18 May 21 – Bishop Strickland: Shepherding in a Confused Society

[0] Welcome to the Bishop Strickland hour.

[1] It looks like Bishop Strickland's on the road today.

[2] You can tell us not as usual background.

[3] Bishop Strickland, thanks for taking the time to share the gospel with us once again.

[4] Thanks, Terry.

[5] Can you hear me okay?

[6] I can hear you fine.

[7] My engineer will let me know if there's issues.

[8] But I just wanted to set the stage for our viewers.

[9] Many times Bishop Strickland takes his tweets.

[10] I take his tweets that he sends out the Twitter account, and then we talk about what those tweets are all about.

[11] And then we pick up our catechism of the Catholic Church, and I want to just say this right now.

[12] This catechism is a treasure chest for Catholics today.

[13] And the reason I bring this up, Bishop Strickland, I said this to you many times.

[14] I truly believe Catholics have not been catechized well the last 50 or 60 years, and they need to relearn their faith.

[15] If they didn't learn it when they were kids as adults pick up to catechism.

[16] I've seen so many people, their faith just grew once they started studying their faith and actually praying and visiting the Lord and the Blessed sacrament.

[17] It's amazing the graces that flow for people who study their faith.

[18] But today, Bishop Strickland, you have a tweet.

[19] Again, a theme that you've been saying, two things I've heard from you since we started the show.

[20] Your defense of life has never wavered.

[21] and please never let it waver.

[22] I'll come out on you.

[23] Believe me, if you ever stopped doing that, I'll layman.

[24] Excuse me, Bishop, but speak up for the unborn more.

[25] And then number two, the source and summit of the Christian life.

[26] You've constantly told people to go to the Eucharist, get the confession.

[27] And, you know, it seems like it's fundamental, but thank you for saying it so succinctly, because we need that.

[28] But you recommended, you said that you are encouraging people to read a letter that Archbishop Cordellione from San Francisco wrote regarding Holy Communion and people who are pro -abortion for killing unborn babies.

[29] And why this Archbishop is coming out with this letter saying that it's not proper for people who are living a double life, so to speak.

[30] There can't be a devout Catholic and vote for killing unborn babies.

[31] They just don't go together.

[32] Now, I realize there's a lot of controversy in that.

[33] I don't see much of a controversy.

[34] I see it as a very biblical view that says, you know, life is sacred in all its forms.

[35] But I wanted to ask you again to comment on why you as a bishop, you know, with canon law, that you have a right as a shepherd to give us not your personal opinion, but what Holy Mother teaches, even when it means that people might be, pointing the finger at you and saying you're mean or as a parent when a parent says to the kid you can't jump into the swimming pool right now you don't know how to swim well you're mean so I look at it this way as a bishop I want to understand the role of shepherds when it comes to moral clarity what's your thoughts on that absolutely Terry and as you were saying earlier we need to study the catechism to know the basics of our faith and one of those basics is that every bishop is a local pastor.

[36] I'm in a small diocese in northeast Texas, 33 counties, 24 ,000 square miles.

[37] And it's my responsibility and my duty.

[38] It's my right.

[39] And it's my work to shepherd those counties the best I can.

[40] I believe we need to refocus on the work of every bishop in his local diocese, there's a tremendous authority there and a tremendous responsibility.

[41] I really am guided by canon law to teach the faith.

[42] And so as a local pastor, and that's what a bishop is in my 33 counties, I have the responsibility to guide the flock and to teach them that if they're advocating or living anything that's contrary to what the church is, teaches.

[43] They need to examine their conscience and really ask themselves, are they willing to continue to not live up to what the church teaches?

[44] And if they are, the next step then is should they receive communion or not?

[45] The reality is for every Catholic, not just those in public eye, like movie stars or sports players or politicians.

[46] politicians, but everyone.

[47] We all need to ask the same questions.

[48] Part of what the catechism reminds us is that as we just heard from St. Paul, that God shows no partiality.

[49] God is ready to welcome all of us.

[50] God, for us, doesn't put us into categories of the wealthy and the poor, the powerful and the powerless, the well -known and the obscure.

[51] We're all his children.

[52] And a shepherd's work is to teach those children of God in his responsibility, in his flock, in his diocese, or in his parish to teach them what the Lord teaches us.

