22 Nov 23 – Bishop Strickland Answers His Critics

[0] Welcome to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[1] My name is Terry Barber, and I get so excited to do this show with the good bishop as we get to share the good news of Jesus Christ and his bride, the church.

[2] Bishop Strickland, welcome.

[3] You've had quite a week, and this is like, you know, eight days after the decision to remove you as the bishop of Tyler.

[4] And I've seen all kinds of interviews with you on lots of different media.

[5] And, you know, we have people praying for you.

[6] I mean, we had a church full of people last night with mass, reparation prayers.

[7] We prayed for the Holy Father.

[8] We prayed for all of our bishops, but you specifically to give you guidance on what you're going to be doing with the rest of your life and sharing the gospel.

[9] But Bishop Strickland kind of just set it straight.

[10] And then I want to hear about another potential challenge you're faced because I know a lot of people are saying that, hell, it was the right thing to do.

[11] And we've got lots of problems in Tyler.

[12] and I just think it's good to defend yourself, at least with the facts.

[13] So, first of all, people are asking last night and every day I get calls, how is Bishop Strickland doing?

[14] I'm, as you say, Terry, blessed with the best.

[15] Amen.

[16] I spend time in prayer before our Lord, his Eucharistic face.

[17] That gives me strength, that gives me clarity.

[18] And really, Terry, I have to say, It's just over a week.

[19] It was Saturday, November 11th, 11, 11, 23.

[20] I guess I'll remember that date.

[21] And the reason I've been removed as the Bishop of Tyler is because I've been guarding the deposit of faith.

[22] And it's a deposit of faith that people in the Vatican want to change.

[23] as i have said in other interviews the truth doesn't change yes we go deeper um as john henry newman says we go deeper into the faith that in that way the faith develops it goes deeper and deeper you look at all the saints you look at our lives as men of faith we are wiser than we were.

[24] I still have a long way to go.

[25] But I am no longer Bishop of Tyler, because forces in the Vatican want changes, significant, important changes in the fabric of truth, that it is the duty of the bride of Christ to proclaim to the ages.

[26] And I said, no. Truth does not change.

[27] Truth doesn't doesn't change.

[28] Amen.

[29] So now there's a lot of conversation about why has Bishop Strickland been removed.

[30] Some people are finally waking up to the reality of what I just said.

[31] Yes.

[32] I've been removed because forces in the Vatican don't want the truth to remain as it is.

[33] It's foolishness because truth doesn't change.

[34] Jesus Christ is truth incarnate.

[35] But that's why They want me shut down and to quit speaking.

[36] And so they've taken my voice as Bishop of Tyler.

[37] But I'm still a bishop.

[38] I'm a subsectioner of the apostles.

[39] And I have duty to still share the joy of the truth of the gospel that is to be proclaimed to the world.

[40] That's what the apostles did.

[41] That's what we are called to do as apostolic disciples today.

[42] Really, Terry, what I understand.

[43] understand is they are looking at things that happened five years ago.

[44] Yep.

[45] I've freely admitted.

[46] Yeah, I made some mistakes.

[47] People that love me and support me here in Tyler and some that don't.

[48] If they're being truthful, we can all acknowledge.

[49] And it's interesting to me, Terry, that Tyler went through this turmoil.

[50] Yeah.

[51] At the same time as the church five years ago, going through the devastating turmoil of the McCarrick scandal.

[52] Right.

[53] We had our own turmoil here that wasn't a sexual scandal at all, but it boiled down to, I trusted some people, three individuals.

[54] I'm not going to name names that others may that have gone on with their lives.

[55] I pray for them, but I trusted three individuals.

[56] And frankly, told the leader of this group that I didn't even realize how much of a leader he was at the time.

[57] But I said, you're fired because I finally woke up to the reality that they were trying to run the diocese according to their will and using me as a bishop.

[58] And I'll pretty admit, I was naive enough and trusted them enough.

[59] to say, oh, well, you know, these guys are smarter than me, and so they're really going to help me lead the diocese, but I found out that they were leading it along their path and not along the path that I believed as bishop, we had to follow to share the truth of Jesus Christ.

[60] So these individuals built into their own contracts, you know, and I was naive.

[61] admit that.

[62] And I regret the ways that it did have an impact on the Diocese because they built into their contracts severance packages that were beyond anything appropriate.

[63] They took advantage of God.

