14 Sep 21 – Texas Stands Up for Life

[0] Welcome to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

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

[2] Each week we have a conversation with the good bishop.

[3] Welcome again to another hour, Bishop Strickland.

[4] Thanks, Terry.

[5] Yeah, we get to talk about your tweets.

[6] We get to talk.

[7] I like your tweets, but even more importantly, I like to take the catechism of the Catholic Church and go through it because I'm going to tell you, Bishop Strickland, I learned so much from that catechism.

[8] It's just a wealth of information about our faith in a real clear way.

[9] So I appreciate you, you know, going to that catechism each week.

[10] Bishop Strickland, big news.

[11] Texas is all over the country right now.

[12] We're talking about the heartbeat bill, which says basically that if a doctor has the heart at about six weeks is when they most likely can hear the heartbeat, even younger actually, but they can hear it at six weeks.

[13] They cannot perform an abortion.

[14] If they do, they're going to pay a terrible finding be imprisoned.

[15] And this bill that was passed in Texas just rattled the pro -abortion people to a point where cities like Portland, Oregon said, we're not doing business with Texas until you get your act cleaned up.

[16] We want you to, you know, stop the problem of having abortions.

[17] We want abortions.

[18] You guys are stopping it and we won't do business until you clean up your act.

[19] I'm like, really?

[20] But Bishop Strickland, why don't you, tell our listeners what actually is happening in Texas and what this means to tens of thousands of potential babies in the future well um i'm pleased and i know it's controversial but lots of things are about the truth that god is revealed to us and what to me is very positive is it begins to treat abortion for what it is the murder of another person person, the direct taking of a life, which needs to be treated as the serious crime that it is.

[21] Rather than speaking about, oh, it's the woman's rider, it's nobody's right to take another person's life.

[22] And there's another person there.

[23] And it's hard to argue against a beating heart.

[24] They try, calling it embryonic cardiac activity or something.

[25] It's called a heartbeat.

[26] and, you know, that, I mean, the wonder of the child literally being knit together in the womb of his mother according to God's plan for life.

[27] I mean, it's just such a wondrous miracle.

[28] And to intervene in that and to take a life is diabolical.

[29] And it really is what hopefully people will more and more wake up to is the reality that it's abhorting our future.

[30] It's abhorting, I mean, just the sacred life that God offers us.

[31] I'm here and you're here because God is creating us into existence out of his love.

[32] The unfolding of that plan of God for a child conceived in the womb like we were at one point in our development.

[33] And to interrupt that with murder, it's wrong.

[34] It's simply wrong.

[35] And so this law is a step in the right direction.

[36] And as somebody said, even if the legal system eventually does manage to take it down, at least lives will be saved.

[37] And as I was interviewed recently and had the chance to really talk about something that I think we all need to recognize, when there's a child in the womb, from conception, a sacred life is there.

[38] And really, three lives are involved.

[39] And we do have a long way to go as a society for saying the child, the child, the child, the, The mother and the father are part of this.

[40] Too many men.

[41] And yes, I think we have grown and we need to continue to advocate for the rights of these women to not be left alone to care for this child.

[42] We need to work toward a society where a man and a woman conceive a child and recognize that they both have.

[43] a sacred obligation from the moment of that conception, you know, the way it works biologically, too often the man has skipped town, gone out of the picture by the time a woman realizes that she has conceived a child.

[44] And that's, you know, that goes deeper into the brokenness of our society, our world.

[45] It's a worldwide problem, but we've got to return to an ethical stance that says, life is sacred.

[46] Don't play around with it for the man and the woman to have what is too often called recreational sex.

[47] There's really no such thing.

[48] It's a sacred commitment that a man and a woman make that could result in the conception of a child.

[49] And to treat it lightly is part of the brokenness.

[50] But I think we do need to call men to be men.

[51] They have fathered a child.

[52] And for them to disappear taking no responsibility is a travesty to the child and to the woman.

