This is a newsletter for the Coalition for a Principled Republic (CPR) If you prefer not to receive it - let us know via email and ask tbe removed from our mailing list. We offer ‘Too Much Information’ (TMI) on purpose; so, we advise readers to take in only what they are able to digest, and leave the rest…
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We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed… _________________________________________________
Today is the National Day of Prayer. This edition of the CPR Lifeline Advisory is offered as a remembrance of the value of prayer to seek God’s guidance, listen for God’s guidance and to obey His guidance. The concept of prayer is that of a two way communication. God does His utmost to answer the prayers of the faithful. The real question that needs to be addressed is whether the faithful are listening painstakingly for the answers. However, the quintessential question is what to do with an answer that one does not accept – let alone appreciate?
IMHO, this is a serious set of questions. And we may come to the conclusion as was voiced in the movie, Cool Hand Luke, that “what we have here is a failure to communicate.” On the other hand, our Sunday edition CSN - LightWing Messages - Focusing on Forgiveness and Forgiving 4/28/2024 this past week featured a message from Corrie ten Boom, who can be viewed as one who did have good communication skills with our Heavenly Father. Prayer is essential to our relationship with God as individuals, as societies and as nations. Yet, how many nations have national days dedicated to prayer? It is still a strong statement about America regardless of the turbulence and turmoil the nation must process at this time. And, no tyrant can stop any citizen from praying and communicating with our Heavenly Father because He is spirit and we can communicate with Him anytime and anywhere within our minds without vocalization.
The featured article in this edition is from Mother Teresa (or Saint Teresa depending upon one’s reverence for another lady of prayer interchange) and is an address she offered at the National Prayer Breakfast in 1994. It was during the International Year of the Family. We have posted it before in our newsletters as it is such a courageous and memorable message.
The second article is from a message I wrote in 2022 regarding the Lord’s Prayer. This message is one that has also been delivered more than once, not because it is so memorable, but it is because I believe the message is one not from me, but one which came from Heavenly Father for such a time as this. And, readers can take that for what it is worth to them. I only see myself as a messenger and one who truly resists dominion over my freedom to communicate with God.
Our hope once again is that the messages in our LifeLine Advisory may provide a more relevant view of our need to pray or renew the practice of prayer in these turbulent times. It is not a time to doubt the value of prayer, but to double down upon our efforts to communicate with our maker as Lincoln used to say. By the way there are a couple of references to Lincoln on prayer in the links we offer; they are helpful to understand a perspective on prayer in another turbulent time.
Again as a brief reminder, the Coalition for a Principled Republic is in our second year of posting this newsletter as part of the Citizen Sentinels Network. When the Citizen Sentinels Network migrated to Substack, many readers did not cross that bridge; yet, we are happy that a good number of our readers stayed with us during trying times. And, we hope our readers would consider all the messages in this edition as being relevant, or meaningful, and if readers know others who might value the newsletters as well, we pray they would consider becoming Citizen Sentinels and messengers and would please pass this newsletter on to those who would welcome it. Or simply, get them to go to our Substack platform and get a free subscription – Citizen Voice on Substack
PLEASE SHARE WITH OTHERS WHO APPRECIATE COMMON SENSE
Speech At the National Prayer Breakfast in the International Year of the Family
By Mother Teresa
February 5, 1994
At the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C, in February of 1994, Mother Theresa dared to speak her mind and heart about the right to life. Here is the text of her unforgettable address.
On the last day, Jesus will say to those on His right hand, “Come, enter the Kingdom. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was sick and you visited me.” Then Jesus will turn to those on His left hand and say, “Depart from me because I was hungry and you did not feed me, I was thirsty and you did not give me to drink, I was sick and you did not visit me.” These will ask Him, “When did we see You hungry, or thirsty or sick and did not come to Your help?” And Jesus will answer them, “Whatever you neglected to do unto one of these least of these, you neglected to do unto Me!"