[53] And the truth is that life is sacred from conception to natural death.

[54] For us as Catholics, that shouldn't be up for debate.

[55] Certainly some don't embrace it, but that's the truth that the church teaches.

[56] It flows from us being created in the image and likeness of God.

[57] So I think what all of us need to remember is the responsibility of the local shepherd to teach the truth to the flock.

[58] Many of the flock have always, even with Christ himself, they turned away when he taught things that were not comfortable.

[59] for them.

[60] But that doesn't mean he didn't stop.

[61] Jesus didn't stop teaching.

[62] And we have to keep teaching as well.

[63] To lovingly, joyfully, but clearly, let people know the truth.

[64] And ultimately, many people return recognizing when they wander in the darkness that the truth, not following the truth, leads them in, they find themselves coming back.

[65] And that's what we, we always have an open door.

[66] God is merciful.

[67] God is ready to welcome the sinners.

[68] We're all sinners.

[69] We need that welcoming.

[70] But as pastors, we need to be very clear.

[71] We are on a path to salvation of our souls.

[72] And that's what we're here for to live this life in a rich and full and flourishing way because it's so beautiful because of what God's plan is for us at the end of our lives.

[73] But if we cut that short by diverting from God's plan, then all we're left with is this world, and the scriptures tell us very clearly, this life is passing away.

[74] So there's so much controversy in the world today and in the church, but we need to remember, we need to learn that basic catechism of how the church is structured into communities called families, and then those families gathered into communities called parishes.

[75] And then those parishes gathered into communities that are called diocese.

[76] And really, the power and the responsibility of the bishop to shepherd his flock in the local diocese is really extraordinary.

[77] And it's a burden for me as a bishop to recognize that.

[78] But that's what we need to refocus on.

[79] It's not a conference or a state or any other gathering of bishops that ultimately, has the authority.

[80] It's each bishop in the local diocese.

[81] Well, said, when I'm listening to you, it made me think of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger back in the 80s questioning something that you're not questioning he is, but that is the bishop's conferences overriding a local bishop.

[82] And he made it clear what you just said.

[83] Even a bishop's conference has no right to overstep a local ordinary and near diocese.

[84] And I thought, you know, that was a question years back.

[85] I always wondered about but the church makes it clear you're the shepherd of the diocese of Tyler and God's you know that responsibility lays on your shoulders and you know God have mercy on you if you don't defend life that's my opinion okay God have mercy on you because that's a responsibility that we all have not just bishops me a layman a father if I don't step up for life I'm going to be accountable at my exit interview and last time I look nobody gets out alive Bishop Strickland, we're going to come back after a quick break.

[86] I want to bring up something that's kind of gruesome, but you sent it out as a tweet.

[87] And it made me sick to hear it about how scientists are using livers from babies killed in second semester abortions for research.

[88] So we're basically taking these babies as guinea pigs and we're working on operations and figuring out things.

[89] That just seems like it's not possible.

[90] read enough articles from other sources showing this.

[91] And I think that people need to know what's going on so we can stop it.

[92] I think that when good people do nothing, that's when evil abounds.

[93] And so I want to have addressed why you sent that tweet out regarding the issue of scientists using unborn babies and second trimester abortions for research.

[94] I mean, I guess the bottom line is if they don't think it's life, then why not do whatever you want to do with it?

[95] But this is why Bishop Strickland, it's my opinion, it's so important that you and our church speak out so boldly about the sacredness of life.

[96] Because if you think about it, once abortion was legalized, look what happened to our culture.

[97] The value of life was diminished.

[98] And even to the point now, we have New York, the next state has got on their ballot, a suicide.

[99] A suicide.

[100] A initiative so that people at the other end elderly people are going to say hey you want to die we'll give you an injection we'll kill you see that's offensive to us as christians because we are not the authors of life okay god gives life we can't take life whether it's at the beginning or at the end am i on to something or am i preaching to the choir you know i tell you that's exactly what we need to remember who does life come from it comes from god and it It's really on loan to us for us personally and for us as a culture as people of God in the world today.

[101] We need to remember that God is the source of life.

[102] Well said.

[103] We come back.

[104] We've got a quick break.