[53] So, Absolutely, men need to be called to be men, to not just biologically father a child, but recognize that they, from the moment that child is conceived with the sperm that they have contributed, they have a responsibility, a sacred duty to support that child and that mother.

[54] If, you know, too often they're not married.

[55] But that doesn't mean that that, man doesn't have a responsibility because married or not a child has been conceived that child's father is that man and it is a travesty that too often and this has happened you know even you know I guess I'm on a soapbox but even in the gospel yeah the gospel writers acknowledge I mean the the scripture scholars can talk to us about the reality that how come the adulterous woman in the gospel?

[56] I mean, it was part of that society that Christ really, if we look at the gospels, Jesus Christ highlights the role of women and raises their level of respect because they're children of God.

[57] But the society that he lived in, what happens?

[58] The woman caught in adultery is the one being stone.

[59] Where's the man?

[60] So that broken element of society has plagued humanity for many, many centuries.

[61] But in this more enlightened time, we should be truly enlightened by the word of God, by the truth that God is revealed to us, and call men, young men, and older men, all men, to recognize the sacred duty they have.

[62] And, you know, I remember as a young seminarian saying, because at that time, the pro -choice language was just developing.

[63] Because I went in the seminary in 77.

[64] That's three years after Roe v. Wade.

[65] Wow.

[66] So that whole idea of pro -choice and that kind of language was just beginning to be used.

[67] And I've always argued, absolutely, that woman has a choice.

[68] But the choice came before a child was conceived.

[69] How do they respect their own bodies?

[70] How do they respect the laws of God morally?

[71] That's where the choice needs to be made.

[72] If a man and woman choose to enter into a sexual relationship, then they've chosen, and they better take their responsibility that if a child is conceived, that they will stand up to their duty that has transpired because a child has been conceived.

[73] I mean, we're so far from that in our society, but that doesn't mean we should just roll over and say, well, nobody's getting married.

[74] people are disposing of children right and left, and men aren't living up to their responsibility.

[75] I mean, on one level, I don't blame the women who say, well, you know, this is in my body.

[76] I mean, for them to claim it is their body, it just doesn't make sense.

[77] But that's why they resort to that argument, because the man's gone, and they're left holding the child, literally.

[78] Yes.

[79] And so they say, well, the man left, so I'm leaving too.

[80] And, you know, eliminating the child so that neither of them, they think they can get away with not living up to that responsibility.

[81] But that's just a, I mean, the murder of the child in abortion is just a temporary solution.

[82] They still carry that obligation.

[83] And we have compassion for the women who do that and regret that choice and the men.

[84] There are men that, you know, it's taken out of their hands by the woman saying, I'm not going to continue with this pregnancy.

[85] So, but all three need to be valued and encouraged to live and embrace the truth.

[86] Well, said Bishop Strickland, you know, I don't mean to get political, but you know what, I got to stand up for our young children or unborn babies.

[87] after this Supreme Court Justice ruled 5 -4 to deny the abortion providers a request to block the Texas law banning abortions after six weeks.

[88] I want to talk about what President Biden had to say about that.

[89] And again, I pray that he will be converted because I've seen in 50 years he's had a change of heart.

[90] But we want to have his heart been changed back to where he was 50 years ago.

[91] We'll be right back with more.

[92] and the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[93] Welcome back to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[94] Yes, we're talking about something we've been speaking for over a year on the Bishop Strickland Hour, the sanctity of life from the beginning of conception to natural death.

[95] And because of what Texas did recently with their heartbeat bill and then the Supreme Court ruling 5 '4 to deny abortion providers request to block the Texas law, it looks like thousands of babies could be saved.

[96] in Texas because of this law.

[97] And I want to just the politics, okay?

[98] The politics is President Biden, a baptized Catholic.

[99] His response saddens me, okay?

[100] Because I've seen what this man has said 40 years ago about pro -life saying that, hey, I'm personally opposed to abortion.

