31 Aug 21 – We Are Charged to Form Our Conscience In Truth

[0] Welcome to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[1] My name is Terry Barber for Virgin Most Powerful radio.

[2] And today we're going to be discussing the Trinity.

[3] We're going to be discussing tweets from Bishop Strickland.

[4] Bishop Strickland, welcome back from your trip.

[5] I am going to tell it from St. Thomas Aquinas College here in Southern California.

[6] First of all, I want to say thank you for coming to California.

[7] And what was your experience there at Thomas Aquinas?

[8] What were you there for?

[9] Thanks, Terry.

[10] I was there for their fall convocation.

[11] as they started the new school year and had mass and gave a brief talk at their convocation ceremony.

[12] It was great.

[13] Some great young people, some great teaching of the truth going on.

[14] I was very glad to make that connection with St. Thomas Aquinas College.

[15] Well, good.

[16] I know that's a great school.

[17] I've been aware of that for many decades.

[18] I have got lots of friends that went to school.

[19] And you know what the interesting thing about that school, too, Bishop Strickland's, many vocations to the priesthood and sisterhood came from that school.

[20] I mean, lots.

[21] So that tells you, they're doing something right.

[22] All right.

[23] Well, I wanted to talk a little bit about your tweets, and then we'll get into the catechism.

[24] One of your tweets is something about free will, which I think is fantastic.

[25] You said our free will is a God -given right and responsibility that goes to the very heart of what it means to be created in the image and likeness of God.

[26] It's a beautiful gift and awesome responsibility.

[27] We are charged to form our conscience in truth so that we may choose wisely.

[28] I think of what Fulton Sheen used to say.

[29] The only value in saying yes to God is you have the freedom to say no. But the part that really got me in your tweet is when you said, we are charged to form our conscience in truth so that we may choose wisely.

[30] Why are you saying this now?

[31] Is that a message for the, that you think we need to hear even more today in our culture?

[32] Absolutely.

[33] We're driven so much by opinion polls and this idea and that.

[34] We need to get to the truth.

[35] What is the truth of whatever the situation and then make our decisions from there with our free will.

[36] We need to, really pay attention to free will, which is God's gift to us.

[37] That's part of what makes us created in his image and likeness is that we have the free will to choose between good and evil.

[38] It goes all the way back to Adam and Eve, and the mistake they made.

[39] They chose what looked good, but what was really evil.

[40] And they sinned.

[41] We all do.

[42] We're sinners.

[43] But we need to find the truth and learn the truth and be formed in it, it makes it easier.

[44] Maybe it's still not the easy choice all the time, but it makes it easier to make the right choice when you've informed yourself of what is true.

[45] Well, said, I think of a good priest who gave me a homily.

[46] I have it written down here.

[47] And I like what he said.

[48] He said, I'm reminded of the famous quote that opens Dickinson's book, A Tale of Two Cities.

[49] It was the best of times, and it was the worst of times.

[50] He says, on one hand, our contemporary society has receded so far from the ideals of true Christian social order that it's been described as many as a post -Christian, and Archbishop Shepu described in his book, Strangers in a Strange Land, which I read about a year ago, and I thought, boy, he nailed it.

[51] But here's the thing, for many of us during this difficult time in history right now, it seems if we have no refuge on to retreat to.

[52] He says, but on the other hand, it's the best of times for each of us because God chose from all eternity to place Bishop Strickland, Terry Barber, and our listener here on Earth right now rather than any other time.

[53] And he says, it's best time for us to know, love, and serve God.

[54] What a great teaching, you know, for this priest.

[55] He says, he's created us for this time and for no other, and he calls each one of us to be part of the solution to these difficulties in an error rather than part of the problem.

[56] I love what he said, Bishop, because he says it like you.

[57] He says, how do we become part of the solution?

[58] We can do this only by uniting ourselves to Jesus Christ.

[59] And here's questions that he asked me and he asked you.

[60] He asked everybody.

[61] The priest goes, how much time each day do you spend talking in the message of God compared to taking in the message of the world or taking the message of God?

[62] Boy, hit me right between the eyes.

[63] he says, God is not abandoned us.

[64] He's present, like you said, in our tabernacles.

[65] He's present in our souls in the state of sanctifying grace.

[66] And he says, do we take advantage of Eucharistic adoration, something you've hit many times on this show?

[67] Do we spend time in mental prayer?

[68] He gives us his own mother to be our own mother.

[69] And he asks, he says, are you praying your rosary every day?

[70] These are the kind of homilies that challenge us, Bishop Strickland.

[71] I love priests who challenge us in the homely.

[72] He says, I'm convinced.

[73] I'm that God is promoting two particular devotions of our day.