[64] I've said many times in our finance meetings, we have to always be aware that it's people like my family that growing up here in the diocese give what they can out of generous faith -filled hearts to support the diocese.

[65] These people took advantage of that.

[66] And it, you know, the diocese took a financial hit because of that.

[67] I understand that people are saying, well, the Vatican certainly hasn't removed a bishop because he's speaking the truth of the gospel.

[68] That's why I've been removed.

[69] but the Vatican wants to find some reason.

[70] And I thought, I'll just share with the people what's already known by the people here.

[71] But as I reflect on it, five years ago, the summer of the McCarrick scandal, at the same time, we were going through this turmoil.

[72] Thankfully, I changed, I made the change.

[73] Yes, they took advantage with some fine inch.

[74] But, you know, the diocese has come back, stronger than ever, as I've said, with the bishop's appeal going over 3 million, which broke records.

[75] But I understand that the Vatican is really looking to try to say, and try to promote this as the reason I was removed.

[76] Terry, I can't allow that.

[77] I can't just allow them to lie.

[78] right say oh his removal was because of financial problems from five years ago i mean that's ridiculous in itself five years ago i mean how long did it take him if this is so and i i've been very transparent about it of course i was aware of it i was aware of it from friends in the diocese everybody knew this i thought it was important to just yeah set the record straight good I mean, and if I'm being removed for that, then, okay, that's not why I'm being removed, and I know it.

[79] And the Vatican knows it.

[80] And anyone who is a person of faith knows it.

[81] Sadly, my removal has the bishop scared of Rome.

[82] That's a sad place to be for the body of Christ, the mystical body of Christ, the bride of Christ, the church.

[83] her leaders are afraid of forces in the Vatican who they are afraid.

[84] And they're, I mean, that fear is not irrational, but it's a shame that they're operating out of fear instead of out of faith.

[85] Wow.

[86] Yeah.

[87] I'm glad you brought this up, Bishop Strickland, because, you know, we talk about transparency.

[88] You know, you're just saying, okay, here's the situation.

[89] I know I've run apostolets with Lighthouse Catholic media.

[90] hundreds of employees.

[91] Nobody, okay, you can't please everybody.

[92] And someone has to make the call at the top.

[93] And you did.

[94] So there you have it.

[95] You know, I have to say, though, that you're in good company.

[96] I think of, I think you had a quote here from one of your tweets about St. Athanasius in the fourth century.

[97] A lot of people didn't agree with him, John Fisher.

[98] There's just a slew of saints that don't say, you know, aren't politically correct.

[99] And, you know, you could have, you know, really, you could have just said, okay, I won't fire them, they got me, let the people that donations go to this and let this, you know, but no, because you have a responsibility as the shepherd of the flock to stand up for the flock.

[100] So I just want to say, I'm not money your members of the diocese of Tyler, but if I was, I would say, thank you for correcting this, because that's not why I give money to the diocese.

[101] And I regret that, you know, many people were hurt, lives were, you know, damaged because of all of that controversy.

[102] But I thought it was important because I love Christ.

[103] I love his church.

[104] I'm going to continue to be the best successor of the apostles I can.

[105] Yes.

[106] You know, I wanted to get that out of the way.

[107] Good.

[108] I'm glad you did.

[109] To get back to sharing the joyful.

[110] good news of Jesus Christ in a world that desperately needs his life.

[111] So we need to talk about truth, as we always do.

[112] It's the fabric that holds the universe together.

[113] And we think we can play God and play with the truth and twist it and reshape it.

[114] We better wake up because the world, and certainly the church should be leading the world in truth.

[115] The world's in peril right now.

[116] I mean, what we're seeing unfolding in these wars and the corruption involved in these wars and the wives being lost, all of that is devastating for the people of God.

[117] The church needs to embrace the sacred heart of Christ and his truth and regain her strength.

[118] And that's what we're going to talk about when we come back from the break, quoting scripture, you know, the Blessed Mother, detecting unborn.

[119] That's what we do here at the Bishop Strickman Hour.

[120] Stay with you.

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

[122] Welcome back to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[123] We're going to shift gears.

[124] Now, thank you so much, Bishop Strickland, for clarifying all those points.

[125] I think it was important, so when it does come up, at least they understand the situation.

[126] Bishop Strickland, going back to your tweets, you had lots of great tweets.

[127] I love this one.

[128] He said simply inspirational words that remind us to walk always with the Lord.