[101] I wouldn't do it, but I can't stop others from doing it.

[102] I don't think that's a good option.

[103] or before that he was like, yeah, I'm for it when he was younger, the protection of the unborn.

[104] But now here's what he says about the court.

[105] He says this, that I'm for Roe v. Wade, and a woman should have a right to kill her own baby.

[106] Here's what he said about the court's decision, the 5 '4 ruling.

[107] He said, it insults the rule of law and directed his White House officials, our tax dollars, to launch a whole of a government effort to respect.

[108] respond to this decision.

[109] Bishop Strickland, I know you don't get into politics, but you know, he is our president, he's a baptized Catholic.

[110] Shouldn't we call him out and say, you're risking your salvation of your soul by promoting the killing of unborn babies and repent and believe in the gospel?

[111] That's my message to the bishop, or not to the president of the United States, because I want to see him in heaven.

[112] Well, absolutely, just like every person.

[113] He's just a man in the eyes of God, and we have an obligation to tell every person the truth.

[114] Certainly, they have their free will, and they can accept it or not.

[115] And obviously, Mr. Biden is rejecting the truth that we know God is revealed to us, the sanctity of life.

[116] But we can continue, you know, like the prophet Ezekiel talks about.

[117] our stony hearts can be turned into living hearts and the power of God's grace and the Holy Spirit.

[118] So that's the great gift of God's mercy.

[119] No one's a lost cause.

[120] No one.

[121] He gives us the freedom to ignore his law until our dying breath.

[122] But no one's a lost cause.

[123] And all of us can repent, can have a change of heart.

[124] And that's what really we should, all pray for and pastors should do everything we can not just for joseph biden but for everyone who is pro -murder of the unborn child uh to really lovingly call people to recognize the truth that this is another person who has a right to life and the more we can bring people to that conversion of heart, the better it is for them and the better it is for human society, for human civilization.

[125] The more we embrace the murder of the weakest among us, what do we see?

[126] Murder of other weak people in other countries, in this country, in our cities, just the problems that we have forgetting that every life is sacred with with homelessness with the drug problems i mean all of that is rooted in someone along the way determining that making money or promoting this or that or whatever it is is more valuable than a human life and when we get on that track which we're on with abortion, it's destructive in so many ways.

[127] Well, this sets us up right with Archbishop Cordillian, and not just a quick note, but Archbishop Cordillian is probably 14 months senior to you.

[128] So you guys are, I know Archbishop Cordillian when he was in San Diego, and he's got half Lebanese in him like I do.

[129] So he gave me his date of birth, but it just seems like all three of us right now are within about a year apart.

[130] anyhow, he says something similar to you, and you quoted this in a tweet.

[131] You said, again, thank you for speaking the truth, Archbishop Cordillone raises issues of excommunication for abortion advocates advocating abortion is advocating murder.

[132] Now, that's very strong language, Bishop Strickland, but, you know, I really do believe Archbishop Cordillian is calling the politicians out, and, you know, this isn't the first time an archbishop has done this.

[133] I mentioned before the show about Archbishop Rommel back in New Orleans in the late 40s.

[134] Now remember, Jackie Robinson was the first black baseball player to pray for the Brooklyn Dodgers.

[135] Not that I know it, April 15th, 1947, but I'm a baseball guy.

[136] And this is 1948, this bishop, that I just mentioned, the Archbishop Rommel, 48 admitted two black students to the Notre Dame Seminary and three years later he ordered the removal of white and colored signs from Catholic churches in his archdiocese.

[137] So he was standing up for African Americans because many people didn't acknowledge that they had the dignities of white people and that was the right thing to do.

[138] It was a terrible price for him to pay but my point to you in 1962, this is the story.

[139] Then I want your comment.

[140] He actually excommunicated a judge because the judge was promoting racism.

[141] And the archbishop said, no, you're wrong.

[142] And you can't, you know, come to the church, you can't receive Holy Communion.