[74] And he says, devotion to the holy face of Jesus and devotion to St. Joseph.

[75] This is the year of St. Joseph.

[76] And he made something really interesting.

[77] He made a comment about St. Pope, I'm sorry, I keep saying St. Pope Pius I love that Pope, but he's Pope Pius the 11th.

[78] And he stated this solitary reparation to the Holy Face of Jesus is divine work.

[79] And he said this, this is powerful.

[80] destined to save modern society.

[81] That was back in the 50s, he said that.

[82] I just like pulling up old things like that because I think of how we've got this supernatural aspect.

[83] It reminds me of Our Lady of Fatima saying souls are going to hell because no one is there to pray and make sacrifices.

[84] And Bishop Strickland, it seems like the Holy Father, Pope Pius D. 11th is saying things that you've been saying for a year now on this show.

[85] So I thank you for that.

[86] you have a tweet also about Cardinal Burke and for those who are listening later the word a couple days ago is he came out of the intensive care unit praise God we're all happy about that but you want to pray because all of those who are currently battling COVID -19 including Cardinal Raymond Burke he is among the countless sons and daughters of God battling this virtue this virus may they all receive every opportunity of healing and strength that can be provided May Mary and the Saints intercede for them.

[87] Bishop Strickland, I think we have to.

[88] I'm just finishing up another funeral here at the chapel, and the mortuaries are telling me, you know what?

[89] People aren't dying now from this virus.

[90] We're not having as many funerals as we did, you know, four or five months ago.

[91] They're getting sick, but the treatment that they're getting, it seems to be working.

[92] So I just say, keep the prayers coming for people who have COVID.

[93] I've already had it.

[94] I have the immune in my heart.

[95] body now, so I'm grateful, and I thank God.

[96] Bishop Strickland, you have a quote here from, and I say his name, you said in this next tweet.

[97] Oh, and that's all I wanted.

[98] I wanted to let you know about your prayers for all those people who have COVID.

[99] I'm going to ask you directly, because I know a lot of people.

[100] Have any of your friends, relatives, died from COVID in the last three or four months?

[101] Not people that I'm close to, but certainly people in the parishes and people that I've known.

[102] Yeah, yeah, anybody who's got, you know, other issues in their life, those are the ones.

[103] I have a good doctor friend who just told me that two of his patients, but they had all kinds of medical issues.

[104] St. John Euse, he says this in his tweet.

[105] You said, you belong to the son of God, but more than that, you ought to be in him as members are in the head.

[106] All that is in you must be incorporated it into him you must receive life from him be ruled by him there will be no true life for you except in him why why doesn't he really tell me what he thinks that's pretty straightforward bishop strickland yeah well that's why i tweeted it i think he says well what we need to remember yeah but bishop strickland jesus says he's the way the truth and the life and that's what st john eudes is saying in a different way You know, he also said something.

[107] I think I quoted this to you a while back because we're living in a very scandalous time.

[108] I think Bishop Foley from the Archbishop from America was in Rome.

[109] He said that scandal is one of the biggest obstacles in evangelization.

[110] And St. John Hughes said, bad priests are a sign of God's anger.

[111] And I thought, wow, that's pretty powerful.

[112] He said that back at 1600s.

[113] And it seems that, I mean, listen to this quote and then tell me if you think he's spot on.

[114] He said the most evident mark of God's anger, the most terrible castigation he can inflict upon the world is manifest when he permits his permissive will, his people to fall into the hands of a clergy who are more in name than indeed priests who practice cruelty of like ravaging wolves rather than the charity and affection of devoted shepherds.

[115] He said this, not me, the saint said it.

[116] They abandoned the things of God to devote themselves to the things of the world and in their saintly calling of holiness they spend their time in profane worldly pursuits.

[117] When God permits such things, it's a very positive proof that he's thoroughly angry with his people, us, and is visiting his most dreadful wrath upon them.

[118] Bishop Strickland, that's 500 years ago, but I believe that history is repeating itself and I'm not pointing it at you.

[119] I'm pointing at me first.

[120] I have to live a holy life.

[121] But, you know, scandals have been going on for most of my life, serious ones in the last 10 years, especially in the summer of shame in 2018 with Cardinal McCarrick, it seems that there's a punishment going on and the church is being purified through all this.

[122] Would you agree with the saint?

[123] I do agree.

[124] And what it highlights, as is so often the case, it reminds us of the great treasure that priests are.

[125] Amen.

[126] They are men who are supposed to live.

[127] in persona Christi, in the person of Christ, stand at the altar, take bread and wine, and once again, our Lord and Savior, body and blood, soul and divinity becomes present.

[128] So, absolutely, for priests to be scandalous and to be so caught up in the world that they break basic commitments of the baptized, much less priesthood.

