18 Aug 2020 – The Fifth Commandment

[0] Welcome to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[1] I told the Bishop, I'm all excited.

[2] We're going to be talking about the Fifth Commandment.

[3] Why am I excited about this, folks?

[4] Because I just love reviewing my Catholic faith and going in deeper into my faith.

[5] And this is what Bishop Strickland does.

[6] He teaches us the faith.

[7] It's not his personal opinion.

[8] It's what Holy Mother teaches.

[9] And I just, I'm so excited about that.

[10] Also, we're going to be covered.

[11] on that Fifth Commandment, things like legitimate defense, abortion, youth and age, all these different issues when it comes to the Fifth Commandment.

[12] But Bishop Strickland, so glad to see you again.

[13] How are you doing today?

[14] Good.

[15] Good to see you.

[16] Thanks.

[17] Nice and hot in Texas.

[18] Oh, well, it's nice and cool in California for a change.

[19] We got a cool trend coming.

[20] Bishop Strickland, you send out tweets and I want people to know how they can get tweets from you.

[21] But every time I get these tweets, I go, yeah, I'm glad you did that.

[22] You did a tweet last week that said, to help Catholics, because we've got a major election coming up in 90 -some days, and, you know, we're not telling people how to vote.

[23] We tell them to vote with your Catholic conscience, but you said this, Catholics, and I love when you said, please vote, thank you, with a well -formed conscience and choose candidates who will respect life, morality, marriage, family, and our basic freedoms.

[24] it's critical that we keep eternal truths at the forefront as we vote study the issues choose the candidates and respect our faith Bishop Strickland you did this is this because we do have an election coming are you trying to help people to vote with a Catholic conscience is that the idea?

[25] That's the idea and Bishop Strickland you're not telling people how to vote you're just telling them to vote with your Catholic morality, basically.

[26] That's the key.

[27] Is that right?

[28] Absolutely.

[29] Honestly, to, I mean, there's no perfect party or candidate.

[30] No way.

[31] Nope.

[32] They're all, we're all imperfect, but so it's challenging to, you know, to find the candidate that fits all the criteria, you know, is, it's tough.

[33] I honest, I understand that.

[34] And I can imagine.

[35] Imagine a lot of people just reading that tweet would say, well, how do you find one?

[36] How do you find a candidate that is about the sanctity of life, is about the proper morality issues, knows what marriage is, according to Catholic teaching?

[37] All those basic issues, where do you find the candidates that really fit those criteria?

[38] But I think really we can sort of turn it around, Terry, say let's demand that criteria.

[39] and let candidates know they're not going to get our vote until they start measuring up to some of these things.

[40] Amen.

[41] I think, you know, people talk about the Catholic vote, but it is as fractured as anything else in the world today.

[42] I mean, there are too many people that just say they're going to vote for a candidate that obviously denies a lot of the basic teachings of the faith.

[43] Sometimes those candidates may be nominally Catholic, but if they're saying they're going to support abortion and they're going to work to further the work of Planned Parenthood, you know, that's a real dissonance.

[44] On my website, I have five posts that talk about coherent Catholic citizenship, or we could even say just Christian citizenship, because I'm in a very non -Catholic area.

[45] But thankfully, many of our Christian brothers and sisters of other Christian churches are very much with us on the basic issues of what is the family, what is life, what is marriage.

[46] And those are the kinds of questions that I think we really need to look at.

[47] It's about living our Catholic faith in every aspect of society, in business, in schools, in the marketplace.

[48] And not just too many want to limit, you know, living your faith to, well, this is where you choose to go and worship on Sunday.

[49] But beyond that, it's like leave religion out of it.

[50] We believe that our relationship with God through His son, Jesus Christ, is, touches everything.

[51] Touches everything we do.

[52] And that's how we need to vote.

[53] We need to vote in a coherent way.

[54] and not just say, oh, well, I like this thing that this candidate does, but, you know, he's pro -abortion, but that doesn't matter because he's, you know, supporting this labor law or whatever it is.

[55] And that's not coherent, and it's not Catholic.

[56] Amen, and I'm not Catholic, and I say amen when I hear a preacher preaching it.

[57] Bishop Strickland, I was taught by Mont Senior William Smith, the moral theologian in New York as a youngster, and he said that you want to look at the analogy of a football game.

[58] I love analogies.

[59] And he said, who's going to move the football closer to the foot first time?

[60] Because Jesus and Mary are not running, and St. Joseph isn't either.

[61] So you've got to look at, you can't have a perfect candidate like you just said.

[62] So we have to look at that as who's going to do the best for our moral teachings of our faith.

[63] Bishop Strickland, these are times that are tough right now with people being scared about the COVID -19.

[64] and I love your tweet because we had a psychiatrist who happens to work in the diocese of Orange County for the bishop's office for exorcisms because he's the doctor who checks out to see what's valid and what's not and he did an hour show on how to overcome fear for COVID -19 because so many people are just way out of control with fear and your tweet had the same thing with St. Paul's answer to his question in Romans, What can separate us from the love of Christ?

