28 Mar 23 – Why Angels Are Important to Our Spiritual Life

[0] Welcome to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[1] My name is Terry Barber, and I have the honor of being with the Bishop to share the gospel of Jesus Christ and his bride to the church.

[2] I also want to welcome all the new listeners from Iowa, from Des Moines.

[3] I was out there last week, and many of them downloaded our free app, and now are listening to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[4] Today, I have a special program because what's happened is in the previous weeks we talked a little bit about the bad angels and the fall and demonic and spiritual warfare.

[5] Well, we can't really talk about spiritual warfare if we forget the good angels.

[6] And that's why I have my good friend, Father William Wagner, from the Opus Angelorum, the work of the Holy Angels with us, who I say is an expert on angelology.

[7] Father William, thank you for joining us here in the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[8] It's a pleasure to be with you, Your Excellency and Terry.

[9] Oh, yeah, Bishop Strickland, I have to say, I want to turn it over to you.

[10] I know that you have a great devotion to your own guardian angel and I'd like you to just ask Father William some questions regarding why it's important to have your angel working for you in the spiritual life.

[11] Sure, thanks Terry.

[12] I totally agree that we need to talk about the good angels and really as we've talked about before to believe in supernatural good and beauty, you also have to see the other side, the supernatural evil.

[13] So, Father Wagner, I'm very glad to have the chance to learn more about angels.

[14] And what occurred to me as Terry was introducing this, I love to pray the Roman canon, the first Eucharistic Prayer.

[15] And it speaks of the offering being taken up to heaven, to the heavenly altar.

[16] by the angels and so I think absolutely we believe in the good angels and my thought is that probably we have no idea how much they protect us and how much they help us so I'd love to hear your comments on as an expert on angels well first of all you focused on a very classical text the sacrifice of blood the angel command your angel to bring this sacrifice to your altar And of course, it's Christ's sacrifice, but it's our sacrifice because the church is offering it through the priest, and the angel's part of that.

[17] And we go back to the very beginning with the judges, Gideon, the angel takes his sacrifice up to heaven.

[18] With Moses, the angel is involved.

[19] He has to build the tabernacle with the image of Helasterion, the golden plate, is the image of Christ and his victimhood, and the carobin were there.

[20] So throughout the whole history of salvation, the angels have been these holy mediators, because we're caught here on earth.

[21] It's a very horizontal, if you might say so, of nature.

[22] And the mystery of grace is God's kingdom, and that's his offer.

[23] And everywhere where God intervenes and says he wants Blessed Mother to be his mother, and he sends an angel.

[24] Joseph should be her spouse.

[25] He sends an angel.

[26] Why doesn't he just ask them himself?

[27] And we're saying, well, here's some of the freedom of God, how he's saying, fittingly acting in creation.

[28] And we have to get on his wavelength.

[29] And the world is completely against it.

[30] In science, the basic presupposition is atheism.

[31] Only material arguments are valid.

[32] That's frightening.

[33] You don't have any room for human motivation, human reflection, only materialism.

[34] And so atheism is the first dogma of, for example, of evolution.

[35] You have to find, and the only possibility there is natural selection.

[36] But suppose there is a God.

[37] Suppose there are a spiritual being.

[38] Suppose that we have a soul.

[39] Then that whole scientific proposition crumbles.

[40] So the angels are a key figure, and we couldn't know that except through Revelation.

[41] Yeah, wonderful.

[42] I have a question, Bishop Strickland, if you don't mind me jumping in.

[43] Bishop, Father William, many people are looking for help in their spiritual life right now.

[44] They're trying to figure out how to love God.

[45] more.

[46] And my question to you is, how does the guardian angel help us do just that loving God more?

[47] A great question.

[48] Normally we're going to spontaneously invoke the Holy Spirit.

[49] And then we find, for example, in the Gospel of Luke, where our Lord, he says, that when I come in the glory of the Father and the Holy Angels, and you say, wait a minute, that should be the Holy Spirit, or the seven spirits before the throne of God.

[50] And the blessing in John, and the blessing from him who was, from the seven spirits before the throne of God and from our Lord Jesus Christ.

[51] Wait a minute, that shouldn't be the angels, that should be the Holy Spirit.

[52] And so the message of scripture, it's very subtle but quite eloquent in Luke and the acts of the apostles where the Holy Spirit is over everything as the gift of God.

[53] But he acts in creation to a great extent just as Christ acts through his priests.

[54] The Holy Spirit has this special group the angelic world that act in his things.

[55] So the angel is there.

[56] He's been sent to us.

[57] That's the beginning of the exodus from the world of sin, from Israel out of Egypt, and I send my angel before you.