[129] He is the source of peace, love, and hope.

[130] And you just quoted this quote It said, in the midst of chaos.

[131] Well, that's us right now, the world, the church.

[132] In the midst of chaos, I will be peace.

[133] Our Lord, in the heart of anger, I will be love.

[134] In the presence of despair, I will be hope.

[135] Those are my assignments.

[136] Not imposed on me, but taken up willingly as a witness to what I believe is true for all of us.

[137] the circle of life needs and deserves peace love and hope our shared calling is to embrace that grace to live what we pray to be a blessing we ask of others now i don't know who said that but you know what mr strickland that inspired me as a matter of fact i go on mondays my holy hours from five fifteen in the morning until the seven o 'clock mass and i have a lot of i'm the only one in the church at that time the guy opens up the church and i took some of your material to reflect on the scriptures always but some of these sayings I thought thank you Jesus I know where to go to get my peace and it's the blessed sacrament you know so I just when you wrote that I thought people need to hear that because a lot of us right now see the chaos and we need to not get frustrated or we not get angry you know what we need to fall in love with Jesus and give everything to him so thank you for that tweet.

[138] Now, if I can throw another one at you.

[139] Another tweet.

[140] I love when you quote scripture.

[141] Please do it all the time.

[142] I just love because this is what inspires me and I know it inspires people.

[143] As a matter of fact, Bishop Strickland, scripture's been inspiring Catholics for centuries.

[144] So why, you know, when something ain't broken, don't fix it.

[145] Go back to the Word of God.

[146] Here's what you did on Corinthians chapter 3, verse 11 says but each one must be careful how he builds upon it for no one can lay a foundation other than the one that is there namely Jesus Christ I go ahead because that to me hit me in a very powerful way in a sense of saying we can't change truth it's all about Jesus Christ it's not about recycling it's not about you know being nice and friendly to everybody.

[147] That's part of it and recite, but what it really comes down to is the truth of Jesus Christ in life.

[148] Am I on to something?

[149] Absolutely.

[150] Jesus Christ is truth incarnate.

[151] And I think as you were talking about Eucharistic adoration, brings you peace.

[152] Same thing for me. It doesn't just bring peace, it brings strength.

[153] Oh, yeah, yeah.

[154] I've said that that is what fuels my life is my time with the Lord, because he's really there.

[155] And it reminds us, like you said, we all get frustrated.

[156] We all get down sometimes, but we should always know where do we turn for hope and light and peace and joy.

[157] And that's to Jesus Christ.

[158] He's here with us.

[159] And I pray that all the bishops of the world from Pope Francis, Bishop of Rome, all the way across the planet, every bishop grows in Eucharistic adoration and in praying because Jesus Christ's sacred heart is there.

[160] The teaching of the churches is the fullness of Christ is in any host, any substantial particle of the host.

[161] That's why we have to be so reverent when you receive him.

[162] You know, really, Terry, I think we need to double down on reverence for the Eucharist, reverence for our lives, the sanctity of life, reverence for the truth that God has given us.

[163] I'm just going to, you know, I become a broken record on a lot of things.

[164] Keep doing it.

[165] We need to hear it.

[166] But as we're talking and as I'm talking, maybe too much, but it's the truth.

[167] It's all about reverence.

[168] Yep.

[169] It's all about reverence for each other.

[170] I mean, through that lens, these wars that are destroying people, horrible.

[171] As war always does, it's a destructive force of evil that, you know, as I think it was George Patton said, war is hell.

[172] Yes, he did say that.

[173] It is a glimpse of hell.

[174] And people are right now, as we're speaking, Thankfully, yes, this nation has deep problems, but we're not experiencing the direct effect of war.

[175] We pray we never do, but who knows what the future holds.

[176] But as we're speaking, babies, little children, older women, young women, elderly men, all kinds of innocent, helpless people are suffering and dying in the fog of war, and the hell of war.

[177] And it's because of a lack of reverence.

[178] And I'm sure people would say, oh, this bishop's struggling.

[179] I'm so tired of him.

[180] But if you really think logically, which we don't tend to do a lot of in the world today, if you're not reverent to God, if you're not reverent to creation that God has given us, if you're not reverent to your neighbor, I mean, it goes back to what Christ is, us.

[181] Love God with your heart, your old heart, mind, and soul, and love your neighbor as you love yourself.

[182] Love is reverence.

[183] Real love is a deep reverence that always holds the truth.