[65] Nothing.

[66] And then you said it reminds me of, and I said the same thing.

[67] St. Teresa Vavrilous Prayer.

[68] Let nothing disturb me. Let nothing bother you.

[69] All things are changing.

[70] All things change except God.

[71] So there's lots that can disturb us these days.

[72] But I love what you said.

[73] Let us remember this powerful message of faith where St. Paul tells us what can separate us from the love of Christ?

[74] Nothing.

[75] So I just want to say thank you because that reassured me. me in a very weird time of my life.

[76] I've never seen so much fear out on the streets.

[77] Have you Bishop Strickland?

[78] Have you seen this much?

[79] And I think that we really do need to pay attention to that because I've been meeting with our deaneries.

[80] We have seven deaneries in our diocese and I've been meeting with each of the deaneries of the priests, you know, talking about that.

[81] And I said, I think as pastors, we need to be aware.

[82] Some people are, are pretty much in your face, saying, Father, I'm scared, and they're nervous, and they're not coming to church and all sorts of things.

[83] But I think there's a fear level that's just under the surface for a lot of people, grandparents and parents and teenagers and 20 -somethings.

[84] I mean, I think it's across the board, and I think we need to pay attention to that.

[85] And what I preached on St. Paul's message that there's nothing to fear.

[86] I love St. Teresa Valfour.

[87] especially the Spanish, not it de tourbet, let nothing disturb you.

[88] But what I tried to emphasize is, absolutely, St. Paul is right.

[89] But I think we have to be very sober and alert to the reality that my sin can and does separate me. Not permanently, I can repent, and the Lord's mercy is always there.

[90] But I think we need to highlight that.

[91] that no outside force, no government system, no power on earth can separate us from the love of Christ.

[92] But the irony is, we can do it ourselves.

[93] And sadly, too many people do exactly that.

[94] They choose to walk away from God and his love.

[95] They walk away from his son.

[96] They walk away from their Catholic faith.

[97] Or they just walk away from the Christian message.

[98] itself.

[99] And I think that, so it is a sobering reminder to me that no outside power, no power on earth.

[100] I mean, the great martyr saints are reminders of that, that no power on earth can take, can force us to separate ourselves from Christ, but we can make that choice ourselves.

[101] And I think that's where the fear needs to be engaged and the light of Christ needs to shine on that darkness.

[102] Well, said, and when you were speaking, I think of, I give people this advice because it was given to me. Everything I know, I was taught, okay?

[103] I didn't come up with it.

[104] I've just learned from good people.

[105] And they said, during the day, say this little prayer, Jesus, I trust in thee.

[106] And many times throughout the day, you know, just say these little prayers.

[107] I have one that I say, you know, we give thee thanks, almighty, all mercy.

[108] and all loving God for all the blessings that I have received from thy bounty through Christ our Lord amen I say this 50 times a day you know why I have an attitude of gratitude then because I'm thanking Jesus even when people do stuff to me that I like oh my gosh that was so bad but you know what offer it up Terry we give me thanks you know praise God even when things aren't very good I have I want to just give an attitude of gratitude out there Bishop Strickland there's another tweet that you did last week that I really liked, and it was obviously from Fulton J. Sheen.

[109] And it's a tweet that Bishop Sheen said, well, his statement, he says, the secret to my preaching is that I have never in 50 years of years missed spending an hour in the presence of our Lord and the Blessed Sacrament.

[110] That's where the power comes from.

[111] That's where sermons are born.

[112] That's where every good thought is conceived.

[113] And you put a little tweet out and says, I'm fully embrace Bishop Sheen.

[114] These are wise words.

[115] And Jesus is where the power comes from.

[116] If he can use my meager gifts, he can use every priest.

[117] Dear priest, you made a plea.

[118] Please spend time with Jesus.

[119] He will do his work through you.

[120] Bishop Strickland, I think that's very good advice, not just to priests, but to all of us.

[121] I want to thank you for that tweet.

[122] Absolutely.

[123] Well, and I like to emphasize we're a priestly people.

[124] I mean you you were baptized priests, prophet, and king just like I was.

[125] Yep.

[126] The ordained priesthood is beautiful and it should be a life totally dedicated to being a priest of Jesus Christ.

[127] But you're a priestly man and I think that's important women and men.

[128] Amen.

[129] We're going to come right back to the Bishop Strickland hour.

[130] We'll be right back.

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[144] Keep the faith.

[145] Jesus said in Luke 17, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, we are unprofitable servants.

[146] We have only done our duty.

[147] According to St. John of the Cross, God is pleased with the little deeds we do in secret.

[148] He takes more pleasure in these than in a multitude of grand works that we may do out of the desire to be seen by others.

[149] May God help us to do the things that please him and not just to appear great in the eyes of others.

[150] This is Terry Barber.

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[157] Thank you so much for your support.

[158] Welcome back to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[159] We were just talking about the value of visits to the Blessed Sacrament for not just priests, but for everyone.

