13 Jul 21 – God Reveals His Name

[0] Welcome to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[1] My name is Terry Barber.

[2] I have the honor of interviewing Bishop Strickland every single week to talk about how to fall deep in love with Jesus Christ.

[3] Bishop Strickland, welcome to another episode.

[4] Thanks, Terry.

[5] Thank you.

[6] Bishop Strickland, we just finished having the Fourth of July celebration.

[7] In that time, you were doing some tweets.

[8] And I love what you said in a tweet, and I'd like you to talk about it.

[9] You said, on this independent.

[10] day, it's good to remember what John Adams said about our country.

[11] Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people.

[12] It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.

[13] What made you say that and quote that?

[14] I want to hear why.

[15] I know why I like it because it's true.

[16] Well, that's why I like it, because for this great nation and I believe it is a great nation with a lot of issues and a lot of problems.

[17] Humanity has a lot of problems these days, but it can't function.

[18] What John Adams is basically saying, true democracy has to be based on truth.

[19] And immoral and religious people are seeking to live the truth.

[20] We all failed to live it completely because we're essentially, sinners.

[21] But the great genius of this American experiment is that it turned to the truth about who we are and that we are created by God and that we are have inalienable rights.

[22] And certainly that hasn't been lived perfectly.

[23] But instead of where we're headed now of ignoring God, we need to return to those basic truths.

[24] And it's only then that we can hope to be the democracy, the free society that we are supposed to be, and that we have the ability to be if we'll just follow the truth, the truth of who God is, the truth of who we are, and the truth of where this creation comes from and respecting every person and every aspect of the world that God has given us.

[25] And you know, Bishop Strickland, one of the neat things about our Constitution was unique to any of the others in the world is that we acknowledge that our rights don't come from the government, that they come from Almighty God.

[26] That is awesome.

[27] All right, Bishop Strickland, I mentioned before the show that we're coming up to the 52nd or 53rd year after Hamas.

[28] Vita, and some of us might say, what in the world is Himane Vite, and why is this important to bring up each year to share with fellow, not just Catholics, but all of the people of goodwill?

[29] What is Humane Vite?

[30] What happened back in 1968, and tell us what exactly this means to us today?

[31] Well, Humane Vite translates human life, and where does it come from?

[32] That's what Humana Vita is about.

[33] How do we, how does a new human being come into the world through conception in the womb of that child's mother?

[34] As soon as that child's conceived, it becomes a child of God, a new person.

[35] And Humanevite is about not using contraception, about blocking contraception, about blocking.

[36] that conception of a child.

[37] And it really gets back to the basic morality that we've talked about in many different ways as we have our conversations every week to realize God is the author of life, just like we were talking about with human rights.

[38] Rights come from God.

[39] Life comes from God.

[40] All of existence comes from God.

[41] Some of the great theologians and doctors and saints of the church speak beautifully about this close to 2 ,000 years ago.

[42] And we need to return to those basic truths that, and that's what Humane Vite is about.

[43] It's not, yes, it was promulgated by a Catholic pope, Paul the 6th, in 1968.

[44] But it really is about human life.

[45] It's not a Catholic thing.

[46] And I believe that's one of the things that we need to as a church really embrace once again that God has revealed truth to us that we're obligated to share with all of humanity.

[47] It's not Catholic truth.

[48] Too many people operate as if, well, if you're you can believe this, and if you're another religion, you can believe that, or if you don't believe in God at all, you can believe this.

[49] It's either the truth or it's not.

[50] And we know it is the truth.

[51] And it resonates with all the scientific development that's happened since 1968.

[52] We have a much deeper understanding of how the biology works, of how a child develops in the womb.

[53] We have ultrasounds that I don't know if they even existed then, but they certainly didn't exist to the degree now that you can almost get a motion picture of a child in the womb.

[54] The ultrasound is so developed now.

[55] And many people have been converted to embracing the sanctity of life.

[56] When you're looking at a film of a child in the womb, it's hard to say that that's just goo or stuff or tissue, it's obvious.

