20 Mar 24 – Letter to the Baptized

[0] Welcome to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[1] My name's Terry Barber with Virgin Most Powerful radio.

[2] And on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, Bishop Strickland shares the gospel.

[3] Okay, that's what he does here at Virgin Most Powerful.

[4] We're very grateful that good bishop will do that for us.

[5] Thanks again, Bishop Strickland, for taking time out of your busy schedule.

[6] Thank you, Terry.

[7] Well, now we've got the good news of Jesus Christ.

[8] We start every show with it, my favorite.

[9] This is a Wednesday, March 20th.

[10] and it's from the gospel of John chapter 8 verse 31 to 42 could you read that gospel and give us some commentary on it please sure a reading from the holy gospel according to John Jesus said to those Jews who believed in him if you remain in my word you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

[11] They answered him, we are descendants of Abraham, and have never been enslaved to anyone.

[12] How can you say, you will become free?

[13] Jesus answered them, amen, amen, I say to you.

[14] Everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin.

[15] A slave does not remain in a household forever, but a slave.

[16] A slave does not remain in a household son always remains.

[17] So if the son frees you, then you will be truly be free.

[18] I know that you are descendants of Abraham, but you are trying to kill me because my word has no room among you.

[19] I tell you what I have seen in the father's presence.

[20] Then do what you have heard from the father.

[21] they answered and said to him our father is abraham jesus said to them if you were abraham's children you would be doing the works of abraham but now you are trying to kill me a man who has told you the truth that i heard from god abraham did not do this you are doing the works of your father so they said to said to him we were not born of fornication we have one father god jesus said to them if god were your father you would love me where i came from god and am here i did not come on my own but he sent me the gospel of the lord praise to you lord jesus christ well this gospel passage from the eighth chapter of john it reminds us of the the challenges that the people who originally heard jesus were faced with and the challenges that we're faced with i love once again the way it begins if you remain in my word you will truly be my disciples and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.

[22] Really, Terry, that's what you and I talk about week after week.

[23] That's right.

[24] The truth that sets us free.

[25] And Jesus says this should be on billboards around the world.

[26] If you remain in my word, you will be truly my disciples.

[27] Amen.

[28] If you remain in my word, we must remain in his word.

[29] We must remain.

[30] He is the word.

[31] I mean, as he says that, we know, and better than the Jews who are listening there originally, we know through the teachings of his church for 2 ,000 years, that he is the word incarnate.

[32] So the word incarnate is telling us, if we remain in His, him.

[33] If we remain in his word, we will truly be his disciples.

[34] We will know the truth and the truth will set us free.

[35] That is what, you know, energizes both of us.

[36] And that's what we have to stay energized and keep proclaiming because the world is grasping at false illusory imitations of freedom.

[37] That may look like they're offering freedom, but they're really not.

[38] When we're not staying rooted in the incarnate word that is Jesus Christ, who is Lord of the universe for all eternity, the Son of God, if we're not staying in His Word, then we're not really free.

[39] And the freedom that the world is offering is always a counterfeit.

[40] A counterfeit, and what happens to counterfeit doesn't last.

[41] I mean, just think about, you know, a counterfeit dollar bill.

[42] I mean, you know, of course, counterfeit money is not really what we're talking about.

[43] But just analogously, if you think about a real dollar bill, it's made to last for, you know, to be exchanged.

[44] over and over again.

[45] Fake dollar bills don't have that same made to last quality.

[46] That's right.

[47] They may look very, and they may fool us.

[48] The counterfeits may well fool us for a time, but they fade quickly.

[49] The truth of Jesus Christ never fades.

[50] It is everlastingly bright and true, And that's why we're obligated to look to him for the truth.

[51] I'm reminded of the image of our lady of Guadalupe.

[52] And I'll take this opportunity to encourage people.

[53] We're just into a nine -month novena.

[54] I've actually never heard of a nine -month novena.

[55] A long novena, man. They keep getting longer.

[56] but Cardinal Burke has urged the faithful of the world to embrace this nine -month novena, really fairly simple to embrace it for nine months starting March 12th a few days ago and continuing until December 12th, our Lady of Guadalupe.