[160] And I repeat the Second Vatican Council calls the Eucharist, the source and summit of the Christian life.

[161] So Bishop Strickland, you nailed it when you sent that tweet out about devotion and spending time before the Blessed Susset.

[162] sacrament.

[163] Okay, well, Bishop Strickland, now we're going to move on to the Fifth Commandment, and I love it because I read this whole chapter to prepare for the show, and I'm like, wow, man, there's a lot of meat in here.

[164] Where do we begin?

[165] So before I even ask you a question, where would you like to begin, because it says the idea that you shall not kill, I understand murder, you know, innocent life.

[166] I get that, but thou shall not kill.

[167] What would where would you like to start with because there's a lot in this commandment?

[168] Well, there is.

[169] I mean, we could have several hours talking just about this.

[170] It's one of the critical issues because I think too many in today's modern world, we've forgotten the value of human life.

[171] And that's what this is getting at.

[172] I mean, God taught us from the time of the Hebrews that thou shalt not kill.

[173] It's about as basic as it gets.

[174] So, you know, it'd be dangerous.

[175] I mean, it's dangerous to ask me questions like this because really where I would like to start is where life starts.

[176] Good.

[177] At conception.

[178] And we live in a culture where killing takes place even at that point.

[179] And I mean, we could, like I said, we could spend a lot of hours on this.

[180] But I think it's important because what this commandment underlying it is the belief that we are created and given life by God and by God alone.

[181] And if we embrace that, then we just keep embracing a deeper truth about the value of human life.

[182] But I think it at its very foundation, going about, we love to talk about the fundamentals.

[183] Yes.

[184] The most fundamental basic truth about life is that it is a gift from God.

[185] We exist as expressions of God's love.

[186] And if we embrace that, if we say, yes, I believe that.

[187] Check that off.

[188] I believe that every human person exists as an expression of God.

[189] God's love, then we have to really work in our culture to share that good news and to help people realize that even contraception is rooted in a lack of value of human life and a real appreciation that we're not God, we're not in charge, we're not granters of human life where we choose, it's where God chooses to allow that life to flourish.

[190] And so I think we need to, I mean, you asked, where do we start?

[191] Yes.

[192] I think that's where we start.

[193] Well, Bishop Strickland, you made me think of a book that I read called 99 ways to close an abortion clinic by Joe Scheidler.

[194] And he made the analogy of a farmer.

[195] And a farmer has lots of duties to take care of.

[196] He's got the field and the farm with the chickens.

[197] He's got, you know, corn, He's got all kinds of vegetables he's got to take care of.

[198] But when the actual farm, the house is on fire, do you think he's going to keep watering the cornfields?

[199] No, he's going to take all the resources, and he's going to go and put the fire out where the farmhouse is on fire.

[200] And I think it's a fair analogy to say abortion.

[201] I'm glad you started with that.

[202] I mean, we have millions of babies being aborted, just even in our own country, but worldwide.

[203] It is the issue, because without, life you have none of the other issues so I thank you for that now Bishop Strickland one of the things that in the catechism it talks about paragraph 2263 talks about legitimate defense of persons and societies is not an exception to the prohibition against the murder of innocent that constitute intentional killing he says the act of self -defense can have a double effect the preservation of one's own life and the killing of the aggressor the one is intended and the other is not.

[204] Can you kind of, I mean, break that down for us.

[205] I mean, is that like if somebody's coming into the barber house and he's going to try and kill my wife and kids, I'm going to use proportionate measures to stop him.

[206] Is that a fair statement?

[207] Absolutely.

[208] And I think it really, it needs to be emphasized that real respect for life means that you have an obligation.

[209] to defend yourself and to defend those who can't defend themselves that you may be able to defend.

[210] Because an aggressor against someone's life is they're the ones violating the law of God.

[211] If someone is threatening your life, then the violation of the law of God has already happened And it's on their part.

[212] Certainly, as you said, it has to be a proportionate response.

[213] But in that you could talk about it on the individual level, and then it expands to a community and even a nation.

[214] There's a legitimate self -defense that really isn't, well, if you, I mean, you really have a moral obligation to defend your own life, because it's not your, in a sense.

[215] It's a gift from God.

[216] It's a precious gift that they can't just be lightly let go up.

[217] And certainly you get into the idea of martyrs and the idea of people who are heroically sacrificed their own life, which basically in one form or another, it becomes martyrdom if it is morally on the right path when someone is willing They don't want to die, and they're not just throwing their life away, but they're willing to put their own life at risk for another.

[218] I mean, that's what Christ did.

[219] I mean, Christ gave his life for us, and we certainly know he didn't squander his life.

[220] He didn't lightly let it go, but he was willing to let it go for a greater good.

[221] And that, you know, so all of it's bound up together.

[222] I mean, like I said, I mean, thou shalt not kill.

[223] It's only four words, but there are volumes that you can discuss about that basic commandment.