[57] There's a head, there's a hand, there's a foot, there's a child there.

[58] They can even tell what gender.

[59] And by the way, there are only two that God creates, male and female.

[60] That doesn't mean we are in any way less than compassionate to those who may, and especially in our time, have some confusions about all of that.

[61] But we need to re -examine.

[62] enforce, where's the truth?

[63] And what Humane Vite says is the truth is that life comes from God.

[64] And when a man and a woman come together in the marital embrace, as we say, a euphemism or a way of saying, when they have sexual relations, that sadly too often is outside the marital embrace, But we need to emphasize, once again, that anything but the marital embrace as an expression of living out of the sexual relationship is disordered to say that for all the ways that sexuality is lived outside the marital embrace.

[65] And even within the marital embrace, that it has to be open to children.

[66] can't you can't be using contraception and that is has been rejected by humanity and by many in the church but that doesn't mean suddenly it's not the truth because the majority have rejected it is still the truth and it's my obligation as a bishop it's your obligation as a catholic man that's right if you're sharing the truth we have to acknowledge that this is an important truth that young people need to be told.

[67] Yes, they may reject it.

[68] Their parents may have rejected it, but their grandparents may have rejected it, but still is the truth.

[69] And thankfully, many young people are acknowledging that it's the truth and are choosing to have their families in marriage, be open to children, and to recognize that the children are a blessing as they come from God.

[70] You were referring before we got on the air to, you know, the reality of miscarriages.

[71] That happens the spontaneous miscarriage of a child that is through no fault of anyone.

[72] It just happens spontaneously sometimes.

[73] sad for a woman that is wanting to nurture the life of that child.

[74] But that's nature's way, that's God's way, of recognizing that sometimes when a child is conceived, it's not their destiny to ultimately reach, to be born, to reach full term.

[75] The tragedy of where we are now is as human beings, we're intervening in the life of the unborn.

[76] So it's all tied together.

[77] It's all one gift of life that comes from God.

[78] And what Humane Vita is about is the very beginning, that conception that occurs when a sperm and an egg are fertilized and they come together and the beginnings of a new person are right there.

[79] The DNA package, as they say, is right there.

[80] And to interfere with that is interfering with God's plan, which we do a lot of that in the world today.

[81] But we need to be very careful about when we get on that path of willfully interfering with God's plan, it doesn't have a good ending.

[82] Well, Bishop Strickland, I can give you the statistics.

[83] Couples that practice birth control, artificial birth control, most of them never stay married.

[84] And those who are open to life that do not practice artificial birth control, 90 % of them stay married.

[85] So it's just statistics, but the point of making is when you live the truth, there are benefits to living the truth, even on the natural level.

[86] When we come back from the break, we're going to continue to talk.

[87] I have something that I wanted to share regarding, well, a red flag, regarding the vaccine and the vaccine with women who become pregnant.

[88] And what percentage of these women miscarriage with that huge?

[89] You're listening to the Bishop Strickland Hour on Virgin Most Power Radio.

[90] Stay with us, family.

[91] Welcome back to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[92] We've been talking about a topic that I think is concerning all people.

[93] We were talking about Humanevite and the transmission of life.

[94] life and the sacredness of life.

[95] And this article got my attention on LifeSight News, says huge red flag.

[96] And this is a New England journal.

[97] Everybody knows that that's a trusted, oh, yeah, big name, a journal published a study that pointed out that women who received the vaccination for COVID -19, which remember, I'll just be honest with you, was in my humble opinion, I'm just a layman, was done immorally because of aborted babies.

[98] So this is the front end of the vaccine.

[99] The back in now is that women who do take that vaccine, 82%.

[100] That's over 8 out of 10 women that become pregnant at the first 20 weeks can't carry their baby.

[101] You know what, Bishop Strickland, I don't want to put words in your mouth, but this is a big red flag, and it hits on both ends.

[102] The first end is that they use aborted babies of cells to get the vaccine.