[57] And I urge people, and I'll continue to encourage people to embrace this call from Cardinal Burke a holy man who resonates with the truth that we try to share all the time the truth that this gospel passage speaks of but what calls to mind Cardinal Burke is his inspiration for this nine -month novina is our lady of Guadalupe and our lady of Guadalupe that image will be in 2031 we talked about it before, it will be 500 years old.

[58] And it has never faded.

[59] Amazing.

[60] That's the point that I'm inspired to be reminded of and to share is the truth doesn't fade.

[61] That image of Our Lady of Guadalupe is as vibrant as it was with the test of time, with all the things that would easily destroy something that wasn't.

[62] an image from God to remind us to wake up, to set us free in that truth.

[63] But that image hasn't faded in 500 years.

[64] The truth of Jesus Christ hasn't faded in 2 ,000 years, and it will not fade until the end of the age.

[65] The truth, if we want things that last, we need to turn to Jesus Christ.

[66] And I love that aspect of what this gospel is.

[67] passage reminds us of.

[68] Finally, this gospel passage goes into kind of a conversation between the Jewish people that are believing in Jesus and talking of them as children of Abraham.

[69] I think it reminds us that ultimately we speak of the Judeo -Christian tradition.

[70] Right.

[71] We need to remember as Christians today that we are Judeo -Christian.

[72] We are connected to Abraham, who was the earthly father of the Jewish people.

[73] And in that way, we're descendants of the Jews spiritually.

[74] And so Abraham is significant to us as he was significant to the people of Israel.

[75] And ultimately, Jesus has introduced us to our Heavenly Father, His Father, God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

[76] So I think this Gospel passage reminds us, especially in this time, with all the tragic war unfolding in the Holy Land, that we are children of Abraham.

[77] They are our spiritual ancestors.

[78] And so the Jewish people are people that they're part of our family.

[79] They're part of our ancient family of those who believe in the one true God, whom we know as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

[80] So this gospel reminds us to be a Judeo -Christian people, knowing absolutely that Jesus Christ is truth incarnate.

[81] but remembering to honor Abraham is to honor that truth of Christ, especially embodied in the Old Testament scriptures.

[82] Wow.

[83] What a great commentary on that scripture.

[84] Thank you, Bishop Strickland.

[85] I know we're coming to a quick break in a minute here.

[86] And I want to just encourage all of our listeners.

[87] The spiritual warfare conference is over.

[88] We've had a great conference.

[89] and if you want to get the recordings of the talks, all of them, you've missed them.

[90] Just go to vmpr .org and download the registration.

[91] You can download the audio and video of the talks.

[92] And that way I'm going to encourage you to call your rosary group to once a week watch these videos on spiritual warfare that should be able to help your family.

[93] We're going to come back after a quick break with the Bishop Strickland Hour on Virgin, Most Power, Stay with us, family.

[94] Now back to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[95] Welcome back, indeed.

[96] Bishop Strickland, you just did another letter.

[97] You sent out another letter on Wednesday, March 13th.

[98] And what I like about this letter, it's to all the brothers and sisters in Christ.

[99] That's everyone.

[100] You know, you've done letters to priests, to bishops, to, you know, different groups of people in the church.

[101] And in your letter, you're saying you're inspired to write to all of us to share what the life of Christ through baptism.

[102] I thought, well, what's it all about?

[103] I just read it, but I'd like you to kind of summarize it for our listeners.

[104] Well, thanks, Terry.

[105] Yeah, I was inspired to write this letter as I reflected on Exodus 33.

[106] Oh, yeah.

[107] So I'd like to share that passage and then just talk about a bit.

[108] I think it's appropriate.

[109] Earlier, we talked about the gospel.

[110] Now we can talk about an Old Testament passage, because all of the, the Word of God guides us in the truth that God has completed through His Son, Jesus Christ.

[111] So this is Exodus 33, verses 18 to 23.

[112] Then Moses said, please let me see your glory.