[58] And God wants us to listen to the angel.

[59] And if we do that, then he's going to be the enemy of our enemies and the foe of the foes.

[60] And when we do that, we're going to have success.

[61] And if we don't, curtains, one chastisement after another.

[62] So the catechism of the church doesn't hesitate.

[63] to quote St. Thomas and says that in everything we do, the angels cooperate.

[64] And the context is that man cannot advance in merit without the grace of God, which comes to us through the angels, and therefore the angels collaborate in our every good.

[65] John of the Cross sends gives us the same doctrine in a different way.

[66] He says, don't wait for your angel to make it sweet and tasty to do you.

[67] He doesn't always console you, but he always, enlightens your reason.

[68] And so we could say that in every moral action, the angel is acting upon us.

[69] And so we collaborate with him when we say yes.

[70] And if we fail to them, we're resisting the light of God.

[71] And so openness to the angel is open to the activity of how the Holy Spirit acts upon us.

[72] It's kind of like people saying, oh, I just want to go on a mountain.

[73] They say, Jesus Christ instituted this memorial this sacrament, and you could be right there, and you want to go straight to God, and Jesus wants you to come to him through the sacrifice, the liturgy of the church.

[74] Wow.

[75] My mouth is open, but how can people get information for the Opus Angeloam to learn more about their angel.

[76] Is there a website?

[77] Yeah, well, you could just go on opus angeloerum .org, and it's all there.

[78] A lot of information, a lot of essays.

[79] Got good points.

[80] And open your mind.

[81] Father Wagner, I'd like to hear you.

[82] I know for me and around our diocese here in Northeast Texas and in other places, I see a lot more of the prayer of the archangel St. Michael.

[83] Talk about that prayer and its efficacy in collaborating with the power of the good angels.

[84] Okay.

[85] Okay, well, first of all, is Michael is the very chosen figure in the divine economy because in the trial of the angels, which seems to have been focused on the mystery of the incarnation, this was proposed to them, and suddenly the angels saw that they were first place center in this thing, but they were called to be servants of God would become man, and the focal point is mankind.

[86] In some ways, the darling of God's predilection.

[87] blessed mother and humanity.

[88] And so the angels, when they're proposed with that, their whole natural knowledge, and this is true also of us.

[89] God could not create any creature, whether spiritual or human, that could enter into the intimate relationship with God and share in the mystery of God himself.

[90] So God had first to create the nature and infuse upon that the gift of grace to raise us up to a share in divine nature.

[91] Well, there's a huge, it's almost a cataclysm because by nature, nature has its own finality.

[92] But once God in his bounty calls us to something beyond that, then we have a new finality.

[93] So all the inclination and dynamism of nature is always called to step back and say, what does faith, what does revelation, what does the church teach us about our existence and where we're to play?

[94] So Michael was the one who says, who is like God?

[95] and chose God at the beginning.

[96] Wow, what a great answer to the question.

[97] We're going to keep you for another segment, Bishop, our Father Wagner, with the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[98] More questions on Angel Ology.

[99] Stay with us, family.

[100] We'll be right back.

[101] Welcome back to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[102] We have our special guest, Father William Wagner, from the Opus Angelorum.

[103] We're talking about angelology, the study of angels, especially the good angels.

[104] And you just answered a question about St. Michael, the archangel.

[105] And I think we could give one or two more questions.

[106] and then we'll get into our tweets.

[107] But Bishop Strickland, do you have another question for Father Wagner?

[108] Yeah.

[109] Father, what would you say is the main thing that someone wants to live a faithful Catholic life, live, you know, everything that the church teaches, what is the best step they can take?

[110] Let's presume they're really not familiar with angels at all.

[111] What would you recommend?

[112] And I'm thinking of adults, you know, certainly children, but adults that maybe aren't even aware of the idea of having a guardian angel.

[113] What would you recommend as the most important thing they can do?

[114] I would say in our knowledge of the faith, the reading of scripture, reading of the lives of the saints.

[115] Padre Pio has a wonderful statement.

[116] He says, everything an individual desires to get through their personal.

[117] reflections or their personally formulated prayers they can receive in a higher way through lexio divina the reading of divine scripture and he explains that if i'm doing the thinking it's my poor little mind trying to solve problems if i'm praying i've got my intentions in a narrow focus but if i'm open to the holy spirit listening to the word of god and attentive then the angel can come in there.

[118] And it's no secret that the people who love the angels are the ones who first love God, the mystery of the incarnation, the Blessed Mother.

[119] And then they want to know how I can grow in that, and then the angel becomes a natural ally.

