30 Apr 24 – The Holy Eucharist: The Truth of Who It Is

[0] Welcome to the Bishop Strickland Hour, Terry Barber, with Virgin Most Power every week.

[1] A couple shows a week what we do as we talk about our Catholic faith and how to help people fall in love with Jesus Christ.

[2] Bishop Strickland, welcome back from a week off.

[3] Thanks, Terry.

[4] Thank you.

[5] And I am excited because you wrote another letter.

[6] And we're going to get into that letter.

[7] personally, after reading it, is probably one of the most important letters.

[8] But I have to say this, it's a consistent drumbeat, and that is the deposit of faith, the deposit of faith.

[9] And I love that, so I appreciate that.

[10] We'll be getting into that and also some of your tweets, and I hope to get into some catechism lessons also.

[11] But before we delve into your letter, some of your tweets I thought were really really good and this is a tweet regarding St. Francis of Assisi remember for those I mean you know it was a 12th century he lived he started the Franciscans and you know everybody knows that one of the most holy saints of our church he said this and I thought it was so profound he said this and this was every single Catholic I want to read this over and over again because before especially I go to a Sunday Mass or even in a daily mass, St. Francis said, man should tremble.

[12] The world should quake.

[13] All heaven should be deeply moved when the son of God appears on the altar in the hands of the priest.

[14] Bishop Strickland, you may have said, well, we must embrace this sense of awe and fear of the Lord in the face of his wondrous truth and beauty.

[15] Bishop Strickland, do we really believe if that's truly Jesus Christ, then I think this is just my take there would be no Catholics leaving the church there would be our churches would be packed with people how do we communicate this great mystery that we have in the mass and in the Eucharist so that more people will do what St. Francis of Assisi said we should tremble quake all heaven should be deeply moved when the son of God appears on the altar in the hands of the priest your thought Well, really, Terry, that ties back into a letter I wrote a few weeks ago.

[16] And it needs to be repeated.

[17] Our priests need to be deeply Marian and deeply Eucharistic.

[18] Mary will always point us closer to her son, more deeply into his sacred heart.

[19] and the Eucharist is him.

[20] And as we've talked about before, the Eucharistic miracles, most of them, if not all of them, the miracle is that this is human heart tissue.

[21] Yeah, cardiac.

[22] As different miracles have been analyzed.

[23] So really, Terry, I believe, as a, I've said before, as abortion is the preeminent issue of the morality of life.

[24] Yes.

[25] The Eucharist, the belief in the real presence is the preeminent issue of faith for the Catholic church in the world today.

[26] Amen.

[27] And we can't just say, oh, isn't it too bad that 70 % of Catholics don't believe in the real presence?

[28] we need to be very clear that that is a basic fundamental element of being Catholic.

[29] And anyone, I mean, priests need to get with it.

[30] And I need to as well.

[31] But we need to really make it very clear to people that if you're Catholic, this is what we believe.

[32] If you have questions or you're not sure or you just aren't convinced, then you need to decide whether you're Catholic or not.

[33] We need to really emphasize it in those very important terms because without that belief in the supernatural, then everything begins to fall apart.

[34] And we've seen that.

[35] A lack of faith in the Eucharist is devastating for the Catholic Church.

[36] And it's blasphemous to our Lord who is there and is not being treated with the respect and the reverence and the awe.

[37] Just like, I mean, St. Francis says it very well.

[38] Every priest should approach the Eucharistic altar with fear and trembling and asking ourselves, with the priest first in line asking, have I been to confession and have I reasonably sure that I'm in the state of grace, the way to get there is to go to confession.

[39] And as I've said before, I know both of us are men who go to confession often.

[40] Not because we're some sort of holy guys, but because we know we're not holy enough.

[41] Exactly.

[42] And I'm a sinner.

[43] I need the grace of confession.

[44] And that's another encounter with Jesus Christ.

[45] But he's really there, body and blood, soul and divinity on the Eucharistic altar in our tabernacles.

[46] And St. Francis, all those centuries ago, hit the nail on the head.

[47] And he was a great reformer in the church because he had supernatural faith.

[48] We've got to urge people, if their faith isn't strong enough, read scripture, pray before the presence of the Lord, turn to the Blessed Virgin Mary and say, Blessed Mother, help me strengthen my faith.

[49] She will.

[50] She helps us to grow closer to her son.