[113] The Lord answered, I will make all my goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim my name, Lord, before you.

[114] I who show favor to whom I will, I who grant mercy to whom I will.

[115] But you cannot see my face, for no one can see me and live.

[116] Here, continue the Lord, is a place near me, where you shall station yourself on the rock.

[117] When my glory passes, I will set you in the cleft of the rock and will cover you with my hand, until I've passed by.

[118] Then I will remove my hand so that you may see my back, but my face may not be seen.

[119] Those words inspired me to write this letter because I think one of the challenges we're facing in our time in history in this year, 24, in the 21st century, it's natural just like Moses to say I want to see your glory Lord we we naturally because we come from God I think it makes perfect sense that there's something in us that wants to see the glory of God and the the sad thing is so often we get sad.

[120] sidetracked into merely settling for the glory of this world, whether it's glorious pleasure or glorious wealth or glorious power, the ills of the world, the sinfulness and brokenness, in a sense going back to Adam and Eve.

[121] What were they after?

[122] They were after the glory.

[123] And I think it's a reminder to us.

[124] This passage reminds me that we need to simply acknowledge that we will never see the glory of God fully in this life.

[125] We're not built for it.

[126] It's bigger than we can take.

[127] I'm reminded again of Thomas Aquinas.

[128] This world is just straw compared to the glory of God.

[129] but we're destined to see that glory and what this passage goes or what this letter goes on to I think remind all of us of hopefully is that through Jesus Christ that longing is fulfilled like never before it's still the glory of God is still veiled in a sense because many people see Jesus and don't see the glory of the Father.

[130] But Jesus makes it very clear, especially in John's Gospel, and the letter goes on to quote some from John's Gospel.

[131] When you see Jesus, you see the glory of God.

[132] And I think that's an important for a reminder for us, for all of us who are baptized.

[133] And hopefully it spurs us on not just to rejoice in seeing the glory of God, in the face of Jesus Christ, but also to share this good news with the world.

[134] The world needs to, because every human being, by the nature of how we exist, we have that deep down longing in our hearts to know glory, to embrace glory, to see the glory.

[135] And like I said, it often masquerades in simply worldly terms.

[136] But you think about the great athletes, the great builders of empires, the great people in history, very driven people a lot of times who accomplish even in worldly terms great things.

[137] but ultimately all of that greatness when it doesn't stay focused on the lasting greatness that is God, the true glory, and with Jesus Christ incarnate, the face of the glory of God, that we have the ability to embrace and to know more and more deeply.

[138] So I guess it's a reminder for, as the letter is addressed to all who are, baptized in Jesus Christ.

[139] And it's a reminder to us as Catholics that the church teaches us that through baptism, we are all brothers and sisters in the Lord.

[140] We are all at that level one family.

[141] One family of the baptized.

[142] We certainly know as Catholics that we believe through the other sacraments, through the fullness of teaching the church of the church, through the fullness of life in the mystical body of Christ that is the church, there are many blessings and benefits you could say in these terms of seeing more fully the glory of God expressed in the face of Christ.

[143] I think, you know, at probably no surprise, because I talk about the Eucharist, all the time.

[144] But remember that for us as Catholics, every time at Mass we see the body of Christ held up by the priest and proclaimed to be the Lamb of God.

[145] Let us remember we are seeing the face of glory in that mysterious way that the Eucharist is veiled but real seeing the glory of God.

[146] I think we need to remind ourselves of that.

[147] And that's why we need to be reverent.

[148] That's why the mass needs to be totally focused on Christ.

[149] And if it is, it's going to be reverent.

[150] But it's not just a gathering of us as the people of God.

[151] Certainly, that's beautiful and it's important.

[152] But the mass is so much more than just another gathering of God's people.

[153] It's God's people, gathered for a purpose, a purpose of witnessing the glory of God in the Eucharistic face of Jesus Christ.

[154] So I just encourage people to read this letter and rejoice in their baptism, rejoice that we know Jesus Christ, the face of the Father, and that we can get a deeper glimpse of the glory of God than in any other way in this life.

