14 Mar 23 – Charles Fraune: What Exorcists See

[0] Welcome to the Bishop Stricklandauer.

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

[2] We've got a special edition.

[3] We have a special guest, Charles D. Frani.

[4] He's the founder of theology, as a founding theology teacher at Christ the King Catholic School and Huntersville, North Carolina.

[5] And he went to Christendom College and lots of other good things about it.

[6] But, Charles, I want to welcome you to our show, my friend.

[7] Yeah, thank you so much.

[8] It's an honor to be here.

[9] Well, you wrote the book Slaying Dragon.

[10] what exorcists see and what we should know.

[11] And Bishop Strickland weeks ago endorsed that book, so I thought it might be interesting to have you on, and the good bishop could ask you some questions about the book.

[12] So I'm going to turn it over to Bishop Strickland.

[13] Yeah, thank you, Terry.

[14] Actually, I think I endorsed the book pretty soon after it came out.

[15] But I read it, And it really, I think it opens some doors for me of just recognition of the reality of evil.

[16] Certainly.

[17] I always emphasize that Christ has conquered sin and death.

[18] He's conquered the evil.

[19] But we're so easily drawn into the darkness.

[20] And I think this book really is essential reading.

[21] Charles, what really inspired you to tackle such a topic as a high school theological?

[22] teacher.

[23] Yeah, well, it was really an act of an inspiration of the Holy Spirit, not to claim any kind of special charism or anything, but I like to say it was a happy accident of divine providence because I was a high school theology teacher.

[24] So there's a lot of stress, a lot of intensity there.

[25] If you do it well, it's hard.

[26] It's a lot of work to reach these kids.

[27] So in the process, I realized that I had my own, I had basically, it started with discerning that I had a spiritual obstacle.

[28] in some kind of blockade, as I called it, in my spiritual life.

[29] And I couldn't figure out what it was.

[30] And I had a master's in theology, but I had very little training in spiritual warfare and all these teachings.

[31] So in the process of trying to figure out what this spiritual obstacle was, like I felt like it could make no more progress spiritually.

[32] That's what it was.

[33] I started talking to a lot of priests that I'd come to know, and they introduced me to spiritual warfare, deliverance prayers, just sacramentals, all this stuff, renunciations.

[34] and as a way to combat whatever this thing was.

[35] And in the process, a long story short, I realized that it was probably like a low -level diabolical obsession, which is not that uncommon, but it was blocking me from making spiritual progress.

[36] And I challenged it with the help of these priests who are trained in spiritual warfare, and it went away.

[37] It completely left, and my spiritual life changed, like, almost overnight.

[38] Some very dramatic graces that Our Lord gave me. Again, that makes it really long.

[39] story, but that's the short version of, basically along the way, I started studying the teachings of Father Rippaker online on his videos and other, all these other exorcists like Father Amorth and all the other public ones to learn more.

[40] And that's when I was getting this illumination about how to fight the devil properly.

[41] And in the process, I've always been a study or a researcher and a writer.

[42] So I looked, I was taking notes the whole time watching these videos and reading these books.

[43] And eventually I realized, hey, I've got, I've got a book just sitting right here.

[44] I need to write it because I don't think there's anything out there like this.

[45] Very good.

[46] Awesome.

[47] Yeah, Terry.

[48] I know, I say that was awesome.

[49] I'm so excited that Father Chad Ripperger comes every year to our spiritual warfare conference, and I hear what you just said, and it made me just smile because I hear it a lot, similar stories that you just said.

[50] So, wow, that's interesting.

[51] Yeah, and what I would point out, and what the whole getting into, to spiritual combat for me is the reality that I think we are desensitized to miracles and blessings and God working in the positive side of our lives, and we're desensitized to evil and, you know, not, I mean, everybody doesn't need an exorcist, but the oppressive nature of evil.

[52] And, and, I mean, the St. Michael Prayer, there are Satan.

[53] minions prowling the earth trying to destroy us.

[54] And that's their objective.

[55] I always tell people, you know, not to be so afraid that there's a demon around every corner, but to just have your eyes open.

[56] I think both to the good and to the evil, to just, you know, quit talking so much about coincidences or trying to explain it a way in some scientific way.

[57] There are many things that science runs into, they don't like to admit it, but, I mean, the Catholic Church has always upheld science.

[58] If you look at the history of the development of science, the church is right there.

[59] I mean, some of the greatest discoveries were by monks in the earliest years of developing the scientific method.

[60] But I think we need to be more sensitized to blessings and goodness and just like you said, sort of a serendipitous, happy, circumstance that you began to recognize this.

[61] I'm sure as a man of prayer, you recognize that something was up.

[62] You began to talk to priest.

[63] And here you produce a book that I think can help many people with exactly what that subtitle says.

[64] Exorcism learned a lot about how demons work, what repels them, what attracts them, the portals that they use.

[65] Modern society is riddled with those portals and we just need to be aware of it.