[143] You're done until you repent.

[144] And here's the interesting thing about it.

[145] That judge, before he died, went to confession, repented of his position for the slavery and all that.

[146] because he was very racist and he got back in the communion with Christ in his church and died a holy death.

[147] Now, Bishop Strickland, I recognize the archbishop as giving him the truth in love and I believe that he probably prayed for that man that he excommunicated and he came back home.

[148] I think that that kind of medicine can really do well even in 2021.

[149] How about you?

[150] What do you say about that situation?

[151] situation.

[152] Absolutely.

[153] And I'm glad that you use the word medicine.

[154] Yeah.

[155] Because that is, if you read Canada law, it is a medicinal remedy for the whole perspective of the church is really beautiful.

[156] And we need to remember we have the truth that God is revealed to us.

[157] So the medicinal aspect of that is someone is choosing to poison their lives with something that's false.

[158] The truth is always the greatest medicine we have.

[159] And it is a medicinal remedy, not condemning the banishing them to help.

[160] We can't do that.

[161] God is the one who judges.

[162] But the medicinal aspect is to say, brother, sister, you're wandering from the truth.

[163] You're taking the poison of false teaching into your life.

[164] You're making choices that are based on false teaching.

[165] And the medicine of excommunication is about waking them up.

[166] I'm sure it hasn't always worked.

[167] But in that case, you mentioned that judge did wake up.

[168] That's right.

[169] And I'm sure.

[170] sure, he is eternally grateful.

[171] You've got that word, eternally is right.

[172] Internally grateful for being told, come back to the truth.

[173] That's the loving thing to do.

[174] That's the greatest charity.

[175] That's the highest compassion in all the ways that we see people wandering from the truth, wandering from what does Christ tell us?

[176] We've said it so many times before, but if you love me, live my commandments, presuming that we all have an innate love for God, Father, Son, and Spirit, which we do.

[177] That's what children naturally gravitate toward loving God.

[178] That's right.

[179] They can get, you know, twisted away from God because of all kinds of human circumstances and false teachings, but we should always be lovingly calling the children of God back to the truth.

[180] And the medicine is saying, stop taking the poison of false teaching.

[181] Whether it's the sanctity of life or false teachings about any of the morality that the church teaches, God is always mercifully calling us, giving us every opportunity, but we've got to make our choice.

[182] You know, Bishop Strickland, as well said, the article had talked about the archbishop, remember today, some people will say that we are weaponizing the Holy Eucharist when we tell abortion people who aren't killing unborn babies not to receive Holy Communion.

[183] You know, you can apply that back in the 60s.

[184] Was he weaponizing the Eucharist?

[185] I don't think so.

[186] I think that that's a weak argument.

[187] Now, all due respect to bishops who have that position, Canon 212 says I can have a right to disagree.

[188] with you in this sense, and I do because I think that it's like me as a layman.

[189] I think I shared this story real quick with you.

[190] This applies to us folks who are listening.

[191] I had a friend who's an attorney, and he had partners for 30 years, and one of his partners was dying of cancer, but he never talked about his faith for 30 years, and then his wife told him, go to the hospital and give him a rosary, give him a divine mercy chaplain, tell him about Jesus.

[192] Well, when he went there because his wife told him to go and a good husband says, okay, honey, I'll do it for you and goes up there.

[193] And the man that's dying says, Mac, I've worked with you for 30 years.

[194] You've never said anything about your religion.

[195] If it's not been that important for 30 years, why is it so important now?

[196] Well, here's my point, whether it's Pelosi, whether it's Biden, if we just say, oh, well, we have to get along with them.

[197] You know, we don't want to tell them, you know, the truth because it, you know, it offends them.

[198] Here's the point.

[199] No, whether it's relatives or friends, it might mean breaking a relationship, but if you love somebody, you will give them the truth.

[200] And I'm not talking about coming up and saying, repent and believe in the gospel, you're going to hell.