[155] life than to see God's glory in his son, in the sacraments, in the power of God's word, in the beauty of the church, even in the midst of the tarnishing that is real and there as well.

[156] But to, I'd encourage all of us as Catholics to really rejoice in the pearl of great price that we have and to pray for those as this.

[157] program is as people are viewing it on, I think it's March 20th.

[158] That's right.

[159] People have just you know, 20 days ago have, no, March 20th, people will be coming into the church.

[160] I'm getting ahead of myself.

[161] But to remember those who are baptized at Easter, they are joining us in this wondrous journey.

[162] of knowing the glory of God and seeing God's glory in the face of His Son, Jesus Christ.

[163] I also want to add that last paragraph you wrote because to me that summarized everything you said and I'll just read.

[164] It says, brothers and sisters and Jesus Christ, let us return to the revelation of God's glory in the gospel.

[165] The good news, which tells us that Jesus has shown us the Father and has thus fed the deepest longing of all humanity, which is to know God's glory.

[166] Let us live and share this good news with his brother.

[167] No, with the whole world.

[168] Bishop Strickland, those are our marching orders.

[169] That's how I see it.

[170] So thank you for doing that letter.

[171] And that goes out again.

[172] That was March 14th.

[173] So it's been out a little bit.

[174] I would encourage people to go to your website too.

[175] They can read it for themselves, correct?

[176] Correct.

[177] Good, good.

[178] So there you go.

[179] That's what I would recommend.

[180] All right.

[181] Hey, Bishop Strickland, another thought I have is some of your tweets that you've been sending.

[182] I like it when you quote with the tweets, scripture, especially one of my favorite books is Ephesians, especially chapter five.

[183] I mean, I think it was Grant Petrie who really convinced me that that's one of my favorites.

[184] favorite verses because he wrote the Jewish roots of Catholicism and he's just a great biblical scholar who we've had at dozens of conferences over the years.

[185] What a great biblical scholar.

[186] If you have anything on Brent Petrie folks, listen to it on YouTube.

[187] We've got a lot of Bible studies that he's done here at the vmpr .org over the years.

[188] So check that out.

[189] But here's the quote you said.

[190] It's right from Ephesians chapter 5 verse 10 to 12 says try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord oh yeah take no part of this fruitless works of darkness rather expose them wow for it is shameful even to the mention of these things done by them in secret I'm sorry I've got moved by that verse when it said expose them Go ahead, your thoughts Well, I was moved by it as well That's why I shared it because We need to speak the truth Amen And when The way I hear that passage is when False messages are being sent By whomever and whatever sudden Yeah I mean, you know We always talk about the sanctity of the life of the unborn That's right That's where we need to expose the lie The lie that this is a clump of cells or it's the woman's body and she has the right to do whatever with it that she wishes.

[191] Absolutely, a woman has rights, God -given, free will and rights over her own body.

[192] But we're not talking about her own body.

[193] We're talking about another somebody within her body, which is the great mystery of motherhood.

[194] But I think that we need to expose the lie.

[195] Amen.

[196] There are many lies in the world today, sadly even emanating from leitles in the church.

[197] We have to expose it and say, no, the truth is revealed by God.

[198] Amen.

[199] We're listening to the Bishop Strickland Hour on Virgin Most Power Radio.

[200] Stay with us, family.

[201] We'll be back after a quick, quick break.

[202] And now back to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[203] Welcome back, indeed.

[204] I don't think our show goes by without us talking about the sanctity of life.

[205] And I'm saying whether it's the unborn or the longborn.

[206] What do I mean by the longborn?

[207] Euthanasia.

[208] It seems like once we could kill a baby in the womb, it seemed like the euthanasia movement took off and said, wait a minute, why can't we kill them when they're at the end?

[209] And I got a story about an Oregon woman.

[210] Her name is Jeanette Hall.

[211] She was given six to 12 months to live after a cancer diagnosis back in the year 2000.