[184] I mean, that's what reverence is about.

[185] And so I think we need to continually call people back to reverence in every form that we can embrace a more reverent life.

[186] First, As the commandment say that come from the Old Testament that Christ quoted, love your neighbor as you love yourself.

[187] In a lot of what's broken in our world, that lack of understanding love impacts how we feel about ourselves.

[188] If we're just this entity of feelings, then we're not really loving ourselves and we're in trouble.

[189] And that's, the world is teaching us not to truly love ourselves, not to demand something of ourselves, not to have reverence for our bodies.

[190] I mean, I know both of us get exercise that isn't always fun, but you feel better after you've done it.

[191] Amen.

[192] And your body, it's a reverence to our body.

[193] spiritual exercises, physical exercises, it's about the truth that we are a sacred vessel of the Holy Spirit.

[194] We're in a time of foolishness and of really diabolical distortion that's saying what was true suddenly is changing.

[195] And they're literally campaigns to change the truth.

[196] as I've said before it's not going to change no matter how much we campaign and write documents and write new laws and reshape the world and say okay truth has changed it hasn't it won't it can't because truth is a living reality that comes from God truth incarnate is Jesus Christ he came to walk this earth to wake us up to what real truth is sadly we're in a time of not being awake to that truth and we need to wake up.

[197] We need to be aware.

[198] Thankfully, many people are, but we've got to continue to call every person to embrace the truth that starts with a God who loves us so much.

[199] He has revealed himself through the Hebrew story of the Old Testament and through his son in the New Testament.

[200] Well, said, affirms what Cardinal Sirrah said and you tweeted his statement because I really believe this crisis, as he says, and this is a rare intervention, his eminence, Robert Cardinal Sirrah, has said that the crisis of the church has entered a new phase.

[201] He said, the crisis of the Magisterium.

[202] And I think he's spot on when we think about our bishops.

[203] That's why we need to be praying for our bishops, our cardinals, the Holy Father, because there is a crisis because let's be honest we're hearing things from bishops and cardinals and they're saying things that are contrary to what the word of god says so that's a crisis and we need as lay people like we did last night get down on our knees and pray for them and for our leaders because i think cardinal sarah nailed it when he said it's a crisis of the magistrarium your thoughts i totally agree and that's why I shared that in a tweet because if the leaders are weak and silent too often and not joyfully and vigorously proclaiming the truth of Christ and too much of that is just the reality that the bishops of the church are not strong and united and proclaiming the message of Jesus Christ imagine and we just had last week the USCB meeting, the United States bishops.

[204] I was in Baltimore.

[205] I didn't go to the meeting, but I was there.

[206] And imagine if that group of bishops had all said that we need to, all the questions from the Senate have been answered, we need to proclaim the clear message of Jesus Christ, truth incarnate, and gone through the list of, like I've tried to do with the letters that I wrote recently, these are basic truths.

[207] If the bishops had united and said, we want to make a simple, clear statement unanimously that this is the truth that guides us, truth incarnate that is Jesus Christ.

[208] What an impact that would have on the world.

[209] But sadly, that's not where they are.

[210] And frankly, that's why I was removed.

[211] from Tyler, and I'm not there at the meeting because, sadly, they don't seem to want the truth.

[212] They want a different program.

[213] And there is no different program.

[214] So we've got to pray for Pope Francis and all the bishops and pray for me. I'm a sinner.

[215] I make mistakes.

[216] I fail and fail, but I get up again.

[217] I repent of my sins.

[218] I ask God's forgiveness.

[219] That's the beauty of our faith.

[220] That's right.

[221] A lot of a lot of the world is unforgiving.

[222] Jesus Christ, just in a recent gospel, he said, if your friend offends you seven times in a day, forgive them seven times in a day.

[223] That is the model that God gives us.

[224] What a different world it would be if I'm sure that you and your beloved spouse, your wife, are constantly forgiving each other.

[225] Of course.

[226] Probably many times more than seven times a day.

[227] Amen.

[228] But that's what love does.

[229] Absolutely.

[230] God is always, I mean, that's the beauty of Jesus' challenge to the apostles and to us to forgive is God's always ready.

[231] If we will just humbly acknowledge, forgive me, Father, for I have sinned, he forgives us the instant we ask forgiveness.

[232] And we need to trust in that powerful love that is in incarnate in Jesus Christ.