[201] You know, you see these signs.

[202] I'm talking about lovingly say, you know, I really love you a lot, enough to know that what you're doing is objectively wrong.

[203] It's sinful.

[204] And I wouldn't love you if I didn't tell you that.

[205] So I'm lovingly telling you to knock it off.

[206] Now, that's a way to tell somebody in a nice way, President Biden, if I had a conversation with him, I'd shake his hand.

[207] I really would.

[208] I'd say, God bless, I never shook a president of the United States hand.

[209] But you know what?

[210] More importantly, I want to see you get to heaven, Prez.

[211] You know, I'd be, I'd tell him, I said, this is what we have.

[212] You're going down the wrong line because you have liability coming.

[213] At your exit interview, President Biden, you're going to be responsible for what you did, every action, just like me. So please, repent, you know, believe in what the church has always taught about the sanctity of life.

[214] We love you.

[215] See, that's the approach I think we need to take Bishop Strickland, and sometimes it needs, like you say, the medicinal, whether a bishop has more authority than I do to tell him that.

[216] But I want to, when we come back from the break, I just want to also say something about Archbishop Cordillian and get your response about how he's been saying Catholic politicians are duty is to take.

[217] challenge them.

[218] And I want to get your take on that.

[219] Stay with us, family.

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

[221] Welcome back to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[222] I wanted to, I'll remind everybody, we have a major conference coming up on the 18th of September.

[223] So check it out.

[224] It's a conference on the life on St. Joseph, true devotion.

[225] We've got Father Charles Murr.

[226] We've got Father Stephen Lewinsky, my wife speaking at this conference.

[227] And I love what one of the topic says, and I think this would be really a powerful topic, how St. Joseph, a model to combat depression.

[228] Father Merr's got a really good talk on that, so I want to make sure people can just go to vmpr .org to register or call 877 -526215 .1.

[229] Before we get to the catechism, last little thought, Bishop Strickland, Archbishop Cordillione made it very clear that he thinks that we have a duty to challenge Catholic politicians who support abortion rights.

[230] I would include as a layman that we shouldn't be voting for any politician, right or the right or left, you know, Republican, Democrat, independent, we just so we shouldn't support any politician who's going to support the killing of the innocent of both lives.

[231] So not only I believe we should challenge them, but never give them support.

[232] Now, is that unreasonable?

[233] I don't think so, Bishop Strick, and I think we vote with our Catholic morality before we vote with our policies of parties.

[234] What's your saying?

[235] Well, I agree, Terry, and I know many people would disagree with us, but what's the most important, like we were talking about, challenging these politicians for their own sake, but also challenging them for the sake of society.

[236] Amen.

[237] Of course.

[238] We live in a pluralistic society where people are free to believe what they want.

[239] But we know that the truth of the value of the human person, certainly it's God -given, but it's not, you know, along denominational lines or this.

[240] certain group of people like you were alluding to the the tragedy of racism and whatever form it takes at root it is evil because it's forgetting that all of us are the children of god and all of us have that god -given value so absolutely we need to challenge the politicians and like kind of like you're saying to challenge them to the point that they cease to be politicians because they don't get elected.

[241] Exactly, because we're not going to vote for them.

[242] That's it.

[243] I mean, I know people say, that's partisan, politics.

[244] You know what it comes down to?

[245] If we're not willing to stand up for life, what the heck are we willing to stand up for?

[246] For my Social Security check?

[247] Guess what, everybody.

[248] You might not get it if the way this country's going.

[249] But I tell you one thing, if you vote for life, I believe that God will honor you in doing that, and you might even have to pay a terrible price for that.

[250] But I think of, oh, I think of Bishop Athanasia Snyder, who we're going to be on, he's going to be on our show in the next couple of weeks.

[251] And he said that, you know, we're at a time right now where some of us are going to be called to be martyrs.

[252] And I'm saying, what?