[66] If I could just jump in for you, just a quick note, because people are saying, how do I get the book?

[67] Would you please Charles tell us how people can get your book?

[68] Certainly.

[69] So remarkably, these books, I have four books now.

[70] I'm coming close to releasing a new one, but they're all self -published.

[71] So you can find them on Amazon.

[72] Slaying Dragons you can find pretty much everywhere.

[73] If you go to my, the Slaying Dragon's page and click on my name, you'll see my other books.

[74] You can also get it.

[75] You can also get it directly from me at my website the retreatbox .com and of course I make more royalties.

[76] I'd rather not go to Amazon and go directly to you, my friend.

[77] I'm not a big supporter of Amazon.

[78] So let's go to your website.

[79] Thank you.

[80] Continue on it.

[81] I don't mean to interrupt, but I just know people are thinking, well, how do I get the book?

[82] Yeah, yeah.

[83] So the retreatbox .com, that's the one.

[84] I'm about to change the name to Slaying Dragons Press, but it'll still bring you there.

[85] I'll redirect it.

[86] But One of the things that I was going to mention, which Bishop Strickland was talking about, is one of the big things that led me to writing the book was fasting.

[87] So part of the protocol, so to speak, that was recommended to me was a program called Exodus 90.

[88] Oh, yeah.

[89] And I did this with a bunch of high school boys and the chaplain.

[90] So I ended up modifying it.

[91] You know, I'm not really cheating, but I modified it and replaced some things with more fasting, which was a bit reckless, but also a bit just brave.

[92] Like, I ended up losing 20 pounds, which was not what I was trying to do, but I was after something.

[93] And I knew that the fasting was going to help me accomplish it.

[94] And it did.

[95] Like, that was one of the things that broke down partially.

[96] It began the breaking down of that blockade.

[97] And since we're in Lent now, just want to encourage, like, one of the biggest penances we can do is fasting, prayer and fasting.

[98] Like, this is, this is powerful.

[99] Yeah.

[100] Yeah, I'd certainly agree with that.

[101] And I think it reminds us that we are.

[102] created in the image and likeness of God.

[103] We are body, mind, spirit.

[104] It's not just body.

[105] It's not just spirit.

[106] It's woven together.

[107] And things that we can do like fasting, you think, well, that's losing weight or whatever.

[108] And you may lose some weight.

[109] You don't look like you need to.

[110] But it's about the whole person.

[111] And really giving up some physical things or doing some things that affect our body can also affect our spirit.

[112] And I think that's the whole point that we need to really help people to embrace, especially like you said during the Lenton season.

[113] Wow.

[114] You know, we just have a couple minutes left.

[115] What can we say, Charles, about the family under attack and how understanding how the devil works could help family life get better?

[116] What's your answer to that?

[117] Yeah.

[118] Yeah, so one of the, at the root of the diabolical hold on us is sin.

[119] It's like that's where all the problems begin.

[120] And if we look at our culture, like it is just, I don't know, pre -apocalyptic, really.

[121] The kind of sins we have enshrined and embraced and celebrated, you feel like the crazy one by being rational and, you know, hating evil.

[122] I mean, it's really bizarre time to live, but spiritual warfare is a result.

[123] So sin is creating this societal void, spiritual void on a societal.

[124] almost a global level, which really kind of empowers the demons to work against us because we're not protected.

[125] Of course, we are in a state of grace.

[126] We're protected, but so much of society is not.

[127] And if families allow these kinks in the armor of spiritual protection, then the devil's going to come in and mess with them because temptation is this psychological warfare that we're always undergoing.

[128] And if we're not acknowledging it, then we're not pushing back.

[129] We're not fighting.

[130] We're not training our mind and sacred truths.

[131] So we're just, we're putty in the devil's hand.

[132] And families are just, I mean, I was talking about I have four kids.

[133] Like, it's stressful to have a big family, which is what God wills in this society.

[134] So you have that natural stress.

[135] And then you have this crazy culture on top of it.

[136] And if you're not steeped in grace, like, I'm sorry, it's, it's not going to go well.

[137] And so, but if you are steeped in grace, then the opposite.

[138] You can have a happy, happy life suffering.

[139] But if you're in a state of grace, you know, God will protect you.

[140] Amen.

[141] Charles, I really would want to underscore what you said, because the exorcists that I've talked to and read about, they say, you know, I think people think, oh, this dramatic thing.

[142] And certainly it can be dramatic.

[143] I've witnessed some drama, but it started, they said the best thing to do is go to confession.

[144] It may not be the end of it or the totality of it, but that's the first best remedy to any kind of.

[145] And sometimes when it's more serious, I've heard the exorcists talk about the reality that a person will refuse to go to confession because they're so possessed.

[146] But very often, I mean, and for most of the people, families, get everybody to confession.

[147] If you're concerned about some spiritual darkness in your family life, everybody going to confession is the first big step in the right direction.