[120] So if things are in the proper theological order and the spiritual order, because you've got a lot of people that are praying, but it becomes rote if we're not nourishing ourselves by going in, deepening our knowledge of supernatural revelation.

[121] Wow.

[122] Beautiful.

[123] I just had a quick question.

[124] We talk about the angelic doctor, St. Thomas Aquinas.

[125] I noticed that in the work of the holy angels, St. Thomas seems to be quoted so much.

[126] Why is that, Bishop, or Father Wagner?

[127] Well, you just gave us the answer.

[128] He's the doctor of the angels.

[129] He's the classic foundation of systematic theology.

[130] Unfortunately, he doesn't get his place.

[131] Even the Dominicans aren't aware of the depth of St. Thomas's angel.

[132] because most traditional theology, angelogies, the angels, they receive grace somehow, and they're helping us.

[133] But for St. Thomas, Christ is the source of the angelic grace.

[134] And therefore, the ministerial power of the angel is a Christian Christ's influence acting in and through the angels.

[135] He has a great, great formula.

[136] He says, as God is the creator of all being, Jesus, according to his humanity is the source of all grace, with no exceptions.

[137] That's Bickley, I'm very strong in his commentary on John's Gospel.

[138] From his fullness we have all received, and then he says, all intellectual creatures receive all their grace from the word incarnate.

[139] Wow.

[140] Beautiful.

[141] Yeah, Thomas is great, especially when he's doing independent theological reflection, and his scripture commentaries are very rich in Indian.

[142] angelology.

[143] Because in the first part of the summer, where he does the treatise on the angels, he hasn't got to the mystery of grace and he hasn't gotten to the sacraments.

[144] So the structure of the suma kind of limits his scope of reflection.

[145] Got it.

[146] Maybe a last question from the bishop, please?

[147] Well, Father, as you've talked, I've learned a lot about angels just in our brief conversation.

[148] And one thing that it clarifies for me, old and New Testament, the angels are constantly accompanying, I mean, Abraham, an angel comes and says, don't kill Isaac.

[149] Yes.

[150] Just constantly, it sort of opened up for me just as we're talking.

[151] So in the pre -Christian and in the Christian era, the angels are constantly, they're like you said, those who already love God.

[152] and they're seeking his will, the angels are there with them.

[153] I mean, you think about the apostles, you know, Peter, the angels come and free them.

[154] I mean, it's just sort of opened up for me a recognition of angels all the way through scripture, old and new testament.

[155] It's everywhere, but one of the most beautiful texts is in Revelations, which is practically the book of the angelic mission.

[156] Jesus has this message to give to John, and he does so by sending it.

[157] through an angel, and say, angels again.

[158] But in the fifth chapter, we see the lamb.

[159] He's been wounded.

[160] He's standing there so slain and he's standing alive.

[161] And he has seven eyes and seven horns, which are the seven spirits of God.

[162] Well, eyes are knowledge.

[163] And sevenfold, seven is a symbol for the divine gift, seven days of creation, seven sacraments, seven gifts of the Holy Spirit.

[164] Seven horns are power.

[165] So it's the omnipotence of Christ, this God, man. And these seven eyes and seven horns are the seven spirits.

[166] And so we're told there that Jesus glorified will now guide his church through the travails and the sufferings and the purification up to the wedding feast of the lamb and the final victory, and the angels are the troops he sends to the help of the church and to guide us.

[167] Sign me up.

[168] So it sounds like the angels are especially, and a lot of people, are talking about the church seeming to be going through a passion of her own, so the angels are very important to that, from what you're saying.

[169] Oh, it is so, and we can all cry over this, but how many times has God poured out his grace and mercy on Israel, and they come back to them, and then they fall away, and then there's chastis and desolation.

[170] And so we just have to keep our eyes of the future.

[171] God is going to be victorious in the end.

[172] The martyrs give the greatest praise to God.

[173] Absolutely.

[174] Father, can we have your website again for our listeners that they can get more information?

[175] Opusangillorum .org.

[176] You could also just look up the work of the holy angels, and you could find it.

[177] Great.

[178] Well, I want to thank you for joining us here on the Bishop Strickland, our Father, William.

[179] Thank you.

[180] It's a pleasure being with you.

[181] God bless.

[182] Thank you.

[183] God bless.

[184] Thank you.

[185] Father, Bishop Strickland, I'd like to move on to your tweets because this, this particular week, use tweet every week, but some of them are just home run tweets that I just go, wow, what heck, where did you find that Cardinal Sirrah said this?

[186] And you just say a big amen.

[187] He says, we are living in a full -blown detatership of relativism characterized by alleged absence of objective, compelling frameworks for thoughts and morals.