[103] And now when they get the shot, women who become pregnant are not carrying out their pregnancy.

[104] It seems to me that this is bad on both ends of the spectrum.

[105] Yeah, I agree.

[106] And certainly people are free to make their own decisions, but there are lots of red flags out there that, I mean, the New England Journal of Medicine is not exactly, you know, some, you know, rag, you know, journal.

[107] It's very highly respected, and I just think that more and more people need to be aware and make their decisions accordingly.

[108] Yeah, well, I would encourage people to go to LifeSight News to pick up that article because I think it's important.

[109] And, you know, I'm not a, I'm just pointing out lots of concerns I have about the vaccine, and that's just another one of the reasons why I think people, should seriously not get the vaccine.

[110] And I'm just saying that's me as a layman.

[111] My family, I tell everybody.

[112] But that's my opinion, and it's based on the facts that have been given to me. All right, Bishop Strickland, my top really is really tied into life again.

[113] We keep hitting on the unborn babies, but let's be honest, is there another war that's going on that's taking as many casualties?

[114] Nothing.

[115] Even, you know, we had 18 people die this year from capital punishment.

[116] Okay, I get that.

[117] But these were condemned prisoners.

[118] Now we have hundreds of thousands, millions of babies that are being murdered through abortion.

[119] It seems to me that we should be spending a lot of time to talk about protecting the innocence.

[120] So here's the question you, a comment you put out, Will Catholic Democrats support protections for babies who survive?

[121] The Catholic bishops, the United States are facing a great deal of political pressure these days.

[122] We are told that they must pursue dialogue.

[123] And Bishop Strickland, the reason I talk about dialogue is because I watched Bishop Robert Barron on YouTube, and there's articles on this, so it's public information.

[124] he wanted to dialogue with some democratic congresspeople about abortion and specifically the most hideous thing and that is the partial birth abortion bill and he said on the video that he was shocked that these political guys would not even discuss this matter with him and have a dialogue and so my question to you bishop strickland is what what made you put this tweet out regarding dialogue because it seems like dialogue on the issue of abortion for 40 or 50 years has gotten us not very very little well to me the article about uh bishop baron just underscored that people are are closed to the issue they are they're not interested in the truth and there are many people that um um I mean, these people have been elected, and a good number of the people in the nation don't want that truth either.

[125] And they have just closed their hearts and minds to even being willing to discuss it.

[126] That is, to me, a tragedy for humanity because, and I know people get tired of hearing it, but I'm.

[127] going to keep saying it that we've got a lot of threats to the sanctity of life in the world today.

[128] And as long as the most vulnerable and the voiceless, the weakest, the unborn, as long as they're slaughtered, we really are, I don't think we're going to make much progress in all the areas where people are threatened if they do manage to be born.

[129] And so we've got to get our priorities in order as humanity.

[130] And we're a long way from being there.

[131] We seem to go further away from being there instead of closer.

[132] And, you know, the scientific research is looking at all sorts of ways of manipulating human life that forgets that it's not ours.

[133] It's a gift.

[134] It comes from God.

[135] And we better return to paying attention to the giver of the gift, God Almighty, and following his rules rather than saying, we'll take that gift.

[136] and we'll just manipulate it all the ways we want to.

[137] And it's just, it's a path of anti -life.

[138] It's a path of destruction for individual men, individual women, for families, for all of humanity.

[139] And we really need to wake up to where life comes from, who offers it to.

[140] us and begin paying attention to, paying attention to God's plan and God's rules for life rather than treating it as if we can do anything we want.

[141] I get you.

[142] Well, Bishop Strickland, I'm not in management.

[143] I'm in sales.

[144] But when I hear the slaughter of babies, and I think to myself that, how is it that we can have this happen in our nation when so many of us are Christians?

[145] I'm not just talking about Catholics, but a Christian nation.

[146] And it seems to me, and just my opinion, is that we need a stronger response in defense of the unborn babies.