[148] Yeah, on that, in my life, I'm 43.

[149] back to the church when I was 20.

[150] And in the last 23 years, I think there have been four, maybe five pivotal, like next -level conversion moments that were egged on by or initiated by a confession, including the one while I was researching for this book that really broke that blockade.

[151] It was a confession.

[152] Charles Francie, he wrote the book, Slaying Dragons, the subtitle, What an Exorcise and What We Should Know, Pick Up the Book.

[153] Thanks again for joining us, my friend.

[154] Welcome back to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[155] We just had Charles D. Frantzé, he's the author of the book Slaying Dragons.

[156] Wow, what an exorcist sees and what we should know.

[157] So pick up their book, it's self -published, so just type that title in your Google, and you'll find it.

[158] You know, Bishop Strickland, before we get to your tweets, I was thinking of something.

[159] Listening to that interview made me realize the supernatural life that we have in our faith and how the world many times doesn't even see it.

[160] And there's a, I'd never heard of Timothy of Jerusalem, but there's a quote I got today from somebody that said, the world would have been destroyed long ago because of the sins of men had it not been for the mass. And I thought, wow, you see how important it is, the supernatural life?

[161] We would not even be here.

[162] Wow.

[163] Bishop Strickland, you tweeted regarding Tennessee governor, he signed a law banning drag queen shows, gender transitions for children, and even any sexualized performances.

[164] So pornography, basically this law from what I read is really more than just, you know, signing a law banning drag queen shows and gender transitions.

[165] But anything that's going to undermine the morality when it comes to sexual provocation.

[166] And so you said this.

[167] Thank you, Tennessee, 49 more to go.

[168] In other words, 49 more states to go.

[169] I love it.

[170] The absolute shame of our nation is that this was ever allowed.

[171] Amen to that.

[172] Our children and our families deserve better.

[173] I'm calling our Texas legislators to make this happen in the Lone Star State.

[174] Now, please.

[175] You really did?

[176] You made that effort to go talk to your own representatives, Bishop Strickland?

[177] Well, I tweeted that.

[178] I haven't And you're going to do it.

[179] Huh?

[180] You're going to do it.

[181] Well, every way I can.

[182] Yeah, I don't, I can't contact all of them, but I certainly will encourage that.

[183] And we all need to ask for the same thing.

[184] I mean, it's, it should be a no -brainer.

[185] It should be just absolutely clear.

[186] Yeah.

[187] But, you know, sadly, as Charles was saying, there's, there's a lot of evil in the world and a lot of people have succumbed to it.

[188] Yeah.

[189] I have to say, Terry, just kind of back on the book, Charles Fronnie, that book, Slaying Dragons.

[190] Just to reassure people, the goodness of Christ, the power of His grace, don't be afraid.

[191] Be aware, be alert, and take action.

[192] And like I said, go to confession.

[193] If you have any question that some sort of evil is affecting you, which it does affect all of us.

[194] our best power is the power of God's mercy and forgiveness in the sacrament of confession.

[195] It's Christ forgiving us.

[196] But what I wanted to really emphasize, people tell me constantly, they're praying for me, and I deeply appreciate that.

[197] I was just in Milwaukee speaking at a pro -life gathering, and people constantly telling me they're praying for me. And kind of in light of what we were talking about earlier, I feel that strength and that grace from my prayer and the prayer of others.

[198] I mean, things are getting more challenging practically by the day.

[199] I mean, I'm facing very difficult decisions that really honestly shouldn't be that difficult.

[200] It's I follow Christ.

[201] I live his gospel.

[202] I live the catechism of the church.

[203] I live the power of God's word.

[204] I follow the magisterium of the church.

[205] All of its talk about changing things and this isn't a sin anymore or we don't really pay attention to sexual sins.

[206] Oh, that is frankly garbage.

[207] Amen.

[208] Not of Christ.

[209] And I have to tell you, Terry, kind of a personal testimonial, but I think it's important for people to hear.

[210] Yes.

[211] Because very often people will contact.

[212] me, and they're kind of worried about me. And I appreciate the prayer.

[213] I don't want people to worry about me, but I want to assure people that I am more peaceful and stronger, the stronger I am in clinging to Christ, in living up, speaking up for his truth and being very clear that I obey the message of Jesus.

[214] Jesus Christ.

[215] I'm a sinner.

[216] I've always acknowledged that.

[217] I go to confess.

[218] I just went to confession yesterday.

[219] We all need to go to confession frequently.

[220] But I just thought it was important, especially as we're talking about evil and people can get so caught up in the darkness.

[221] But Christ is the light of the world.

[222] And I can testify just one guy in East Texas.

[223] Yes, I'm a bishop, but I'm just another man, sinful and weak and dumb sometimes, but I can tell you, I can testify that the more I speak for the truth of Christ, and the more clear I am, that I'm going to be obedient to Jesus Christ.