[188] Basically, he's saying in his comment that we're all mixed up.

[189] Yeah, absolutely.

[190] And I think that I really appreciate Cardinal Sarah's voice in this time.

[191] He never gets into personal attacks.

[192] He's never anti anyone, but he's just speaking the truth of the faith and saying we have to embrace and trust in the truth of the faith.

[193] One of the messages that I saw just recently is we can't put.

[194] truth of the faith up for a vote.

[195] Yeah.

[196] It's not a democratic system of voting in.

[197] I mean, we were just talking about angels.

[198] Yeah.

[199] For there's an attitude out there.

[200] It's like, oh, well, if enough bishops vote on it, then I guess angels are out of the catechism.

[201] And that's just not how it works.

[202] It's divinely revealed truth.

[203] It's not something that we as human beings.

[204] And the tremendous arrogance there is devastating.

[205] but Cardinal Sarah, I've never had the chance to actually meet him.

[206] I've read some of his books, and I've seen a lot of what he says, but it's always very calm and very scholarly, but just very clear truth.

[207] And we need those kind of voices today when there's so much confusion, and you hear people, even in the hierarchy of the church, saying things that just don't make sense, Not anyone can hear some of these things, and you're going to say, that doesn't fit with what the church teaches.

[208] And we just have to, like Cardinal Serra, be calm, but be very clear and very strong in saying, no, this is not the church that Christ established.

[209] And just like Father Wagner just said to trust that the goodness prevails, truth prevails.

[210] I've said many times as we talk, Terry, that what last is the truth, all these false teachings, all the false ideas, whether it's in society or in the church, it's not going to last.

[211] It's not, it isn't sustainable.

[212] And we just need to remember, and when we get confused, I just talked to a group I was visiting in Louisiana this past weekend, and I said, when, and I've done this myself, you know, I just said, this is what I try to do when it gets confusing.

[213] I know super intellect or great theologian, and I can get confused, but what I advise and what I do is go back to Jesus.

[214] We know he's fully God and fully man. We know he's God's divine son.

[215] We know he has taught us.

[216] Look to him.

[217] Look to his model.

[218] And he, of course, he's the son of God.

[219] You would expect his model incarnate among us is going to be always balanced, always loving, always the truth, always cutting through the human divisions.

[220] And he does that constantly.

[221] We need to look to Jesus and remind ourselves of what he's taught us when things get confusing and even in people in the hierarchy of the church.

[222] And as a bishop, I'm part of that.

[223] But as I've said many times, and I'll keep repeating it, if I say something that's wrong, please stop me and correct me. I don't intend to say something that is contrary to our faith.

[224] But we can all make mistakes.

[225] We can all get confused or off track.

[226] If I say something that is contrary to what the deposit of faith is, it's my job to be corrected so that people, the faithful, that are listening, can be assured that we as bishops are always in reference to the incarnate truth that is Jesus Christ.

[227] That's what Cardinal Sarah does.

[228] He constantly points to the truth that's been revealed to us by the the son of God.

[229] Well said, and, you know, on the other side of that equation, we have certain bishops like the bishop's president of the German conference, Bishop George Basing, states that the blessing of homosexual unions are already the practice and will formally implement it in direct opposition to the doctrine of the Catholic Church.

[230] And this is an email that someone sent out and asked, is this a schism?

[231] And your response was, you know, let us be clearly and vigorously denouncing the blessing of sin, which will bring grave harm to those involved to the church.

[232] The arrogance is devastating.

[233] In other words, I'm hearing you say that the German bishops, and we're going to get to Cardinal Mueller, who says that they need to go on trial.

[234] These bishops are in error.

[235] And I appreciate prelates like yourself and Cardinal Mueller saying, Look, this, if it doesn't get stopped, and correct me if I'm wrong, this could spread.

[236] And I'm going to let you answer that question when we come back from the break because it's serious matter when a whole president's, a bishop's conference in a complete country, are deviating on moral teachings of the church that have been around for 2 ,000 years.

[237] And I think out of charity, we need to correct them.

[238] And I hope Holy Mother of the Church will do that.

[239] Stay with us, family.

[240] We'll be right back.

[241] Welcome back to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[242] I had just asked the good bishop a question regarding the bishops of Germany, and they're basically stating that they're going to be blessing homosexual unions that they're already doing, and I had mentioned to the good bishop that out of charity, we have to address that as a church and say, look, you know, this isn't right, and for clarity purposes, for the joyful need to be clearly known what the church teaches.

[243] and Bishop Strickland, isn't this an act of charity to go after the bishops and correct them with the gospel?