[212] she was settling on an assisted suicide because in Oregon back then it was legal now what happened is this is what I think is going to happen you're you're going to live maybe six to 12 months she went to another doctor another doctor said I don't think so I think we can help you with medication and treatment and I can't guarantee it but I think it's worth a shot I wouldn't kill myself I think you should give me an opportunity to see if I can help you with your health.

[213] She did, and 20 years later, I should say 24 years later, she's cancer -free.

[214] Now, Bishop Strickland, I don't say every single one happens that way, but it just shows me sometimes these doctors are playing God, like they know more than God.

[215] Your thoughts on that story?

[216] Well, that's a great story, and it's bringing out one of the dimensions, like you said, of the sanctity of life and how critically important it is for us to, you know, to as St. John Paul II urged us throughout his papacy to reject this culture of death that seems to be getting a tighter and tighter hold all the time.

[217] But death ultimately will not prevail.

[218] Life prevails.

[219] The truth.

[220] The truth.

[221] prevails.

[222] But the story that you mentioned, there are lots of dimensions there, but to acknowledge that very often, you know, and there are many good doctors that will tell you, this is what we understand medically through science and everything, but they will tell you that we don't have all the answers.

[223] And there are things that happen that are good or bad.

[224] that really are un -predicted by the medical tests and all the knowledge that we do have.

[225] So I think, like you said, this woman is basically given, you know, a prognosis that she's gonna die very soon and she lives another 20 years.

[226] And I think the bottom line is to be reminded.

[227] Who is the author of life?

[228] Yeah, God.

[229] On us.

[230] God is the author of life.

[231] Amen.

[232] You never know.

[233] Just like with this letter that I've written recently, we don't know so much.

[234] We don't know the fullness of the glory of God.

[235] And we don't know his glorious plan for us.

[236] We don't have all the answers.

[237] We have many things that, yes, we've discovered.

[238] It's amazing what we've been able to do in the past 20 centuries, especially.

[239] But there's.

[240] still much we don't know.

[241] And the mystery is always bigger than us.

[242] And life is always bigger than us.

[243] And remembering that God is the author of life is critical for all of us.

[244] Another dimension of this aspect of the sanctity of life that I've been reminded of with stories that people have shared with me. And it's something that I think even within the Catholic faith, we need to explore more deeply the understanding of redemptive suffering and and and just understanding that if we remember God is the author of life and we may not understand why is this person suffering what is this about but if we trust and that person trust that God's the author of life and as long as there is life as I've said in many different situations and my work as a priest and bishop, where there is life, there is hope in all kinds of ways.

[245] Maybe not hope for a cure.

[246] I mean, there's always hope, but maybe a cure doesn't happen.

[247] But who knows the lives that are being affected by this person, like this woman.

[248] We can't fathom what she did in 20 years.

[249] and the lives she'd touched in 20 years that made a difference in God's plan of love and goodness and beauty.

[250] We've got to keep that perspective.

[251] But also, part of this is to remember, I mean, God is always hoping for our eternal salvation.

[252] That's what he made us for.

[253] He's always giving us new opportunities.

[254] And, you know, you might, it can either be, and sometimes both, for the sake of the individual person or the sake of others, that God is saying, let there be life, let life continue.

[255] Even when it's, you know, and that's where we have to be careful, again, with the language that the world uses, quality of life.

[256] Yeah.

[257] If it's life, it's quality.

[258] Amen.

[259] We need to really embrace that truth as well.

[260] It may not look like the perfect life as we, you know, stylize it.

[261] But if there's life, there's hope.

[262] And if there's life, there's a quality of life that, I mean, and I'm sure we've both known of or read of stories or maybe personally known people, that in terms of the world, their quality of life is pretty dismal.

[263] Maybe they're not able to move.

[264] Maybe they are hardly able to communicate.

[265] But if they're alive, we have no idea what God is doing in that person and what he's doing with their life.

[266] My own mother, I've probably mentioned before.

[267] He died with Alzheimer's.

[268] And toward the end of her life, it could be very tempting for us to say, oh let's go ahead and let my mother go because or make her go you know that would be the merciful thing to do to just give her a shot that puts her to death yeah but that in the mystery of god's plan and you know i don't claim to know but thankfully my family as people of faith yes we allowed our mother to live until she died according to god plan without over -medicating her or any of those things that do happen in the world today.