[105] Stay with us, the Bishop Strickland Hour on Virgin Most Powerful Radio.

[106] Welcome back to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[107] My name's Terry Barber, and I'm with Virgin Most Powerful Radio.

[108] and we're talking about some of the tweets that Bishop Strickland is sending out.

[109] And I'm telling you, Bishop Strickland, you use strong language here, and I appreciate it because I think we need it.

[110] You said, we must wake up for these evil practices and say no more.

[111] This is pure evil, and we must call it for what it is.

[112] And scientists are using livers from babies killed in the second trimester abortions for research.

[113] I mean, do you need to say any more?

[114] I mean, you're standing up for these little babies.

[115] I mean, where's everybody right now on this?

[116] I mean, I hear, I'm reading articles, but I don't hear enough to say that this is evil.

[117] Thank you for calling it for what it is.

[118] Well, as we were talking earlier, I believe a lot of people just can't believe this is true.

[119] And they discounted as fake news or it's overstated.

[120] It couldn't really be happening.

[121] But I've been shown the evidence of scientific papers where they don't try to hide anything.

[122] I mean, part of the scientific method is that they have to demonstrate exactly how they got there.

[123] And they talk openly about the use of murdered children, aborted unborn children, use of their bodies in scientific research.

[124] They talk openly about resourcing this through their planned parenthood.

[125] They talk openly about all of it.

[126] And as I said in my tweet, we need to wake up to this because it's, as I've said so many times, and I know a lot of people disagree, but I just know it to be the truth and I feel the obligation to continue to speak about the reality that using the, the parts of aborted children is simply really endorsing their murder.

[127] And abortion is bad enough, but then to use these sacred bodies that are sacred to God, he said, let there be life.

[128] And our culture says, oh, not this time.

[129] And we take that life.

[130] and then to use the bodies of these murdered children, it just extends the evil in ways that are drastically harmful to our society.

[131] And as you said, Terry, earlier, if you look at society, the level of murder, the level of violence, the level of disregarding the value of human life has just continued to escalate ever since we as a society in the United States, and it's really affecting the whole world.

[132] But ever since the Supreme Court said it's legal to have abortion, you have a right to take the life of an unborn child if you choose to.

[133] Ever since then, the sanctity of all of our lives in the eyes of the world, certainly not in the eyes of God, we're as sacred as ever for God.

[134] But the sanctity of life in the eyes of human society has continued to erode.

[135] We are not in a better place as far as violent deaths and the threats to the sanctity of life, even those whose lives are not taken, but the way people are used in human trafficking for sex, for whatever purposes, using people as if they're just a commodity and not treating them as sacred children of God.

[136] God that come from God and are destined in God's plan to return to God after flourishing in this life.

[137] That's all of God's plan.

[138] We really have to wake up to the reality of how destructive it is to every human life when one life is not held sacred.

[139] The spectrum from conception to natural death covers the whole spectrum of the human journey.

[140] And there are many controversial elements of that, euthanasia, the death penalty, abortion.

[141] But I've always advocated that if we're not protecting the most innocent, the ones who have committed no crime, the ones who have no voice, the ones who have no wealth, have no power, have nothing.

[142] If we're not protecting them, then we're all vulnerable.

[143] And we see that more and more with, as you were saying, saying the cause for assisted suicide, the cause for euthanasia to be legalized, and other people deciding who lives and dies rather than saying life is sacred from God and we need to protect life in every way that we can until God chooses that that life should end.

[144] Certainly, accidents have always been a part of our broken world since the fall of Adam and That's one of the things that entered into the human story is the suffering of accidental death.

[145] But we still can hold life sacred and recognize when we are preserved from an accidental death, natural death is what morally we should make available to everyone instead of having any life ended because of a human choice, a human decision that this life is over rather than acknowledging that every life is sacred until God deems in his divine will and the mystery of God's will that that life is ready to return to him.

[146] If we lived in a world where that was respected, it would be a very different world.

[147] And it has the ripple effect of respecting life in all along the journey and respecting the needs of people.

[148] You know, we see such poverty and such a discrepancy between those who have and those who have nothing.

[149] Christ makes it very clear.

[150] We are obligated to reach out to those who need clothing, who need food, who need shelter, who need the very basics of life.