[244] Did I lose them?

[245] That's what we're called to do.

[246] That's a work of mercy is to share the truth and to reach out to those who are misinformed and following a false message.

[247] That's a great way of loving is to lovingly call people back to the truth.

[248] truth, not condemning anyone again.

[249] Like I said earlier, Christ is the great message model of that.

[250] He shows us how to teach the truth if we just need to look to him.

[251] Well, I think Cardinal Sirrah is another cardinal.

[252] He just has another that is really correcting error by simply stating the truth.

[253] He said the church is suffering.

[254] She's being trampled on and her enemies are within.

[255] Let us not abandon her.

[256] I have to make one comment, and Bishop Strickland, don't take this personal.

[257] But in my lifetime, I've seen so much dissent from clergy, even bishops, that my question comes a lot of times is just because you're a Catholic bishop doesn't mean you buy into all the teachings of the church, and that's a sad thing to have to say.

[258] But isn't that what the Cardinal is saying that we're being trampled on from within?

[259] Absolutely.

[260] I mean, we've got to speak up always in love, and like I've said, many times, the greatest love is the truth.

[261] To let people just blindly walk away in darkness, that's not love at all.

[262] Yeah.

[263] And not to attack anyone, but to just, you have to be clear, and your voice has to be strong enough for people to hear it.

[264] Because certainly the false messengers love to proclaim.

[265] from the rooftops.

[266] They're, you know, false messages that are harming people and celebrating the turning away from the truth, the relativization of everything.

[267] We've got to be strong and clear with the voice of Christ.

[268] You know, Fisher's Tricking, that's a simple message, but yet it's hard to follow, it seems.

[269] But in another tweet that you sent out about Lent, and I thought this was an appropriate time, expiation, reparation.

[270] You said that let us again rejoice in the opportunity to repent of our sins.

[271] Yeah, that's the gospel.

[272] Do penance, make reparation for our sins during these days.

[273] Jesus tells Peter to forgive 70 times seven showing us God's infinite merciful heart, but we must turn from our sin and seek to live the gospel virtues.

[274] I noticed you said we must turn from our sin, that in other words, we play a part in that mercy.

[275] Absolutely.

[276] We unlocked the mercy by, I mean, it's like the prodigal son.

[277] The father lets him go.

[278] He keeps, as the gospel says, a life of dissolute living.

[279] It doesn't go beyond that to describe what he was doing, but it wasn't good.

[280] It wasn't good for him.

[281] He wakes up and turns around.

[282] That's what repentance really means.

[283] The root of it is to turn, turn from the false dark path into the path of life that is Jesus Christ, to repent of our sins.

[284] Sins are steps into darkness.

[285] To repent is to turn around and head toward the light.

[286] And that's exactly what the prodigal son does.

[287] This next tweet, I'm real familiar with.

[288] which is taught Kansas because of our family conferences for the last 22 years.

[289] They're an anomaly, a diocese because a priest who we know set a program up where the families who want to send their kids to Catholic school, they don't pay a tuition.

[290] Everybody's tithing in the parish.

[291] So everybody's paying for all these expenses.

[292] And so this is a small diocese, and what's beautiful about it, In that diocese years ago, they started perpetual adoration in about 40 % of the parishes in Wichita have Eucharistic adoration.

[293] I have personally spoken to seminarians over the last 20 years who become priests saying that they found their vocation before the Blessed Sacrament.

[294] So I think they're doing something right.

[295] Is that why you wanted to show off that they've got 35 seminarians in formation with a small diocese of about 120 ,000 Catholics?

[296] Is that why you did that?

[297] Absolutely.

[298] Because that's about the size of our diocese.

[299] We're blessed with hopefully next year 20 seminarians, but they, and we don't have that system.

[300] We've actually tried to look at it, but it's a great commitment from the people and from the bishop and the priest as well.

[301] But to commit to that tithing is the only way it makes it possible.

[302] And it makes it possible to afford those seminarians.

[303] as well because it's expensive, like we've talked about before.

[304] Each seminarian is 50 ,000 plus just for room and board, tuition and the basics that go along, not with even additional educational programs or studying a language or something.

[305] That's all in addition to that.

[306] So, $50 ,000 per seminarian with 35 seminarians, that's that.

[307] That's expensive.

[308] And I'm proud of our diocese for their generosity to be able to support 20 seminarians is significant for us.

[309] But we don't have the same system for supporting kids in our Catholic schools.

[310] We'd love to do that.

[311] In Eucharistic adoration, absolutely.

[312] Thankfully, we're blessed with that.

[313] We had Eucharistic adoration just.