[51] So we've got to take this very seriously.

[52] And we're not taking it seriously enough.

[53] this Eucharistic revival that's being planned, it's good and it's not, certainly not a bad thing, but I hope that the bishops of the United States will see it as only, only a bare beginning of what we need to do with Eucharistic Revival.

[54] And we need to really take a serious look at what are there ways that we are approaching the, the celebration of the mass in whatever form, are there ways we're approaching the mass in ways that are less than reverent and less than nurturing to Eucharistic faith?

[55] And frankly, I think we need to look at receiving communion in the hand.

[56] I mean, I've known people that were very pious as they received the Lord in the hand.

[57] But in general, since that happened in 1977, since that indult was given, and what an indult is, is basically a special exception, a special permission.

[58] Yes.

[59] I think that needs to be revisited.

[60] Do we still want this endult?

[61] A lot of bishops would say, ah, Strickland, we're glad you're out of here.

[62] I'm still a bishop, and I urge Catholic faith.

[63] and bishops to really ask ourselves, do we want that indulge still?

[64] It's a special permission that wasn't really intended to just blanket the whole nation and become the absolute norm.

[65] And I think it's done harm.

[66] I think there are a lot of elements like that that needs to be reexamined.

[67] That's what a Eucharistic revival, a real Eucharistic revival is going to look like, asking ourselves, have we done things liturgically that need to be re -examined?

[68] And I'm not saying throw out the novice ordo, but make it truly ordered to Jesus Christ.

[69] And if there's anything about it that isn't ordered to Jesus Christ and deeper reverence, we need to take a serious look at it.

[70] The sign of peace is another question that right after the, there's i don't think that as too many catholics don't understand or don't believe in the eucharist i would wager that if we did a survey of catholics in the pews people that are that too small a percentage that are even going to mass every sunday right if you ask them what's the purpose of the sign of peace i would imagine a lot of them would say something that probably isn't correct or something that's wrong.

[71] And I think we need to examine those kinds of things and ask ourselves, are we, as the church, are we shepherding people to a deeper Eucharistic faith or not?

[72] And I'm afraid we're not.

[73] I couldn't agree with you more.

[74] Again, I sound like a broken record, but kneeling down for Holy Communion rather than standing.

[75] I understand the Eastern right do that.

[76] but you know what other food and we're talking about supernatural food the eucharists how can we separate that from anything else we get nourished with well number one taking it on the tongue and kneeling down i think those two issues would also help a eucharistic revival and bishop strickland i would also add uh in my own lifetime in the old days we used to have the blessed sacrament in the center of the church and i saw that in the 70s and 80s they started moving the Blessed Sacrament to a side altar.

[77] And what that message, it was a bad message from what I could tell.

[78] So these are the things, actions speak louder than words.

[79] And so it seems to me that we've got to get Eucharistic piety down again.

[80] And I'll tell you one thing that, Bishop Strickland, that you do that I appreciate, and many of my good priest friends do.

[81] When they go and say Holy Mass and they pray it, they do it in a very holy way, words sacred way, like they really believe what they're doing is sacred.

[82] They don't run through it like they're running through a fast food restaurant.

[83] These are the things that I think will bring people to a reality of the real presence and have a Eucharistic revival that hopefully we can do in the summer at that conference.

[84] But I don't hold my breath because I think there are people who still think this idea of kneeling down and having communion on the tongue only is archaic.

[85] and in fact it's what the saints have been doing for centuries stay with us family we'll be back with more on the bishop strickland hour now back to the bishop strickland hour welcome back indeed bishop strickland you've got to have a smile on your face i always like to start your show with the gospel but i got to tell you so many times i get carried away with the topics i forget but now i didn't so this is tuesday april 30th the gospel of john chapter 14 27 to 31.

[86] If you have it in front of you, Bishop Strickland, if you could proclaim that gospel and give us some teaching on that, that would be grand.

[87] Absolutely.

[88] A reading from the Holy Gospel according to John.

[89] Jesus said to his disciples, peace I leave with you.

[90] My peace I give to you.

[91] Not as the world gives, do I give it to you?

[92] Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid you heard me tell you i'm going away and i will come back to you if you loved me you would rejoice that i'm going to the father for the father is greater than i and now i've told you this before it happens so that when it happens you may believe i will no longer speak much with you for the rule of the world is coming.