[233] I think of the gospel that says, repent and believe in the gospel.

[234] That's a clarion call from our Lord, and it's with us also.

[235] Stay with us, family.

[236] We'll be right now.

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

[238] Bishop Strickland, I'm going to be bold on the air.

[239] You can correct me right on the air if I make a mistake here.

[240] But last night, we had a good group of people praying and making, we had a mass, we had a holy hour, prayers before the Blessed sacrament.

[241] We took this out and put it on the internet, so we live streamed it.

[242] And we showed your video from Tyler a couple, six weeks ago, where you gave these letters that you just talked about and you summarized basically what we call deposit of faith, what the church has always taught on these issues.

[243] And I'm going to be bold enough just to ask people if they want to do that at their parish and make once a month a holy hour for praying for our Holy Father, for the bishops and for our church, and playing that one -hour video, I'm happy to make it available to any of our listeners.

[244] And I think it would be good because Bishop Strickland, these letters, they can read them, but a lot of times people don't read.

[245] But I thought the way you presented it in a very passionate manner that Catholics need to know their faith well to survive.

[246] So I'm going to make that suggestion.

[247] Are you okay if I give that out to anyone who wants it?

[248] and, you know, we'd just be praying for the bishops and the pope and learn our faith.

[249] Does that make sense to you?

[250] Absolutely.

[251] And Terry, let me mention, because I've had some question, because of the changes, my personal website is down right now.

[252] Okay.

[253] But I'm actually meeting tomorrow with the company to get it back up online because, you know, it had been associated with the Diocese of Tyler website.

[254] And so it's separating from that.

[255] Now, I wanted to mention to people, Bishop Strickland .com will come back.

[256] Good.

[257] Excellent.

[258] Yeah, it's just a matter of time.

[259] So be patient with us.

[260] All right.

[261] Well, that's very, very good.

[262] Bishop Strickland, I love it, like I say, when you quote scripture for tweets, because it really helps us understand.

[263] And this is God's word to us.

[264] And you quoted Colossians 316, which is a very famous verse.

[265] It says, let the word of Christ, rich as it is, dwell in you.

[266] In wisdom made perfect, instruct, admonish one another, sing gratefully to God from your hearts in psalms, hymns, and inspired songs.

[267] And then you said, so important, Christ's words, is meant to dwell.

[268] in us and transform us.

[269] I think that message needs to be heard loud and clear that we're going to become like St. Paul, imitators of Christ.

[270] We're imitating.

[271] We are other Christ to the world if we give our life to Christ and dwell in his wisdom.

[272] So I think this scripture, you could preach an hour on this.

[273] Absolutely.

[274] And it's really, Terry, I think probably my best tweets are are the word of God because it's from God and it's ancient and it's profound truth.

[275] That's what we've got to keep going back to.

[276] You know, one of the things we were talking earlier about, you're artistic adoration.

[277] Yes.

[278] And as I'm reading the Bible in a year with all the activity lately, I'm a little bit behind.

[279] But when I read these old.

[280] Testament and New Testament passages in the Bible in a year from the Augustine Institute.

[281] That's the version I'm using.

[282] I've really enjoyed it.

[283] And I asked the Lord to help me hear him.

[284] And like recently, it really struck me the beauty.

[285] I mean, the book of the Prophet Ezekiel, that's what I've been reading through.

[286] And now it's in Daniel.

[287] But this was in the Prophet Ezekiel.

[288] And the prophet, you know, there's a lot of apocalyptic imagery in Ezekiel.

[289] But this passage was about encountering the glory of God.

[290] And it was just inspiring and beautiful.

[291] And I think we need to remember in our kind of jaded modern world, where sadly, even people who call themselves Catholic don't live as if and don't act as if the super, true is deep and real among us.

[292] I mean, that's why, that's the only way that people can go to mass on a regular basis and not believe in transubstantiation, not believe that bread and wine becomes the body of blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ.

[293] If that isn't supernatural, what is?

[294] And we have that at our fingertips.

[295] I mean, it's such a humbling gift for me as a priest to stand at whatever altar, whether the most beautiful marble carved and gorgeous or the simplest wooden altar that is nondescript and isn't really a piece of art, but it is sacred.

[296] But to stand there and to take bread and wine that become the Lord, of the universe held in my hand, that is, that should nurture our supernatural faith.

[297] And it should deepen our reverence, like I was saying earlier.

[298] But the word of God is living and active.