[314] this afternoon at our chapel here in Tyler.

[315] And it, thankfully, more and more people are participating.

[316] And it's the Lord.

[317] I mean, it's, it makes sense, doesn't it?

[318] Yeah.

[319] Young men that are spending time with Jesus in his Eucharistic face, if they are feeling, being called to the priesthood, they're much more likely to hear that call if they're spending time with the Lord.

[320] It just makes sense.

[321] Sure does.

[322] Now, there's a quote that you sent out a tweet, and you were quoting about the existence of hell that the church teaches this as a perennial teaching.

[323] I think it's important that we understand that because even in the last 40 or 50 years, theologians have really questioned that if anybody would go to hell.

[324] So that you put the teaching of the church affirms the existence.

[325] of hell and its eternity.

[326] Immediately after death, the souls of those who die in a state of mortal sin descend into hell, where they suffer the punishment of hell in eternal fire.

[327] And you're taking that right from the catechism of the Catholic Church.

[328] And I might add, I remember Dr. Hahn speaking on why the hell.

[329] What a great name of a talk.

[330] Why the hell?

[331] And he pointed out in scripture all the times that our Lord spoke about hell.

[332] And so, I think it's good that you bring this up because it seems a timely topic when, like I said, some people are questioning that.

[333] Is that pretty much you just want to reaffirm some perennial teaching?

[334] Is that why you did that?

[335] Absolutely.

[336] You hear a lot of questions about the existence of hell and the question about, is anybody there?

[337] Has anybody been condemned to hell?

[338] The church has never officially, I mean, we.

[339] speak of canonized saints that are, you can say, certified by the Catholic Church as people that are with God in heaven.

[340] The church has never done that with anyone condemned to hell, but that just because there aren't certified people that the church says this person's definitely condemned to hell doesn't mean they're not there.

[341] God's abundant mercy through his son, certainly it's God's will that all of us are with him.

[342] in salvation in everlasting life.

[343] That's why we're made in his image and likeness to share eternity with him.

[344] But he gives us the free will to choose not to.

[345] And I think we'd have to look at our world today and there's so many people that mock the idea of God and desecrate and blaspheme God's name and his son, Jesus Christ, and everything that is holy.

[346] Those people certainly can have a conversation.

[347] version experience and we pray they do.

[348] And we don't know at the last moment of a person's life.

[349] Thankfully, only God makes that judgment.

[350] But we are responsible to do everything we can to see that we're in the state of grace and humbly seeking God's mercy.

[351] And that's why just fairly recently I've started praying for the souls in purgatory at every mass. Because, you know, know, I mean, I think probably most of us who understand the faith just really want to at least make it to purgatory and know that, you know, and that's part of the whole mystery as well.

[352] I think that, you know, a lot of people, even Catholics, but certainly people outside the Catholic Church, they sort of scoff at the idea of purgatory as something that the Catholic Church is invented.

[353] But it's based in scripture, and it's certainly in the catechism.

[354] And I think it just makes sense that what does Christ say in the gospel?

[355] He says, be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect.

[356] I don't, I mean, you keep striving, but I have my doubts whether I will have achieved perfection before I die.

[357] We trust in God's mercy.

[358] purgatory is about.

[359] It's about being purged of any imperfection so that you can enjoy the everlasting beatific vision of God.

[360] That was a very biblical answer because the book of Revelation says nothing but perfect and pure will enter the kingdom of God.

[361] And so you're absolutely right.

[362] I remember Father Benedict Rochelle hoping that he would reach purgatory because he knew that he eventually would get to heaven.

[363] So he would say that in a kind of laughing way, but I think he's got a point.

[364] I want to talk about the new president of the bishop's conference.

[365] I'm really impressed with Archbishop Timothy Broglio.

[366] He was so good to us years ago when we started Lighthouse.

[367] And I want to quote him and then get your comments on that.

[368] Stay with us, family.

[369] It's a great comment on the president of the bishop's conference.

[370] Welcome back to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[371] Before the break, I was talking about Archbishop Timothy Broglio.

[372] He's the president of the U .S. Bishops Conference.

[373] He's actually the military ordinary.

[374] And I have to say this years ago, he was able to open up every base around the world for us to give downloads of wonderful talks through Lighthouse Catholic Media.

[375] And there were thousands, I don't know how many millions of downloads that military people downloaded our talks from Lighthouse.

[376] Because a lot of the military guys have nothing about time.

[377] They're guarding or they're doing some.

[378] They're bored.

[379] So they listen to a lot of Catholic people.

[380] programming because the Archbishop gave us that green light.

[381] But here's what he said.

[382] Nothing truly pastoral.