[129] It is a sign of the wrath of God, you might say, of the reality that the world is very broken.

[130] And that's why we have to pray for our priests.

[131] Amen.

[132] Even for those who may have wandered to come back to holiness because we need them.

[133] Absolutely.

[134] We're praying now.

[135] When we come back, we're going to get a quote from Saint Pope Pius the 10th.

[136] What's the a have to say?

[137] Stay with us, family.

[138] We'll be right back.

[139] Welcome back to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[140] My name's Terry Barber.

[141] I teased you with something from Pope St. Pius the 10th.

[142] Bishop Strickland tweeted out, he says, Pope St. Pius the 10th above all, his holiness shone forth conspicuously.

[143] From St. Pope Pius the 10th, we learn again.

[144] The folly of the cross, the simplicity of life, and the humility of heart are still the highest wisdom and the indispensable conditions of a perfect Christian life.

[145] Why, does that go against the world, Bishop Strickland?

[146] Give me a break.

[147] That's a powerful statement.

[148] Yeah, I agree.

[149] Pise the 10th is, it was a great saint, Pope, and really opened up the Eucharist to more frequent reception for younger people.

[150] And I think that what he said there really resonates with that same basic attitude.

[151] We need Christ.

[152] We need the power of his presence in the Eucharist.

[153] But you also tweeted that Pope St. Pope Pius the 10th motto, I guess it's the stuff on the side, his little right, on the side of his coat of arms, I guess.

[154] The quote, the motto is to renew all things in Christ.

[155] And then you tweet, may this saintly pope inspire us to live his motto beginning with our own daily lives.

[156] What a great way to start.

[157] Even believers can be lolled into complacency.

[158] Let us awaken to the wondrous truth of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

[159] Bishop Strickland, a big amen to that.

[160] You know, when he says renew all things in Christ, that saint i think also maybe i'm wrong but he also had an encyclical on christ the king king of kings and i think of you know that that maybe sometimes we've forgotten that aspect of our faith that everything we do it can be renewed through jesus christ every action and maybe this is something that our world no not maybe it needs to hear but your thought on why you quote twice Pope St. Pius the 10th.

[161] What was your purpose of that?

[162] Well, it's just good from more than 100 years ago to be reminded of this truth that has been proclaimed over and over again.

[163] Honestly, I would have thought that to renew all things in Christ was a more recent motto than that.

[164] But the fact that it was more than 100 years ago and we still need, that renewal as what's interesting, I'm sure we both see it as, and we'd comment it on it, but really with whatever century of the church, people are dealing with the same things.

[165] Of course, nothing new under the sun.

[166] The battle between evil and good, darkness and light, certainly different circumstances and sometimes are better than others, but what strikes me is that, yes, set by Pope St. Pius X saw that all things needed to be renewed in Christ in his time, in the early 1900s.

[167] And the same is true for us.

[168] Renewal in Christ is what it's about.

[169] If we remember that Jesus Christ is the Lord of the universe, and if we really believe that, then absolutely any real significant and lasting renewal is going to come from Christ.

[170] in remembering who we are and in the relationship we have with God, Father, Son, and Spirit.

[171] Well, said Bishop Strickland, we have another tweet.

[172] Now, this is not politically correct, which you're always doing anyway.

[173] I mean, really, that's why I like hanging around you every week, Bishop.

[174] It's not the way you part your hair.

[175] It's because I like your straightforwardness about our faith.

[176] You said, as pressure mounts to be vaccinated or else, in other words, mandatory vaccinations, Catholics need to remember this article.

[177] No Catholic, no Americans should be coerced to be vaccinated against their conscience.

[178] Can you expound on that?

[179] Yeah, I think what the article talked about was the right stance that early on the bishops took and the bishops of the United States speaking from various committees that basically said no Catholics should be coerced against their conscience to take a vaccination.

[180] that they find to be immoral associated with abortion.

[181] Since then, we basically folded on the issue and backed off.

[182] And many bishops are now mandating vaccines.

[183] But I think we need to remember the primacy of free conscience and free will.

[184] That's as sacred as it gets.

[185] That goes to the very heart of who we are.

[186] And if we're forced to do things that go against our conscience, then that's a pretty dark place to be as a society.

[187] And many people are arguing that, you know, these vaccines need to be mandated and, you know, disregarding whether people have a conscience issue about it or not.

[188] There are plenty of other questions about the vaccines, and as we've talked about before, neither of us are anti -vaccine, but you need to be discerning.

[189] You need to form your conscience, not just your conscience, but form your knowledge base of what are you doing and what are you introducing into your body.

[190] If you freely choose to do that, certainly you have a right to do so.