[224] The more peace I have, the more clarity I have, that I know that the grace of God through others' prayers, through my own prayer, through my doing my best to overcome sin, the grace of God is strengthening me in amazing ways.

[225] People need to know that.

[226] And we need to those who are listening, who feel that themselves because you've done your best to live a virtuous life, stay close to confession, stay close to the sacraments, share with people.

[227] That's where your strength comes from.

[228] Because there's so many people, as Charles was alluding to a moment ago, so many people.

[229] that are lost, that are caught up in evil and don't even believe in evil.

[230] And we need to testify to the light of Christ in the truth and goodness he brings.

[231] And it certainly, it's all about everlasting life.

[232] It's about the salvation of souls.

[233] But it's about the salvation of our lives in this journey as well.

[234] God wants this life to be a time of flourishing, a time of growing in virtue, a time of helping others in their works of mercy, corporal and spiritual.

[235] It's about growing in grace.

[236] That's what this life is for.

[237] As we've talked about before, many of the saints don't live that long.

[238] Many of the saints, we're twice as old than many saints.

[239] And many saints die in their 20s or 30s or even as teenagers.

[240] So I think we all need to.

[241] to really think about, and I do my best to do this for myself, but think about every day that we're given.

[242] I'm 64.

[243] So I'm always kidding me. Oh, you'll be 65 getting Social Security soon.

[244] Next October.

[245] But it's my obligation to do my best to live every day, every breath that God gives me to do his will and to seek to share his truth and goodness.

[246] And I guess, what I'm testifying to, is that when you just, I fail and I mess up and I sin, but I get up again.

[247] Amen.

[248] When you're even striving to do it, the blessings are abundant, the grace and the peace that the Lord gives you.

[249] It's a happy life.

[250] A lot of people are looking for happiness.

[251] It's not always easy to follow Christ, but when we're willing to take up our cross and follow him.

[252] He brings us a deep down joy that the world will never provide.

[253] Well said, and I think that it comes to something that just came across my desk that our governor in California, Governor Newsom is saying California will boycott Walgreens.

[254] I don't know if you guys have Walgreens in your state, but for not dispensing the abortion pill in 20 states.

[255] So here's my point, Bishop Strickland, as a committed follower of Christ, I have a Walgreens around my block.

[256] I never go, guess where I'm going?

[257] I'm going over there to buy something, and I'm going to tell the cashier, the only reason I'm is here is because you guys are holding the line for not killing future citizens of California.

[258] I want to thank you for that.

[259] What are you talking about?

[260] In other words, it's a portion pill.

[261] So I'm going to encourage our listeners to put into action what you just said about being a follower of Christ.

[262] being a follower of Christ means standing up and I know you tweeted this years ago never worry about who will be offended if you speak the truth worry about who will be misled, deceived and destroyed if you don't and I thought of that again what you were saying so thank you now Bishop Strickland this is Lent and you've given some good spiritual advice to our listeners I see the tweet that says I'm about teaching your children to pray the rosary.

[263] Now, I didn't think of this, what you just said here, and I'm going to give it to the people, then you can expand on it.

[264] That is that maybe you could start with the Angeles with children if they've never had the rosary before.

[265] It's shorter, and the grace that flows from praying it with devotion will help them grow to love the rosary.

[266] And it's also good for adults when there just isn't time for the rosary.

[267] So families tell me that a lot.

[268] We never did that because we always prayed, I mean, you know, when the grandchildren are walking, the rosary is being prayed.

[269] But for a lot of families, it starts later.

[270] Did someone give you that suggestion?

[271] Because I think that's a really great way to introduce them to prayer.

[272] I guess it was the Holy Spirit.

[273] It just occurred to me because I'm growing in my own love and embracing the Angelus.

[274] And I think that it takes about a minute to pray the Angelus.

[275] And going back again to what Charles Frawny talked about with the exorcist and all.

[276] Actually, I was told by an exorcist that the angelist is one of our best prayers.

[277] Because what does it do?

[278] It talks about the incarnate goodness and love coming into the world.

[279] Basically, the angelus is a reflection.

[280] on the incarnation.

[281] And so to reflect on that and to pray that, there's a power there.

[282] And I would just encourage people.

[283] I've encouraged and I was encouraged to pray at 6 a .m. at noon at 6 p .m. And certainly just to bracket the day in a sense, to return to the Angeles that we live in a world where the Son of God has been become a part of creation.

[284] And he reminds us.

[285] here as part of creation in bread and wine that becomes his body and blood, soul, and divinity.

[286] He's part of us in that sense, certainly spiritually always, but I think we need to remind ourselves that Jesus is with us, as he promised, in a very physical, very real way, just like you and I are taking up some space in creation.

[287] Not a lot, but we have a footprint.

[288] I mean, the GPS trackers and all, they can know where the buildings are, where we are.

[289] We take up space.

[290] Jesus still takes up space in our world and all the tabernacles where it's a simple piece of bread that has become his body and blood, soul, and divinity.

