26 Sep 23 – I Must Speak for Christ

[0] Welcome to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[1] My name is Terry Barber, and I always say I'm blessed by the best.

[2] Bishop Strickland, thanks again for taking an hour a week to share the good news of Jesus Christ with our listeners on Virgin Most Powerful Radio.

[3] Thank you, Terry.

[4] Thank you.

[5] And Bishop Strickland, I want to start off by telling people what they're going to get.

[6] We're going to be talking about some tweets that you've given this past week.

[7] We're also going to talk a little bit about your pastoral letter.

[8] regarding marriage and the sacrament of marriage and also the holy order so it'll be a filled show but first of all everybody for the last several weeks has been saying to me how's bishop strickland doing how's he doing is he okay and i i want to just give a tweet that you sent out you said many have prompted to speak out on my behalf you said i appreciate the support but i want to focus always to be on Jesus Christ alone, not me. I'm asking I'm not asking for any support or any press conferences, demonstrations anywhere, anywhere.

[9] I don't need those.

[10] What I do need is your prayers and so I just want to throw that to you is there anything else you want to add and saying how you're doing and how you're handling this investigation and just doing your duty as the Bishop of Tyler.

[11] Yeah, really, Terry, that's what it's about and we all, especially with all that's going on in the world and in the church, We just have to look to Christ.

[12] Yeah.

[13] In one of my tweets I said I was Jesus strong.

[14] Yeah, I love that.

[15] That's what we all need to be.

[16] We need to be strong in Christ.

[17] Yes.

[18] He says be not afraid.

[19] And I think this time for me, at least, is a time to really look at the priorities.

[20] And, you know, Jesus was stripped of everything.

[21] And I mean, like the story of Job, the Lord gives, the Lord takes away.

[22] Bless be the name of the Lord.

[23] I think we all have to have that attitude, whatever we're doing.

[24] Because if we're clinging to a position or a title and not focused on sharing Jesus Christ, I mean, I thought we're celebrating today that we're recording this.

[25] We're celebrating the Korean martyrs.

[26] That's right.

[27] and they were quoted basically saying like so many of the martyrs, you know, my life is Christ.

[28] So as long as I'm alive, I have to speak for Christ until I'm dead.

[29] And so they're martyred.

[30] But that's the witness of the martyrs.

[31] And, you know, most of us, there are still people being martyred in the world, but that's not something that I'm threatened.

[32] with, but we do have to, we are called as disciples to be what we call it sometimes white martyrs.

[33] What does Jesus say to all of us?

[34] He doesn't say, oh, those who have to die for me, these are your rules.

[35] It's the same rules for all of us.

[36] Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow him.

[37] And that, you can go very deep into all three of those phrases.

[38] Deny yourself.

[39] Take up your cross and follow Jesus.

[40] And they're all one.

[41] together.

[42] But that's what's called discipleship.

[43] And there's joy in that.

[44] That's the great thing about the saints and the martyrs.

[45] They're joyful people.

[46] And in this context, thankfully, I'm peaceful and joyful.

[47] And, you know, I'm ready to face each day.

[48] I don't know what tomorrow brings, but who does?

[49] That's really one thing that's come home to me. And one thing, and one thing, thing, you know, I don't want to talk a lot about me, but I am learning lessons.

[50] Hopefully we all do, whatever we're going through.

[51] And one thing that occurred to me is I was actually talking to another radio program earlier this week.

[52] And just as I was talking to the announcer, I said, what occurred to me is, I'm 65.

[53] So if I'm removed from my office as Bishop of Tyler, You know, I don't want that, and that will be certainly a major change in my life.

[54] But it occurred to me, in 10 years, I'll be canonically up for retirement.

[55] That's right.

[56] And if I was 10 years older, if it was just the normal time of retirement, I would still need to speak up for the message of Jesus Christ and call people to the perennial truth that is Jesus Christ, all these crazy ideas, frankly, that are bouncing around, people proposing this and that, things being examined at the Senate, that in my opinion, it's a waste of time because the truth is the truth, as people quote me saying, but it is.

[57] I mean, it's not complicated.

[58] It's very simple.

[59] And, you know, I don't claim to be a great scholar or great intellect.

[60] I got a decent brain and I can look at reality yeah I'm going to speak up for the Lord and Savior that I know Jesus Christ and I think I feel great support from his mother the Virgin Mary and the saints meaning I haven't heard any voices or seen any apparitions or anything that people would say oh that's a supernatural event or some mystical event but through prayer I feel very connected to Christ and his sacred heart, feel the support of Mary and the saints, what better place can we be than close to God, living the way of the saints?

[61] Many of them suffered a lot more than I've had to suffer in life.