[93] He has no power over me, but the world must know that I love the Father, and that I do just as the Father has commanded me. The Gospel of the Lord.

[94] Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

[95] John's Gospel speaks a lot really more than the others because there are a lot of lengthy, sort of dissertations that Christ offers, a lot of sharing and teaching.

[96] But he speaks a lot of his relationship with God, the Father, and how when you see Him, you see the Father, and they are one.

[97] And it's such a beautiful reminder of the great mystery of God that Jesus Christ has revealed to us.

[98] I think we need to remember and remind ourselves that the world didn't know that God was a trinitarian God before his son.

[99] His son revealed to us.

[100] And even the scriptures don't use the word Trinity.

[101] But if we look at even the Old Testament, they're foreshadowings of who God is, the spirit breathing over the waters, the word there at creation, the word is spoken.

[102] So the great mystery of God is certainly there.

[103] It's the same God who created us, who created Adam and Eve, who created the universe, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that is there through all of the Old Testament scriptures.

[104] But I think this gospel passage, what I am reminded of, as we reflect on it is, is that gift of knowing God as Father.

[105] I mean, that's when the disciples say, Lord, teach us to pray.

[106] I mean, there's a beautiful, the Psalms and so many wonderful prayers in the Hebrew scriptures that Jesus and his disciples would have known, many of them.

[107] But he teaches them a new prayer, a prayer to the Father.

[108] And I think even as I share this, I need to be more aware of what a tremendous message that is and how it must have, I mean, we don't really, we just hear in the gospel, the, the apostles say, Lord teaches us to pray, he teaches them the Our Father, and then they kind of continue.

[109] But I think we need to be startled with them at the wondrous gift of the sun telling us who God is in a deeper way than ever before.

[110] Moses and Abraham encountered God and had those theophanies in specific ways.

[111] But it just strikes me as we read this.

[112] what a tremendous revelation that we can't it's kind of like we were talking about before when we really look at these tremendous truths of our Catholic faith they they change us yes they excite us they they they the best message or the best image that I can share is just like the disciples walking on the road to Amos, with the Lord, the risen Lord, the same Lord that's in our tabernacles that comes to us at Mass, their hearts are burning.

[113] Our hearts need to be set on fire with what we celebrate every day in our Catholic faith.

[114] Just reading a gospel passage should really awaken us to the wonder that Jesus Christ has offered us, knowing God more fully than ever.

[115] and knowing that the mystery is so far beyond us, that we need to be in awe.

[116] And there's not enough awe toward God.

[117] A letter that I wrote recently talked about the glory of God and the importance of that, those theophanies, Jesus Christ is the glory of God incarnate among us.

[118] And we hear a lot about glory in the world today, the glorious achievements of science or the glory of a sports, an athlete, or the worldly glory of some entrepreneur who makes billions and billions of dollars.

[119] All of that pales before the glory of God.

[120] And we need to remind ourselves of that.

[121] Not to belittle ourselves, but to remind ourselves how we fit into this universe.

[122] God is more glorious than we can ever fathom.

[123] That's why he tells Moses, you can't see my face.

[124] I mean, the scriptures don't use the word, but the word that comes to mind for me is, as God basically tells Moses, you can't see my face, the fullness of who I am, the great I am, would obliterate you.

[125] I think we need to really own that and really understand what our faith is and what it is to know God and to not take this lightly.

[126] That's by definition, the saints are people who got it, who knew the wonder of God.

[127] That's right.

[128] Who knew this Lord, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, calling them to an intimate sharing in his life.

[129] He's calling all of us to that intimate life with God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit that will culminate our lives when this, what God's plan is, when we leave this earth, whenever that is, his plan is for us to dwell in that intimacy in ways that.

[130] we can't describe that no saint has ever been able to fully describe.

[131] And some of them have had great mystical experiences.

[132] And even without anything that a saint would call, we would call a mystical experience.

[133] I haven't seen visions or heard voices telling me what to do.

[134] But I have had the mystical experience of knowing that I kneel before the Lord of the universe at the tabernacle or in Eucharistic adoration.

[135] Or imagine.

[136] I mean, celebrating Mass. Taking that bread and wine in my hands.

[137] That, you know, Terry, I could go on and on.

[138] I know.

[139] I love it.

[140] Because I need to remember Yes.

[141] Why do we have what we call the ablutions at mass?

[142] Why is the priest washing his hands?