[191] But no entity should be forcing people, whether it's government or church or business, employers, to be forcing people to go against their conscience and receive a vaccine or else, I believe is just wrong.

[192] And it's a further erosion of our basic freedoms that we need so desperately.

[193] and that this nation has been founded on giving us those basic freedoms.

[194] So I think it's a time to speak up and say no mandates.

[195] Right.

[196] And I can see that not happening in your diocese because some diocese are making it mandatory that if you come to church, you have to be vaccinated, you can't receive sacraments.

[197] I find that reprehensible.

[198] I'm not in management.

[199] I'm in sales, but I can't see that happening in the Tyler Diocese where you're going to take people and say you can't come into church because you're not vaccinated.

[200] Is that a fair statement?

[201] Yes.

[202] I certainly, I urge people to become as well informed as they can.

[203] Talk to their doctor, talk to whatever experts make their own decision, but no one should be forced either way or the other.

[204] That's right.

[205] Worse to take a vaccine or force not to.

[206] People should be able to exercise their free will.

[207] And you mentioned get informed on it.

[208] I just want to give somebody a little information that they can go to LifeSight News 10 reasons why the FDA approval for Pfizer's jab isn't about health, but about forcing people to take the shot.

[209] And I give an example, now the Army, the Navy, all their armed services, they're being mandated to take the jab.

[210] So it's not a question of free will.

[211] It's a question of if you want to stay in the Army or the Navy or the Air Force, you have to do that.

[212] but I want to give some information just to think about.

[213] Pfizer has a track record of paying out over $2 .3 billion in settlements in the United States for illegally promoting drugs known to have dangers to their customers.

[214] So that's just a point.

[215] It's just disclosure, disclosure, to know that this is a company who has already had a bad track record and now you're going to go to them.

[216] I would just caution you to say, well, what about how many people have reported deaths?

[217] Well, Pfizer's latest injection already has a laundry list of side effects that have been linked to more than, are you ready, 9 ,000 reported debts, 12 ,000 permanent disabilities, and over 36 ,600 hospitalizations, which all by accounts are vast underestimated, because here's the problem.

[218] We're not getting the information about the bad side of these vaccinations.

[219] And I think before you do it, you should at least have some knowledge of what you're getting into.

[220] And again, if I was taking a boat ride from New York to London crossing the Atlantic and the company that had that ship and that was getting on has a record of ship sinking and taking no liability of, you know, a loss of life or, you know, any damage to me, I probably wouldn't take that shipping company.

[221] I'd probably look for someone else.

[222] And I just want to encourage people to do your due diligence.

[223] And that's a term and legal thing that says, look it up.

[224] check out before you jump into that swimming pool make sure there's water in there that's going to hold you that's my take all right Bishop Strickland I want to get into the catechism of the Catholic Church because this is I've been doing it on the Terry and Jesse show because I'm really encouraging people to read their catechism and you've been really good and I just want to welcome all the new people who are coming on board Bishop Strickland doesn't know this because he's not in how to market this show, but we've been spending money every week on Google searches for his show, and we've been averaging three, four, five hundred people more every week to listen to his show.

[225] It's not a lot, but it's adding up every week.

[226] It's been consistent.

[227] And I want to welcome all the new people who are listening to this and tell your friends about this show.

[228] And if you go to vmpr .org, you'll hear about all these shows.

[229] But right now I'd like to ask everybody to open up their Catechism, and it's going to be paragraph 232.

[230] It's basically Trinitarian teachings, the Trinity.

[231] And I want to also recommend something to all of our listeners.

[232] As many of you might know, for 30 years, I had been recording Scott Hahn for years since the late 80s when I first met him and did his conversion story.

[233] He did a three -cd set on the Trinitarian life.

[234] It was excellent work, and I'm going to give that away if people want it by calling 877 -5 -26 -21 -5.

[235] We actually email it to you.

[236] So it's a download that you'll have on an MP3 file.

[237] But again, it's high information on the Trinitarian Life.

[238] So let's open up our catechisms.

[239] And it's under the Title I where it says, in the name of the father and the son and the Holy Spirit.

[240] Paragraph 232 says, Christians are baptized in the name of the father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit.

[241] before receiving the sacrament they respond to a three -part question when asked to confess Father, son, and spirit I do the faith of all Christians rests on the Trinity Okay Bishop Strickland you know I'm going to laugh I'm going to say go ahead and explain the Trinity Well it's a mystery It is We know but it's a beautiful mystery And it's the mystery of the fullness of who God is.

[242] Really, of course, through revelation, through the incarnate word, the incarnate son of God, Jesus Christ, we come to know the fullness of who God is.

[243] Certainly the people of Israel, our spiritual ancestors, learned that there was one true God.