[291] And I think we need to remember those kinds of things and celebrate.

[292] that the Lord is with us.

[293] Wow.

[294] I'm shaking it all and I'm thinking, wow, that is so true.

[295] He's with us.

[296] Living in the presence of God is the key to a happy life, that's for sure.

[297] When we come back, I want to talk about the differences between a well -formed conscience and a conscience that's not well -formed and how the two differ and why it's so important to get your conscience right with the church and not with your personal preferences.

[298] We're going to talk about that and much more here on the Bishop Strickland Hour on Virgin Most Powerful radio.

[299] Stay with us, Stanley.

[300] We'll be right back.

[301] Welcome back to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[302] My name's Terry Barber, and we've been chatting about the tweets from Bishop Strickland.

[303] I have to say Bishop Strickland, more bishops are speaking out for the truths and the perennial teachings of the church.

[304] I've not seen so many in a long time.

[305] It kind of reminds me of our lady of Akita.

[306] I keep bringing her up back in 1973 to a nun in Japan, Akita.

[307] And she said that bishops and cardinals would be arguing and discussing things and not agreeing on Catholic teachings.

[308] And I thought, well, wow, that's prophetic because that's what's going on right now.

[309] We have cardinals who, you know, I'll give you the example because you're going to be talking about it in his tweet.

[310] Cardinal Robert McElroy here in San Diego in my backyard, he wrote that article on January 24th about radical inclusion.

[311] And just to summarize, he made the distinction between orientation and activity cannot be the principal focus for such pastoral embraces because it inevitably suggests dividing the LGBT community into those who refrain from sexual activity and those who do not.

[312] in other words those who are chase and those who are not i mean this has been the teaching of the church for heterosexuals we can't we have to be chased too and so you had a in a tweet saying that for pastoral ministry of jesus christ stands at the heart of any balance understanding of the church that we call to be thus what is well -formed conscience yeah Thus, what is a well -formed conscience, how does sin harm us, and can a conscience deny objective truth?

[313] Serious questions.

[314] Let's get some answers to those questions, Bishop.

[315] Well, a well -formed conscience is a conscience that has embraced the truth and really work to understand what the truth is.

[316] Yes.

[317] It reminds me of, you know, what I remember as a...

[318] a kid learning some of this and thinking well don't tell me it's wrong then because if you don't know if you genuinely honestly don't know that something is wrong then it can still certainly disrupt your life but it's it's not the sinfulness is certainly not as grave if you don't know it's wrong but to intentionally not learn what is right and wrong that's a sin in itself and You know, so forming your conscience is an obligation that all of us have.

[319] How do we do that?

[320] We look to the deposit of faith.

[321] We look to the Word of God.

[322] We look to the teachings of the Catechism.

[323] We look to the Magisterium and form our conscience.

[324] We find out what is true and what is false.

[325] Everyone has their own struggle in their conscience with what is sinful.

[326] Some people are tempted by things that I'm not tempted by.

[327] I'm tempted by some things that other people don't have a problem with.

[328] But, I mean, like gambling.

[329] I'm not a gambler.

[330] It's not something that I have to really worry about getting addicted to gambling.

[331] Some people do.

[332] Forming your conscience means it's, I would describe it as a very personal relationship with the truth.

[333] Because, you know, like I said, said, different people have different struggles.

[334] And some temptations are very powerful for one person and not very powerful for another person.

[335] Another example for me, I think to intentionally say, I'm going to take up smoking, knowing that it's bad for your health, then that is simple.

[336] Of course.

[337] And if you forming your conscience means learning the truth and then knowing yourself, well enough to know how you avoid falling into sin and especially serious sin.

[338] So conscience is not just some sort of monolithic thing that you look at, but it's ultimately a relationship with Jesus Christ in thinking of the truth that he is revealed at such a cost.

[339] He revealed the truth he did by living among us and then dying for us.

[340] He rose from the dead to show us the way to follow him into everlasting life.

[341] But forming our conscience, and you hear so much about, oh, well, conscience should be overriding everything in the sense that giving people the freedom to follow their conscience, I agree with that.

[342] Some of the controversies we've had in the past few years of people being mandated to do things that were contrary to their conscience.

[343] That becomes morally dangerous and evil.

[344] Yes, a person has to be free to follow their conscience.

[345] That's freedom in the real sense.

[346] But the obligation on the person's side is to form their conscience according to the truth, according to what God has revealed to us and not trying to twist it and shape it to make it fit what we want it to be as I think it was Cardinal Rodsinger before he was Pope Benedict or maybe it was when he was Pope Benedict but he said the gist of it was we're not to change the truth we're to be changed by the truth amen that's what the revelation of Jesus Christ is all about Amen, amen, amen.

[347] Well, Bishop Strickland, a good friend of ours, Phil Lawler, whose I respect for decades.

[348] He's a great man, layman.