[151] And very often that's out of proportion because too many have so much more than they need.

[152] And I think all of us, I've often said in homilies as a priest in this country, we have to consider ourselves, all of us wealthy.

[153] Yeah.

[154] And we have to do our best to share with those in need.

[155] And there's great generosity in this country.

[156] But we undermine all of that when we don't recognize the life of the most, vulnerable, and that is the unborn child.

[157] So we've got to keep speaking up and we've got to wake up to this because it's destructive to the very fabric of human civilization, much less the sanctity that we as people of faith know flows from God in his divine life, that he wants us to share if we will only follow his will and journey the path to everlasting life with God.

[158] Well, said, I want to give a plug to the movie Root versus Wade.

[159] That's playing in theaters all across America.

[160] We've already seen it.

[161] It's a powerful documentation with Dr. Bernard Nathan Zune, who had the largest abortion clinic in the Western world, and it's about his life and how he was a non -believing Jew who was involved in promoting abortion on demand in the late 60s.

[162] And it's a powerful movie to watch.

[163] He ends up converting to Catholicism in 1990s.

[164] He's the author of the silent stream video.

[165] You've got to watch this movie.

[166] And tell you the French to watch it because I think it's going to convince a lot of people that the Roe versus Wade decision was a really, really bad decision, not just for the unborn, but for our country.

[167] So check it out, Roe v. Wade playing all over the country right now.

[168] Bishop Strickland, you mentioned something that the Catholic East Texas paper, Ann Burns, wrote an article, and you were telling people that the truth about modesty.

[169] That's something that our culture has pretty much thrown out.

[170] I'm in California, so it's even probably worse than East Texas.

[171] But the idea of the custody of the eyes, that's a lot.

[172] old fashioned for a lot of people.

[173] They don't have any clue that we should be taking our body as something sacred that is sacred for our husband, our wife, and not to flaunt it around like it has no value.

[174] And so I wanted to ask you, first of all, you ask people to read this article.

[175] Now, is this a Catholic newspaper in your diocese called the Catholic East Texas?

[176] Yes, the Catholic is It's right now an online magazine, and we're working to offer it in print again just because of economic issues.

[177] It's so expensive to print.

[178] But it's an online magazine right now, but with some excellent articles.

[179] And the question of modesty, as you said, it's considered to be old -fashioned.

[180] Well, we need to refashion ourselves to some of those what are considered old -fashioned ideas.

[181] the Catholic Church is considered to be old -fashioned and antiquated, but it is ever -ancient, ever new.

[182] And what I would point out with this article and the reason I encourage that people read it is these are basic truths that really are never outdated.

[183] The basic truths of who we are, the basic truths of how we are made, male and female, as God created us.

[184] The basic truths of respecting, like the old idea of custody of the eyes, many people would probably laugh at that.

[185] But if you really are a thinking person and you reflect on what that's talking about, I mean, we want it for ourselves, we don't want people to look at us as just an object for their pleasure or an object to be used in one way or another.

[186] And that's what's promoted when the lack of modesty is allowed.

[187] And it's very prevalent in many aspects of society.

[188] Certainly, the extreme of it is the pornography industry that is a multi -billion dollar industry that is very powerful.

[189] I've read that the first monetization, the first money exchange on the Internet, was with pornography.

[190] And I'm sure it continues to be a huge revenue source for so many.

[191] And what does that basically come down to?

[192] It's the extreme of a lack of modesty, of a lack of understanding that that woman or that man's body is not something to be put on display for other people's purchase and use, but it's sacred.

[193] And it should be only even, and this would really astound people probably, but even the church would say that married couples need to be modest with each other and not treat each other's bodies as just a pleasure source for even if they're married.

[194] And in a good faithful marriage, they still need modesty or you might use the word chastity to recognize that.

[195] the way God has made us male and female, yes, we can and with God's plan and marriage should come together in that beautiful marital embrace with the openness to children.

[196] But that really is the only place where it's not immodest for a committed man and a committed woman in marriage open to children to have that marital embrace with the greatest intimacy that we can have is that is modesty.

[197] That is not immodesty.

[198] That is modesty and chastity.

[199] When we come back, we'll continue to talk about modesty.