[244] But they didn't have, they had intimations of the word that we know is Jesus Christ as he becomes incarnate, the second person of the Trinity, and the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity.

[245] You can even look to the book of Genesis and see, you might say, whispers of that fullness of who God is.

[246] But really, through Jesus Christ, we come to know God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

[247] And certainly, we remember, we remember that God is all life, all love, all spirit.

[248] He is not, when we say God father, he's not a male father like you are.

[249] Right.

[250] Let me jump in real quick, Bishop Strickland.

[251] The music didn't come on, but we have to take a quick break.

[252] We'll be back with more with the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[253] Okay.

[254] Welcome back to the Terry, excuse me, to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[255] I was just thinking in my mind, Bishop Strickland.

[256] I can't think of a better.

[257] thing to be doing on an afternoon except to talk about the Trinitarian life.

[258] I mean, what a great joy that we get to do this and teach right from our catechism.

[259] So beautiful.

[260] We are on paragraph 233 saying that Christians are baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit, not in their names, for there is only one God, the Almighty Father, His Son, and the Holy Spirit, the most holy trinity i mean that's when you're talking about a mystery you know to define it that way it does help because you were in the middle of explaining the trinity the trinity before we had to break so i don't want to interrupt that thought but this paragraph says it very clear about you know how distinct it all is so why don't you give us your take on that paragraph bishop strickland well as i was saying earlier it we have to really open our hearts and minds to the mystery of God, because we think in the categories and we start to think, well, is God like really a father like you're a father?

[261] And of course, God is beyond that?

[262] Yeah.

[263] But that fatherly character, God has revealed himself.

[264] It's very clear in the Gospels that Jesus speaks of God, the Father, and speaks beautifully, especially in John's Gospel, of that relationship.

[265] that he has.

[266] I'm with the Father, and the Father is in me. In John's Gospel, he speaks beautifully about that relationship that still is beyond our understanding.

[267] In this paragraph 233 really gets to the crux of the issue, as so often the Catechism does, Christians are baptized in the name of the Father's Son and Holy Spirit.

[268] One name, not names.

[269] Exactly.

[270] Not.

[271] that it sort of is a bit mind -boggling even just in those simple terms but that's getting to the point that the one god is father son and spirit yes these three persons express something of god and as i've heard uh priests say that you have to be careful talking about the trinity because you can so easily become heretical because you have to be so precise but what you default to the idea that it's a mystery because the fullness of God really can't be explained but the Trinity is the best model that we have expressing of the richness of that community of love that is God one of the things you alluded to it earlier the word especially here in a very evangelical Protestant area where wonderful Christians that are not Catholic and don't embrace the fullness of the faith that we believe in.

[272] But you could argue very correctly, the word Trinity is not in the Bible.

[273] That's right.

[274] And that's correct.

[275] To me, I've often used that as a good illustration of what we as Catholics believe the word Trinity, no. I mean, we should freely admit that that's not, the word isn't in the Bible.

[276] It's not expressed in that way.

[277] But the truth of the Trinity is in the Bible.

[278] Jesus himself says, go and baptize in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

[279] And I think that's a good illustration of how we approach things as Catholics, that it's a it's rooted in scripture, but we believe tradition helps us to find ways to connect and ways to understand that more deeply, always going back to what does scripture actually say, and then going further with what tradition helps to reveal to us.

[280] But you could say in basic terms that trinity the holy trinity is a is a term from tradition but it's deeply rooted in the bible in sacred scripture because trinity is father son and holy spirit and father son and holy spirit are spoken of in the bible it's just that the term trinity or holy trinity isn't used you know bishop Strickland, while you were speaking, it reminded me the Holy See, maybe 25, 30 years ago came out with a ruling.

[281] We had our Mormon brothers who I respect tremendously.

[282] I don't agree with any of their doctrine, but they're really good people, my friends that are Mormons.

[283] But the church came out and said that their baptism, that they baptize in Father, Son, Holy Spirit, they'll baptize, but they don't baptize in the Trinitarian formula that we have.

[284] And so when those converts come into the Catholic faith, the church doesn't acknowledge those baptisms as being valid because they didn't do it with the intention of what we believe in the Trinity.

[285] So I just thought I'd mention that because as you were speaking about that, boy, that came to my mind because I have a lot of friends who have come into the church from the Mormon church and they had to be baptized with a regular baptism because we didn't acknowledge the Mormon's baptism as a Christian baptism.

[286] All right.

[287] Paragraph 234, the mystery that you just said, the mystery of the most holy Trinity is the central mystery of Christian faith in life.

[288] It is the mystery of God in himself.

[289] It is therefore the source of all other mysteries of faith.