[147] For example, when you have politicians saying that you're a devout Catholic and you're going to receive Holy Communion, we already covered this weeks before to say that doesn't compute.

[148] You can't do, you can't have both.

[149] It doesn't mix.

[150] And we know what the Bible has to say about that.

[151] But I bring this up to you because I sometimes see politicians being stronger on this issue than even people inside our church.

[152] And I'm just saying that's shocking to me because you would think it would be the opposite.

[153] But I don't know what, your governor, if he's Catholic, I don't know.

[154] I don't know what is.

[155] He is Catholic.

[156] Okay, see, I don't know.

[157] I'm not in Texas.

[158] You are.

[159] But this was an example.

[160] I just read that Abbott, a governor Abbott is signing a trigger bill.

[161] And I'll explain what a trigger bill outlawing abortion completely if Roe versus Wade is overturned.

[162] He's the first governor.

[163] Now, Texas has got over 25 million people.

[164] It's the second most populated state in the union.

[165] It could be a country.

[166] It's that big, okay?

[167] And for the governor to come out and say that, you know, we're going to make this an abortion -free state, that to me speaks volumes of.

[168] this man as a governor and as a committed Christian, Catholic Christian.

[169] So my question to you is, you're in Texas, is he getting support with this?

[170] Or are there, is he going to be taking heat for speaking so boldly on this life issue?

[171] Well, obviously he's gotten a lot of support.

[172] I mean, the legislature passed it and he signed it.

[173] Yep.

[174] But a lot of opposition as well.

[175] And so we need to support the politicians that are doing the right thing and moving toward supporting the sanctity of life.

[176] And so it's a step in the right direction.

[177] Hopefully that trigger will actually happen one day.

[178] But it is a great step for the governor and the governor.

[179] state of Texas and it's just again the truth of yes the reality of you know protecting life beginning then and then we can start working on all the other ways i mean we talk about the the tragic shootings that happened um in this the the collapse of the condo that was oh yeah in florida accidental maybe neglect but we don't really know hopefully it was just not any neglect, and it was just the reality that sometimes bad things happen without anyone ill -intending anything.

[180] But all of those lives are sacred, and that's what we need to just keep preaching, that every life on the planet at this moment, if we could just suddenly all embrace that every person unborn or everyone that's been conceived is sacred it would we'd really begin to change how life is treated on the streets of our cities in in every aspect of society and so it's really the foundation of building a culture of life rather than a culture of death in a culture where too many times, I mean, it's certainly, abortion is not the only issue.

[181] People are treated as expendable and disposable that do manage to be born, but too much of it happens even before they are born.

[182] So life is not disposable from conception to natural death, and that's what we have to keep preaching as long as we have the breath to preach it.

[183] Bishop Strickland, I just read an article about last weekends, the 4th of July weekend.

[184] There were about 180 shootings in our country.

[185] I think 65 people were shot at in Chicago.

[186] In Oakland, there were 12 hours where it was total, you know, craziness.

[187] The policeman that the chief was on the TV talking about, they were outgunned.

[188] There was just too many shootings going on.

[189] It was total chaos.

[190] and I would say, and you can correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that there's a connection to violence outside the womb and the violence that inside the womb.

[191] If we can't value babies inside the womb, why would we value people outside?

[192] Absolutely.

[193] That's exactly what I keep preaching.

[194] And we don't.

[195] The reality is that those shootings happen because people are not valuing that life.

[196] And it does trace back philosophically and actually to being taught that if a life gets in my way, I can get rid of it.

[197] That's what abortion does.

[198] And that's what death after birth at any point, that's what it's about.

[199] Well said, Bishop Strickland.

[200] When we come back, we're going to open up our catechisms, folks, to paragraph 203.

[201] That's 203, talking about God revealed.

[202] his name.

[203] This is the fundamentals of the faith here with Bishop Strickland on Virgin Most Powerful.

[204] Stay with us.

[205] Welcome back to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[206] I'm so amazed Bishop Strickland that your website for the St. Philip Institute has so many resources.