[200] And St. John Paul, too, said something about husbands and wives.

[201] That's my teaser.

[202] We'll come back and tell you what he said.

[203] Welcome back to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[204] We're chatting about a article called the, truth about modesty it's the catholic east texas magazine and bishop strickland for those who want to subscribe to this online magazine how do they do that just um catholic east texas dot online okay it just go to that and you can uh register to receive updates on it's published there's a new article published every tuesday and friday excellent so just catholic east Texas dot online.

[205] Beautiful.

[206] I wanted to give the teaser at the end of the break about what St. John Paul 2 said in his theology of the body.

[207] I remember this because I was a young man at one time.

[208] This was 1970 or 80.

[209] He had just become the Pope.

[210] And he talked about men.

[211] Husbands don't lust after your wives.

[212] And everybody said, what is the Pope talking about?

[213] What does he mean by that?

[214] And so the reason I bring this up is because it's just hard.

[215] she covers it so well about the beauty between a husband and wife properly integrated.

[216] She brings up the theology of the body.

[217] So could you share a little bit, Bishop Strickland, on her article regarding husband and wife relationship in regards to modesty?

[218] It is, Terry.

[219] It really comes down to recognizing what real love is.

[220] Yeah, exactly.

[221] Love is desiring the good of the other.

[222] and we're so caught up in our culture, and it affects the church, the idea that love is a feeling that whether you feel it or not, and that's what it all comes down to.

[223] Certainly, there are feelings there.

[224] We're feeling people.

[225] That's how God made us.

[226] Where that's part of being in the image and likeness of God is that we have emotions, and it's all woven into our intellect and the choices that we make.

[227] But we are challenged and charged to channel those emotions and those desires in the most constructive ways.

[228] And for a husband and wife to wish the good of the other is not to lust after them, but to recognize that you are there desiring the fulfillment of the other person and that they may be uplifted in the wonder of life that God has given them.

[229] So it's a whole different focus from what the world promotes.

[230] And it really is beautiful.

[231] I mean, I've never been married, but I've talked to many married couples about the joy of their marriage and the joy of their intimacy.

[232] And it really does take them beyond themselves.

[233] That's right.

[234] That's one thing.

[235] as a celibate man I miss is that total giving to another to say, I'm all about my wife finding goodness and happiness and truth and fulfillment in her life.

[236] And reciprocating that the wife wishes the same for the husband.

[237] That's an intimate relationship desiring the good for the other, really loving the other person, really willing to make sacrifices for the other person.

[238] Christ models that kind of spousal love in his love for the church.

[239] The Virgin Mary models that kind of spousal love in her love for her son and for God and for the church that her son establishes.

[240] It really is a kind of supernatural love that is exactly that.

[241] It doesn't come naturally, but it is embedded within us to truly love in the, in the sense that God is love, willing the good of the other, and making that our whole purpose and aim.

[242] That's the reason God created us because he wants us to share in his goodness, to share in well said Bishop Strickland.

[243] I want to give a plug to a book by Archbishop Fulton.

[244] She called Three to Get Married.

[245] Ignatius Press is the publisher of that book.

[246] I have put it on cassette or excuse me on cassette back now.

[247] It's on CD.

[248] if someone would like to get that book by Bishop Fulton Sheen 3 to get married, you're welcome to do that by calling 877 -526 -21 -51.

[249] That's 877 -5 -2 -6 -21 -51.

[250] She ends her article saying that modesty is beautiful because it is truthful.

[251] What a beautiful statement.

[252] It safeguards and cherishes the in -comper.

[253] valuable value and sacredness of your personhood.

[254] Don't turn it away from it.

[255] Reclaim it.

[256] And I say, she said reclaim it.

[257] That reclaiming it means if you've fallen, you get up and you do it over again.

[258] That's what we need to do to bring back chastity and modesty.

[259] And I think the book by Archbishop Fulton Sheen three to get married will be a great book for anyone to read, especially give it as a wedding gift this summer.

[260] And the book you can get from Ignatius Press, or if you want the book on CD, I have actually an MP3 download.

[261] Call us at 877 -526 -21 -51.

[262] And if you don't want to get the whole book, we have a series of audio talks, five talks by Archbishop Sheen.