[269] Even with families of faith can be convinced that, oh, well, that this medication will, I mean, certainly, and the church teaches that.

[270] Elevianning pain, palliative care, as it's called, is moral and it's good.

[271] And it's not like, you know, oh, we need to just suffer as much as possible in excruciating pain, just let them sometimes people will heroically say let me experience the pain i don't want the medication that's their free will choice and it needs to be respected but if people reasonably say i can't take the pain i need some help certainly that is morally acceptable but to be very careful that we don't use the painkiller to ultimately kill the person and take their life prematurely So it's about, I guess what I would summarize, Terry, what you're talking about.

[272] We need to remember what we've said many times before.

[273] The church is about the salvation of souls.

[274] It's our eternal salvation that needs to be the highest value before us, especially in questions of life and death.

[275] And if this person has the opportunity for themselves or or for others to have a few more moments of life, then we need to keep that value before us without prolonging life unnecessarily either.

[276] We can do that also.

[277] With all the medical technologies, we can hang on to this life beyond what is reasonable.

[278] So with medical technology, it makes it very challenging at times but we need to keep returning to the truth that God is revealed to us.

[279] God is the author of life and to make the best judgments we can for the sake of the individual person, for the sake of how God may be using their life and their experience, even of pain, to assist other people and their salvation.

[280] So I guess the bottom line is to remember life is a mystery.

[281] and God is the author.

[282] Amen.

[283] I will just add to that and say the church is very clear about that you're not obligated to use what we call extraordinary means.

[284] My moral theologian who taught me, Monsignor William Smith, talked about always keeping them fed and warm.

[285] All these other super duper things that we can do medically were not obligated.

[286] I know my mother who died of brain cancer didn't want any extraordinary means.

[287] She said, look, I'm going to go naturally, and that's the way God had it designed, and I embraced that.

[288] So let's keep that in mind the term extraordinary means and ordinary means.

[289] Bishop Strickland, when we come back from the break, Archbishop Cordillione, who you have great respect, and I do too, he's a good friend of ours.

[290] He has a letter that was written an article in the National Catholic Register regarding honoring the martyrs of communism with music, art, and literature.

[291] Fascinating topic, so we'll get to that.

[292] Also, for those who missed the Spiritual Warfare Conference last weekend, you can still get the recordings by going to Virgin Most Power Radio's website and clicking on the conference and download the conference talks, video and audio.

[293] and this is my suggestion.

[294] I mentioned it the other segment.

[295] You have a rosary group.

[296] You pray the rosary once a week, or you have a Bible study.

[297] Take these recordings and show them once a week to your friends and family.

[298] Because I think these are talks that are just absolutely critical for the world we live in and the church we live in right now because the talks at the conference are dealing with spiritual realities of the devil and how to defend the family from the evil one.

[299] So it's important that you consider getting those and spreading them to your family and friends.

[300] When we come back, Archbishop Cordillian, Archbishop of San Francisco, came up with, I think, some good points on honoring the martyrs of communism with music, art, and literature.

[301] Stay with us.

[302] We'll be back in a moment.

[303] And now back to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[304] Wow, Bishop Strickland, these two articles that you tweeted out, Modern Martyrs of Communism by Archbishop Cordillian and the Register article, Archbishop Cordillian, the vision about honoring martyrs of communism with music, art, and literature.

[305] I mean, some of these martyrs, they marched through China for hundreds of miles, being, you know, beaten and, you know, tortured for their faith.

[306] And I'm thinking to myself, this is 2024.

[307] I'm a lightweight, okay?

[308] I get, I get, I shouldn't be complaining about, oh, I don't have power locks on my Toyota Corolla.

[309] Why didn't I get power locks?

[310] You know, I mean, really, that, don't even go there, Terry.

[311] Your thoughts about these, about the two articles and kind of summarize what Archbishop Corder Leone's vision is?