[143] Yes, a reminder of that phrase that is said often in the Latin Mass, and even in the English Mass, or whatever vernacular it's celebrated, the novice ordo, Lord, I am not worthy.

[144] Right.

[145] And a non -sum -dignus, the priest needs to drill that deeply into his heart and mind, I am not worthy.

[146] And all of us need to be chanting that, at least in our hearts, as we approach receiving communion.

[147] Just, I'm drawn back to what we talked about with St. Francis, fear and trembling.

[148] But to me, I'm reminded of that in this gospel passage, peace I leave with you, my peace I give you to you, not as the world gives, do I give it to you?

[149] you.

[150] The peace of Jesus Christ is beyond anything this world can offer us.

[151] Amen.

[152] We pray for peace.

[153] We should be praying for the peace that he offers us, the peace that flows from the love of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

[154] That's what we need to remind people.

[155] And like I said earlier, I think people, I have no concept of that.

[156] When we offer the sign of peace and the novice ordo it should be a wondrous moment of remembering that peace of christ and we need to wake people up to that's what it should be if we're going to have it it should be a moment to say jesus christ is now on the altar and we are sharing his peace with each other it's not hey charlie how's fishing this week it's the peace the the sublime peace of jesus christ Christ that is being offered.

[157] And I think we're so far from that.

[158] We need to examine it.

[159] But that's what Christ says in this gospel passage.

[160] Just one more passage from the gospel of John, he came to give us peace.

[161] And doesn't our world need real, abundant, and lasting peace that is beyond anything this world can give us.

[162] And Jesus tells us that in this gospel.

[163] He doesn't give it the way the world gives it.

[164] And we need to pray for peace and we need to remember that we're praying for something that the world will never give us.

[165] An end to war is not the peace of Christ.

[166] We would love to see that.

[167] We need an end of war.

[168] But when we need to remember is that if every war suddenly ended, that is just beginning to move into the peace of Christ.

[169] Well, said, we're going to take a break in a minute, but I think I can get one quick or another tweet from Cardinal Sirrah.

[170] He says, today there is a confrontation and rebellion against God.

[171] Boy, he said that.

[172] You say that?

[173] He said, a battle organized against Christ and his church.

[174] How is it comprehensible that Catholic pastors should put doctrine to a vote?

[175] Yeah, really.

[176] The law of God and the church teaching.

[177] on homosexuality, divorce, remarriage.

[178] Bishop Strickland, he sounds like you.

[179] When you say, we don't vote on what is truth.

[180] It's revealed truth.

[181] We don't have this idea of, well, let's vote about whether homosexuality is wrong now.

[182] You said that, you know, Cardinal Surrah continues to speak the truth in important ways.

[183] It seems to me that Cardinal, as a Cardinal, retired Cardinal, yeah, but he's not just stepping down.

[184] He's continuing to call people to the truth of the gospel.

[185] And that's what you're doing.

[186] That's what we're trying to do on vmpr .org, our website.

[187] When we come back from the break, I'd like to continue with this letter that Bishop Strickland wrote just last week.

[188] People can go to bishop strickland .com to get it or even on LifeSight News.

[189] We'll be back in a moment.

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

[191] welcome back indeed you know mr strickman at the break i was thinking about what you said about the holy euchrist and last night i had about 250 people from guatemala from guatemala for a funeral a man had passed away we have 200 funerals a year here at our chapel well i was moved by the devotion of the people praying their rosary and their reverence for the blessed sacrament and after it closed they had a little get -together.

[192] So my job is to clean the church after the funerals.

[193] So I'm sweeping, and all of a sudden I hear this knock on the door.

[194] It's after, and it was a man wanting to come into the church with his grandson, who's seven years old.

[195] So I brought him in, and the grandfather took him up to the altar, knelt down, and they said prayers before the Blessed Sacrament.

[196] And it really touched me as the janitor that night, cleaning the church, seeing a grandfather teaching his grandson the importance of Jesus and the blessed sacrament.

[197] And I share that with you because I had forgotten him.

[198] It was just last night, but while you were speaking about we need to bring back a Eucharistic revival, that's how you do it by showing, by bringing the kids into the church and showing them and telling them what's there because my impression is many kids that age have no clue what goes on in the church.

[199] church, but the grandfather taking the time to share that really touched me. Bishop Strickland, your letter, you constantly talk about the deposit of faith, and your letter here is strong, but I want to quote St. John the 23rd.