[290] The light that enlightens them?

[291] It is most fundamental and essential teachings in the hierarchy of the truths of faith.

[292] The whole history of salvation is identical with the history of the way and the means by which the one true God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit reveals himself to men and reconciles and unites with him those who turn away from sin.

[293] Oh, that's, there's a lot in that paragraph, Bishop Strickland.

[294] Go ahead.

[295] I'm glad you're here.

[296] Well, what comes to mind for me is John 316, God so loved the world that he sent his only begotten son that we might have sharing God's life.

[297] And there are many aspects of the Trinity that enrich our understanding of what love, God is love, and what that means, and who God is, a communion of persons, a relationship, It reminds us of what it means for us to be created in the image and likeness of God.

[298] It means that we are, in the image and likeness of God means that we are meant to be in communion as well, in relationship with God and with others.

[299] Well, said, this next paragraph has some Greek terms in here that I think need to be kind of explained out.

[300] Paragraph 236 says, the fathers of the church.

[301] Now, who are the fathers of the church?

[302] Usually they talk about the first 400 years of the church.

[303] These are the early fathers of the church.

[304] They distinguish between theology and the economy.

[305] Now, theology refers to the mystery of God's inmost life within the Blessed Trinity and economy to all the works by which God reveals himself and communicates his life.

[306] through, and it's a Greek term, Okonomia, the theologica is revealed to us, but conversely, the theology illuminates the whole Okonomia.

[307] God's works revealed who he is in himself, the mystery of his inmost being, enlightens our understanding of all his works.

[308] So it is, analogically, among human persons, A person discloses himself in his actions.

[309] That well said.

[310] And the better we know a person, the better we understand his actions.

[311] Bishop Strickland, I think of St. Thomas Aquinas there because I even tie that in.

[312] I'll let you, you know, give me your take, but that point about better, we should, his actions to understand.

[313] I think of Bishop Sheen's three to get married book, the first five chapters are on the Trinitarian life so that we can understand that a spouse is we're really living that trinitarian life in our marriage and in everything we do flows from the trinity but i want to hear your take maybe i missed up on those uh on those uh greek terms but can you break that down for us please well uh it's pretty deep stuff it is it's in paragraph 236 but really what it is saying is that Theology studies God and himself, who God is.

[314] Yeah, that makes sense.

[315] And the economy, oikonomiya, is how God has revealed himself.

[316] Ultimately, most powerfully, through his son, who is God.

[317] Amen.

[318] That is the, Jesus Christ is the mystery incarnate, we can say.

[319] because besides all the other mind -boggling attempts to try to understand the Trinity, just focusing on Jesus Christ, who we know was a man named Jesus who lived in Nazareth, born in Bethlehem, grew up in that area, began his public ministry at about 30 years old.

[320] So even secular historians acknowledge this Jesus, of Nazareth.

[321] And so Jesus really is the mystery revealed.

[322] Literally, fully God, fully man. And as we know, it mentions the fathers of the church.

[323] In that age of the fathers, all of this had to be sorted out.

[324] Yes.

[325] We've talked before, I'm sure, about Aryanism, which denied that reality that the church came to.

[326] That's right.

[327] That Jesus is fully God and fully man throughout his incarnation, throughout the time from his conception until he died on the cross.

[328] He was a real man walking the earth, and he was always at the same time, fully the divine son of God.

[329] How can a timeless God be in a place in time?

[330] It's simply beyond our understanding.

[331] But that's the great revelation.

[332] of who Jesus Christ is.

[333] And I will just mention when we come back from the break we'll have more on the Trinity, but if people want to get a three CD set, it's a download, I'll give it to you for free, but you want to make a donation, that's fine.

[334] It's Scott Hahn taking three hours of courses teaching at Steubenville.

[335] I recorded them and they're free to you, but if you want to make a little donation, I won't hesitate to do that.

[336] Call it 877526 215.

[337] Tell them you want to get Scott Hans set on the Trinity.

[338] More with Bishop Strickland family.

[339] We'll be right back.

[340] Welcome back to the, Terry, to the Bishop Strickland hour.

[341] I'm kind of chuckling Bishop Strickland because we've been talking about the great mystery of the Trinity.

[342] And when I was a young man, maybe you did this too.

[343] I don't know.

[344] But we used to get together on Friday evenings with a priest who would have Mass and we'd have confession before Mass. It was just a bunch of guys from high school that this priest was working with.

[345] And many of us that would come ended up becoming Catholic priests, but we would spend hours.

[346] talking about theology and we knew nothing really as a teenager we were just you know kind of but we would ask these questions about the trinity or we would find out some new teaching and that we were just like we'd stay up to the wee hours talking about our Catholic faith and I thought what a great thing to do and so I'm going to encourage folks to take their catechism especially young men and open up the Bible with the catechism and study that if you need to study with the group do that or you know there's lots of things on the internet on the catechism that you can study with.