[253] Bishop Strickland, that was when, that was 100 years ago, that was 500 years ago, that was, well, Bishop Strickland, you said the same thing on this show, that we could be called to be martyrs for the faith.

[254] And are we willing to do that?

[255] Really, Terry, I would emphasize that we are called to be martyrs.

[256] It's not a maybe.

[257] Yeah, it's a fact.

[258] Maybe not the loss of our physical life, but we are to be, we're to sacrifice ourselves for the truth.

[259] Yeah.

[260] That sacrifice may be not getting the job that another person gets because we stand for something.

[261] not being, you know, promoted, not all sorts of different consequences can come from living the truth that may not be losing our physical life, certainly with all the challenges we face now and so many so vehemently against the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ, as they were when, I mean, look what happened to Christ himself.

[262] He was the son of God who was martyred for the truth.

[263] Truth incarnate died, but so we do have to be ready for that, but I think we need to live in today's world recognizing that, yes, martyrdom of one form or another is part of living the gospel.

[264] Jesus says, take up your cross if you wish to follow and be my disciple.

[265] Taking up our cross means there are things that will be eliminated from our opportunities because of the stances we take.

[266] And that's a form of martyrdom.

[267] And I think we should proudly embrace that call of living for the gospel and sometimes dying for the gospel.

[268] I have lots of people who call me. I'll give one success story about the vaccine.

[269] so -called vaccine, they're going to lose their job.

[270] And many of my friends in the medical field have quit their jobs and, you know, try to get to another place to find work.

[271] Well, I have a prominent doctor friend.

[272] So he wrote to you, actually, you helped him.

[273] Actually, Ethanasia Snyder did too.

[274] But he's a doctor in Southern California.

[275] And they said, you can no longer come into the hospital or do your operations unless you're vaccinated.

[276] So he, challenge that.

[277] And they said, okay, you can't, but we're willing to sit down because, you know, your religious exemption has been rejected.

[278] But if you have, you know, you still want to talk to us, he said yes.

[279] And he was very articulate.

[280] And he went and talked to the management at the hospital.

[281] And you know what the hospital said?

[282] Okay, we'll make an exception.

[283] But here's the point.

[284] He was willing to lose his profession of 40 years as a doctor, 35 years.

[285] He's got a doctor.

[286] He's in college that he's paying big bucks for.

[287] He's got a wife who's got cancer, and he's got a couple little kids.

[288] He doesn't need to lose his job right now.

[289] I was so blown away by his success story.

[290] So this should inspire all of us.

[291] I think this is my take, I tell people, if you have to quit your job, put your trust in the Lord, and ask him to help you find another job that won't compromise your moral morality.

[292] And I know that's easy.

[293] said, hard to do.

[294] But over the years, I've seen people who quit jobs where when they got converted, they were working in an industry, whether it was the porn industry or some immoral industry.

[295] And they said, I just can't work here anymore.

[296] But I don't know where I'm going to find a job.

[297] I say, well, you pray, start looking at doing novena.

[298] And you know what?

[299] They got jobs in other industries.

[300] Because what did they do?

[301] They were willing to stand for something, Bishop Strickland.

[302] And I just wanted to say that.

[303] because I think that's coming soon, at least to California.

[304] Well, it reminds me of, we may have talked about before, but Archbishop Nauman came out with a statement saying that, you know, the prophetic stance against the vaccine for moral, religious reasons, is something that needs to be respected, not forced on anyone.

[305] Right.

[306] You know, that prophetic stance, if you use your free will to make that choice, that can come in different forms.

[307] But I think we do need to respect those who, like this doctor that you mentioned, and it worked out for him.

[308] And who knows the hearts he may have converted to recognizing the principles that he stood on.

[309] but you know that's the kind of strength that we all need to stand for the truth and be willing to lose whatever rather than lose our soul by ignoring the truth well said well bishop strickland i like to change gears to the catechism this is going to be kind of like we've been covering the last couple of weeks the trinitarian life the revelation of god is trinity and so this isn't like you know one in one is two and two and two is four.