[62] Yeah, it's a bit burdensome to not know what's coming next, but really, if we're honest with ourselves, none of us knows what tomorrow brings, but we trust in the Lord.

[63] Thank you for speaking up.

[64] I always say this from St. Thomas More, and I know you've heard me say this, Earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal.

[65] Yeah.

[66] Anything?

[67] What can they do to us that's going to affect us like for eternal salvation?

[68] Well, they can't do anything.

[69] They can just kill us.

[70] Look at the martyrs today.

[71] You just talked about Kim and the others, the priests and laymen.

[72] Yeah.

[73] And I thank you for speaking up as a layman.

[74] hearing our bishops speak like this.

[75] And there's another bishop we're going to talk about today who did a very similar thing.

[76] We're speaking up for the truth, and we need to hear more of that.

[77] Bishop Strickland, you hardly ever go a show without speaking on the life issues.

[78] And I love that, because that is the issue today.

[79] We're living in a world where 4 ,000 babies are slaughtered every single day through abortion that we know of, not even including the chemical abortions.

[80] And then we have euthanasia going on in many of the states, not in your state, but in California and others.

[81] And you just sent a tweet, as you said, as we quibble about the various issues, people are dying because we fail to stand clearly for the sanctity of life.

[82] This is a travesty that must be denounced because life is sacred.

[83] You're talking about a brave 19 -year -old woman locked in a legal fight with her doctors.

[84] and while she's in that fight, she dies.

[85] And I think you're just making the point that there's another one that goes down because we don't see life as being sacred.

[86] Am I on to something?

[87] Absolutely.

[88] They basically declared her incompetent because she wanted to live.

[89] Wow.

[90] And, you know, it's just a twisted, messed up world we're in.

[91] But the Lord, you know, we just have to hang on to the Lord.

[92] Yeah.

[93] Well, you know, Cardinal Mueller says much of the same thing you've been saying about this craziness that's going on in the Senate and other cardinals are speaking out.

[94] I actually, this is just off the cuff, but I got a word that they are, there's many of the Cardinals in Rome at the Senate are going to confront the issue there to say, wait to me, guys, these are issues that shouldn't be even discussed.

[95] They're already settled.

[96] and I hope and pray that they do that.

[97] If you don't mind Bishop Strickland, and I'd like before I quote Cardinal Mueller, I think as lay people, especially and also the priests and bishops, we have this urgent call to prayer and fasting, and I say almsgiving, because what's happening right now, the issues that are at stake at that Senate in Rome, that starts October 4th, goes through the month of October, I think the best thing we can do, and you can correct me on the air, I have no problem getting corrected on the air.

[98] Prayer, Eucharistic adoration.

[99] You need to be praying our rosary for this.

[100] We can also, there's a prayer that I have for the supplications of the holy angels, asking the intercession of the angels to help the people at that senate.

[101] Be sure that they do what God wants, not what man wants.

[102] And have offered masses for them this month.

[103] Go to your parish priest and say, can I get a mass offered for the men and women that are at the Senate?

[104] offer your holy communion for the participants of the Senate, that they're going to be guided by the Holy Spirit and not by the world, the devil, and the flesh.

[105] And then fasting, fasting and prayer along together, you know, can obtain special graces.

[106] We know that.

[107] Our lady told us that at Fatima.

[108] So maybe we've renounced one meal.

[109] I mean, I'm a little guy.

[110] One meal, I can handle that.

[111] You know, maybe even leave out on some social media, TV, or entertainment.

[112] Wait, little sacrifices throughout the day.

[113] I'm going to offer up my little sacrifices for the Senate also that will stay fast to the teachings of the church.

[114] And then almsgiving.

[115] It's a concrete realization of helping a merciful love for one's neighbor is the most efficient part of the commitment.

[116] Even the very modest alms can be great in the eyes of God.

[117] So I would just say go to your parish church or go to wherever your nonprofit, give a little sacrifice.

[118] I want to make this sacrifice for the church because we're living in some, tough times all right am i on to something bishop stricken prayer fasting and almsgiving this is what the church has always looked at absolutely um we need to make reparation and that is a way to do it and i think you know like people think about during lent but it doesn't have to be restricted to lent and like you said you know fast maybe skip a meal yeah and throw in five dollars that would have cost for that meal or ten dollars you know just pass it on.

[119] Let somebody have it that maybe had a meal in a couple of days.

[120] Amen, and there's many people here in my county here in Los Angeles or in that case.

[121] We come back.

[122] We want to quote Cardinal Mueller regarding the church situation and much more on the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[123] Stay with us, family.

[124] Now back to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[125] Welcome back to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[126] Indeed.