[349] You said, thank you, Mr. Lawler.

[350] Thank you again for Bishop Parake's.

[351] The issue goes into the very heart of the Catholic faith.

[352] Who Jesus Christ is, doctrine, conscience, pastoral care must center on the person of Jesus Christ.

[353] He is truth incarnate.

[354] That's a good statement.

[355] Truth has a face.

[356] Yeah, it's Jesus.

[357] Christ.

[358] So it just seems that he was pointing out that asking, will other bishops step up to the plate?

[359] That's my line, to challenge Cardinal McElray.

[360] Now, again, I'm a layman, Bishop Strickland, and I challenged him because I know the deposit of faith.

[361] I know my catechism, and what he said isn't consistent with the perennial teachings of the church.

[362] Now, I realize bishops aren't known to correct each other publicly, and they should probably go directly.

[363] But I understand that's already been through, and people just don't agree privately, so it's kind of taken it to the next level.

[364] It seems to me that more bishops are saying, look, I'm going to go to my exit interview soon.

[365] I'm getting up there in age.

[366] I don't want to not say I should have spoken out on the deposit of faith when I had an opportunity but I didn't do it because I didn't want to feel uncomfortable or maybe when I meet the guy at one of the bishops conferences who disagrees with me it might be uncomfortable I don't know Bishop Strickland what's it going to take for more bishops I guess my point and he's wanting this to step up to the plate and say look I've been and you have a statement what are you ordained to do do it yeah absolutely and I Thankfully, more bishops are speaking out.

[367] I'm sure many think I speak out too much.

[368] But with the silence, somebody's got to speak up.

[369] No, Christ doesn't need my defense.

[370] I mean, he can defend himself.

[371] But like you said, it's about being a responsible man, a responsible priest, a responsible bishop.

[372] Just like, again, I like to bring things down to the family.

[373] and the basic day -to -day relationships.

[374] And for you as a father, I mean, your children, I presume, are grown, but you still have grandkids and I think you take them fishing and stuff.

[375] But for you, as a father figure, father and grandfather, people look to you.

[376] People look to you for the standard of what the Barber family is all about, what you believe in, what's true.

[377] And for you to stay.

[378] silent to your family.

[379] I don't think that's fathering your family.

[380] So to me, the same thing with Shepherds.

[381] I mean, we need to respect everyone, but like we've talked about before, the greatest respect and charity is to support someone in the truth.

[382] And I really try to do that.

[383] When a bishop sticks his neck out and says something that is true of Jesus Christ, I try to say thank you.

[384] I try to say, I support you.

[385] And I think that's important.

[386] But when the opposite happens, we need to, with charity, but the greatest charity, as I've said very often, is to bring people to the truth and to just sort of politely stay quiet when someone is saying something that's harmful to them and harmful to the church and harmful to just humanity, we need to speak up.

[387] Yep, I agree.

[388] And Bishop Strickland, what you just said on a tweet quoting from James chapter 4, 7, 8, and 10, submit to God, resist the devil, and he will take flight, draw close to God, and he will draw close to you.

[389] Great advice.

[390] Cleanse your hands, you sinners, purify your hearts, you back sliders, be humbled in the sight of the Lord, and he will raise you up on high.

[391] Challenge and hope.

[392] Bishop Strickland, I love when you take scripture.

[393] and put it into the tweets because I mean it's eternal truths in the Bible it just seems like what a great thing to put in front of us on a weekly day on a daily basis well and that's why I do it because scripture is a living word it's God's word it's Christ speaking to us now in ways that sometimes we don't clearly understand but sometimes it's very clear we may not want to hear what St. James is saying and that those couple of verses, but we need to.

[394] And we can all be backsliders.

[395] We're all sinners.

[396] We all stumble, but we can confess like we were talking about earlier with Charles.

[397] Confession is the best step in the right direction wherever we find ourselves.

[398] If it's been a long time since you went to confession, make sure you go to confession this lent.

[399] It will be the best thing you can do for every aspect of your life, not just the spiritual, but every part of your life.

[400] You'll have more peace.

[401] You'll have a stronger relationship with the Lord.

[402] You'll be a better person.

[403] You'll be easier to get along with.

[404] Yep.

[405] Go to confession.

[406] Amen.

[407] I want to just leave you on what before we get into the catechism talking about the incarnation, Cardinal Sarai.

[408] I can't go a week without talking to him.

[409] Faith is not a merchant stall where you can go to select whatever fruits and vegetables we like.

[410] In receiving it, we receive God whole and entire.

[411] And I think that's important to recognize that truth is objective truth.

[412] It'll be true tomorrow, today, yesterday, and it's eternal truths that we're talking about.

[413] Folks, when we come back, we're going to open up our catechism, and we're going to talk about the incarnation, talking about doing the Angelus.

[414] Talk about that much more.

[415] Stay with us, family.

[416] We'll be right back on a quick break.