[207] It just seems like you guys are doing more and more there.

[208] Can you tell our listeners how they can benefit by going to that website, please?

[209] Absolutely, St. Philip Institute .org.

[210] It's all about sharing the truth.

[211] We've talked a lot about the truth already this session.

[212] And the truth is a beautiful gift.

[213] That is what we try to emphasize in the St. Philip Institute.

[214] We've got some great people.

[215] Dr. Stacey Trisenkos is the executive director, Deanna Johnston.

[216] is the Director of Marriage and Family Life.

[217] Dr. Luke Eradondo is the Director of Faith Formation.

[218] And they really are gaining speed and offering a lot, thankfully, as we're moving more and more post -COVID.

[219] Hopefully we continue to seek COVID in our rearview mirror and move forward with sharing the truth joyfully and being strong in Christ.

[220] and that's what the St. Philip Institute is all about.

[221] There's a book that is part of the St. Philip Institute, The Way of Christ, for anyone listening that has a friend or maybe themselves, maybe they just caught this broadcast and are really considering the Catholic faith or wanting to learn more.

[222] Go to the St .Philip Institute .org.

[223] on the website you can order the way of Christ which is designed for anyone Catholic or not that wants to just have a basic review or to begin learning the basics of the Catholic faith.

[224] Awesome.

[225] Fantastic.

[226] I love it.

[227] And we have it right on the screen.

[228] St .Philip Institute .org.

[229] Okay, let's open up our catechisms to paragraph 203.

[230] That's 203 titled God, reveals his name.

[231] And we'll start off and I'll read it and then that bishop stricken can share his thoughts on it.

[232] God revealed himself to his people Israel by making his name known to them.

[233] A name expresses a person's essence and identity and the meaning of this person's life.

[234] God has a name.

[235] He is not an anonymous force.

[236] To disclose one's name is to make oneself known to others.

[237] In a way, it is to hand oneself over by becoming an accessible, capable of being known more intimately and addressed personally.

[238] Wow.

[239] Bishop Strickland, how important it is to know the name it tells it all.

[240] But I want to get your take on that paragraph, please.

[241] well it if you notice it mentions a number of times the word person yes and that really is what this paragraph 203 highlights that we believe in a personal god we know as as christ has revealed three persons in the Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

[242] Each personal, one God, three persons.

[243] In a great mystery that we can never say that we can fully understand.

[244] But what this paragraph is getting at is a knowable God.

[245] And Jesus Christ is the incarnation of that knowable God, a God that we can come to know.

[246] That's the great gift and blessing of the incarnate word, the son of God, incarnate among us, conceived in the womb of a woman, the blessed Virgin Mary, as all of us are conceived, in the womb of our mother, of a woman.

[247] So to know God as a personal being is something that we shouldn't take for granted, and it really is the hallmark of, the Judeo -Christian tradition.

[248] As this is pointing out, God revealed himself through creation and then to the people of Israel and the stories of Genesis, the story of Abraham, all of those stories are God revealing himself more and more that culminate in God coming to dwell among us as one of us, what better revelation of the person of God than to become a person like us, to become a human being?

[249] So really this paragraph is foundational.

[250] We talk a lot about going back to the fundamentals.

[251] This speaks a lot of fundamental truth about what it means, who we mean by God.

[252] what that means to know God's name now fully revealed as Father, Son, and Spirit, it gives us that ability to create a personal relationship through his son with the Father and the Spirit.

[253] Beautiful.

[254] Bishop Strickland, I'm going to pass over 204 because you covered that with your explanation.

[255] To paragraph 205, God It says, God calls Moses from the middle of the bush that burns without being consumed.

[256] We all read that in the Old Testament.

[257] I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob.

[258] God is God of the fathers, the one who has called the guided patriarchs in their writings.

[259] He is faithful and compassionate God who remembers them and his promises.

[260] he comes to free their descendants from slavery.