[127] I want to quote Cardinal Mueller, Bishop Strickland, you quoted him and he's one of the participants in this Senate starting October 4th, which I'm really grateful that he's there.

[128] He says this, and this quote, you said, thank you, your eminence.

[129] I want to say it again.

[130] Thank you, thank you, because it needs to be said.

[131] He said this, the church is not the playground of ideologues of godless humanism, nor of strategists of the bloc party.

[132] God's universal will to save, which we encounter in Christ, the only mediator between God and man and which is realized historically and ecologically is the future program of his church and not the great reset of the atheist globalist elite of billionaire bankers who hide their ruthless personal enrichment behind the mask of philanthropy.

[133] Here's my point, Bishop Strickland.

[134] This man gets it and from what I as a layman.

[135] I mean, he just knocked the ball out of the park by calling it out and also not just giving the problem but he gave the solution it's jesus christ absolutely um wow i love it and you know it's just we keep having to repeat the same message but we need to be clear that we have the truth yeah Jesus Christ is the face of truth we look to him and you know too many people have turned to other things with I think it was I forget who but basically the the message that Christianity would be great if we just gave it a try I think it was K. Chesterton said that yeah it just hasn't been no no it was it was Gandhi say he's Gandhi yeah sorry it's Gandhi and he said that yeah if it was I think it's great but it hasn't you know I don't see it so it's an example yeah you got a great point there and I appreciate that Bishop Strickland my question to you is some of you you give scripture verses a lot with your tweets and I always think that that is actually the top of the food chain that I see you do and I appreciate that but also some of the saint sayings that you get there's a saint and i don't really see it in front of me and i had it here because i read it on the air on the terry and jesse show and it was from st thomas moore and it wasn't the one i gave you but he talked about and i'm going to see if i can grab it real quick here oh i think i got it here because i wanted to have you uh you know give me your take on it because i i was so impressed he said said, if you live, this is like hundreds of years ago, and then you take this quote and put it into 2023 and see if it fits.

[136] It's amazing.

[137] St. Thomas More said, if you live in a time that no man will give you good counsel, nor any man give you good example, oh my gosh, you will see virtue punished and vice rewarded.

[138] But you must stand.

[139] fast.

[140] You must firmly stick to God upon the pain of your life.

[141] That gives me inspiration.

[142] Did that hit you like it hit me, Bishop Strickland?

[143] Yeah, that's why I tweeted it, because he really nails it.

[144] And like you said, he could be speaking to our time because we've talked about so many times before.

[145] It's like everything's upside down.

[146] What is true is broadcasted to be false.

[147] What is false is God broadcast it to be true.

[148] What is black is masquerading as white.

[149] What is white is masquerading as black.

[150] It's just it's, you know, you can't get a straight answer from from politicians and too many in the church and in every corner of society.

[151] Yeah.

[152] Now, I want to quote some of your tweets from the scriptures.

[153] It was 1 Timothy chapter 2 verse 6.

[154] Again, these are scripture verses that they never grow old because it's God's word and you tweeted that this he said for there is one God there is also one mediator between God and man and the man is Jesus Christ who gave himself as a ransom for all and you point out this is an essential truth for our time because you know what Bishop Strickland all some people I don't think they get that memo of the scripture they think that he's just one of many or something like that.

[155] No, this is essential truth for our time, you stated.

[156] We cannot allow anyone to demote Jesus Christ to the status of one among many.

[157] When we do so, we deny him.

[158] That's happening.

[159] I'm sorry you have to say, Bishop Strickland, and I see that happening even inside our church today.

[160] Absolutely.

[161] That's a big problem.

[162] So thank you for making that clarification.

[163] Question I have about your scripture verses because I really think that it's important that you keep throwing scripture even if it's been from a year ago because it just never gets old and those scripture verses just are so beautiful.

[164] I encourage people to put them on your on your window in your mirror in your bathroom.

[165] If you get something that just really fires you up in the morning, read it often.

[166] All right.

[167] I also like this.

[168] You tweeted about a bishop who's out in Ohio, who spoke out, and he's going to pay a price for what he did, but you said, thank you, Bishop, Ballestic.

[169] We must speak into true love and hold on to truth that God has created us male and female.

[170] So what did he do?

[171] He has a pastoral, he says this, the church has a shepherd of a pastoral demeanor whose leadership is more than the effort to be just nice.

[172] You mean to tell me there's a bishop out in Ohio, who says that I need to give you the truth, even if you don't want to hear it.

[173] See, I like that because, to me, he's giving what Christ teaches and not worrying about, you know, putting a finger up and saying, which way is the wind blowing?

[174] And I thank him because we need more bishops like that.