As we have gathered here to pray together, I think it will be beautiful if we begin with a prayer that expresses very well what Jesus wants us to do for the least. St. Francis of Assisi understood very well these words of Jesus and His life is very well expressed by a prayer. And this prayer, which we say every day after Holy Communion, always surprises me very much, because it is very fitting for each one of us. And I always wonder whether 800 years ago when St. Francis lived, they had the same difficulties that we have today. I think that some of you already have this prayer of peace — so we will pray it together.
Let us thank God for the opportunity He has given us today to have come here to pray together. We have come here especially to pray for peace, joy and love. We are reminded that Jesus came to bring the good news to the poor. He had told us what is that good news when He said: “My peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you.” He came not to give the peace of the world which is only that we don’t bother each other. He came to give the peace of heart which comes from loving — from doing good to others.
And God loved the world so much that He gave His son — it was a giving. God gave His son to the Virgin Mary, and what did she do with Him? As soon as Jesus came into Mary’s life, immediately she went in haste to give that good news. And as she came into the house of her cousin, Elizabeth, Scripture tells us that the unborn child — the child in the womb of Elizabeth — leapt with joy. While still in the womb of Mary — Jesus brought peace to John the Baptist who leapt for joy in the womb of Elizabeth.
And as if that were not enough, as if it were not enough that God the Son should become one of us and bring peace and joy while still in the womb of Mary, Jesus also died on the Cross to show that greater love. He died for you and for me, and for the leper and for that man dying of hunger and that naked person lying in the street, not only of Calcutta, but of Africa, and everywhere. Our Sisters serve these poor people in 105 countries throughout the world. Jesus insisted that we love one another as He loves each one of us. Jesus gave His life to love us and He tells us that we also have to give whatever it takes to do good to one another. And in the Gospel Jesus says very clearly: “Love as I have loved you.”
Jesus died on the Cross because that is what it took for Him to do good to us — to save us from our selfishness in sin. He gave up everything to do the Father’s will — to show us that we too must be willing to give up everything to do God’s will — to love one another as He loves each of us. If we are not willing to give whatever it takes to do good to one another, sin is still in us. That is why we too must give to each other until it hurts.
It is not enough for us to say: “I love God,” but I also have to love my neighbor. St. John says that you are a liar if you say you love God and you don’t love your neighbor. How can you love God whom you do not see, if you do not love your neighbor whom you see, whom you touch, with whom you live? And so it is very important for us to realize that love, to be true, has to hurt. I must be willing to give whatever it takes not to harm other people and, in fact, to do good to them. This requires that I be willing to give until it hurts. Otherwise, there is not true love in me and I bring injustice, not peace, to those around me.
It hurt Jesus to love us. We have been created in His image for greater things, to love and to be loved. We must “put on Christ” as Scripture tells us. And so, we have been created to love as He loves us. Jesus makes Himself the hungry one, the naked one, the homeless one, the unwanted one, and He says, “You did it to Me.” On the last day He will say to those on His right, “whatever you did to the least of these, you did to Me, and He will also say to those on His left, whatever you neglected to do for the least of these, you neglected to do it for Me.”
When He was dying on the Cross, Jesus said, “I thirst.” Jesus is thirsting for our love, and this is the thirst of everyone, poor and rich alike. We all thirst for the love of others, that they go out of their way to avoid harming us and to do good to us. This is the meaning of true love, to give until it hurts.
I can never forget the experience I had in visiting a home where they kept all these old parents of sons and daughters who had just put them into an institution and forgotten them — maybe. I saw that in that home these old people had everything — good food, a comfortable place, television, everything, but everyone was looking toward the door. And I did not see a single one with a smile on the face. I turned to Sister and I asked: “Why do these people who have every comfort here, why are they all looking toward the door? Why are they not smiling?”
I am so used to seeing the smiles on our people, even the dying ones smile. And Sister said: “This is the way it is nearly everyday. They are expecting, they are hoping that a son or daughter will come to visit them. They are hurt because they are forgotten.” And see, this neglect to love brings spiritual poverty. Maybe in our own family we have somebody who is feeling lonely, who is feeling sick, who is feeling worried. Are we there? Are we willing to give until it hurts in order to be with our families, or do we put our own interests first? These are the questions we must ask ourselves, especially as we begin this year of the family. We must remember that love begins at home and we must also remember that ’the future of humanity passes through the family.’