[383] It fails to begin with the truth.

[384] You have to begin with the truth.

[385] Bishop Strickland, I know you said thank you Archbishop, you know, for saying that.

[386] And it's pretty obvious.

[387] But, you know, it seems like it's not that, it's not being practiced because we hear pastoral, you know, ideas that say, well, you know, we're going to lower the bar because, you know, homosexuals, active homosexuals, just can't control themselves, so we're still going to let them receive hold of community.

[388] No, no, that's not the truth.

[389] So I just, it was refreshing for me to see that you tweeted that.

[390] Is that the reason you wanted to tweet that to tell people, hey, look, this bishop gets it right?

[391] Absolutely.

[392] And I have been pleased with Archbishop Brolio.

[393] And several things he said since he became president of the USCB.

[394] because what he says is exactly right.

[395] Yes, we're called to be pastoral in the way we care for people.

[396] I mean, what does that word mean?

[397] It's like a pastor.

[398] Yes.

[399] What does a pastor do lead people to the truth of Jesus Christ?

[400] And so the truth has to be woven into it.

[401] And too many times when people talk about being pastoral, It's as if, well, you ignore the truth.

[402] Yeah.

[403] And that's the opposite of pastoral.

[404] I mean, like we've talked about before, it's really the same idea that I've said many times is the greatest love, the greatest charity is to share the truth.

[405] Amen.

[406] The greatest welcome is to share the truth.

[407] Absolutely.

[408] I mean, I tweeted recently a song that probably both of us are with all over.

[409] welcome.

[410] Yeah.

[411] And I tried to say in the tweet, absolutely, God, I mean, Jesus Christ welcomes all, but he welcomes them to a change of life, to repentance, and to follow him.

[412] Amen.

[413] To turn from anything that is of darkness and evil that is false, that is not the truth.

[414] And he welcomes everyone.

[415] Jesus is there and he models that beautifully.

[416] He'll go to a sinner's home calling them to repentance and sometimes challenging those sinners to change their way of life.

[417] That's what we're called to do, and that's what Archbishop Brolio is highlighting.

[418] Absolutely, we need to be pastoral, but being pastoral means being like a pastor, which it's our job to bring people to the truth incarnate that is Jesus Christ.

[419] Well, this next one's a little controversial because Cardinal Mueller, who is the former Prefect for the Doctrine of Faith, has just come out with a new book, but he's also just, he basically came out on Raymond O 'Royles' last Thursday show, and I encourage everybody to watch EWTN's Raymond and Royal show every Thursday.

[420] He said regarding the bishops that are in Germany who are dissenting from the moral teachings of the church, he said they must be on trial and they must be sentenced and they must be removed from their office.

[421] Wow!

[422] And if they are not converting themselves and they are not accepting the Catholic doctrine, he said in an interview, he said that is very sad that the majority of the bishops voted explicitly against revealed doctrine.

[423] You notice he said doctrine, not discipline.

[424] Some of the bishops I heard talk about discipline.

[425] No, no, no, this is doctrine.

[426] And thank you for saying that.

[427] And the revealed faith of the Catholic Church and all of our Christian thinking against the Bible, the Word of God, Holy Scriptures, and the apostolic tradition, and in the defined doctrine of the Catholic Church, very clearly stated.

[428] And here's my question to you, Bishop Strickland.

[429] I don't know canon lawyer.

[430] You're a canon lawyer.

[431] I'm not.

[432] But it seems to me, and I'll just be honest with you, I love what he's saying, but it seems to me the only one that can correct them, those bishops, and call them out, would be the Pope.

[433] Absolutely.

[434] And what Cardinal Mueller is talking about is the using a canonical process to determine what because I mean we talk about the 38 bishops that made this vote but each of them has an individual responsibility they can't just say well I was just part of a group they've all got to make their I mean they're all successors of the apostles in their own right and I totally agree with Cardinal Mueller and a lot of people I'm sure would say, oh, that's terrible.

[435] Again, it's the greatest charity to call these bishops back to the truth.

[436] Because let's say one of them, I mean, God forbid, but let's say one of them dies tomorrow.

[437] Yeah.

[438] And if they have not, they have voted, they've stated something that is contrary to the truth that God has revealed.

[439] Wow.

[440] Once again, I mean, God is the judge, but I wouldn't want to be in their shoes.

[441] If they were facing eternal judgment being in this situation, that's what it comes down to.

[442] I mean, absolutely, as bishops, we have a responsibility to guide the church in the truth that Jesus Christ has revealed and that sacred scripture revealed that he echoes the whole deposit of faith.

[443] We're supposed to guard that.