[175] So thank you for tweeting that.

[176] I agree with you.

[177] We should thank him personally.

[178] He's in Ohio, right?

[179] What died of...

[180] Yes, Cleveland.

[181] Cleveland.

[182] Cleveland.

[183] Oh, that's a big diocese.

[184] Cleveland, huge.

[185] All right, well, thank you for.

[186] that and then I wanted to say you quoted something that I've used to help priests when they tell me they don't want to say mass on their day off I've heard priests tell me that I say well father you might consider what the cure of ours has to say and this is what you tweeted all the good works in the world are not equal to the holy sacrifice of the mass because they are the works of men but the mass is the work of god martyrdom is nothing in comparison for it is but the sacrifice of man to god but the mass is the sacrifice of god for man i mean it doesn't get any better say i mean i'm giving a talk to a bunch of college students next month and it's going to be on the mass Can you imagine I'm going to be quoting that If we only understood Bishop Strickland The Mass Catholics are not locking Now I'm going to get to your comment on that But I'm also going to tell you I just read the statistics Now maybe it's not in your diocese But overall since the pandemic Only about 40 % of the people Who were going to church before the pandemic Are back in church We lost 60 % Thankfully that isn't the case here Good.

[187] But, I mean, I just had Massism in a chapel that's part of our cathedral parish, packed, beautiful.

[188] And I used that quote in the homily, thanking the people for being there and just we all the priests, all of us need to remember, especially as priests with all the things and priests are busy with many things, but the mass is the most important thing we do.

[189] In spending time with the Lord and the Eucharist in prayer, Eucharistic adoration, is really essential for priest.

[190] And I mean, I'm 64 years old.

[191] It's probably been, I would say, at the most in the last eight years since I've been a bishop and not even immediately then, but I've come to learn that that's the most important time we spent.

[192] And I've read some great saints that remind us all the busyness and all the programs and all the things that all of us can get busy with.

[193] Yes.

[194] That never, I mean, it basically follows on exactly what St. John Viani says.

[195] Yes.

[196] That, I mean, if that's the greatest work and it's the work of God, then it's essential for the life of his church that we focus on the mass and celebrating it with reverence and calling people to be there.

[197] It's just, I mean, and thankfully, the documents of the Second Vatican Council.

[198] I mean, it's always being quoted, but we need to really understand what it means that it's the source and the summit of the Christian life.

[199] and therefore of the Catholic faith.

[200] You know, Bishop Strickland, I'm 66 years old, and I fell in love with the Mass when I was 14 years old because of Archbishop Fulton Sheen, and started to go to Daily Mass, because when I realized that I was present at that one eternal sacrifice of Calvary, that that just mystically just gave me, wow, what?

[201] I could be there from, yes, it's a representation.

[202] We're there, we're present.

[203] Why wouldn't I want to take, you know, time to go to daily Mass?

[204] And then when I realize so beautifully what the church teaches about the Holy Eucharist, the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ, this message, for some reason, Bishop Strickland, didn't get out well enough into our church.

[205] Because if it did, all of our churches would be packed.

[206] And so I appreciate you bringing that up because, yeah, the Eucharist, as Vatican II says, a source and summit of the Christian life.

[207] But I think I shared with you over the years, I would ask people what their belief is at churches on the real presence.

[208] And about 90 % of the people I would talk to over the last 30, 40 years, they didn't have a clue.

[209] And that's an indictment on me first.

[210] I didn't communicate well enough.

[211] So I think the church really needs this Eucharistic revival, but I think we need to spend it on having people encounter the person of Jesus Christ in the Blessed sacrament, and also for private time, because I'm convinced when people go there quietly, that's where our encounter can take place even more than a good sermon.

[212] Your thoughts?

[213] Absolutely.

[214] Because it's the Lord.

[215] It's Jesus Christ.

[216] The same one that we hear in the gospel.

[217] Whatever gospel, the gospel is always proclaimed at mass that's part of the mass. and I think we need to really, and I speak for myself, I mean, I continue to grow and really focusing on as I continue praying in the Eucharistic prayer to remind myself that the same Lord who just recently this week, he raised the young man, the son of the widow from, he was dead, he was in a funeral procession, Christ walks up, raises him from the dead.

[218] that's the same Jesus that I'm holding in my hand.

[219] That blows your mind if you really think about it.

[220] Is this microphone on?

[221] Are you kidding me?

[222] Yes, this is what our faith says.

[223] And, you know, I'm sorry to get so excited, but when you were just describing that, I'm going, jump out of this chair and say, amen, amen.

[224] Wow.

[225] Hey, when we come back, we got a quick break coming up.