I was surprised in the West to see so many young boys and girls given to drugs. And I tried to find out why. Why is it like that, when those in the West have so many more things than those in the East? And the answer was: ‘Because there is no one in the family to receive them.’ Our children depend on us for everything — their health, their nutrition, their security, their coming to know and love God. For all of this, they look to us with trust, hope and expectation. But often father and mother are so busy they have no time for their children, or perhaps they are not even married or have given up on their marriage. So their children go to the streets and get involved in drugs or other things. We are talking of love of the child, which is where love and peace must begin. These are the things that break peace.
But I feel that the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because it is a war against the child, a direct killing of the innocent child, murder by the mother herself. And if we accept that a mother can kill even her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill one another? How do we persuade a woman not to have an abortion? As always, we must persuade her with love and we remind ourselves that love means to be willing to give until it hurts. Jesus gave even His life to love us. So, the mother who is thinking of abortion, should be helped to love, that is, to give until it hurts her plans, or her free time, to respect the life of her child. The father of that child, whoever he is, must also give until it hurts.
By abortion, the mother does not learn to love, but kills even her own child to solve her problems. And, by abortion, that father is told that he does not have to take any responsibility at all for the child he has brought into the world. The father is likely to put other women into the same trouble. So abortion just leads to more abortion. Any country that accepts abortion is not teaching its people to love, but to use any violence to get what they want. This is why the greatest destroyer of love and peace is abortion.
Many people are very, very concerned with the children of India, with the children of Africa where quite a few die of hunger, and so on. Many people are also concerned about all the violence in this great country of the United States. These concerns are very good. But often these same people are not concerned with the millions who are being killed by the deliberate decision of their own mothers. And this is what is the greatest destroyer of peace today — abortion which brings people to such blindness.
And for this I appeal in India and I appeal everywhere — “Let us bring the child back.” The child is God’s gift to the family. Each child is created in the special image and likeness of God for greater things — to love and to be loved. In this year of the family we must bring the child back to the center of our care and concern. This is the only way that our world can survive because our children are the only hope for the future. As older people are called to God, only their children can take their places.
But what does God say to us? He says: “Even if a mother could forget her child, I will not forget you. I have carved you in the palm of my hand.” We are carved in the palm of His hand; that unborn child has been carved in the hand of God from conception and is called by God to love and to be loved, not only now in this life, but forever. God can never forget us.
I will tell you something beautiful. We are fighting abortion by adoption — by care of the mother and adoption for her baby. We have saved thousands of lives. We have sent word to the clinics, to the hospitals and police stations: “Please don’t destroy the child; we will take the child.” So we always have someone tell the mothers in trouble: “Come, we will take care of you, we will get a home for your child.” And we have a tremendous demand from couples who cannot have a child — but I never give a child to a couple who have done something not to have a child. Jesus said, “Anyone who receives a child in my name, receives me.” By adopting a child, these couples receive Jesus but, by aborting a child, a couple refuses to receive Jesus.
Please don’t kill the child. I want the child. Please give me the child. I am willing to accept any child who would be aborted and to give that child to a married couple who will love the child and be loved by the child. From our children’s home in Calcutta alone, we have saved over 3000 children from abortion. These children have brought such love and joy to their adopting parents and have grown up so full of love and joy.
I know that couples have to plan their family and for that there is natural family planning. The way to plan the family is natural family planning, not contraception. In destroying the power of giving life, through contraception, a husband or wife is doing something to self. This turns the attention to self and so it destroys the gifts of love in him or her. In loving, the husband and wife must turn the attention to each other as happens in natural family planning, and not to self, as happens in contraception. Once that living love is destroyed by contraception, abortion follows very easily.