[200] I took a course on Vatican 2.

[201] I put the documents on cassette tape back in the 1980s, I think it was 83, 84 with Father Joe Fesio from Ignatius Press.

[202] So I've read the documents, I've studied the documents, and I had forgotten that the Holy Father, back in the beginning of the council, read a opening statement about what he would want to see at the council.

[203] And he said this, and it fits right into what you've been doing.

[204] He said, the Holy Father, John the 23rd said, the greatest concern of the ecumenical council is this.

[205] Not that we recycle bottles.

[206] Sorry, I shouldn't get so funny about it.

[207] No, seriously, he said this.

[208] The greatest concern of the ecumenical council is this, that the sacred deposit of Christian doctrine should be guarded and taught more efficaciously, that doctrine embraces the whole of man composed as he is of body and soul, and since he is a pilgrim on this earth, commands him to tend always towards heaven.

[209] Now, I go on with that opening statement, But that right there basically affirms what you've been doing for years and calling all of us, even your brother bishops, to the deposit of faith.

[210] And I have a joke.

[211] I say, I say this, will the real Vatican 2 please stand up?

[212] Because if we were to evaluate Vatican 2 by John Paul, John the 23rd's comments about what was the concern for the council, what was the number one concern, has it been adhered to, and I'm going to say from my perspective, no, because what's happened after that counsel, even Paul V .6 said it in 65 with Mysterium Fide.

[213] He was worried about people not understanding the transubstantiation term of the Holy Eucharist.

[214] So we had a document out and said, no, this is what we teach.

[215] So here's my point.

[216] You keep going around talking about the deposit of faith.

[217] I have a joke.

[218] No good deed goes unpunished.

[219] If I was going to go down, Bishop Strickland, I think you're you're going down for the right reason because you're preaching the deposit of faith, and now you're a retired bishop, and you just keep going.

[220] So I just want to say thank you because the church needs our shepherds to not give your personal opinion.

[221] Who cares about your personal opinion?

[222] But the deposit of faith, as John the 23rd said, is most important.

[223] So thank you for doing that.

[224] Yeah, Terry.

[225] What occurs to me as you're talking, there there there are some real basics that we just need to you know be broken records on and just keep repeating I'm with you the church and I've said it in this letter not because I'm smart because the truth is really simple and clear amen but we need to remember why do we have a church for the salvation of souls that's it the purpose of the church to save us from our sins and from this broken world and allow us to fulfill our destiny, God -given destiny, to dwell with God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit for all eternity.

[226] So that's the purpose of the church, the salvation of souls.

[227] What occurred to me as you're talking about the deposit of faith to just play with those words a little bit.

[228] okay we need to take some of that deposit i mean that deposit is there we need to make withdrawals of grace of that deposit of faith i love it in order to to achieve our end which is the salvation of our souls yep we make withdrawals of that truth that tells us how do we live out our our sexual reality as human beings.

[229] The deposit of faith, we can withdraw that truth from the deposit of faith and learn who we are sexually.

[230] Yes.

[231] And I mean, we talk about all the time.

[232] The world talks about all the time.

[233] And the insanity just gets more extreme all the time about that one topic.

[234] And it's not the only topic, but it is a vital one.

[235] Because without a proper understanding of who we are as sexual beings, lives are destroyed all over the place and in all kinds of different ways.

[236] Right.

[237] We were talking about earlier, part of the deposit of faith is knowing what the seven sacraments are.

[238] Knowing who is in the Eucharist, body and blood, soul, and divinity.

[239] So it just occurs to me that as we journey through, your life.

[240] And both of us have to do this.

[241] Every Catholic who is seeking to live our faith, we need to make withdrawals from the deposit of faith and be guided by that truth.

[242] It's critical to our destiny.

[243] If we ignore the deposit of faith or try to water it down or try to change it or ignore it, we're not going to have the strength to achieve the end that God has given us, and that is eternal salvation.

[244] So all of this is as serious as it gets to really pay attention and to wake up to the evil that's in the world, to the reality of sin, and quit being lulled into thinking that, oh, well, hell is probably empty and sin's not important and we don't need to be idealistic.

[245] We just need to sort of, you know, float along in this mediocre mush.

[246] That's not what God calls us to.

[247] And Pope Benedict said it very well.

[248] We're not called to that mediocrity.

