce to you those 
     who will be leading this morning, and if you could, please 
     hold your applause until I introduce the entire head table. 
     Way down to my right is the hero of Alabama, Heisman Trophy 
     winner, Derrick Henry of the University of Alabama, the 
     national champion University of Alabama. Roll tide. He has 
     got some big shoulders, so we have asked him to carry us all 
     the way through the program this morning--he is going to 
     finish with our closing prayer. You have already met Major 
     General Bentz--thank you for being here. Next, we have our 
     counterparts from that other chamber in the Capitol that are 
     here with us, Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia, and Senator John 
     Boozman of Arkansas--they will be sharing greetings from the 
     Senate group just shortly. And you should know that in about 
     an hour, they will start working on the 2017 breakfast; 
     gentlemen, thank you for your leadership and as we hand the 
     torch over to you in a few minutes.
       Rep. Vargas: Most important to me, I would like to 
     introduce my beautiful wife of 25 years, Adrianne Vargas. 
     Honey, you truly are a gift from God to me and I love you 
     very much. Next is a distinguished member of the President's 
     cabinet, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, 
     which he has dubbed the Department of Opportunity. Prior to 
     federal service, he was mayor of San Antonio, Texas. 
     Secretary Julian Castro will be offering a prayer for unity 
     and the needs of the poor. Next is the First Lady, Michelle 
     Obama. And it is impossible to hold your applause for her, it 
     really is. We love her. First Lady Michelle Obama is a 
     lawyer, a writer, and the wife of the 44th and current 
     president, President Barack Obama. She is the first African 
     American First Lady of the United States and is a role model 
     and an advocate for poverty awareness, higher education and 
     healthy living.
       Rep. Aderholt: Continuing down the table is our brand new 
     Speaker of the House, Paul Ryan of Wisconsin. We haven't cut 
     the tags off of him yet, he is so new. And he is a great 
     colleague with a lot of energy. He has a lot of knowledge, 
     and he has a lot of faith, and we are honored to have him 
     with us while he is still fresh. Sitting next to him is 
     Democrat Leader and former Speaker of the House of 
     Representatives, Nancy Pelosi of California. She has been a 
     strong and gracious force on so many issues during her time 
     serving in Congress, and she will offer a reading from 
     Scripture. Next to her is my dear wife and best friend, 
     Caroline Aderholt. We have been blessed by trying to put God 
     in the center of our relationship each day, and so I 
     appreciate her being here and her support through all of 
     this. And by the way, Adrienne, Juan's wife, and Caroline 
     informed Juan and myself that this does not count as a date.
       Rep. Vargas: We tried. Next, our keynote speakers who will 
     be introduced in a little bit. Next is the Honorable Judge 
     Robert R. Rigsby of the District of Columbia Superior Court. 
     He has served our nation in so many ways, including service 
     in the United States Army for 34 years. His service makes him 
     the first District Judge ever deployed to a theater of War. 
     Robert and I are blessed to have Judge Rigsby as a member of 
     the weekly prayer group. He will offer a prayer for national 
     leaders. Next is the distinguished Rabbi Jack Bemporad. He is 
     a great hero of ours because he has done about as much as 
     anyone alive to try to bring people together, of all the 
     world's great religious traditions to find common ground. He 
     will offer a reading from the Scriptures.
       Rep. Aderholt: Quite a group, isn't it? Thank you all for 
     being here and for leading us this morning.
       Rep. Vargas: And finally, I would like to introduce a 
     returning favorite artist to the Prayer Breakfast, Andrea 
     Bocelli. Andrea Bocelli's voice and spirit has lifted hearts 
     and souls all around the world. We are pleased to share his 
     gifts with you this morning as he sings Panis Angelicus, 
     `Heavenly Bread'. He will be singing in Italian but listen to 
     his words in English, they go like this: ``Heavenly bread 
     that becomes the bread of all mankind; bread from the angelic 
     host that is the end of all imaginations and images. Oh 
     miraculous thing, this body of God will nourish even the 
     poorest, the most humble of servants, even the poorest, the 
     most humble of servants. Amen.'' To share a few remarks and a 
     song, please again welcome Mr. Andrea Bocelli.
       [Mr. Bocelli sings Panis Angelicus]
       U.S. Senator John Boozman: I am John Boozman from Arkansas, 
     and I can promise you one thing--next year when Tim and I are 
     running the show, we won't be following that; simply 
     remarkable. How does anyone do that? It really is a pleasure 
     to be with you all, and to be with my colleague, Senator Tim 
     Kaine. I greatly appreciate his friendship and have had the 
     pleasure of working with him this last year as co-chair of 
     the Senate prayer breakfast. As the fellows who are going to 
     put this event on next year, together we realize that we are 
     a part of a very, very long, great tradition. It is humbling 
     to think that the Prayer Breakfast that we are a part of has 
     been meeting longer than either of us has been alive--and in 
     my case that has been a while. It is exciting to think also 
     that it will be going on a long time after we are gone. We 
     meet, we pray, we have personal prayer requests. Someone 
     shares their testimony or spiritual thought. Who would 
     believe that an hour of fellowship per week centered on the 
     teachings of Jesus could make such a difference? It is not 
     logical; it is a matter of the heart. So I would encourage 
     all of you as you go back to your communities, as you go back 
     to the different countries that are represented here, to 
     start a prayer breakfast. The example that we have today, the 
     example that we have every week in the House and the Senate--
     that is how you change hearts, that is how you change the 
     world.
       U.S. Senator Tim Kaine: Good morning. What a wonderful 
     occasion. It is truly good to be here with my friend, John 
     Boozman. When I was young, I spent part of 1980 and 1981 
     living with Jesuit missionaries in a small community in 
     Honduras. I learned from that experience the power of a small 
     group in advancing your spiritual life. And it has been my 
     blessing to have opportunities since--in my parish in 
     Richmond, with a group of legislators when I was Lieutenant 
     Governor and Governor and now in the Senate working with John 
     Boozman and my other friends in the Senate and the Senate 
     prayer breakfast tradition. We are here in a very, very large 
     room and there is greatness in a large room, but I think a 
     lot of us are here because there is greatness in small rooms, 
     and small groups. And so like John, I would encourage you to 
     advance your spiritual life by joining a small group that 
     focuses on spiritual fellowship.
       And now a word of introduction, when I came to the Senate 
     in January 2013, within nine months the government of the 
     United States shut down. Because I am Catholic, I was tempted 
     to blame myself. When the government re-opened, we had a hard 
     task on our shoulders, which was that Congress was charged 
     with finding a budget deal by the end of the calendar year. 
     And I am on the budget committee; and I got to watch my chair 
     woman, my great friend, Senator Patty Murray work with the 
     then House budget chair, Paul Ryan. I came to know, in that 
     work by observation, Paul is a person of strong principle, a 
     person who knows that the American people send us here not to 
     express our opinions louder than the next person but to be 
     principled, but also respect and work with the principles of 
     others, and we found a deal that enabled us to move forward.
       I want to offer a prayer for the Speaker, from a letter of 
     Paul, a letter to the Galatians: ``And let us not grow weary 
     of doing good, for in due season, we will reap if we do not 
     give up.'' Ladies and gentlemen, the Speaker of the House, 
     Paul Ryan.
       U.S. Representative Paul Ryan: That was quite nice. Thank 
     you very much. First of all, I want to express my gratitude 
     to my friends, Robert Aderholt and Juan Vargas for hosting us 
     here today. Thank you. Thank you for what you have done. And 
     I want to applaud their work to raise awareness of the plight 
     of the persecuted Christians around the world. I also want to 
     welcome all of you to Washington. You could not have come 
     here for a better reason. This breakfast is a national 
     tradition because prayer is a part of our national heritage. 
     It goes all the way back to the Declaration of Independence. 
     We believe that our rights come from God, and our job as 
     office holders is to protect those rights. So it is only 
     natural that we should ask for His guidance as we seek to do 
     His will. I have noticed a growing impatience though with 
     prayer in our culture these days. You see it in the papers, 
     or you see it on Twitter. When people say ``We are praying 
     for someone or something,'' the attitude in some quarters 
     these days, is ``Don't just pray, do something about it.'' 
     The thing is,