[226] I want to also talk about a tweet from the Fatima visionary St. Lucia.

[227] That's what she said back in 1957.

[228] It's going to blow you away.

[229] But this is what our Catholic faith does.

[230] If we really understand it, it's supernatural.

[231] This is not just, oh, yeah, I'm going to go and do this.

[232] No, this is a taste of heaven when we go to Mass. Stay with us, family.

[233] We'll be right back.

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

[235] Welcome back, indeed.

[236] I made a promise of Fatima Visionary St. Lucia said in 1957, and Bishop Strickland is quoting it Each person must not only save his own soul But also the souls that God is placed in our path Now Bishop Strickland I want to get that take because you said Let us let us take this task to heart Pray fast seek reparation atonement For all souls being led astray By particularly false teachings I want to hear more but then I can I just jump in And say this to you when I read this I thought of as a married man because in your letter that you did we're going to talk about it your pastoral letter you talked about marriage and also ordination to a priesthood and in both cases you tied this very same thing in that as a father my role is to get my wife to heaven and my children to heaven and it seems to me that as a priest the shepherding the flock whether you're a pastor or a bishop, you have a tremendous obligation to lead the souls to heaven.

[237] So I want to hear your take about the visionary St. Lucia is saying this and how it applies in your own personal life and in mind.

[238] Absolutely.

[239] And really, Terry, if you think about the Fat of Amperations, the other two children that died so young, I remember reading that they were really burdened by the idea that they, they needed to pray so much and spend their they practically wouldn't do anything but pray because they were so focused on praying for the souls.

[240] Yes.

[241] It's really an extension of that that Sister Lucia speaks of is caring for the other person.

[242] I mean it really echoes what Christ says love your neighbor as you love yourself.

[243] I mean, always we're called to go out of ourselves and to recognize that, like you said, with a family, but in them with your parish community, to, I mean, all of us ultimately make our own free will choice, but we can all influence people lovingly to turn to the truth or to return to the truth.

[244] Very good.

[245] Well, Bishop Strickland, I want to, we always do catechism.

[246] in the past using the St. Philip Institute's catechism, but in the past couple of weeks, you've been writing these pastoral letters, and I see them as taking stuff out of a catechism and out of scripture and saying, this is what the church teaches, and this is why I'm bringing this up because there's a need right now for clarity regarding marriage and also for priesthood.

[247] And so before we read some of the sections of your pastoral letter, what made you write this?

[248] your third letter?

[249] Yeah, what brought you to the, why did you do it?

[250] Well, after I issued the original letter, August 22nd.

[251] Right, Queen Chippa Mary.

[252] I was just inspired to, there were seven points of basic Catholic doctrine that that letter spoke about.

[253] And I was just inspired to each week what I've been doing, and I hope to continue.

[254] to get through all seven is to have, you know, not super long, but a letter talking more specifically about those issues, about the church, about the Eucharist, about marriage, about, you know, who we are as human beings created in the image and likeness of God.

[255] So that's what I wanted to do.

[256] And I think they've been well received.

[257] And, you know, as you, as we were saying, earlier, it's nothing new.

[258] It really, it takes some time to put it together, but you're real, I'm not inventing anything.

[259] I'm just reflecting on what I know we believe and then looking for the scripture and documents that helped to support that like Kosti Kanubi, an old document that a lot of people probably have never heard of, but it's part of the, the magistero foundation of what we believe and know about marriage in today's world.

[260] And if I could just add that Casti Canobey, my wife and I read that book before we got married along with three to get married by Archbishop Fulton Sheen.

[261] And for 40 years, I've been telling people those are the two books to read regarding marriage.

[262] And I'm so happy that they reprinted the book years ago because it was out of print for years.

[263] Bishop Strickland well said But you also In your letter I mean you just quote the catechism You quote scripture And you also challenge modern science Because he's pointing in your letter after the catechism Modern science has not changed the church teaching against abortion But instead has confirmed That life of each individual begins with the earliest zygote And embryo Because each and every human life as inherent dignity each life must be treated with respect i i say this because you know 500 years ago we didn't have the technology to realize what was going on with a mother and having it in the process of having nine months gestation of that baby but now doggone it we actually see cameras inside the mother's womb and you see the baby and now we're operating on those babies before they're born i don't get it you know if it's a baby baby?

[264] What are you operating on?

[265] Okay, he's a baby.

[266] You operating on a fetus?

[267] No, no, no, no. See, this is what we have seen with technology, and I think it's great that you make that point.

[268] I also thought that you said as we approach the upcoming Senate on senedality, we must continue to hold fast to sacred scripture, the sacred traditions of the church, and the unchangeable deposit of faith, which illumine and guide our faith regarding matrimony.