[249] We're called to greatness.

[250] We're called to just get along.

[251] We're called to be children of God.

[252] And that is a daunting, challenging call, but the grace is there, and we need to remind each other.

[253] Shepherds in the church are, it's devastating for shepherds in the church to be silent about all of this, or to be leading the way to say, oh, no, we need to change this.

[254] And we need to ignore what we've known, what we've learned from Jesus Christ.

[255] We need to just change it all around.

[256] So it's something that more, it's more comfortable, fits more with our plans.

[257] That is deadly.

[258] Amen.

[259] It's eternally deadly if we allow that to happen.

[260] Mr. Strickland, we got three minutes before the break.

[261] I just wanted to throw in.

[262] You tweeted about the big news about Candace Owens, has announcing that she's joining the Catholic Church.

[263] church in London, England.

[264] And I just, I was ecstatic.

[265] I heard, heard she was.

[266] But, you know, when it came out in the news, you know, I just wanted to congratulate her for making that decision.

[267] She's a sharp woman.

[268] What was your take when you heard the news?

[269] I think it's wonderful, as you said, Terry.

[270] And I think it's very, for those who are struggling, those who are concerned about where the church is headed.

[271] And that's a lot of us.

[272] It's very heartening, very uplifting to see someone who is not, you know, some, you know, I mean, some backward diluted person, but she's sharp.

[273] Oh, boy.

[274] She knows the world.

[275] She knows the cunning of the world.

[276] And, I mean, really, Terry, she's already coming out with, you know, full force.

[277] Oh, yeah.

[278] Christ the king, baby.

[279] We put out already that said, you know, the people.

[280] people in Dresden.

[281] I love that comment.

[282] Or died and on Ash Wednesday.

[283] Yeah, that's incredible.

[284] I mean, those are the kinds of things that we need to remember and need to.

[285] One thing that I'm inspired to share with, and there's a tweet coming.

[286] But as this political year continues, we need to just shout down those.

[287] who say, oh, don't be political.

[288] It's not political to share the truth of Jesus Christ.

[289] Amen.

[290] When we're accused of that, we need to lovingly but boldly shout back and say, we're not going to be quiet about the truth of our faith because you label it political.

[291] Thank you.

[292] Everything's labeled as political.

[293] And why is that so that we shut up?

[294] Exactly.

[295] We have to continue to speak up.

[296] And it's the greatest way to love our neighbor is to speak the truth.

[297] We can't allow the voices to say, oh, you can't talk about politics.

[298] We can talk about it when it touches anything, and there's a lot of things that it touches, in regard to the truth that Jesus Christ has revealed to us, whether it's the sanctity of life or the sexual morality that guides us, or what a fact.

[299] family is or what marriage is.

[300] Those aren't political topics.

[301] They can be politicized, yes.

[302] But those are part of the deposit of faith.

[303] And we absolutely need to shout from the rooftops, that truth that humanity needs.

[304] Well, Sam, we come back.

[305] I'll give an example out here in liberal California of Bishop Strickland's talking about standing up for the truth.

[306] Stay with us.

[307] We'll be back after a quick break.

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

[309] Welcome back indeed.

[310] Bishop Strickland, you just were talking about people standing up for the truth and pushing back.

[311] Well, here in California, I was shocked to hear that a California lawmaker withdraws bill to expand assisted suicide following a backlash.

[312] What happened is this person wanted to change the law to make it even more liberal for killing and euthanizing people.

[313] and the public came out and said no way you do that you're gone we're getting rid of you they got inundated with phone calls letters and so they withdrew it and I think that there's an example of what you just said good people and that just wasn't Catholics they were just good people of goodwill who said no this is nonsense this is horrible for our state and we're going to say no now I'll give you another example on the other side of the country Florida and here's the story on this.

[314] The governor DeSantis says that Satanists can't be part of the school chaplain program and the Satanic Temple responds.

[315] We're going to sue the governor of Florida, but he said this, we want Christian counselors there to help the kids in public schools and the Satanists are not part of that and I won't allow them to come in.

[316] Now, I know he's a baptized Catholic, this emphasis.

[317] But again, he's taking a lot of heat because he could have just said, oh, well, we got to be open to everybody.

[318] No. He says, this isn't right.

[319] I'm the governor.

[320] And my judgment is, no, you can't come on to the school.