[299] It is, as St. Paul says, a two -ed sword that separates the garbage in our world, the division and the harm and the corruption that is so deep.

[300] Sadly, in the church and in the world, in our nations, and it pervades the world, this corruption of people thinking they can fool God.

[301] They can fool me. I can be fooled easily, sadly.

[302] But when I wake up to the truth, I've got to stand up and say, no, this is false.

[303] There are too many people being swept away by powers of this world.

[304] that are spewing false messages, and people are just saying, oh, well, I guess his truth has changed.

[305] Truth doesn't change.

[306] And like you were saying with Eucharistic adoration, when you know Christ, he doesn't change.

[307] He doesn't morph into some other being.

[308] You just go deeper into his sacred heart, and you know his truth more and more profoundly.

[309] The beauty of scripture that I know we both know, And anyone who knows scripture, these readings we read over and over and over again.

[310] And there always is a living word of wisdom that we can hear that we didn't hear the same way a year ago or a month ago.

[311] That's the beauty because it's a living word.

[312] It's God's sharing his truth with us.

[313] We have to reverence and treasure that truth.

[314] Well, said, amen, amen, I say unto you.

[315] Bishop Strickland, you always defend life.

[316] I want to say this.

[317] We don't do a show without talking about it.

[318] You already did a little bit about the world of killing the unborn, the longborn, the elderly.

[319] And it just seems that I know you tweeted about Ohio and a sad case with Ohio that they voted not for the support of life, but the support of death.

[320] But I just want to ask you, just give us some words of encouragement to fight.

[321] continue to fight for life because right now we have a government that's hell -bent on killing the unborn.

[322] We have a government who's all mixed up, can't even define a woman or a man. And I just want to ask you to, I know with our 40 days for life, we had a big group out there just today.

[323] I went by to see that people are standing up.

[324] So what would you say to encourage them to continue to fight even among the losses we've had?

[325] well we have to continue we have to continue to proclaim the sanctity of life and and i guess what comes to me as you ask that question one more time what do we do how do we do this i think it's a matter of like i said a moment ago referencing our own lives realizing that every day is precious we should awaken in the morning and say, thank you, Lord, for giving me another day.

[326] Help me to use this time.

[327] One of the greatest treasures that we have is simply the time to live another day.

[328] And to recognize we innately know that that's sacred.

[329] I mean, people can get depressed and they could get confused and they could get on the wrong track and be living in darkness.

[330] And sadly, that does happen.

[331] But our natural state is to be old.

[332] that life is a gift.

[333] And when we recognize that gift in our own lives, it should inspire us to recognize wherever God has said, let there be life.

[334] We should reverence that.

[335] We should rejoice in that when it's new life in the womb of a woman in whatever the circumstances.

[336] If we have that perspective, then there's never an opportunity that says, well, because of these circumstances, that life has no value or that life can be disposed of.

[337] Because the beautiful thing about how God has created this universe and placed us in it, created in its image and likeness, the beauty there is that with every time he says, let there be life.

[338] As he said, when Terry Barber was conceived in the womb of his mother, when Joe Strickland was conceived in the womb of my mother, God said, let there be life.

[339] And that is always the greatest hope for the future that humanity has.

[340] That another person is coming to the world.

[341] All of us called to be saints.

[342] And we can look to the past to see the wonderful saints.

[343] When they were born, their parents had no idea.

[344] what they would accomplish, they hoped, and they prayed, and they guided, and that child became a great saint, like, should be one day canonized Fulton Sheen, or Aquinas, or Catherine of Siena, or St. Teresa of Calcutta, or, you know, the litany is so long, we could use the rest of this time and not even come close to exhausting the list of wonderful people.

[345] That's what we need to remember.

[346] That's what we're defending.

[347] When defending of that, the life of that child, we have no idea what their future could hold if we allow them to live because God said let there be life.

[348] We've got to energetically, joyfully, and forcefully proclaim that sanctity until our dying breath.

[349] Amen.

[350] When we come back, I've got a story about that.

[351] Stay with us.

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

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

[354] Welcome back to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[355] The good bishop, you were just talking about defending life and we don't know what is going to happen to that child.

[356] You know, that is going to be born if we actually terminate and kill the baby.

[357] We don't know what's going to happen.

[358] Well, I think I shared this story on the Terry and Jesse show, and I might have shared it with you, Bishop, because I tell a lot of lot of stories to a lot of different people and I forget who I spoke to him.