[269] Bishop Strickland, you've been saying that for years with me. This is no new message, but why are you emphasizing now?

[270] I mean, I know that at the Senate, they're talking about some crazy things.

[271] Are you just pointing this out to try and reaffirm for people to know that these teachings cannot change no matter what is said at the Senate?

[272] That's my words.

[273] Is that a fair statement?

[274] Yeah, absolutely.

[275] And I was just inspired primarily to the Diocese of Times.

[276] to the people here, good people who want to know.

[277] I mean, some people argue against what the church teaches, even claiming Catholic, but they say, oh, and this needs to change.

[278] That's not the attitude of the flock that I serve.

[279] But people, it's our fault as bishops and priests, but people aren't well catacons.

[280] Yeah, that's it.

[281] And they're hungry for knowing why does the church teach this?

[282] Why do we say the things we say about the sacrament of matrimony and make those distinctions about natural marriage and marriage as a sacrament?

[283] Both are important because one builds on another.

[284] And so people want to know these things.

[285] And I can tell you, we've talked about the work of the St. Philip Institute here in the diocese and the great work that's done with marriage and family life.

[286] And the couples that come for the marriage formation that is offered in our diocese, we actually have couples that come from other diocese because they're really hungry for it.

[287] It's challenging.

[288] And sometimes at first they're a little, you know, not sure that they're unsure that they can really live up to this.

[289] But we get great feedback.

[290] And we have Eucharistic adoration.

[291] we have confessions, we emphasize the Catholic faith.

[292] And many times the couples that come to us, both of them may not even be Catholic, but that Catholic spouse, respecting the free choice of their future spouse, whether I've never encouraged a couple getting married to say, well, you have to become Catholic.

[293] It has to be a personal call that you feel, certainly we encourage it.

[294] We believe in the true faith and we want people to to turn to the faith, but if they don't, I mean, realistically, and I'm sure you've seen this, but if people marry or become Catholic for any other reason than a deep personal call to know Jesus Christ in the Catholic tradition, then it's not going to work.

[295] I mean, if they're just doing it because they want to make their future.

[296] spouse happy or keep the family peaceful or whatever if they do it for some other reason it's not i mean being catholic is challenging sometimes it's hard but it's life giving also so i think that the marriage like you're saying marriage is god's plan for most men and women not everybody's married and you have a celibate priesthood which is valuable amen but the majority of men and women do marry, and the more that we can make that a sacred reality, even if they're not Catholic, to recognize how important this is and how important the permanence of marriages, as I tried to say in this letter, that's beneficial just to human civilization, much less the church.

[297] Amen.

[298] I just will give a quick story about Dr. Hahn doing something similar to what you're doing.

[299] He was giving the church teaching.

[300] on contraception and saying that why the church is opposed to this.

[301] This was 1991 at a family conference with, you know, 3 ,000 people at the event.

[302] And I'll never forget a young couple who I didn't know, the wife came up to me after the talk and said, my husband is in the parking lot in the car.

[303] He wants to leave because he's upset about what Scott Hahn said about contraception.

[304] We're newly married and we thought we were doing well with using contraception.

[305] but he's upset because he didn't like the way he said it, and he has questions.

[306] And he said that there's no way he could get his answers from his questions.

[307] He said, because that guy, Scott Hahn, would never talk to me. And I said, well, you go back to your husband in the parking lot, tell him to get over here, and we're going to have him talk to Scott directly about his questions.

[308] And we did.

[309] And I didn't know anything about this later, but about 20 years later, I met that couple, because I know they kept coming.

[310] They have nine children, okay?

[311] And I'm in the backyard.

[312] We're barbecuing at his house.

[313] He lives in Alabama now.

[314] And he starts to tell me, he says, you know, Terry, I really have to thank you.

[315] What are you talking about?

[316] But you're the one who really convinced my wife and I that we get rid of our contraceptive mentality because of that talk by Scott Hahn, and you helped me set up a time where I could talk to Scott.

[317] I said, really, okay, if you say so, I don't really remember all the details of it.

[318] but here's the point this is why you're writing the letter so people know the truth because they didn't get the memo this young couple got married in a Catholic church thinking contraception was okay and it's not thanks be to God that we have people like Dr. Hahn and Bishop Strickland and others speaking the truth and with charity we'll be back with more on the Bishop Strickland show and now back to the Bishop Strickland Hour Thanks be to God we're here with Bishop Strickland speaking the truth and charity I remember a year ago you tweeted 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 think about your letter that you're writing Bishop Strickland I'm not a master's I don't have any education any supernatural I mean super duper PhDs I just have the sense of the faithful and what I see here in these letters is taking scripture catechism, common sense, and saying, look, we need to address these issues, because here in your conclusion of your letter on marriage, you said, our discussion regarding matrimony, we must recognize just how far modern society has slipped from the conventional life -giving concept of holy matrimony as given by God.