[444] And to fail at that is sinful.

[445] And so these, I mean, in worldly terms, even the church is in the world, but not only in the world, but it's also a supernatural, you know, community, a mystical body of Christ people.

[446] But for now, the worldly terms of the trial and being removed from office, that's, again, the greatest charity for these bishops that are acting contrary to the truth is to hopefully, I mean, canon law should always be medicinal.

[447] Yes.

[448] It should have the goal of changing the heart of someone who has set against the truth.

[449] these bishops, maybe some of them would change their mind if they were put through a trial.

[450] And maybe they would wake up to and say, I recant my vote for this process.

[451] But if they don't, then we've done all we can't, and they're in the hands of God.

[452] Well said, and I have to say some of my separated brethren have impressed me when it comes to speaking the truth with their understanding of the Bible.

[453] And there was a tweet from a deacon, Calvin Robinson.

[454] I saw the video, and Bishop Strickland, thank you for tweeting that.

[455] I was so impressed, and he did it with charity.

[456] So if people can look that one up, but he had a staunch to find a defense of a biblical Christian belief, it's creating a big impact across the Western world.

[457] He's not afraid to speak the truth.

[458] He quoted the Catholic Catechism in his talk.

[459] And as you say so often, Terry, clarity with charity.

[460] That's exactly what the way Reverend Robinson spoke.

[461] I mean, it was beautiful and clear and calm.

[462] He was just speaking the truth.

[463] It needs to be heard by every disciple of Jesus Christ.

[464] Because we've got a lot of work to do for people who don't even claim to believe in Jesus Christ.

[465] But for those who call themselves Christians, for us to be as divided as we are, even within the church that he established, the Roman Catholic Church, it certainly is the work of Satan, this division.

[466] And we've got to overcome it.

[467] Amen.

[468] We're recording this show on the 20th of March, which is actually liturgically the feast of St. Joseph.

[469] Now, your first name is Joseph.

[470] I started St. Joseph Communications.

[471] I have a Joseph Fulton Barber.

[472] I'm really devoted to St. Joseph and in these last few minutes and we can talk a little bit about Lent in preparation for the Easter Tritium, but do you have a few words about St. Joseph that you'd like to share on why we should have devotion to Jesus' foster father?

[473] Absolutely, Terry.

[474] And of course, I am a great devotion to St. Joseph being my namesake.

[475] But really, every Christian man and every priest should have a devotion to St. Joseph, because he's not immaculately conceived like his spouse, the Blessed Virgin Mary.

[476] But I like to think he's as close to that because he was chosen by God to be the foster father of his son.

[477] He was a righteous man. And so what I spoke about in the homily today for the mass of St. Joseph, like you said, transferred from the 19th, because Sunday always takes precedent for a feast day like that.

[478] So it was transferred to today.

[479] But just as what I talked about is the scripture passage where the woman points to Mary and says, blessed are you because you bore Jesus into the world?

[480] And Jesus says, no, bless.

[481] is she because or blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it.

[482] Wow.

[483] And the Immaculate Virgin Mary and St. Joseph are blessed for that same reality.

[484] They both heard the word of God and they acted on it.

[485] They kept the word of God.

[486] That's the sanctity and the blessing that we're all called to.

[487] And so I see the Immaculate Virgin Mary.

[488] And I said this because I think we need to be very explicit.

[489] Yes, there are womanly models like Mary and the great women's saints.

[490] There are manly models like Joseph and the great men's saints.

[491] We need to be very clear, absolutely, like, you mean, we as men can have a great devotion to the Immaculate Virgin Mary and be greatly blessed by her model, but also by St. Joseph.

[492] And the same thing for women.

[493] St. Joseph can be a great patron and inspiration for them.

[494] But we need to see that God has given us, he's made us male and female, and he's given us saintly models for men and saintly models for women that we need to pay attention to.

[495] Well said Bishop Strickland, we're short on time, so let's see if we can get a blessing for our listeners, please.

[496] Mighty God, we ask your blessing for Terry and his crew and for everyone listening as we continue through this Lenton season that we may continue to repent of our sins and to grow in the virtues and grace that God offers us.

[497] May our guardian angels intercede for us as well.

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

[499] Thank you so much, Bishop Strickland, for sharing the gospel with us.

[500] Folks, you can listen to any of the back shows by going to vmpr .org.

[501] As a matter of fact, all of our shows are there for you.

[502] The Terry and Jesse Show, Jesus 9 -1 -1, much more that will inspire you to fall deep in love with Jesus Christ and His Church.

[503] May God richly bless you and your family.

[504] We'll see you again next week, same time, same station.

[505] God love you.