[359] You might have that problem too.

[360] But did I tell you that I watched the presidential debates and the governor of Florida talked about a woman that was in Africa who was told, hey, you can't have this baby because you don't have resources to support it.

[361] The doctor says, you know, we can terminate the baby right now for you.

[362] And the mother's decided to, no, I'm going to keep the baby.

[363] I mean, I've got provide.

[364] So this baby migrates with mom to Florida.

[365] She gets an education.

[366] She becomes an attorney in Florida.

[367] God bless her.

[368] She got educated.

[369] And then he says something that this blew me away.

[370] He said and I had the honor of nominating her on the Supreme Court for Florida last September.

[371] And I thought, wow, what a great story.

[372] So forgive me if I'm being redundant, but I think that story deserves to be retold.

[373] It does.

[374] Those are the kinds of things that we need to be aware of, and people need to open their eyes to.

[375] God has wondrous plans for us.

[376] He is love, and he's constantly giving us opportunities to grow in his love.

[377] But he doesn't force us.

[378] As Christ didn't force the followers to stay with him, the Gospels described, many walked away, especially as he talked about the Eucharist.

[379] They just said it was too much.

[380] People through the ages have been free to walk away, to say they don't even believe in God.

[381] I mean, the arrogance of that, that with the breath that God gives us, people say, oh, I don't believe there is a God.

[382] I honestly don't think many people really mean that.

[383] It's just that they are, you know, caught up in the world.

[384] But anyway, I think we need to always remember how precious we are and how precious the other person is.

[385] And that's all about the sanctity of life.

[386] That's all about what we talk about all the time.

[387] And really, the truth that guides us, it's.

[388] I think we need to wake up to just how significant it is when we deny the truth.

[389] Yes.

[390] Back to the Second World War.

[391] That was a time, of course, before we were born, but it was a time of, I'm sure a lot of people thought is the world ending.

[392] Because evil had been unleashed.

[393] And what was that, what was the core unleashing of that evil?

[394] It was the denying of the truth of the value of every person.

[395] Yep.

[396] And a certain regime out of Germany, German people are wonderful people.

[397] I mean, evil can come out of anywhere.

[398] But the Nazi regime that came forth in that time, it was evil because it denied the sanctity of the life of, of Jews and of Catholics and of many people, many different groups, they wanted to purify a race according to their image and according to their plan.

[399] And we're seeing too much, too many echoes of that in the world today with people saying, we've got the plan to save humanity.

[400] Ignore God, we'll do it.

[401] And that always becomes a sinister plan because of our weak, feeble humanity, when we disengage from God, we lose the strength of our humanity.

[402] And too often, we begin to lose humanity itself.

[403] We become worse than animals, because at least animals don't have free will.

[404] But we misuse our free will to turn ourselves into animals that are denying our own value, the value of others, and reverence for God.

[405] So we've got to be aware of how important the truth really is.

[406] It really is what holds the fabric of the universe together.

[407] Well, said, I was thinking of the truth that's what sets us free.

[408] And Bishop Strickland, you always talk about our lady.

[409] I was very impressed with all the people have seen the interviews on Raymond and Royal.

[410] I would recommend people go to EWT and watch that interview you had with Raymond.

[411] But I want to just say that when you talk about Our Lady, you always talk about the sacred heart of Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

[412] And it's just what St. Louis DeMontford talked about, St. Maximilian Colby.

[413] And so can you talk a little bit why there's benefits?

[414] because I know I'm consecrated to Our Lady, and I can talk for hours on this topic, but I want to ask you, why do you recommend people consecrating themselves to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary?

[415] Really, Terry, I think that I'm glad you've asked that, because we really need to continue to return to that great mystery.

[416] And what comes to me, as you ask that question, is the love, the powerful love between Jesus Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary, the love of a mother for her son, the love of a son for his mother.

[417] and that love is really part of the dynamic fabric of truth that holds the world together because that love between Jesus, the son of God, and Mary, his immaculate mother, as powerful as the love that both of us had for our mothers, and our mothers had for us, Really, Terry, I don't know that much about your background.

[418] You don't know that too much about mine.

[419] But I can guarantee you we had mothers who truly loved us.

[420] I agree.

[421] Because we wouldn't be as sinful and as weak as I am, but we wouldn't be men of faith.

[422] That's right, without my mother.