[312] Well, he's been working, and I really applaud his work to really enhance the liturgy and to create music that really brings us more deeply into the mystery that the liturgy is, the presence of Jesus Christ, that every aspect of the liturgy.

[313] And music is so important.

[314] It's one of the ways that we celebrate the glory of God that we've been speaking.

[315] of.

[316] So I applaud him for this work with this institute.

[317] And also specifically, the tweet that you talk about, the recognizing these, you could say, no pun intended, but unsung heroes.

[318] Oh, absolutely.

[319] Of music.

[320] You know, we need to sing the story of these martyrs, modern martyrs, And I think another aspect of what I saw that Archbishop Corleone is doing is highlighting the martyrs of communism, not just this nation or that nation.

[321] Certainly we honor martyrs from the North American martyrs or from various countries, the martyrs of the Cristeros movement in Mexico about 100 years ago.

[322] I just read something inspired again by the martyrs of Spain a little bit later than the Cristeros, another martyr there.

[323] So there are martyrs, you know, throughout history and different nations and different national struggles.

[324] But I think that the genius of focusing on the martyrs of communism as it is a plague that has touched virtually.

[325] the globe at this point.

[326] And there are people in the world today that seem to be once again saying, oh, this, we need to embrace communism.

[327] And it's, it's the way to go.

[328] But the martyrs of communism would be the first to tell us.

[329] Communism is an atheistic approach to governing humanity.

[330] It leaves God out and actually attacks people of faith.

[331] And it's happening right now in too many places in communist China.

[332] The faith is being manipulated.

[333] And there's a state church, but more and more that state church is told to, well, we'll let you be the church, but we want you to keep.

[334] distorting this truth of Christ that we've been talking about, that we talk about all the time.

[335] And in that way, the communist regime is trying to embed more deeply the communist ideals and to pretend there anything but atheistic is simply foolish and naive.

[336] but there are many pushing communism in the world today, as there have been for many decades.

[337] And I think we need to, I just applaud Archbishop Cordleone for reminding us why these people die.

[338] They died at the hands of communist leadership because communism wants to kill the faith and especially the Catholic faith.

[339] Well, I want to just give an example in this article.

[340] these heralds of faith, it says.

[341] Consider Theodora Raza, he was the bishop of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.

[342] In the 1940s, Russian soldiers first rammed his horse, drawn carriage, with a military truck.

[343] But he survived the attack and refused to renounce his fidelity to the church.

[344] Hospital workers in the pay of the Soviets soon poisoned him.

[345] He died November 1, 1st, 1947.

[346] Bishop Strickland, I mean, you've got a little bit of persecution, but give me a break.

[347] Nothing like these martyrs.

[348] So I got to, doesn't that relate to you as a successor or the apostle, those stories?

[349] Absolutely.

[350] And as you said, Terry, it needs to be a wake -up call for all of them.

[351] Whatever, you know, persecution, whatever consequences of sharing the truth.

[352] Like this story that I shared about the young man in Spain, I mean, he was, he didn't, he wasn't just martyred.

[353] Right.

[354] He suffered deeply.

[355] They cut off his ears, his nose, cut out his eyes.

[356] I mean, they were just horrible, demonic.

[357] Statistic.

[358] And in many people, I mean, like Jose Sanchez Del Rio.

[359] Oh, yeah.

[360] the bottoms of his feet, they cut off, to make it as painful as possible.

[361] And both these martyrs, the one in Mexico and the ones in Spain, Keviva Christo Re, long -lived Christ the king, that cry from two different countries, Mexico and Spain, as martyrs were dying for the faith.

[362] And I think it puts in perspective.

[363] And again, reminds us, of what we were talking about in the context of euthanasia and assisted suicide and all those so -called mercy killings.

[364] Right.

[365] The idea of redemptive suffering is something that we need to highlight and understand.

[366] And as probably both of our mothers used to tell us, and I'm sure you told your own kids, offer it up.

[367] I do.

[368] That's the spirit behind redemptive.