[261] He is the God who, from beyond space and time, can do this and wills to do it, the God who will put his almighty power to work for this plan.

[262] Wow, that's quite a paragraph.

[263] Yeah, there's a lot packed in there.

[264] that's right and it reminds us i love where it says beyond space and time that's right and as creatures we are the creatures created by god in his image and likeness nothing else in creation qualifies for being those who are human beings in the image and likeness of god that's where the sanctity of life flow from is that we are created in the image and likeness of God.

[265] But beyond space and time reminds us, God created space and time as he created us.

[266] God, to realize that God is the creator of time, I think, is a very significant aspect of revelation that really humbles us and puts us in the context of really terry what it reminds me is i love it what a wondrous gift yes our life is yeah at the same time humbling us to the reality that nothing exists outside of god yeah god spoke let there be light and light came to be yeah let there be earth and earth came to be let there be man and woman and we came to be the the spoken word of god has that kind of power and i was just reading today one of the reflections of the saints talking about christ present in the euchrist christ is god speaking those words this bread is my body, this wine is my blood.

[267] And it really all ties together, Terry, because God, God speaks with power beyond imagining.

[268] God simply says the word and it is.

[269] And that is what is the beauty of our faith and what God has revealed to us.

[270] It really is inspiring and exciting.

[271] if you begin to ponder that.

[272] So many people in our world, even people of faith, don't really deeply ponder what this all means.

[273] That's the beauty, and that's my love of the Catholic faith, is that it has a tradition of pondering with so many great saints and theologians.

[274] St. Thomas Aquinas was a great saint who pondered all of this and wrote some marvelous teaching, but there's so many others.

[275] And we can be a part of that.

[276] We're called with our intellect to reflect on who God is and who we are.

[277] So much that is broken in our world, when you reject God, you really reject who we are.

[278] Right.

[279] Out goes God, outgoes any meaning for us as those created in his image and likeness, which is only logical.

[280] If we're created in the image of likeness of God, and we decide by our free will, which God has given us the ability to deny him and to deny that he even exists, but we're denying ourselves at the same time.

[281] And we're in an age where that denial of God and who we are, is rampant and destructive to human persons.

[282] Wow, I got to get a, you remind me yesterday I had lunch with a JPL scientist who actually has touched the things we've taken off of Mars and he's an on -fire Catholic and we were talking about the very same thing you were saying.

[283] Come back from the break, I'll tell you what he had to say.

[284] We're listening to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[285] Welcome back to the bishop.

[286] Strictland.

[287] Our Bishop Strickland was giving us this commentary on paragraph 205 in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

[288] And he pointed out that part that grabbed him was he is the God who from beyond space and time can do this and his will to do it.

[289] The God who put his almighty power to work for this plan.

[290] You were talking about the universe.

[291] Yesterday I had lunch with a new show that Virgin Most Powerful Radio is going to be putting out with two.

[292] two knights of the Columbus men, and they're both professional people, and one is a JPL.

[293] You probably don't know about Jet Propersion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.

[294] A few people might know about it.

[295] It's famous!

[296] And they are the guys who put us into Mars, and they brought back rocks.

[297] Well, that's what he does for a living.

[298] So I'm sitting there having a talk with a guy, and I'm talking about the attributes of God with the scientist, and he's one who has faith.

[299] and it was so beautiful to listen to him talk about yeah we're just right now going outside our solar system I said well how big is it he says we don't know we don't have any you know we it's that big yeah it's that big and he says God he said I see God and all of my work as a scientist so I said well you know when you do the show at Virgin Most Powerful Radio let's talk about faith and reason and your scientists and background and how you as a Catholic see all this work that you're doing on outer space and seeing God in all this.

[300] So I tell you, Bishop Strickland, I don't know about you, but as a guy, I'm fascinated by space and how, because it shows me how big it is and how God created all this.

[301] And we have no idea how big it is.

[302] And we think we, you know, we're, he said that back in 1977, the Mars 1, Mars 2, it's still communicating with us.