[263] The two shall become one.

[264] It's five separate talks by Archbishop Sheen on marriage, taken from three to get married.

[265] you're welcome to take either one by calling 877 -526 -215 -1 we dropped our line with Bishop Strickland but he'll be coming right back I also want to recommend to you the men's conference that's coming up with Jess Romero Bishop Strickland will be giving a presentation on St. Joseph coming up the 11th of June and the way to register for that is to go to vmpr .org or you could register online.

[266] It's going to be in person, but also online, by calling 877 -52621 -5.

[267] That's the same number you can get Bishop Sheen's three -to -get -married book on MP3 disc, and I think that would be also helpful regarding modesty.

[268] Bishop Strickland's back, we got him back online.

[269] Bishop Strickland, I'd like to shift gears if you're okay with going right to the cataping.

[270] We've got a little bit, a few minutes on this segment and another full segment.

[271] And again, I can't, if you just tuned in, this is the Bishop Strickland hour.

[272] I'm Terry Barber with Virgin Most Powerful.

[273] We take Bishop Strickland's tweets every week.

[274] He teaches us our faith and then we get right into the catechism.

[275] And the catechism is teaching fundamental truths of the faith.

[276] It's not Bishop Strickland's opinion.

[277] It has nothing to do with my opinion.

[278] It's what the church put together as a compendium for teachings of the faith.

[279] So if you're ever concerned about, is this correct?

[280] Is this what the church teaches?

[281] Look it up.

[282] Get yourself a catechism because it's very, very valuable.

[283] We're already on paragraph 160.

[284] And the theme is the freedom of faith.

[285] So I'll read the paragraph and Bishop Strickland can kind of give commentary on it.

[286] To be human, man's response to God by faith must be free.

[287] And therefore, nobody is to be forced to embrace the faith.

[288] against his will.

[289] The act of faith is, of its very nature, a free act.

[290] God calls men to serve him in spirit and in truth.

[291] Consequently, they are bound to him in conscience, but not coerced.

[292] This fact received its fullest manifestation in Jesus Christ.

[293] Indeed, Christ invites people to faith and conversion, but he never coerces them, for he never, for he bore witness to the truth, but refuse to use force to impose it on those who spoke against it.

[294] Yep.

[295] His kingdom grows by love with which Christ lifted up on the cross, draws men to himself.

[296] You know, Bishop Strickland, that's quite a paragraph.

[297] You want to break that up because free will is all over that paragraph.

[298] Absolutely.

[299] And really, Terry, I think that's one of the great confusions of our time.

[300] tell me we talked about love earlier yeah so many people there's so many misinterpretations of love the same thing with freedom what is real freedom is to ultimately fulfill god's plan for us that there's no obstacle to fulfilling what we've been created for and the freedom of the world is freedom to do whatever we want and that ultimately becomes slavery if we take it far enough because freedom is about living the truth and it's all woven together um because we're so as punch as pilot was we're so confused about what is the truth and if the truth is just my own personal construct and it can change, this is my truth today, my truth tomorrow may be different, then we're losing real freedom because we're losing our grasp on real truth.

[301] So we live in a time of great confusion, but we should never despair in that.

[302] But simply, I encourage people, and I try myself to go back to what I know to be true, what I know in my own experience, what says in my gut that this is truth, that God has created us, that we are children of God, we're created in the image and likeness of God, all that mention of God, a lot of people would reject in our world today.

[303] But as people of faith, we know the truth that God is love and God is the creator of all.

[304] And that's the truth that we have to operate from.

[305] The confusion comes from the truth all becoming relative.

[306] And so we decide what is true.

[307] And then if truth is relative, then so is freedom.

[308] And a lot of the totalitarian efforts through the ages in modern times or in the past, it comes down to really distorting the idea of freedom and taking people's freedom.

[309] One of the great things about the freedom of the conscience and free will, when we have a great obligation, like any gift, there are rights and obligations that always come together.

[310] The great right of being free gives us the obligation to know the truth so that we can live that freedom as effectively as possible.

[311] We're on both sides of that, the obligation and the right.

[312] Things get messed up and confused, but we need to look at both.

[313] Well said, when we come back, we'll take the paragraph on the necessity of faith as a follower of Jesus Christ.