[224] Well, said, and you summarize paragraph 2265 that points out legitimate defense can be not only a right but a grave duty for one who's responsible for the lives of others.

[225] And it goes on just what you just said.

[226] so you're this is not Bishop Strickland's personal opinion folks this is what the Catholic Church teaches Bishop Strickland I want to move on to another topic and I know that you know the catechism paragraph 2271 also talks that the church has been consistent on the life issue from the very beginning so I just want to make people realize that and Bishop Strickland correct me if I'm wrong but I hear people say well the church can change its teaching on abortion Can you clarify and tell them that that's not true?

[227] That's not true.

[228] Yeah, that's not true.

[229] But we hear that.

[230] Somehow we're going to have a development on that.

[231] Yeah.

[232] And there are a lot of, I mean, I love your question, Terry, because I think it's one of the fallacies that I think is very common, even in the Catholic world.

[233] Yeah.

[234] It's almost like it's just this.

[235] Catholic plan, that it's sort of a Catholic formula that we can alter if we want to.

[236] The reality, we believe, we know that God has revealed truth to us.

[237] Ultimately, his greatest revelation is through his son.

[238] Amen.

[239] But revelation, all of scripture and tradition come together in the Catholic Church to reveal to us truth that is not a Catholic invention.

[240] It's not just a Catholic formula.

[241] It's not like, well, that's Catholic truth.

[242] And then you've got other denominations of truth and you got atheist truth.

[243] I mean, there's one truth.

[244] Amen.

[245] And that is what should guide all of God's people.

[246] So to me, that's the very foundation of the Catholic Church can't change its teaching because it's called to teach the truth, and the truth isn't going to change.

[247] God is truth.

[248] God, Jesus is truth incarnate, and that truth doesn't change.

[249] I mean, God can't change by definition.

[250] He's eternal truth.

[251] And that's, again, going back to like we talked about, life, if you don't have that belief that life comes from God, then the relative is, of life, it's logical.

[252] It makes sense.

[253] If life doesn't come from a divine being, it doesn't come from God, then you can say, well, yeah, it's just something to be manipulated then.

[254] But if you believe it comes from God, then it has to be held sacred.

[255] And it all starts to fit together the same basic truth.

[256] God is eternal truth.

[257] And the truth that he has shared with us is, I mean, I think one of the best things that we all need to reflect on is that what you know, and you know a lot more than I do, but what I know and what you know all put together is a drop in the bucket compared to God.

[258] As the scriptures say, it says rust on the scales.

[259] It is nothing compared to the wonder of God.

[260] And another point that comes to mind that I think needs to be emphasized in this whole context of the sanctity of life, that's what the commandment thou shalt not kill is because life is sacred.

[261] And I think that one thing that helps me is to recognize that life is short also.

[262] We've both been on the planet about the same length of time.

[263] I mean, it, you know, it feels like a long time since we were little kids in one way.

[264] In other ways, it's just yesterday.

[265] But we need to recognize that living through this journey of life, even for somebody who lives to be more than a hundred years old, which seems old, even to us, you know, at this point, is just rust on the scales compared to the eternity of life with God.

[266] So I think we always need to keep that.

[267] perspective is it worth risking eternity to do anything I mean anything that risk that eternity we should always have that caution very close and right before our eyes and certainly in the areas of the sanctity of life that's why I as a bishop am willing to speak out and make others upset with me because I feel an obligation yeah as a bishop to teach this truth Because my eternity is in question.

[268] If I fail as a bishop, as a successor to the apostles, as a shepherd of God's people, to share the truth.

[269] And it's a joyful message.

[270] I think that needs to be emphasized as well.

[271] Life is beautiful.

[272] Amen.

[273] Life is a wondrous gift.

[274] And we need to celebrate that.

[275] We need to be aware that every way that God gives life is a blessing.

[276] Bishop Strickland, I was talking.

[277] taught that when I was a teenager.

[278] The word they used was objective truth.

[279] And that was so reassuring for me to know that God doesn't change that these are eternal truths.

[280] And boy, I grabbed on to that when I was a youngster.

[281] And I hope you're grabbing onto it here on the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[282] And we come back, we're going to talk about euthanasia.

[283] What does the catechism have to say about that?

[284] Don't turn that dial.

[285] We'll be right back.

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[297] this is terry barbara i want to thank you for supporting virgin most powerful radio and here's an easy way to support us by going to smile dot amazon dot com and type in catholic resource center or virgin most powerful radio and when you log in your amazon account and you purchase products a portion of it will go right back and supporting virgin most powerful radio and it doesn't cost you a dime i want to thank you ahead of time because that supports us year round may god bless you and your family.

[298] This is Terry Barber.

[299] I want to thank you for your support here at Virgin Most Powerful Radio.

[300] Here's an easy way to do it.

[301] If you're going to sell or buy a house, call real estate for life.

[302] 877 -543 -3871 because they're going to get you a Christ -centered agent to purchase your home or to sell your home.

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[305] Thank you.

[306] Thank you so much for your support.