[417] Welcome back to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[418] For those who are brand new, we try to keep to the format of going through Bishop Strickland's tweets.

[419] And then the last segment, we go to a catechism, the St. Philip Institute published through the Diocese of Tyler, Texas, the way of Christ catechism.

[420] And it's a very simple catechism, but it majors on the fundamentals.

[421] and you know we're talking about conscience and we're talking about all these things where do people get formed well the word of God and the catechism those are two great sources for us to know our faith so we're on the chapter five called Jesus Christ God became man the word became blessed and you know Bishop just a quick note the Anglican Ordinariate which is our parish here as our Sacred Heart Chapel I love the fact that every time you mention the word Jesus Christ, the priest, well, if he has his little hat on, beanie, whatever you call that, he takes it off at a respect for the name of Jesus Christ and bows to the crucifix.

[422] The altar boys bow to the crucifix.

[423] Now that's old school stuff, but you know, I think it's beautiful because it acknowledges the power of the name of Jesus Christ.

[424] And when we say, you know, the God became man, this is everything.

[425] to us.

[426] So any, I had to bring that up.

[427] I have to share something with that, Terry.

[428] Because, and it's all talking about Jesus Christ, which is what this chapter is.

[429] But the Latin Mass, that's the tradition as well.

[430] Yeah.

[431] The first time I ever celebrated a Latin Mass. Yeah.

[432] I'm given the homily.

[433] And, you know, we've talked about it before.

[434] I mentioned the name Jesus a lot.

[435] Yeah.

[436] More than people are accustomed to from a Catholic priest or a bishop.

[437] Right.

[438] But I realized as I'm giving the homily, the heads just keep, oh, yeah.

[439] The poor guys are taking their head on there.

[440] It's like I had to kind of quit using the name of Jesus so much because it was kind of getting crazy.

[441] But we do, what does scripture tell us?

[442] Yes.

[443] The name of Jesus Christ is powerful.

[444] And sadly, I would wager that it's, I mean, sadly, it's used, hopefully, you know, in the church wonderfully, but in general society, if people use the name Jesus, very often, it's not in a prayer, it's not in respect.

[445] Yeah.

[446] It's like some expletive.

[447] It's like saying anything else.

[448] Yeah.

[449] We need, and I've preached on that many times, but I think we need to.

[450] to pay attention.

[451] I mean, it's one of the commandments that, you know, keep holy the name of the Lord.

[452] And that's why beautifully we've talked about before that our ancestors, the Hebrews, wouldn't speak the name of God.

[453] I think we need to return to that kind of reverence.

[454] Jesus wants us to speak of him as Lord and Savior, but we need to do so reverently.

[455] And so I'm reminded of that by what you shared in the Anglican Ordinariate, which is very much tied to the Latin Mass, very much the same format.

[456] It's just sort of Elizabethan English.

[457] Exactly.

[458] It's in English.

[459] Yes, exactly.

[460] Now, let's get to question number two.

[461] It says, how did the son of God become man?

[462] Well, at the Annunciation, we just talked about the Angelus.

[463] The angel Gabriel told the Virgin Mary that she would conceive and bear a son of God conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit Jesus, who is God assumed his human nature from the Virgin Mary.

[464] The church calls the mystery of God becoming man the incarnation.

[465] You know, Bishop Strickland, I know this sounds horrible, but when I would teach the children, their catechism, they had never heard.

[466] heard, and I'm talking like high school kids, what is the incarnation?

[467] And so this is why it's so important that we have a catechism to teach us these things because, I mean, if we don't understand God becoming man, what's that mean to us?

[468] Redemption.

[469] So your thoughts.

[470] And I think that as I reflect on the word incarnation, what does that really mean?

[471] Another way of saying it is infleshment.

[472] There you go.

[473] He becomes flesh and we are flesh and blood.

[474] He is body, blood, soul and divinity.

[475] We are body, blood, soul, and humanity.

[476] And he becomes one of us.

[477] He's the God man. And really, I reflect on that a lot and I encourage all of us when we pray the rosary or when we say the Angeles, that enunciation, the announcement of the incarnation is that is the moment when creation changes and to reflect on the reality that the creator of all enters into creation in a very real way.

[478] It's a great mystery.

[479] How can God, the creator of all, become a creature.

[480] That's what he does out of love for us.

[481] God's soul of the world that he gave us his only begotten son.

[482] Jesus is that son in his incarnation.

[483] So, and it beautifully speaks to the sanctity of our lives.

[484] And when does the son of God come into the world at the moment of his conception?

[485] As we talk about the immaculate conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, At the moment of her conception, she is protected from sin.

[486] She's a human being.

[487] Tradition says Joachim and Ann were the name of her human parents.

[488] She's not God, but she's protected from sin at her conception.

[489] It just really speaks so beautifully and so clearly of so much of the controversy in our world.

[490] If we really believe in Jesus Christ, it teaches us that from the moment of the consent, of all of us, of him as the son of God and for us as human beings.