[319] As more homosexual relationships are more and more recognized throughout the world as marriages, as marriages in many cases are believed to be disposable through the widespread presence of divorce, as contraception is now widely used, even by Catholics, we talked about that, and as abortion is not only permitted, but in our country, the highest levels, the President of the United States celebrates abortion throughout our country in our world, and that this is very true, the very fabric of marriage is being ripped apart at the seams and you can't be quiet right you have to speak absolutely it's devastating for humanity to to just let marriage be twisted any way we want and it we can do that we are doing it but it's it's not the truth yeah and it doesn't have It just, it's not going to last.

[320] Right, right.

[321] Well, Bishop Strickland, I love the dialogue that we have going here on this, letters, because this is so important if we don't understand marriage, if we don't get marriage right, we don't get the family right.

[322] And I always quote St. John Paul II when he wrote that letter to the families.

[323] He said, the way the family goes is the way the culture goes.

[324] So if you've got a contraceptive mentality, abortion mentality, the family's a mess.

[325] and that's why we need people like yourself and others speaking the truth and charity.

[326] Now, you also covered a very important topic in your letter, the second part on holy orders, because, again, it's being challenged right in Rome right now about who could be ordained, men, women, deaccona, you know, things that we've already discussed for the church to say, no, they're bringing it up.

[327] So you quote the catechism of the Catholic Church.

[328] to just read a little bit and then you, you know, talk about this.

[329] He said, no one has a right to receive the sacrament of Holy Orders.

[330] Indeed, no one claims this office for himself.

[331] He is called to it by God.

[332] Catechism paragraph 1578.

[333] Holy Orders is the sacrament through which the mission entrusted by Christ to his apostles continues to be exercised in the church until the end of time.

[334] Thus, it is a sacrament of apostolic ministry.

[335] And this is very important.

[336] It includes three degrees, the episcopate, the presbyrit, and the deacconate.

[337] This is right, not from Bishop Strickland.

[338] I don't care what Bishop Strickland thinks.

[339] Be honest with you, Bishop, I want to know what Holy Mother the Church teaches.

[340] And that's what you did.

[341] You quoted paragraph 1536.

[342] Can you continue why this is important for us today to cover this topic of holy orders?

[343] Well, yeah, because just like we talked about marriage, And that's why these two sacraments really go hand in hand for the family that is the church and the domestic church.

[344] You need the couple committed in marriage and nurturing a family.

[345] And you need the spiritual father in the priesthood, either the bishop, the priest, or the deacon, that same spiritual fatherhood is there in different ways.

[346] You need both for the church to flourish.

[347] And really, we have to acknowledge that.

[348] that both are under attack at this point.

[349] I mean, it's very evident that marriage is under attack.

[350] People have tried to raise the questions.

[351] I mean, back when we were little kids, they were saying, oh, we're going to have women priests, we're going to have married priests, and all of that finally kind of subsided, but it's back again.

[352] And we've got to be clear of what the priesthood is.

[353] And we speak of the priest as Altar Christus.

[354] And again, we've talked a lot about being faithful to Christ.

[355] He's what the priesthood is about.

[356] It's not about me or any man. It's about Jesus Christ.

[357] And he was incarnate as a man. He was conceived in the womb of Mary as a male child.

[358] He was born into the world as a male child, and he lived as a man, according to God's plan.

[359] What we have to realize, and I think that it's so important that we get marriage and priesthood right in our time in the life of the church.

[360] Because if the church allows them, I mean, marriage has gone off the rails.

[361] And frankly, in many other churches, they don't have holy orders, but even what would be a big, vestige of priesthood has really fallen apart.

[362] And it's done harm to the Protestant churches who, those who have welcomed women, they're having a hard time getting men to even consider their form of ministry.

[363] Some of them still call it priesthood.

[364] But it's not the priesthood of Jesus Christ that we know in the Catholic Church.

[365] So we've got to stand strong with marriage and priesthood as essential elements of the church.

[366] that Christ established.

[367] And in order to do that, we've got to continue to recognize the three levels of deacon, priest, and bishop.

[368] And to recognize, I mean, what's being talked about at the Senate, from what I understand, is really asking, can women be ordained to the deaconate?

[369] Right.

[370] And that's not just the issue of women, but also, if you're saying, treating the Deaconate differently than priesthood and Episcopacy, then you're beginning to fracture what the priestly call is, and to recognize that all three are in some way connected to serving in the name of Jesus Christ.