[307] Welcome back to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

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

[309] And we have Bishop Strickland on once a week to talk about the fundamental teachings of the Catholic faith.

[310] And we're going through the Fifth Commandment.

[311] For those who just tuned in, you can always listen to this on the podcast in 24 -7 anytime you want.

[312] And also the past shows you can reach also through going to virgin Most Powerful Radio .org.

[313] Bishop Strickland, the topic I want to ask is paragraph 2276.

[314] It's on euthanasia.

[315] And I would like to just give you, I mean, I'm impressed on how you've been teaching me. I'm looking at it, me and you, our listener, about some very fundamental teachings on life.

[316] Can you just share what the church teaches about euthanasia?

[317] Absolutely.

[318] Absolutely.

[319] Basically, euthanasia really deals with taking a life in some sort of weakened state, usually older, but it can not necessarily old as far as age, but sometimes it's disabilities, sometimes it's because of an accident.

[320] But any life that has a diminished capacity to make their own choices and to live out their life, euthanasia is one way of violating the commandment thou shalt not kill by taking a life prematurely.

[321] The basic teaching of the church, life is sacred from conception to natural death.

[322] Natural death, basically another way of saying natural death, is protecting the life of a person until God chooses to let that life end.

[323] And euthanasia is probably one of the more complex areas of dealing with life in the world today, mainly because of medical science, because we can, can preserve life, thankfully, in ways that even 100 years ago were unimagined of what we can do to intervene to keep someone alive.

[324] And so doctors, medical staff, physicians, and everyone that surrounds a physician, that there are a lot of ethical, difficult ethical issues that have to be addressed that, you know, a hundred years ago, someone just died of a certain disease because you didn't have the medication, you didn't have the machinery.

[325] If you, you know, so many people, and still today, I mean, disease is very real.

[326] You know, sadly, probably both of us have known people that just died, dropped dead.

[327] I mean, we hear the term massive heart attack.

[328] And so that person's life ends.

[329] There can be interventions, but a lot of times it's just too late.

[330] Euthanasia is when we begin, you know, I think a very simple way of saying it, and it's not simple, but a simple way of saying euthanasia is when we begin to play God.

[331] And we determine that because of a lot of time money enters into the picture, it's too expensive, or some value judgment is made about the quality of life of a person, euthanasia is when we intervene to end a life or to withhold basic treatment that causes a life to end, that's where euthanasia starts to be a reality.

[332] And I would imagine both of us would agree that certainly the abortion issue, the life, the sanctity of life of a pre -born or the unborn child is threatened, and it's almost like it's, for many, it's a settled question.

[333] Yes, we can kill unborn babies.

[334] We know that's wrong.

[335] We've got to continue to fight that.

[336] But that's a clearer issue.

[337] On the other end of the spectrum, very often, is the elderly, because they tend to be the ones that are euthanized most often.

[338] And I think it can become systemic even in without people necessarily intending, but using very strong medications for pain and all of that can become a system of youth.

[339] And I think for those of us who know life is from God and life is sacred, we've got to be very cautious about using any painkillers or any kind of procedure.

[340] that really speeds up the dying process.

[341] And it's a balancing act because certainly for people to be alleviated from pain is an act of mercy and it's morally correct.

[342] I mean, it's certainly people, I mean, you can have a heroic stance that a person says, I'm gonna take the pain and offer it as an act of faith, offer it up, as our mother's told us.

[343] But that's not, that heroic action is not something that the church would morally require of someone.

[344] That's going, you know, choosing to endure the pain rather than taking medication for whatever reason.

[345] But people have a right to the alleviation of pain.

[346] But we have to be careful that it doesn't become sort of systemically used to euthanize someone who, without that medication would still be alive.

[347] Bishop Strickland, you made me think of a story last week, an Opus Day priest.

[348] He was 79 years old.

[349] He died of cancer.

[350] He had throat cancer.

[351] He had pancreatic cancer.

[352] He had cancer all over his body.

[353] And he didn't have to do this, but what he did is he refused all medication of pain because he said he wanted to unite his suffering with the sufferings of Christ for the salvation of souls, especially those who were away from the church.

[354] That was a heroic act.

[355] priest did man but i mean this was just last week he did die but you know what that did to the nurses and the doctors bishop strickland they made the comments they were tweeting all of us said they've never seen anybody do what he did he was able to take the pain and redirect it in for the salvation of souls and i i think bishop strickland of what our lady of fatima said that there are many souls going to hell because no one is there making sacrifices and praying for them.

[356] Now, again, you made it very clear.

[357] This is not mandatory that we don't take pain medicine.

[358] This particular priest was so united to Christ.

[359] He wanted to die like Jesus.

[360] He was another Christ as the priest, and he offered up all of his suffering for fallen away Catholics.

[361] Well, God have mercy on his soul.

[362] I just was blown away when I heard that story.

[363] Bishop Strickland, you mentioned something that you said with the Catechism 2280 says.

[364] It says, everyone is responsible for his life before God who has given it to him.