[369] suffering that we can join our small sufferings, our nooses, our disappointments, our big sufferings, our pain, and maybe, you know, threatened with the loss of life with cancer or other illness or losing loved ones through illness and suffering and accidents.

[370] We can offer all of that up and join it to the suffering of Christ.

[371] That's part of the beauty.

[372] of his loving death on the cross for all of us.

[373] He did it for all time, for all humanity, but we can join our sufferings, however bigger.

[374] And, you know, face it, anytime, I mean, in a sense, by definition, suffering feels big to each of us.

[375] Yes.

[376] It may just be what other people would say is an inconvenience or a nuisance that we should just not even really notice.

[377] But, I mean, I think especially if children, you know, whatever they're suffering, it seems huge to a child.

[378] And when we're feeling a little childish and not as mature godly men and women, we can feel a little put upon.

[379] The suffering can seem huge.

[380] So go ahead and join it to the cross of Christ.

[381] It feels huge, all the more reason to join it to the cross of Christ.

[382] And even if we acknowledge that it's not that big a deal, go ahead, join it to the cross of Christ, make that nuisance, redemptive suffering.

[383] I mean, in some ways, that's what Lent can be about.

[384] Yeah.

[385] It's not just about giving up the candy bar, but it's about.

[386] It's about about whatever element of suffering we can offer up rather than trying to fix it.

[387] If we're a little warm, just offer it up.

[388] Be a little warm.

[389] Be a little tired.

[390] Be a little bit thirsty.

[391] Whatever it is, instead of instantaneously, we have to take care of whatever little pain we have.

[392] Don't take the pain pill.

[393] Just offer it up.

[394] But all of that is a way of being.

[395] more conscious, ultimately, of the tremendous, the suffering of Jesus Christ goes beyond the greatest martyr we can point to.

[396] They're only an echo of the suffering of the son of God, who deserve nothing of it and was willing to endure it to take it on for our sake.

[397] Wow.

[398] If I could just read Colossians chapter 1, verse 24, I think it says, a lot about redemptive suffering it says now i rejoice in my sufferings for your sake and in my flesh i complete what is lacking in christ's affliction for the sake of his body that is the church of which i became a minister according to the divine plan divine office which was given to me for you to make the word of god fully known the mystery hidden for all ages and generations but now made manifest to his saints.

[399] Wow, and you can go on in that chapter.

[400] Bishop Strickland, you really nailed it because every action is like a blank check.

[401] If Christ's name is on it, it has infinite value.

[402] So whether you're four years old like my grandson, and I'm teaching him redemptive suffering, he gets hurt, he falls down, hurts his knees, offer it up for the souls of purgatory.

[403] Think about this.

[404] we can participate in the salvific work of Jesus Christ by understanding that we can unite our sufferings with the sufferings of Christ Bishop Strickland you said it early in one of your tweets about the Mass that it's kind of like it's all there at the Mass can you in these minutes left or two minutes we have left talk about how we can unite our sufferings at Holy Mass to the Sufferings of Christ Well as we said that the mass is the celebration of the love of Christ.

[405] His love is poured out for us in his suffering.

[406] But I mean that is where redemptive suffering really comes into its own.

[407] We're called to.

[408] It's part of we've really misinterpreted and so in significant ways what it means full and active participation in the Mass. A big part of it is joining whatever sufferings.

[409] If you go to Mass every Sunday, but that's all you're able to do.

[410] From week to week, offer your sufferings, your inconveniences, your struggles, join them spiritually and intentionally to the altar, to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the altar.

[411] Wow.

[412] How about a blessing please, Bishop Strickland?

[413] Almighty God, we ask your blessing for all of us as we continue this Lenton journey seeking to follow your son but to follow him with our cross that we might follow him through his resurrection.

[414] And we have the Father, the Son, of the Holy Spirit.

[415] Amen.

[416] Remember our lady of Fatima talked about souls going to hell.

[417] Because no one was there to pray and make sacrifices.

[418] Let's implement that Fatima plan.

[419] May God richly bless you.

[420] And I want to thank all of you supporting us here at Virgin Most Powerful Radio and don't forget you can listen to more shows on our podcast.