I also know that there are great problems in the world — that many spouses do not love each other enough to practice natural family planning. We cannot solve all the problems in the world, but let us never bring in the worst problem of all, and that is to destroy love. And this is what happens when we tell people to practice contraception and abortion.
The poor are very great people. They can teach us so many beautiful things. Once one of them came to thank us for teaching her natural family planning and said: “You people who have practiced chastity, you are the best people to teach us natural family planning because it is nothing more than self-control out of love for each other.” And what this poor person said is very true. These poor people maybe have nothing to eat, maybe they have not a home to live in, but they can still be great people when they are spiritually rich.
When I pick up a person from the street, hungry, I give him a plate of rice, a piece of bread. But a person who is shut out, who feels unwanted, unloved, terrified, the person who has been thrown out of society — that spiritual poverty is much harder to overcome. And abortion, which often follows from contraception, brings a people to be spiritually poor, and that is the worst poverty and the most difficult to overcome.
Those who are materially poor can be very wonderful people. One evening we went out and we picked up four people from the street. And one of them was in a most terrible condition. I told the Sisters: “You take care of the other three; I will take care of the one who looks worse.” So I did for her all that my love can do. I put her in bed, and there was such a beautiful smile on her face. She took hold of my hand, as she said one word only: “thank you” — and she died.
I could not help but examine my conscience before her. And I asked: “What would I say if I were in her place?” And my answer was very simple. I would have tried to draw a little attention to myself. I would have said: “I am hungry, I am dying, I am cold, I am in pain,” or something. But she gave me much more — she gave me her grateful love. And she died with a smile on her face. Then there was the man we picked up from the drain, half eaten by worms and, after we had brought him to the home, he only said, “I have lived like an animal in the street, but I am going to die as an angel, loved and cared for.” Then, after we had removed all the worms from his body, all he said, with a big smile, was: “Sister, I am going home to God” — and he died. It was so wonderful to see the greatness of that man who could speak like that without blaming anybody, without comparing anything. Like an angel — this is the greatness of people who are spiritually rich even when they are materially poor.
We are not social workers. We may be doing social work in the eyes of some people, but we must be contemplatives in the heart of the world. For we must bring that presence of God into your family, for the family that prays together, stays together. There is so much hatred, so much misery, and we with our prayer, with our sacrifice, are beginning at home. Love begins at home, and it is not how much we do, but how much love we put into what we do.
If we are contemplatives in the heart of the world with all its problems, these problems can never discourage us. We must always remember what God tells us in Scripture: “Even if a mother could forget the child in her womb” — something impossible, but even if she could forget — “I will never forget you.”
And so here I am talking with you. I want you to find the poor here, right in your own home first. And begin love there. Be that good news to your own people first. And find out about your next-door neighbors. Do you know who they are?
I had the most extraordinary experience of love of neighbor with a Hindu family. A gentleman came to our house and said: “Mother Teresa, there is a family who have not eaten for so long. Do something.” So I took some rice and went there immediately. And I saw the children — their eyes shining with hunger. I don’t know if you have ever seen hunger. But I have seen it very often. And the mother of the family took the rice I gave her and went out. When she came back, I asked her: “Where did you go? What did you do?” And she gave me a very simple answer: “They are hungry also.” What struck me was that she knew — and who are they? A Muslim family — and she knew. I didn’t bring any more rice that evening because I wanted them, Hindus and Muslims, to enjoy the joy of sharing.
But there were those children, radiating joy, sharing the joy and peace with their mother because she had the love to give until it hurts. And you see this is where love begins — at home in the family.
So, as the example of this family shows, God will never forget us and there is something you and I can always do. We can keep the joy of loving Jesus in our hearts, and share that joy with all we come in contact with. Let us make that one point — that no child will be unwanted, unloved, uncared for, or killed and thrown away. And give until it hurts — with a smile.
Because I talk so much of giving with a smile, once a professor from the United States asked me: “Are you married?” And I said: “Yes, and I find it sometimes very difficult to smile at my spouse, Jesus, because He can be very demanding — sometimes.” This is really something true. And this is where love comes in — when it is demanding, and yet we can give it with joy.