[303] It's out there in space.

[304] I said, how far?

[305] He says, pretty far out.

[306] I'm like, well, how far is four?

[307] But it's just bigger than anything that we can grasp.

[308] You know, I can drive to Texas and maybe 20 hours from California.

[309] That's far from me. So anyhow, that's why I say this is so beautiful.

[310] And I think that if people would understand to study the, like the attributes of God, because I think sometimes we don't know how big our God is.

[311] And that, God is all knowing, undependent, all these things that are what?

[312] And I think that it really puts us in perspective of our own life and how this is Strickland, you're in your 60s, I'm 64, guess what?

[313] I keep saying it to myself.

[314] And I say it to you, I think I've said it three or four times.

[315] We're rounding third base.

[316] Our life basically is, the majority of our life has been lived.

[317] Let's just say that.

[318] Well, and really, Terry, tell me. we talk about that a lot where you know we're beyond middle age oh yeah we don't plan to live to be 120 something um but please as you're talking i think it's important that young people yeah how many times have we heard youth is wasted on the young yeah young people are in peril in a very significant way in our world today okay because young people are, I mean, things were much different when we were 20.

[319] When we turned 21, the world was a very different place.

[320] Right.

[321] And much more, much closer to the truth that the catechism is talking about.

[322] I agree.

[323] In the church and throughout the world and just basic human civilization.

[324] Yep.

[325] So for young people to be reminded that, you know, they say, oh, we're old guys, 62, 64 years old.

[326] But in the perspective that this is talking about, we're all just temporarily here.

[327] And I think that just as you were talking, Terry, I'm reminded of something that I can continually return to.

[328] And it sort of brings the journey of being faithful to God into this perspective.

[329] And what occurs to me is when I sin, when any of a sin, to sin is to be caught in the moment and to for that moment, whatever this sin is, maybe it, but it's a decision moment that may take, you know, a lifetime to play out or a few minutes or whatever, whatever we're choosing.

[330] But when we make a sinful choice, we're really forgetting eternity.

[331] And we're, as, you know, an old commercial used to say, we're going for the gusto of the moment.

[332] Yes.

[333] And whatever that sin is, is focusing on not eternity, not on that huge expanse that you were talking about, but a little tiny moment and we're saying, this is mine, this is my moment and I'm going to do what I want instead of following God's plan.

[334] We're disengaging from the great plan of the verse.

[335] God gives us the free will.

[336] That's the two -sided coin of being created in the image and likeness of God means that we can choose whether or not we follow him, whether or not we live his commandments, whether we love him or not.

[337] Hopefully we choose to love God and to follow his commandments and to repent of our sins over and over again, to grow in our relationship with this personal being that has revealed himself through his son.

[338] But I think it's so important, just as we're talking about the paragraph 205 and talking about God who is beyond space and time, we are created to share one day in the vast universe of God.

[339] that is beyond our imagining, beyond this universe that God has created.

[340] It's beyond creation.

[341] Yes.

[342] But when we sin, we're turning away from that in condemning ourselves.

[343] If we continue down the path of sin, which so many in their pride do in this world, when we do that, we're disengaging from our destiny, and we're rooting ourselves in a moment that ultimately becomes a moment of darkness.

[344] So the catechism really reminds us of what God has planned for us and how we are really obligated to do all we can and to urge every person we can to embrace the plan of God.

[345] In the moment, it can be challenging, it can be a cross, it can be difficult to do as we were reminded just in last Sunday's readings.

[346] St. Paul speaks about that thorn in the flesh that he never got rid of.

[347] He doesn't tell us what it is.

[348] So the blessing of that is we can all relate whatever burden of sin, whatever temptation we keep falling to, whatever is our struggle, we can relate to what St. Paul says.

[349] But hopefully this inspires all of us to know.

[350] what a wondrous plan of everlasting life God has for each of us.

[351] And it's today's challenge and tomorrow's challenge.