[321] So I just want to get your take, Bishop Strickland as a clergyman, as a shepherd.

[322] I mean, first you got the California people saying no, for euthanasia, which is like, wow.

[323] Second of all, you've got a governor saying, we're not going to let Satan is on our children's schools?

[324] Your thoughts?

[325] Well, I absolutely, as you would expect, support both.

[326] And I'm glad Governor DeSantis is strong enough, once again, to not just be political, but to stand for the truth.

[327] Yeah.

[328] The free speech can never be an allowance to speak what is false.

[329] Amen.

[330] And, you know, we've got to, as we know that Satan is the father of lies, we've got to stand against the idea that, I mean, yeah, people have the freedom to choose to be a Satanist, but we can say, no, that's not going to happen in our schools, and it's not going to be supported in our society.

[331] because we know who is Lord of the universe.

[332] So I think that hopefully more governors will stand up and take this kind of authoritative stance that we need.

[333] We need people to say, no, I know the truth.

[334] And I'm not going to pretend that free speech allows us to crank out things that are false.

[335] I mean, there are many things that people can say or do.

[336] do that we know are false, just like this euthanasia.

[337] It's really the same issue in different aspects of the truth.

[338] Right.

[339] And the truth, that's what we need to share.

[340] We can't share false messages and certainly not with our children.

[341] Amen.

[342] Bishop Strickland, before we get to your letter, I'm going to do that tomorrow's show.

[343] I wanted to open up our catechism.

[344] I got excited today when I looked at chapter 13 because we've been talking so much about the Holy Eucharist and behold chapter 13 in our catechism is all about the Holy Eucharist and this is a catechism called The Way of Christ's student book I have and it's put together by the St. Philip Institute and the Diocese of Tyler, Texas and you can get one by going to their website.

[345] I'd like to just take a few minutes now to end our show with a little reflection on the Eucharist by a catechesis.

[346] It begins by saying the Eucharist is the sacrificial offering of Jesus, body, blood, under the form of bread and wine.

[347] I love that very clear, under the form of bread and wine.

[348] The Eucharist is the source summit of the Christian life.

[349] In receiving the Eucharist, we consume Jesus' body, blood, to have eternal life.

[350] I mentioned this, Bishop Strickland, because I shared with you, I was embarrassed to have to say this.

[351] There was a bishop dressed like you a couple about a year and a half ago when they announced this Eucharistic revival and he talked about Jesus being in the bread and the wine and that's just not what we believe and I felt so bad that a bishop of the Catholic Church got bad formation so that he would say that Jesus is in the bread and the wine and that's just not the case but it shows how much catechesis needs to be done even excuse me Bishop Strickland among bishops dressed like you.

[352] Some bishops, and I really mean this, the formation that they got was so lacking that some of the fundamentals of the faith didn't get passed on to them, and now there are shepherds.

[353] I hate to have to say that, Bishop Strickland, but there's an example of it.

[354] Well, and it highlights how important that basic understanding is.

[355] And even, you know, young children preparing for their first communion be taught those concepts that it's the body and blood soul and divinity of Jesus Christ veiled in the species of bread and wine but it's no longer bread and wine it's the body and blood soul and divinity of Christ that's the language they need to hear but unfortunately so many times I hear Jesus oh no it's in the bread and the wine I mean if we even have songs that we've been singing for decades, I won't go into it, that say that.

[356] And every time I hear that song, I don't have any more hair to pull out of my head.

[357] Can you tell?

[358] No. It just, it drives me crazy because, you know, I keep quoting Bishop Robert Barron saying a church that's not precise is corrupt.

[359] And I think that's part of our corruption, Bishop Strickland, is that we're not articulating clearly the teachings of Christ.

[360] All right.

[361] Absolutely.

[362] Now, number one question.

[363] what is the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist?

[364] Answer, the Holy Eucharist is the sacrificial offering of Jesus, body, and blood, soul and divinity, although it appears to be bread and wine.

[365] See, how do you not misunderstand that?

[366] See, the people who put this catechism together, you ever meet them again?

[367] I commend them because they were so precise in saying so few words, a great mystery of the faith right there.

[368] Okay?

[369] Number two question.

[370] When did Jesus Christ institute the Holy Eucharist?

[371] Jesus Christ instituted the Holy Eucharist at the last supper.

[372] He took bread in, said, take this all of you, eat of it, for this is my body, which will be given up for you.