[314] You're listening to the Bishop Strickland Hour on Virgin Most Powerful radio.

[315] Stay with us.

[316] Welcome back to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[317] We're covering the Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 161.

[318] This might sound like a very bold statement for the church to speak on, but I want Bishop Strickland to explain what we're teaching because nobody's saved except the church.

[319] through Jesus Christ.

[320] That's the church teaching.

[321] Here it is.

[322] Paragraph 161.

[323] Believing in Jesus Christ and in the one who sent him for our salvation is necessary for obtaining that salvation.

[324] Since without faith, it's impossible to please God and to attain to the fellowship of his sons.

[325] Therefore, without faith, no one has ever attained justification nor will anyone obtain eternal life but he who endures to the end that's very scriptural but can you break that up bishop strickland well it gets to the very basics of of what the mission of jesus christ is yeah i think it's something we all as catholics or as people we need to be reminded of And certainly not everyone believes it, but a lot of people, thankfully, do believe in Jesus Christ.

[326] And to recognize it, to me, the logic, it always flows from one step to the other.

[327] If you believe that Jesus Christ is God's divine son, then a lot, our faith flows from that.

[328] If you don't believe Jesus Christ is God's divine son, we're basically dead in the water.

[329] I mean, there's no logical reason to take the next step.

[330] But if you believe that the Jesus Christ is the incarnate word, fully God, fully man, all of that was worked out with bloodshed at times in the early church.

[331] People were martyred because they said, Jesus Christ, fully God, fully man. Even the church institutionally during the Aryan crisis, really questioned that and wondered.

[332] And many, from what I've read, most of the bishops, the majority of the bishops were Aryan saying, because it comes back to a theme that I think is just continually repeated in our lives and in human history.

[333] If we take the easier path, It's often not the truest path.

[334] Amen.

[335] The easier path was to recognize that Jesus was a good man. He did wonders, but he wasn't really divine.

[336] The challenging path is to say, in the mystery of God's plan, he did send his eternal divine son, the eternal word, became incarnate.

[337] So starting with that very basic foundation, then it expands to recognizing if you start with that premise to me it's much more logical and and much more self -evident that if it's true that Jesus of Nazareth who walked this earth for 33 years and the whole story of Jesus, his teachings, his condemnation, his death, his resurrection, then all of that fits into well he's the divine son of God he's the eternal word and so to me and I know a lot of people disagree but there is a logic at least then expanding it to say well if we want to be with God what we call everlasting salvation then in what the catechism and what you quoted speaks of as faith, to have the faith that we need through this journey in life to be with God in eternity, we need to follow his son, the one that God sent to guide us back to God the Father in the life of the Spirit.

[338] So to me, and I know it's so self -evident to me, I know that it's harder for me to really bring this message to people who don't believe in God.

[339] So don't believe that Jesus Christ is the divine son of God.

[340] But those are the underpinnings that the church kind of assumes in the catechism.

[341] If reading the Roman Catholic Catechism, there's an assumption that you are a believer, at least seeking faith.

[342] You're seeking to believe.

[343] So in that logical progression, I think it makes sense that we have to follow Jesus in the church, I think in wisdom guided by the Holy Spirit, is acknowledged that in our human framework, we may define that following Jesus in specific ways that may need to be embraced, you know, more of the mystery, that it may not be exactly the way that we know Jesus, but Jesus is truth incarnate.

[344] And so anyone who is seeking, really seeking the truth, we would say is ultimately following Jesus to whatever degree they can.

[345] And I think an important point of all this that is sort of the other side of what the catechism is saying and what you just read, the idea, and this is what I've read recently, that we have to be very careful about saying, you know, the idea that, oh, well, most people will be saved, if we directly deny some of the basic teachings of Jesus Christ, then we're putting ourselves in jeopardy because it's not about denying that Jesus is the son of God or denying that Jesus even existed, that some would.

[346] Not very logically, but, you know, people do deny that, that he ever, it's all just a fabrication.

[347] But for those who believe that Jesus existed, that he is the divine son of God, then it really makes it all the more significant that we are challenged to embrace his full life, to embrace his full teaching.

[348] And we have to be very cautious about rejecting elements of what Christ and his church teaches.