[352] And every day of life that we're given, it's the challenge to embrace the everlasting plan of God and not get caught in our prideful, selfish moment that ultimately extinguishes that gift that God wants to share with us.

[353] You get me all fired up.

[354] I'll tell you why.

[355] I think of the saints saying that my joy is to do the will of God.

[356] And, you know, as young people, I remember finding that out that when I was young, my joy is, what does God want me to do?

[357] I want to embrace his will.

[358] He's giving me this life.

[359] I want to give it back to him.

[360] He's going to give me an eternity to be with him for all time.

[361] It's a good deal.

[362] Bishop Sheen said it this way.

[363] He said, there's a song they sing in hell.

[364] I did it my way And then there's the song They sing in heaven I did it his way And that is really as simple as it is I'm listening to you Bishop Strickland saying Yeah sign me up because I want true happiness I want joy I want peace All of the above comes from Jesus Christ And embracing his will His teachings And this is what the world doesn't realize I truly believe this that the reason many people don't turn to God is because they don't really believe God could take care of them, that they have to rely on themselves.

[365] And that's tragic.

[366] I think you're right.

[367] And to really believe that you are loved by God, I think it's one of the great challenges of our time.

[368] Because if you really drill down to what people are dealing with, because maybe they had a broken family or whatever reasons, they don't really, really believe that God loves them infinitely, beyond imagining.

[369] And once you start, I mean, we can't grasp it as, you know, it's a lifetime of growing in that.

[370] But you look at the great saints.

[371] There are people who knew that love and were willing to die to this life because they knew God's love would take them into eternal life.

[372] And that's the tragedy of our time.

[373] is that too many people are short -changing what God's plan is for just this life, and they're losing sight of God's plan and who we're supposed to be.

[374] Say, Aaronaius that we just celebrated toward the end of June, he says beautifully, the glory of God is man fully alive, and that's what we're talking about.

[375] about.

[376] To be fully alive is to follow God's plan for us and to embrace eternity and infinity beyond all the limitations that this world and this creation imposes on us.

[377] What a glorious plan God has for us.

[378] If we'll just follow his rules, live his commandments, follow his son.

[379] But that's the challenge of every human being.

[380] we're going to get a blessing, but I just want to tie something back in that you said earlier in the show regarding the transmission of human life with Hermannavite, that many people today are my age or older are realizing that the life they've led has been very in much a waste in the sense that they're now coming to realize they didn't have children, they're old, no one to take care of them, and they're going, wow, this life sucks.

[381] That's the finacular they use.

[382] because I meet with people on Saturdays, old guys, and I try to bring into the fact that it's never too late to find out about the meaning and purpose of God and that, you know, many of them are baptized Catholics.

[383] I encourage them, get the confession, get back to church, and, you know, finish with a head dive into home plate because they're baseball people.

[384] So I use that analogy.

[385] But my point to you is it's never too late to turn back to Christ.

[386] And I think now so many people are realizing in their old age.

[387] I mean, they've lived lives, let's just say, that haven't been God -centered, that they're still looking, and Christ is their hope, and we need to reach out to those folks.

[388] Bishop Strickland, could you give everyone your blessing from Texas for all of us, please?

[389] Sure.

[390] The Lord be with you.

[391] With your spirit.

[392] Almighty God, we ask your blessing for everyone listening and participating in this radio program that we may all, trust in the power of God's love for us and his call to everlasting life.

[393] May St. Joseph and the Blessed Virgin Mary intercede for us.

[394] In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, amen.

[395] Thank you, Bishop Strickland.

[396] For those who are brand new, I want to welcome you.

[397] We have quite a few podcasts on our website.

[398] Go to vmpr .org to listen to any of the Bishop Strickland Hour recordings and also all of our other shows are on that website.

[399] Take a look.

[400] We've got many good seminars coming up, one in particular about the theology of the body coming up the 7th of August here.

[401] You can catch us online or be in person.

[402] May God richly bless you and your family that we meet again next week.

[403] Have a great week and may God be with you.