[371] I mean, that's the deaconate really focuses on his humble service ministry.

[372] And so, we can't allow one level of holy orders to sort of take on a different form, because in many people acknowledge that if they can manage for the church to corrupt priesthood at the level of deacconate, then the next thing to shoot for is priesthood itself.

[373] Exactly.

[374] And that's just harmful.

[375] Just as distorting marriage is harmful, distorting priesthood as Christ are ordained.

[376] These aren't my ideas and not your ideas.

[377] They came from Christ and that's what we have to really believe and really support.

[378] Bishop Stricken, your last two paragraphs are gold, especially the last one in conclusion.

[379] But let me just read this.

[380] As we approach the Senate of Centidality, we must remember that God would never call a person to a role which they were not able to fulfill.

[381] As I stated in my pastoral letter, September 5th, 23, sacred tradition and the ordinary magistrate of the church has affirmed throughout the ages that the church has no authority whatsoever to ordain women, as Christ called those who would be ministers in his name to image himself as the bridegroom with the church as his bride.

[382] Because the church has no authority to ordain women, we recognize that God would never authentically call a woman to the sacrament of holy orders.

[383] As such, if any were to suggest a change could be made to this sacred and unchangeable doctrine, we must recognize this as a break from the deposit of faith and reject the idea as contrary to the faith.

[384] Well said, I don't know what else you can say on it.

[385] I mean, but the last paragraph you said it all when you said, in conclusion, I would like to say to you, my dear brothers and dear sons and daughters in Christ, do not despair.

[386] Amen.

[387] It is evident that we look back through salvation history that any time humanity moves away from God, he pours out abundant graces of divine graces upon the faithful, well said, so that his children may return to him.

[388] God is depending on each of us to help lead humanity back to himself.

[389] Let us meet him in mass. I love it.

[390] In the sacrament of prayer and in the Eucharistic adoration, we are called to participate in his divine plan of salvation so we must proclaim as did st joan of our i love this line this is so appropriate i'm not afraid for god is with me and i was born for this sign me up bishop strickland how do you get better than that i mean i didn't it doesn't that just excite you to hear the quoting from the i mean we've been made for this time god from all eternity brought bishop strickland terry barber in this time for a specific job he hasn't done given to any other person.

[391] And I say that to every person that's come into this world.

[392] God has a plan.

[393] And what you're asking us to do is call on the graces to be faithful to stand up for the truth of the gospel.

[394] And I thank you for that.

[395] Yeah.

[396] And St. John of Art, in worldly terms, had a rough time, but he was strong.

[397] Yeah.

[398] Now, Bishop Strickland, I just want to encourage people, they go to what Bishop Strickland .com to get this pastoral letter?

[399] Is that the best way to get it?

[400] Yeah, that's an easy way, because it's right there.

[401] Yeah, so go ahead and go to bishop strickland .com, get the pastoral letters.

[402] If you haven't got one, two, or three, get them all.

[403] It doesn't take a long time to read them.

[404] But it's a basic review on your catechism about these topics so that you're grounded well in the faith so that you won't be deceived by any kind of compromise that could possibly come down the pike.

[405] Any final thoughts before I have?

[406] ask for a blessing, please?

[407] I'll just offer a blessing.

[408] Okay, let's do it.

[409] Almighty God, we ask your blessing for all at Virgin Most Powerful Radio.

[410] And for everyone in the world and in the church that we may joyfully embrace the challenges we face, always strengthened in Christ, as St. Joan of Arc said, we were born for this.

[411] Let us be strong and joyful in embracing God's call for us to serve each other and to serve him in the church today.

[412] And we ask this blessing in the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit.

[413] Amen.

[414] Thank you very much, Bishop Strickland.

[415] I want to give a plug to the St. Philip Institute.

[416] Pick up some of their material there by going to St. Philip Institute .org.

[417] And you can get many good things there.

[418] Also, I want to just publicly thank all the people who are supporting Virgin Most Powerful Radio with their monthly support because we pay monthly bills with monthly support.

[419] So I thank you for that.

[420] You want to hear more of the shows of Bishop Strickland.

[421] They're all podcast at vmpr .org like all of our shows are.

[422] And you're welcome to just send them to your friends and family.

[423] That's how we spread the message.

[424] Or if you're on YouTube, send little clips to your friends.

[425] I think that's the best way to reach a world that is so much in touch with the social media.

[426] And I want to thank Bishop Strickland for taking the time again and to share the gospel with us through Virgin Most Powerful Radio.

[427] Look forward to doing it again next week, same time, same station.

[428] And if you want to get this on your local station, just ask us and we'll have to give it to you.

[429] God love you.