[365] It is God who remains the sovereign master of life.

[366] We are obliged to accept life gratefully to preserve it for his honor and for the salvation of souls.

[367] We are stewards, not owners of the life God has entrusted to us.

[368] It is not ours to dispose of.

[369] That's paragraph 2280 in the section on suicide.

[370] Can we talk because here in Los Angeles, our suicide rate is going crazy right now with COVID.

[371] We are, some areas, we're having more suicide deaths than COVID deaths.

[372] So can we talk a little bit about what the church, and it's mercy regarding people who commit suicide.

[373] What does the church teach on that?

[374] Certainly.

[375] Well, you just basically shared that teaching.

[376] And the idea of suicide is, again, And for that person, of course, we have assisted suicide, which is sort of akin to euthanasia.

[377] I mean, it starts to sort of overlap, but certainly classically, suicide is that person choosing to end their life.

[378] And it's, it really, there's an epidemic of suicide, I think, in many places.

[379] I heard a story about a person that left, left a note.

[380] sadly they ended up taking their own life they left a note that said if anyone says hello to me on my way to jump off this bridge if anyone says hello to me I won't jump and sadly they did jump so no one said hello to them and that I mean the the sad thing about suicide is for the morality of it a person to commit a a moral act must have their faculties, must be able to make a rational choice.

[381] And suicide gets blurred with sometimes, I mean, and certainly we can't presume that and in any time there's a life, we need to be working with that person to help them know they're loved by God, their life is valuable, and there's some great work done in suicide hotlines and suicide counseling to help someone that, thankfully, a lot of times people that are depressed and are dealing with tremendous burdens in their lives when they will reach out.

[382] And we need people in those beautiful ministries of suicide hotlines and all to be there to help catch that person when they do reach out looking for help.

[383] But the reality is if a person is making rational choices, then we urge them to what the catechism says.

[384] It's not ours to dispose of.

[385] Life is a gift from God, and only God should be the one to take it back to himself.

[386] And thankfully, when God takes our lives, he's only taking the physical life and saying, you're ready, that person is now ready to join God for eternal life.

[387] If everyone died a natural life, if everyone died a natural life, death, then we just need to work on making sure they are properly disposed for that death, that they are tuned into God.

[388] But suicide certainly short -circuits that.

[389] And I've had suicide touch my own family very directly and at a very young age.

[390] And I think we have to be very compassionate, very understanding.

[391] And I love what the catechism says that, you know, because people say, oh, well, someone commits suicide, they're automatically going to hell.

[392] The church doesn't teach that.

[393] The church relies on the compassion of God because only God can know what the capability of that person was to make a moral decision if they directly choose and they're making a moral choice to ignore God.

[394] And that's connected with suicide also.

[395] To deny God is a sin.

[396] And sometimes that happens.

[397] But the church teaches us to be very cautious about passing my judgment.

[398] Absolutely.

[399] Bishop Strickland, when we come back, we're going to talk about the section on avoiding war.

[400] And what are those conditions?

[401] We back with much more on the Bishop Strickland hour.

[402] We got Ernesto from Long Beach.

[403] You know, I just wanted to comment, you know, and I just wanted to thank you guys.

[404] I kind of want to encourage people that are listening, maybe that are not donating, you know, because honestly, I got to be honest.

[405] I used to think you guys were a little...

[406] Too over the top.

[407] You know?

[408] You know, yes.

[409] That's right.

[410] If God gave us a lot, you know, and I'm at the blessing of listening to all this, I just want to call all the people.

[411] You know, I got five kids, you know, and I don't make a lot of money, and I'm still donating to you guys.

[412] God bless you, brother.

[413] You're amazing.

[414] We got to.

[415] We have to do this.

[416] We have to do the extra.

[417] And is that even the extra?

[418] People see it like it's extra.

[419] meaning for communion, saying your rosary, saying the divine earthy chaplain.

[420] It is not extra.

[421] It's what the church tells us to do.

[422] Amen.

[423] You're a good man, brother.

[424] 30 years old, 29 years old, 5 kids, and I thank you guys.

[425] So everybody else, man, get on fire.

[426] Fight for the truth, man. I know what I'm telling you guys.

[427] I love it.

[428] Psalm 119 says, Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light to my path.

[429] According to St. John Paul II, Being a Christian means saying yes to Jesus Christ.

[430] It consists in surrendering to the Word of God and relying on it, but also endeavoring to know better and better the profound meaning of this word.

[431] May God grant that we always rely on His Word, read it often, and put it into practice.

[432] This is Terry Barber.

[433] I want to thank you for your support here at Virgin Most Powerful Radio.

[434] Here's an easy way to do it.

[435] If you're going to sell or buy a house, call real estate, for life, 877 -543 -3871, because they're going to get you a Christ -centered agent to purchase your home or to sell your home.

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[438] Thank you so much for your support.

[439] Welcome back to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[440] My name's Terry Barber.