[373] Jesus then took wine and said, take this all of you, drink of it, for this is the chalice of my blood.

[374] Do this in memory of me. The last supper was the celebration of a Passover, an annual meal Jews eat to remember when God, freed them from slavery in Egypt.

[375] At the first Passover, God told Israelites to sacrifice a lamb, eat it, spread its blood on the doorposts.

[376] When Jesus celebrated the Passover at the last supper, he did not offer a lamb as a sacrifice, but instead offered his own body and blood to be consumed.

[377] Wow.

[378] Your thoughts.

[379] Yeah, absolutely.

[380] And we need that, the basic catechesis, which, you know, hasn't been strong for a very long time.

[381] What occurred to me is, and this is something that even, like I said, young children can relate to.

[382] Right.

[383] But what we need to remind everyone as part of a basic, very basic part of Eucharistic Revival, that in the church's faith, the bread and wine go from an it to a who.

[384] I love it, it to a who is there.

[385] And I think that's something that's very simple that children need to be told.

[386] I mean, you know, even as you're taking your children into Mass or bow, you know, you're...

[387] Oh, yeah.

[388] Oh, he tells me, I say, who am I receiving?

[389] You're receiving Jesus, his grandpa.

[390] Well, I said, okay, just checking.

[391] But I think that that's very simple, but even in our language, because, I mean, one of the things that really made my blood boil, when I was still Bishop and Tyler, you would hear people say, when are we getting the wine again?

[392] Oh, my gosh.

[393] And I said, not until you realize it's not wine.

[394] It's the blood of Christ.

[395] and that to me that was just an illustration of so many people and it's not saying oh well i meant that no that we don't speak that way about the person of jesus christ that is they are bailed in the presence of bread and wine but i think that's a great way to just for kids to be catechized as you're going into a church in the mass to say even point out to the kids you see you see that bread and wine on the table, it's going to be taken up to the altar as the priest prays.

[396] It goes from being it, bread and wine or just it, to a who, the body and blood, soul and divinity of Jesus.

[397] It becomes Jesus.

[398] That's what we've got to emphasize.

[399] And hopefully this bishop that you mentioned believes it and his language.

[400] Yeah, maybe he's sloppy with his language.

[401] But some don't believe it and that's what's devastating.

[402] That's why we need a real Eucharistic revival.

[403] And you know, Bishop Strickland, it's so sad what you just described, I've heard this before, yeah, when are we getting the wine back after the COVID?

[404] Same thing, it's unfortunately not an isolated case.

[405] One case that happened at our parish years ago was an extraordinary minister of the Eucharist didn't realize there's a difference between consecrated hosts and unconsecrated hosts that's how bad it was my pastor caught her going in the back and just putting more unconsecrated hosts and bringing them out for Holy Communion see that's a problem and you know I've heard I've heard thankfully I don't believe I ever experienced that but I've heard those stories Yeah, I actually, that was our prayers that.

[406] Yeah.

[407] So, I mean, it goes to show you there needs to be this basic teaching on the Holy Eucharist.

[408] And that's one of the reasons.

[409] If you are a listener, it's going, you know, nobody ever told me that.

[410] I remember Bishop Strickland, not just recently.

[411] Well, we'll talk about it in the next show.

[412] But people who have told me, I didn't realize here they are 50 years old.

[413] And nobody taught them about Jesus and the Eucharist, the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Christ.

[414] And what?

[415] So this is why we're doing what we do, Bishop Strickland.

[416] We major on the fundamentals.

[417] I hear the music.

[418] Can we receive a blessing, please?

[419] Heavenly Father, we ask your blessing for all of us as we continue to seek to guard and know the deposit of faith and to seek the everlasting life that you offer us, the salvation of our souls.

[420] Help us to be strong and joyful in living our faith and fighting the darkness that we face every day.

[421] We have this blessing in the name of the Father and to the Son of the Holy Spirit.

[422] Amen.

[423] Thank you, Bishop Strickland.

[424] Folks, you can listen to all the shows by going to VMPR .org, listen to all the podcasts.

[425] Every Tuesday and Wednesday, we have our shows for Bishop Strickland right before the Terry and Jesse show.

[426] I want to thank you for your support, your prayerful support, and your financial support.

[427] We'll see you again tomorrow.

[428] Same time, same station.

[429] God love you.

[430] Thank you.