One of the most demanding things for me is traveling everywhere — and with publicity. I have said to Jesus that if I don’t go to heaven for anything else, I will be going to heaven for all the traveling with all the publicity, because it has purified me and sacrificed me and made me really ready to go to heaven.
If we remember that God loves us, and that we can love others as He loves us, then America can become a sign of peace for the world. From here, a sign of care for the weakest of the weak — the unborn child — must go out to the world. If you become a burning light of justice and peace in the world, then really you will be true to what the founders of this country stood for. God bless you!
St. Teresa of Calcutta founded the Missionaries of Charity, a religious order devoted to serving the poor. She received the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of her work "in bringing help to suffering humanity."
Bringing God Into It!
By Dennis Jamison
2/4/22
In March of 2020, in the beginning of the COVID-19 panic, I wrote:
The times we are living in are quite turbulent, filled with personal trials and
national, as well as international, tribulation. Certainly, the specter of a raging virus haunts people of the world. Americans, and people throughout the world are struggling to deal with the daily realities of what has been identified as a pandemic. Such times create fear and anxiety -- even panic. …uncertainty and life-threatening concerns in such times often cause people to fall to their knees in prayer. Such a time is this.
From then until now, it seemed as if God departed from America. And, as we proceed into 2022, millions of Americans reflect on how they have been adversely affected by evil events since that foreboding beginning of this tribulation. In recent years, God’s children can sense that there are many no longer in possession of their right minds, without any common sense. In 2020, as winter lay dying I wrote:
It is obvious that a civil society is more harmonious when people are in their right minds, or when each individual is in possession of a healthy conscience.
It is obvious that when more people are more inclined to follow the dictates of conscience, more people naturally promote the general well-being of the civil society. At the core of such logic is the understanding that each individual having a healthy conscience, is able to more readily discern the difference between right and wrong and to have the conviction or courage to act upon such wisdom.
So, how does one develop a healthy conscience? That March, I explained I had discovered a blueprint through earnest and intense prayer during the period my wife battled with cancer. In the Lord’s Prayer, I found that Jesus provided a blueprint to strengthen one’s conscience. The key lies in strengthening one’s personal relationship with God. As one increases knowledge of God through study of His word and strengthens one’s personal relationship with God, a healthy conscience develops and is strengthened simultaneously. One’s conscience is like a ‘spiritual umbilical cord’ to Heavenly Father.
Just as a baby in a mother’s womb receives life-sustaining energy through an umbilical cord, as we truly connect to God, we fortify our “spiritual umbilical cord” through prayer, study, and practice of His Will. God has endowed us all with a conscience, just as we all are born into a physical body. Yet, when one’s physical body is neglected, one’s health can suffer. Yet, it is more possible to ignore one’s conscience. Certainly, one’s conscience grows weak and can suffer tremendously when not consciously or purposefully strengthened.
Especially, the words in the Lord’s Prayer provide a launching pad for deeper and more openly personal prayer. In his instruction, Jesus teaches us a proper way to acknowledge God as “Our Father in Heaven.” We need to know we speak to a person because He is a living being, which means it is not a script we recite to “the gods.” So, the more sincerely and more frequently one converses with Him, as one’s heavenly parent, the more one comes to know Him more truly – because He too wants such a relationship. Yet, Jesus showed that several levels of relationship could exist between God and His children - levels of faith maturation.
Genuine respect is important in coming before our Heavenly Father, and a willingness to listen or receive what our Father in Heaven will share with His children is crucial to His reply to us. If one truly listens carefully in a quiet environment, He will give us our “daily bread.” God never fails to teach us what we seek to know -- if we will listen to what He teaches. This is much like listening to our parents, to our spouse, or our children -- it’s called reciprocity.
Once formalities of addressing our Father in Heaven are established, there are various levels of growth in relations between God and His children. The request for God to give us daily bread is the first. Jesus knew that his people had been provided with manna from Heaven during the Exodus, and this refers to physical sustenance in that manner. However, Jesus reminded Satan that “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Matthew 4:4 This applies to us. This level of relationship is one of dependence upon God for sustenance - whether it be physical or spiritual ‘bread.