[441] I'm really enjoying this hour, everyone i hope you are too because we're talking about the fifth commandment in all of its areas it's a big section of the catechism and i'm learning so much in reviewing my faith and i want to mention this is the time with covid 19 maybe you have more time at home this is a great time to study your faith i hope you all have a a catechism and a bible because this is what we're dealing with right now is to encourage you to study your faith the fundamentals there's a challenge right now in the church in the last 50, 60 years.

[442] And Bishop Strickland, you mentioned it.

[443] I've lived through it and you have too.

[444] We're about the same age.

[445] And that is a lot of people grew up not knowing much about their faith.

[446] And then they become adults and they're like lost because they just don't know answers to fundamental teachings of the church.

[447] And that's why I asked Bishop Strickland to do this show where he would teach people the fundamentals.

[448] And that's part of his bishop role is to teach people.

[449] And so I thank you, Bishop Strickland.

[450] You're doing a fine job.

[451] I want to also bring up now in this Fifth Commandment.

[452] The Catechism talks on 2308 that all citizens and all governments are obliged to work to the avoidance of war.

[453] Nobody wants to see war.

[454] We saw that World War II and oh my gosh, it was horrible.

[455] You know, but hey, we had, war had to come because of the circumstances and there are strict conditions the church lays out for legitimate defense by military forces.

[456] And that's paragraph 2309.

[457] But just to summarize Bishop Strickland, nobody wants to go to war.

[458] But the church also acknowledges that the country has a right and a duty to preserve and defend its citizens.

[459] Can we talk a little bit about that?

[460] Sure, absolutely.

[461] And it really, like we talked about early, or the whole idea of self -defense.

[462] When you're talking in terms of nations, it's the same basic moral principles that you have an obligation to care for that gift of life that comes from God.

[463] And nations, a properly structured nation, carries that obligation for the collective community of God's people, all made up of, like in the United States, over 300 million people, the nation has an obligation to hold those lives sacred and not allow them to be just wantonly destroyed, as sometimes different bad actors throughout history have attempted to do.

[464] And we know that many tragic circumstances where wars developed, Certainly, you know, it's a complicated issue, and war touches on economics, it touches on a lot of times on religion, it touches on virtually every aspect of human society.

[465] But the approach of the church, I think the best way that I can describe it is really looking at when it's appropriate to defend yourself, then when it's appropriate to defend your family and then when it's appropriate to defend your nation or your community and again there's there's a point where it's an obligation you can't um i mean like we talked about you can have a heroic sacrifice of your life for another yeah i mean christ says there's no greater love than to lay down your life for a friend but that sacrifice is not choosing death It's protecting another person and being willing to have your life threatened and, you know, certainly hoping that you don't ultimately have to give your life.

[466] The same thing happens on the level of nations to be willing to go out and defend the nation.

[467] And they're, you know, the tremendous sacrifices by so many we hear about what our parents lived through.

[468] the greatest generation, it was called, the World War II community, just coming out of the depression and all.

[469] Great sacrifices, great heroic work done by so many.

[470] So when the life of the nation is threatened, the life of the individuals in that nation are threatened.

[471] And so there's really a moral obligation to defend the nation or to defend the individual.

[472] You know, Bishop Strickland, I have a couple uncles.

[473] My dad is World War II veteran.

[474] I don't know what your father was.

[475] Yeah, my father was as well.

[476] Okay, well, good.

[477] My dad was the Army and many of my uncles told me stories as a youngster, Normandy invasion in 1944, June.

[478] What were you thinking, Uncle Frank, when you did that?

[479] And I just love it because they had an attitude not of, we're going to go kill those guys.

[480] No, We're going to go defend our country.

[481] We've got to stop Hitler.

[482] That was their objective.

[483] We're going to go stop Hitler.

[484] And so when I asked him, he was only 17 years old when he did that invasion.

[485] He was just a kid, really.

[486] And I said, were you?

[487] He said, well, no, I prayed.

[488] He said, I had devotion to the Blessed Mother.

[489] When I was bringing the guys in onto the beaches, there were bullets shooting all kinds over our heads between, you know.

[490] And he said, I just said, Hail Mary.

[491] And I said, well, if it's my time, I'm going to die.

[492] but I've got a job to do, and we're trying to preserve our country where we've got to get Hitler out of there.

[493] And so here's my point.

[494] He was just a very humble man about it, and, you know, he wouldn't bring it up.

[495] And I thought that that's one of the reasons why they call it the great generation.

[496] Because most of these guys that I talk to, World War II vets, they just didn't think anything, like, you know, did anything special.

[497] They were just defending life, and we want our life, as we have it in our country.

[498] So I say that St. Thomas Aquinas, and people can look this up on what the requirements for a war.

[499] And paragraph 2309 goes through a lot of these things.

[500] But Bishop Strickland, rather than going through all that on the catechism, we just have a few more minutes.

[501] Yeah, we have about six more minutes.

[502] I think it's important to summarize this Fifth Commandment for those who just tuned in.

[503] maybe they missed a little bit of it, but it all comes back down to the sacredness of life and that we're not the arbitrators.