[347] I think EWTN has some classes on the catechism.

[348] Just I want to encourage people to do that.

[349] Bishop Strickland, in our last segment talking on the Trinity, it's paragraph 237, it said something that you've been saying all these last two segments.

[350] The Trinity is a mystery of faith in a strict sense.

[351] One of the mysteries that are hidden in God, which can never be known unless they are revealed, by God.

[352] To be sure, God has left traces of his Trinitarian being in his work of creation and in his revelation through the Old Testament.

[353] But his inmost being as a Holy Trinity is a mystery that is inaccessible to reason alone, or even to Israel's faith before the incarnation of God's son and the sending of the Holy Spirit.

[354] Wow.

[355] Go ahead and hit that one.

[356] Well, it...

[357] Faith and reason.

[358] Go ahead.

[359] Faith and reason, but go ahead.

[360] It emphasizes that what it means that the Trinity is a mystery.

[361] Yes.

[362] It's beyond our understanding.

[363] Absolutely.

[364] And it emphasizes that we can't know in this life.

[365] It really is beyond us.

[366] We speak of the beatific vision, which we have hope that one day we will encounter the fullness of God, especially in the theophanies of the Old Testament.

[367] Very often it's indicated that if you were to truly see the face of God, you couldn't survive it.

[368] It's just beyond our capability.

[369] Isn't that awesome?

[370] And I think we tend to resist that kind of limitation in our humanity today.

[371] Yeah, oh, yeah, big guy.

[372] We like to think we can do everything, and we can discover everything, and we can understand it all.

[373] But ultimately, as people of faith, and what this is saying is that ultimately we can't understand it all in this life.

[374] Yeah.

[375] And that it puts it all in the perspective that what I like to remind others as I talk is that from God's perspective, we are always his children.

[376] Amen.

[377] Even the fully mature adult of 90 plus years is just a child before God.

[378] And that is a perspective that it keeps us humble and it keeps us rooted in the truth.

[379] And it's a glorious truth if we think about it.

[380] that God is so much more wonderful than all the wonder that we can see, all the wonder of creation, the wonder of love between a man and woman or love between a parent and a child.

[381] God is beyond all of that.

[382] And there's something very positive, I believe, for us as human beings to know that there is so much more waiting for us.

[383] Yeah.

[384] There's more, you know, we've probably talked about the famous song, is that all there is?

[385] Yeah.

[386] And for us as believers, the answer is no. Yeah.

[387] This world is not all there is.

[388] We're called to a world beyond.

[389] And God has revealed himself.

[390] I've mentioned this a number of times because it's one of my favorite things about our Catholic faith is an acknowledgement that in our faith, God has revealed himself, but only to the point of what we need to know for our salvation.

[391] We know that God is love.

[392] We know that God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

[393] But there's much that we still don't understand about the mystery of God.

[394] And we don't need to know all of that in order to share in his salvation.

[395] We need to know God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

[396] We need to say, yes, I do believe, as we said in one of the earlier paragraphs, and to embrace that, and we need to know God's commandments.

[397] But there's much that we don't know, and we don't need to know.

[398] It's, you know, we've all heard in different settings.

[399] some things on a need -to -know basis.

[400] Yeah.

[401] And what God has given us is what we need to know in order to share in the gift of everlasting life, to be saved in His grace.

[402] But there's much that we don't need to know and that we can't know.

[403] It's beyond us.

[404] That's frustrating for us in our humanity in this scientific age where we think we can know everything.

[405] We think we can figure it all out.

[406] And I would imagine sometimes with your children as a father, just in the human situation, there are probably been times when you said, kids, you don't need to know that right now.

[407] Of course.

[408] And that's frustrating for kids.

[409] For us as adult kids, it's frustrating.

[410] And for children as they grow up with their parents, it's frustrating.

[411] But we need the humility of accepting the reality that there are simply things beyond us, simply things beyond our understanding.

[412] Creation is more mysterious than we can ever fully fathom.

[413] And that ultimately, I find uplifting and exciting to realize that God is so much more than we can contain than we can fully understand and describe.

[414] And that is a reminder of the great mystery, in a sense, for us who are created in the image and likeness of God.

[415] There's more mystery in one man and one woman than can fully be explained, and that is because we are Godlike, and we're called to be Godlike.

[416] Well, well said, you know, Bishop Strickland, I think of a quick story years ago when I was going to the Wichita Family Conference.