[[Page E1301]]

     when you are praying, you are doing something about it.
       You are revealing the presence of God. Whenever people are 
     in grief, or even when they are about to start some great 
     undertaking, they feel the worst pain of all. They feel 
     alone. How am I going to get through this? Why is this 
     happening to me? My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? 
     That is why there is nothing more comforting, or more 
     humbling really than to hear someone say, ``I am praying for 
     you.'' Because when you hear that, you realize you are not 
     alone--God is there. And hundreds, if not thousands, if not 
     millions of people are all speaking to Him on your behalf. 
     They are not praying for some abstract notion, they are 
     praying for you, the person. You know it says a lot about our 
     country, that people of both parties and of all faiths will 
     drop everything and pray for their fellow Americans. What it 
     says is ``We believe in the dignity of the individual, of the 
     human person,'' and that is why prayer should always come 
     first. All Americans believe this; but as Christians, we can 
     especially appreciate this truth. We believe in Jesus Christ. 
     We believe God came down from heaven and became a man with a 
     name and a body so that we could know him, we could begin to 
     understand. He walked among the poor and the lowly of this 
     world so that he could raise us to new heights in the next. 
     It is a miracle. It inspires us every single day, and that is 
     why we should rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and in 
     all circumstances, give thanks. Thank you, and welcome.

                          ____________________