[423] I know the truth.

[424] I agree.

[425] Men willing to sacrifice the truth.

[426] If we hadn't learned, in the first things we learned, being loved by a mother and a father.

[427] But that love between a mother and a son is beautifully modeled in divine love, in supernatural love that is beyond our imagine.

[428] And I guess that's why I keep emphasizing, as the great saints have emphasized, go to the sacred heart of Christ through the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

[429] because when we do it that way, there's always the tendency.

[430] I was just working with a man in my last days as Bishop of Tyler who is converting to the Catholic faith.

[431] Awesome.

[432] And as I told him, he's a very intellectual man. He loves to read.

[433] Many people come to the faith through the intellect, through learning the truth.

[434] It's critically important, but I encouraged him not to go ahead and become Catholic until he had developed more of the love side, I would say, more of the love of the faith, more of a relationship with Jesus Christ and his mother.

[435] And through the community of faith.

[436] So it needs to be both and love.

[437] And love.

[438] Both are God is fully love.

[439] God is fully truth.

[440] God is amazingly love and truth.

[441] His son is truth incarnate and love incarnate.

[442] That love between Jesus and Mary, that is what all of us have to constantly go back to.

[443] And it's through a human woman protected from sin by the Holy Spirit, immaculately conceived, but a real human woman who is like us in all things, things but sin, as her son is, Mary models how we live and how we love and how it works.

[444] So that's why it's important, I think, not to just intellectually embrace the sacred heart of Christ, but to embrace it through the love of his mother, through love to embrace his sacred heart, because that strengthens.

[445] And that makes the joy of knowing the truth and the joy of intellectually reflecting on and learning that truth more deeply, it just makes it a truly joyful journey into the heart of God, into the heart of Jesus and His Father and Spirit.

[446] The wonder of God is truth and love.

[447] So, thank you.

[448] I'll give a long answer to you.

[449] Oh, no, it was a great answer.

[450] And we only have a couple minutes left, but, you know, this is November 20th that we're recording this broadcast and it's going to play tomorrow after the Terry and Jesse show, the 21st.

[451] That's the week that we are going to celebrate Christ the king.

[452] The end of the liturgical calendar for these last two minutes, let's talk about the kingship of Jesus Christ.

[453] Well, absolutely.

[454] And one song that comes to mind as you say that, Terry, the king of love, my shepherd is, the simple song, But it expresses a profound and beautiful truth.

[455] He is the king of love.

[456] Yes.

[457] He is king of the universe.

[458] And it's a beautiful solemnity that we celebrate in the life of the church.

[459] And in the old Latin Mass calendar, it was at the end of October.

[460] But now it's somewhere close to the end of November.

[461] This year, a little bit earlier than some years.

[462] but we celebrate Christ the king.

[463] a helpless, a Minnesota, St. Paul, non -profit organization chaired by Father - and Volunteers is humbled by to hit a button so your kind support to help.

[464] Here comes.

[465] Go ahead.

[466] Talk about the sacred heart.

[467] Sorry about that.

[468] But this Jesus Christ, the king.

[469] Yes.

[470] The king of love, he is love incarnate.

[471] And so as we celebrate Christ, the king, I encourage everyone to think about all the facets of the kingship of Christ.

[472] He's a man who lived in this world who had no crown except a crown of thorns and suffering, a crown of hiddenness, a crown of insignificance.

[473] But he's king of the universe even as he walks among us.

[474] So hopefully this celebration of Christ, the king, will be powerful for all of us to deepen our love for the sacred heart of Jesus.

[475] Well, and how about a blessing, Father, Bishop, Ricklin.

[476] Almighty God, we ask your blessing for all listening to Virgin Most Powerful Radio, for all the work that they do, for all the work we all strive to do, to share and live the truth that you are.

[477] Guide us in Thanksgiving as we approach the holiday to rejoice in your son always, blessing us, guiding us to you, guiding us in your spirit with the Immaculate Virgin Mary interceding, along with all.

[478] the saints that we may grow in the love and life that you offer us, the Father, the Son, and the Spirit.

[479] And the matter of the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit.

[480] Amen.

[481] Thank you so much, Bishop Strickland.

[482] May you have a great Thanksgiving weekend with your family and all of our listeners.

[483] Spend timing with our families.

[484] It's a wonderful time.

[485] Thank God.

[486] May God bless you, folks.

[487] We'll be back again tomorrow.