[417] I was flying back from Wichita, and I had to stop in at Vegas for an hour layover, and Southwest Airlines had a little delay, and we finally got on the plane, my wife and I, and I, for some reason, they separate.

[418] because they had like number system and the last three people that went on the plane was myself and a young man and a young woman but the young woman looked like a witch she had the hat on she had the black tar everything looked like i thought man she knew age well she was and so when we got on all three of us were getting on i said thank god we're on the plane at least because i was trying to show the beauty of you know at least we're getting on the plane she looks at me says thank god i am my own God.

[419] I couldn't believe this young lady was serious.

[420] So we got into the dialogue while we're getting onto the plane about, so tell me, when did you create the universe?

[421] And she got all kind of bending, hiffy at me and like, what do you mean?

[422] I say, if you're a God, how do you, tell me, I want to hear your, I wanted to hear her, you know, explanation.

[423] Well, she was just saying, I get to do what I want anytime I want to do it because I make the rules.

[424] I said, oh, okay, I get it.

[425] Yeah, you want to live your life and under your rules and not have any limitations.

[426] But you're not God, wouldn't you?

[427] Come on.

[428] If you were God, you would have created this world, but you weren't the one who created this world.

[429] So anyhow, the point I'm trying to convey is it's important that we know our Trinitarian life, that we know who Jesus is, because we're going to run into people in our world today who think they are gods.

[430] I see it a lot.

[431] And so I think this is why it's important for us to study our faith, and that's why the catechism of the Catholic Church is so important.

[432] I hear of Bishop Strickland, so many Catholics tell me, you know, I don't, I didn't know how to answer that person.

[433] You know what I always tell people?

[434] That's okay.

[435] I don't know how to answer every question.

[436] I have to research.

[437] That's why our faith is a lifetime occupation of studying our faith.

[438] We don't stop because we're 18 or 25 years of age.

[439] Bishop Strickland, is it a fair statement, you being a bishop in your 60s, that you're still learning more about your Catholic faith?

[440] I sure hope so.

[441] Me too.

[442] I'm in my 60s and I study different aspects.

[443] I read things from the lives of the saints.

[444] I'm always trying to pick up something that's going to help me love Jesus more and to get to know Jesus more.

[445] And that's why it's important that we study our faith.

[446] and that's why I want to encourage people if they don't have a catechism to call us at 877 -526 -215.

[447] And those who are watching right now on the internet, I have a DVD called Our Catholic Faith.

[448] It's a DVD that in one hour, it's actually 58 minutes, it goes through the attributes of God, existence of God, creation.

[449] It's basically, are you ready, folks, a Baltimore catechism for your kids?

[450] Well, your kids are going to need to know why they're here, where they're going.

[451] And I'll give that DVD away to anybody who will show it to your kids.

[452] You know why?

[453] Because I'm looking long term.

[454] I might be here another five or ten, 20 years at the most, but those kids who learn about their faith are going to be here for the next, what, 40, 50, 60, 80 years.

[455] We need to form our children.

[456] And mom and dad, that's our responsibility to do that.

[457] And if we don't study our faith, how are we going to pass that on to our kids?

[458] So this is my pitch to everybody.

[459] Mom and dad, One of your responsibilities is to pass on the faith, but you've got to know the faith.

[460] So study the catechism, teach your kids the faith.

[461] Bishop Strickland, we've only got a minute or two left.

[462] I want to get a blessing, but I also want to plug the Institute here at the Diocese of Tyler.

[463] Can you do that one more time?

[464] I really like to do it almost every show, so give us a little plug, please.

[465] Sure, the St. Philip Institute, St. Philip, with one out, Institute .org is the website.

[466] It's full of Catholic teaching, of podcasts, and opportunities to just learn more about the faith, learn more about the mystery of who God is in your life.

[467] So certainly I encourage people to explore that website and to know that it's available, certainly in the Diocese of Tyler.

[468] It's our tool of catechesis and evangelization.

[469] but it's also available to anyone who wants to visit the website.

[470] Awesome.

[471] How about a blessing for our listeners, Father, our Bishop Strickland?

[472] Almighty God, we ask your blessing for all of the work that Terry does with his associates at Virgin Most Powerful Radio.

[473] We ask your blessing for all the listeners, all who participate in this podcast in whatever way, that they may be strengthened and guided in your loving grace.

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

[475] Amen.

[476] Thanks again, Bishop Strickland.

[477] And folks, you can listen to you're brand new.

[478] We have all the podcasts at VMPR .org of the Bishop Strickland Hour, the Terry and Jesse show, Jesus 9 -1 -1, practical apologetics, all kinds of.

[479] We've got a new show coming from Barbara McGuigan coming out soon on pro -life shows.

[480] She's a great woman, so just keep us in touch by going to vmpr .org.

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