A second level of development is expected as Jesus explained that people needed to forgive others their debts, or trespasses. This level is one that requests deeper understanding and greater ability to practice Jesus’ request of loving one another. At this level, one is no longer only in a receptive position to God. At this level, a greater degree of maturity of faith is required of God’s children - manifesting love and forgiveness is not receptive; it is proactive. Jesus had requested his followers put faith into action. Jesus stated: “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." John 13:35
Forgiveness is one of the strongest behaviors requested of Christians – a genuine expression of love, but there is another level of maturity required. Once a greater level of heart develops, Christian are requested to pray that God not lead them into temptation. More than Christians have had trouble with such a request. For instance, what parent would lead their own children into some temptation? Yet, Jesus gave the instruction. I took extra time to pray over this. This level requires greater strength in resisting temptation and seeking deliverance from evil.
But honestly, why would people have to beseech parents to not lead them into temptation? This level requires asking God to not lead one into temptation; people interpret it to mean to resist encountered temptations. But, Christians continually succumb to temptation. Eve and Adam, God’s original children, gave in to temptation. Is that not how we arrived at this sin-filled world? God gave Adam and Eve everything, but it did not stop them from falling into temptation. Yet, the answer I received when I asked Heavenly Father about it was that Jesus already had shared the answer in the Sermon on the Mount: “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Matthew 5:48 Once we give God dominion over us, in love of the Father, our Father within us guides us to resist and reject temptation.
I realized these three levels of faith development in the Lord’s Prayer, help one to gradually grow faith and strengthen become one’s conscience. We become perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect. As we become stronger, we become more capable of loving one another, and we may grow the strength to resist and reject Satan’s temptations.
Obviously, this may seem too obvious, but it is not God’s responsibility to not lead us or not lead us into temptation. It was, and still is, His children’s responsibility to practice Jesus’ commands. If we can continually invite God into our midst through pro-actively using Jesus’ blueprint, we could start a revolution of prayer that could transform the world!
A Bit of History…
From America World Adoption: National Day of Prayer: Abraham Lincoln's Prayer for Our Nation | America World
From The American Minute with Bill Federer: National Day of Prayer - American Minute with Bill Federer – 4/28/24
National Day of Prayer.org: History of Prayer in America
From The National Archives - The Founder’s Online: Committee Report on Naming a Day of Prayer and Humiliation, 17 October 1770
From The White House.gov: A Proclamation on National Day of Prayer, 2024 | The White House
True Fact Check -
We strive for accuracy and objectivity in the entries in this section. But if readers see anything that doesn't look historically correct, send us an email and let us know your feedback: dj.light@protonmail.com
Coalition Connections…
Editor’s note: The CPR Lifeline Advisory has been revised, and the CPR group activities or articles follow our featured issue focus’ section. The CPR group activities segment will continue to shine a spotlight on member organizations or allies or affiliates. We know new patriots are awakening each day across the nation, and as necessity breeds invention,’ the CPR seeks to work with additional Christian, conservative, groups as they work
to organize, mobilize, and actively respond to the current clear and present danger to our Constitutional Republic.
From Election Integrity Project®California: EIPCa Bulletin May 1, 2024
From Safe Kids Now: STOP BULLIES AND STRENGTHEN AMERICA! PART ONE – 4/23/24
From Last Call Radio Show: Lighting a Candle -- Last Call Radio with Bj Edwards – 4/20/24
From Informed Parents of Silicon Valley: Sacramento Authorities Subvert Parents’ Rights in Word Play Over the “Protect Kids of California Act” Initiative – 4/25/24
ICYMI > From Camp Constitution: Celebrating the Natural Family | campconstitution.net – 3/26/24
ICYMI > From Election Integrity Project®California: Election Integrity Project®California (EIPCa) Legal Advocacy from 2015 - 2023