[491] That's when the story of us begins.

[492] And we need to respect that.

[493] It's just all woven together in the beauty of creation that is changed when God becomes a part of his own creation.

[494] Talk about humility.

[495] Wow.

[496] Talk about gift.

[497] Yeah.

[498] You know, Bishop Strickland in this catechism, I said it was beautiful.

[499] It said The incarnation means Jesus is one divine person with a complete divine nature, a complete human nature.

[500] This mystery revolves around three essential points.

[501] I don't know if you have it in front of you.

[502] Do you have it in front of you?

[503] I do.

[504] What are those three essential points?

[505] I think they're fantastic.

[506] Where are we?

[507] On question number three.

[508] Yeah.

[509] Three is right there's First Jesus, you know, the divine person.

[510] Yep.

[511] First Jesus is a divine.

[512] person with a divine nature because he is God the Son.

[513] The second person of the Trinity.

[514] As the second person of the Trinity, Jesus always existed and has all the attributes of God.

[515] Second, Jesus is really human and possesses a human nature because he was born of the Virgin Mary.

[516] He is fully human, but he lacks sin.

[517] Third, Jesus, two natures, divine and human, are united in the second person of the Trinity.

[518] Jesus' natures are not blended together, but he is fully divine and fully human.

[519] One divine person, God the Son, acts in the two natures.

[520] Since the incarnation, Jesus has been and always will be both God and man. Beautifully succinct, if everyone in the world would embrace those three points, it would transform.

[521] I agree.

[522] Because when you start to really believe that, then you have to believe what he teaches us.

[523] I have to believe in the churches that, I mean, it just all follows, but it's beautifully said there in those.

[524] three small paragraphs.

[525] The greatest mystery of all.

[526] I mean, the language that the church uses to get into more technical theology, this is talking about the hypostatic union.

[527] Exactly.

[528] God and man, how does that work?

[529] But it goes on in this chapter to talk about how we get it wrong, how the heresies develop, because it's natural.

[530] We tend to think, well, he can only really be God and kind of look human or can only be human and kind of be acting like God, but no, he's fully gone and fully man. That's the simplest way to speak of this profound truth.

[531] These paragraphs are truly wonderful.

[532] I agree.

[533] That's why I wanted you to read it.

[534] When I read this before the show, I was like, wow, what clarity and so in few words, but this is so important.

[535] This is central to our faith.

[536] Who is Jesus Christ?

[537] Yeah, we don't have time for another question, but I will remind everybody that if they want to get all the other shows of your brand new, go to vmpr .org and download the free app, and you can get all of Bishop Strickland's shows, past ones, and all of shows that we have at Virgin Most Powerful Radio.

[538] I want to give a plug to the St. Philip Institute before we ask for a blessing.

[539] Tell us about the Institute, Bishop.

[540] Thank you, Terry.

[541] The St. Philip Institute produced this catechism that we're reading from.

[542] Very simple format, but we need to remember the basic truth isn't that complicated, but it's very rich and very deep in mystery.

[543] The St. Philip Institute, we have a great team.

[544] They're working to catechize, to evangelize, to share the truth of Jesus Christ, specifically focusing on young couples approaching marriage to make sure they know what marriage really is a sacrament and a beautiful sign like all the sacraments that what we were talking about earlier, Christ is with us.

[545] Through you and your wife, the world sees that Christ is really present.

[546] You're a sacrament.

[547] And that's what the St. Philip Institute's all about, teaching the faith.

[548] Perfect.

[549] How about a blessing if we could get one now?

[550] the end of the show.

[551] Sure.

[552] The Lord be with you.

[553] And with your spirit.

[554] Almighty God, we ask your blessing for everyone listening to this podcast that we may be reminded, especially in these Lenton days, to take up the joyful challenge of Lent, to grow closer to the Lord, to repent of sin, to know our faith more deeply.

[555] It will reap dividends of great blessings and strength in the grace that God offers us.

[556] And we ask God's blessing for all of us in this Lenton journey, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

[557] Amen.

[558] Thank you so much, Bishop Strickland.

[559] I just want to remind everybody the spiritual warfare conference for the 25th and 26th of March is full, but people can stream it by on your internet.

[560] If you want to get tickets for that, go to vmpr .org.

[561] Our call us at 877.

[562] 526 -215 -1.

[563] Father Chad Ripperger, Bishop Strickland, Jess Romero, and the whole crew will be there for this weekend conference on spiritual warfare.

[564] Please join us.

[565] Also, I want to take this time to thank all of you our listeners to supporting Virgin Most Powerful Radio.

[566] We couldn't do this work without your support.

[567] I'd like to go to our website.

[568] Go to vmpr .org and sign up to become a monthly donor.

[569] We'd appreciate that or a one -time donation.

[570] God richly blessed you and your family.

[571] We'll see you again, God willing, next week, same time, same Christ station.