[504] I mean, we've been given the life from God, and God is who takes it.

[505] But I'd like to ask you to just reaffirm our position as Catholics, as Christians, on the sanctity of life from the beginning to the end.

[506] Thank you, Terry.

[507] Absolutely.

[508] As we say all the time, life has sacred from conception to natural death.

[509] And something that's come out of my prayer recently that I will just share, that I think is a good way to remember, you know, the sanctity of life.

[510] My reflection is the beauty of the eyes of a person.

[511] And that's what I'm trying to train myself to really focus on, because you probably are familiar with the idea that the eyes are the window of the soul.

[512] You bet.

[513] And whatever the person looks like otherwise, old, young, fat, skinny, tall, short, whatever, we all have, I mean, you know, most people have eyes that, and if they're blind, I mean, that's a whole other cross that they bear.

[514] but to me, really, the sanctity of life means looking at the sacred person, looking into their eyes and seeing that person as sacred.

[515] If you do that, then everything else fades away.

[516] All the other attributes that may be, you know, that person may be young and strong, or they may be old and weak.

[517] they may be this or that race, they may be male or female, but the eyes are the window to the soul.

[518] And that's just a reflection to me that kind of ties it all together.

[519] The beauty of, you know, I love to reflect on specifically for Christ, but for any child developing in the womb, you know, the whole body begins to develop.

[520] And in those eyes that you have and that I have, originally developed while we were in the womb of our mothers.

[521] Wow.

[522] And to think about when those eyes begin to really function and be eyes.

[523] I mean, the remarkable development of the human embryo going through each day and each week.

[524] But I think to me, once that begins, there's a sacred life there.

[525] Even before the eyes are actually formed, the life is there.

[526] And I think we would make such progress as brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ.

[527] If we just looked at the beauty of the eyes of every person we encounter and looked primarily, look them in the eye.

[528] I mean, I imagine your dad taught you as mine dad did of that part of the greatest generation.

[529] Yep.

[530] You look them in the eye?

[531] That's right.

[532] When you talk to someone, you tell the truth, you respect.

[533] I mean, looking someone in the eye is a respect for their life.

[534] And it's hard to do that and lie to them.

[535] It's hard to do that.

[536] We'll get to that commandment later.

[537] But it's hard to do that and take their life.

[538] It's hard to do that and in disrespect that person in all kinds of ways.

[539] I mean, I think just to develop that practice.

[540] and I'm really trying to work on that for my own life is to look in the eyes of the person and to see the beauty that God sees and to see that window into the soul.

[541] I mean, old eyes, young eyes, sad eyes, happy eyes, whatever those eyes are, those are a sacred person lives behind those eyes.

[542] And I think we need to really emphasize that.

[543] To me, you know, that's a good way to summarize.

[544] What do we really mean?

[545] Life is sacred from conception to natural death is as long as those eyes are open, there's a sacred person there.

[546] And we need to respect that person.

[547] And we need to do everything we can to honor that life and to preserve that life.

[548] So I think that that's what we need to do.

[549] Well, said, Bishop Strickland.

[550] You know, there's an important thing about looking people in the eyes, especially even those who are like homeless people.

[551] I've found that when I look them straight in the eye and then I find out their name, it gives them the dignity.

[552] And this is what we're talking about, the human dignity.

[553] That's why life is sacred.

[554] And it's also life as short and eternity is forever.

[555] And Bishop Strickland, could you give us your blessing for all of our listeners, please?

[556] Sure.

[557] The Lord be with you.

[558] And with your spirit.

[559] Almighty God, we ask your blessing for all of our listeners, for everyone involved in the great work of the radio broadcast, that we may be reminded of your truth and cherish that truth that we are called to embrace from our own conception to our natural death.

[560] May all who are listening hold their lives sacred and rejoice in the gift of life from God.

[561] In the name of the Father, the Son, of the Holy Spirit.

[562] Amen.

[563] Thank you, Bishop.

[564] Strickland, remember, you can listen to this on the podcast any time by going to Virgin Most Powerful Radio .org and listen to all the different shows we have.

[565] We've got quite a few good shows that help you fall deep in love with Jesus Christ and his bride, the church.

[566] May God bless you, and until next week, hope you hear from you.

[567] May God love you.

[568] St. Faustina's Prayer for Priests, Oh, my Jesus, I beg thee on behalf of the whole church, grant it love and the light of thy spirit and give power to the words of priests so that hardened hearts might be brought to repentance and return to thee o lord lord give us holy priests thou thyself maintain them in holiness o divine and great high priest may the power of thy mercy accompany them everywhere and protect them from the devil's traps and snares which are continually being set for the souls of priests.

[569] May the power of thy mercy, O Lord, shatter and bring to naught all that might tarnish the sanctity of priests.

[570] For thou canst do all things.

[571] Amen.

[572] Virgin Most Powerful, pray for us.

[573] Virgin Most Powerful Radio.

[574] Sharing the gospel with clarity and charity.