[349] We're putting ourselves on pretty shaky ground.

[350] If we believe he is the divine son of God, and if we believe he is the eternal word, the truth of God incarnate, then we should all face the challenge of embracing everything that he taught and everything that the word of God says in everything that the church that Christ established teaches.

[351] That's a lot and there are challenges in it for all of us.

[352] But I would caution anyone who thinks, well, I can reject this element of what the church teaches.

[353] Because again, logically, then if it's significant and it's all significant, but if we're outright rejecting something that Christ teaches, then we are rejecting something of Christ himself.

[354] And we should be very reluctant to place ourselves in that position of saying, well, I believe in Jesus Christ, but I don't believe in this part of his teaching.

[355] Well, said, I would also add that this is the time that for our faith, we need to ask Jesus Christ for stronger faith every day to build up our faith.

[356] Because if you ask in prayer, that prayer always is answered.

[357] Bishop Strickland, we're at the end of our hour, and I just noticed something that Bishop, Archbishop Cordillian, just tweeted, like now.

[358] He said this, and this is going back to what we talked about, he came out with a pastoral letter regarding giving Holy Communion, not to people who are not in union with the church's moral teachings, especially on abortion.

[359] He said this, and then I'll leave you with your thoughts.

[360] He said, speaking for myself, not for you, Bishop Strickland, but for Archbishop Cordellione, He said, and I agree with him, I tremble that if I do not forthrightly challenge Catholics under my pastoral care to advocate for abortion, an advocate for abortion, both they and I will have to answer to God for the innocent blood.

[361] I would think that you would agree with that statement.

[362] Absolutely.

[363] I like that word tremble.

[364] All pastors need to tremble before the word of God and the truth of life.

[365] and it is our obligation to speak up for that truth and I commend Archbishop Cordione.

[366] I've tweeted my support for the letter that he wrote.

[367] We need to speak up as pastors for our own salvation.

[368] It's our obligation and for the salvation of others.

[369] Well said.

[370] I just had to interject that because I just came across the internet.

[371] Bishop Strickland, we have a couple minutes left.

[372] There's another small statement a borrowed paragraph 161 that says believing in Jesus Christ and in the one who sent him for our salvation is necessary for obtaining that salvation since without faith is impossible to please God and to attain the fellowship of his sons therefore without faith no one has ever attained we read that one I want to just ask this question because there could be people listening and saying you know what I was baptized as a child I've been going to Catholic school for 12 years, but I just haven't had a closeness to my Catholic faith that some people, especially my Protestant brothers say, about their personal relationship with Christ.

[373] What would you recommend to individuals who need a jumpstart in the sense of their faith in Christ and his church?

[374] What would you recommend?

[375] I would recommend that they place themselves in the presence, of the Eucharistic presence of the Lord, seeking faith, and simply speak to the Lord in his presence and say, Lord, I want to believe, help my unbelief.

[376] That's an ancient prayer that we can all say.

[377] But that's what I'd recommend.

[378] Just go talk to Jesus in his real presence.

[379] Catholic or not, thankfully, a lot of churches are open again, and you can just go in very often they're very quiet there aren't a lot of people there during the week but go in and simply say lord i want to believe and spend some time don't just pop in and expect some sort of instantaneous answer but spend some time with him i believe he's there and i believe the more we really focus on that truth that he's there in the form of consecrated bread body and blood soul and divinity, then the graces that gift of faith will be strengthened and not expecting some sort of overwhelming miracle, but just a gradual deepening of what the church teaches.

[380] Because he's really there, it's not just an idea that the Catholic Church has, but he's really present.

[381] The same eternal word incarnate among us.

[382] I think another element to add to that, Bishop Strickland, is the silence of one's life.

[383] When you're in silence, because our world is so busy and loud, going in to a church that's quiet before the presence of Christ, it's a great combination to really be open to God and His graces that come to us.

[384] Bishop Strickland, can we get a final blessing for today's show, please?

[385] God bless us.

[386] God's the Holy Spirit.

[387] Amen.

[388] Thank you so much.

[389] Listen to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

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[393] May God richly bless you and your family.

[394] Until next week, we'll see you again, same time, same station, on Virgin Post -Powerful Radio.

[395] God love me.