[310] There's a lot of mystery here, but we say these prayers at Sunday Mass many times, the Nicene Creed, and these are creeds that we are familiar with for over the centuries, and they had to be worked out.

[311] And so the catechism on paragraph 242 is where we can start again from last week.

[312] And let me see here.

[313] You know what, Bishop Strickland, before we start, I love promoting your institute.

[314] Can you share I know I sound like a broken record, but, I mean, you've got resources there for our listeners.

[315] Please tell us about it.

[316] Yeah, at St .Philip Institute .org.

[317] There's a website with a lot of great information.

[318] And since you give me the opportunity, November 5th, we are returning to a print version of the Catholic East Texas, our diocesan magazine.

[319] And it will be full of some great.

[320] articles, very down -to -earth, helping people, real people in the pews.

[321] And with November 5th, it will be looking toward the end of the liturgical year, toward the season of Advent, getting ready for the holidays, and talking about how individuals and families can be guided by their faith to live faithfully through the holidays and some great ideas for that.

[322] So the Catholic Texas that it will be published for our diocese, but we hope to make it available in print for anyone who wants to subscribe.

[323] So I just mentioned that among many other things, great things that the Institute is doing, St. Philip Institute .org.

[324] One other thing I'd like to add, I haven't seen it in a while, but I was so impressed with all the documentation on Vatican 2.

[325] Documents on Vatican 2 are on that Institute page about the Holy Eucharist.

[326] There's one section, can you tell them about that, because I read that maybe a year ago, and I printed it, I've been giving it to people.

[327] That's a very special document you have on that website, Bishop Strickland.

[328] Yeah, there are a lot of those.

[329] I'm not sure exactly which document you were referring.

[330] Well, the one I'm referring to is you were, you explained the liturgy, and you went into what mass is, and you gave a catechesis on.

[331] the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and I thought it was very well done because you took the old and the new.

[332] You had a lot of documents from hundreds of years ago talking about what the mass is.

[333] You had Thomas Aquinas quoted in there, and especially about the real presence of Christ.

[334] There was a very good teaching on how Christ is present in the Holy Eucharist, body, blood, soul, and divinity.

[335] As I always say, under the appearance of bread and wine.

[336] When we come back, we're going to open up our catechisms, paragraph 242.

[337] Hey, open up that catechism, folks.

[338] This is the time for you and I and the bishop to study our faith together.

[339] What a novel idea.

[340] You're listening to Virgin Most Powerful radio with the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[341] Stay with us, family.

[342] Welcome back to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[343] My name's Terry Barber.

[344] We're going to open up our catechism of the Catholic Church.

[345] And we've been studying the catechism.

[346] We did the Ten Commandments.

[347] It's all on podcast if you go to vmpr .org to study the catechism.

[348] Paragraph 242, I'll just read it, Bishop Strickland, and then I'll like to have you comment on it.

[349] Following this apostolic tradition, the church confessed at the first ecumenical council of Nicaea, that was 325 AD, that the son is consubstantial with the father, that is one only God with him.

[350] The second ecumenical council held in Constantinople in 381 kept this expression in its formulation of, you ever hear this, folks, the Nicene Creed, and confessed the only begotten son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, light from light, sound familiar, true God from true God, begotten not made consubstantial with the Father.

[351] wow what a paragraph yeah and it it covers a lot of history and and very significant development yeah with the first ecumenical council in nicaia 325 and then 381 still in the fourth century but later constantinople and what's inspiring about that that I think we really need to recognize Here we are, about 300 years after Christ.

[352] He, presuming, I mean, I know there are questions about the specific dates, but he lived to be about 33 years old.

[353] If we can just say he was born in zero, lived to be to the year 33.

[354] So 325 is almost just shy of 300 years later.

[355] and here the church guided by the Holy Spirit, as Christ promised, is continuing to understand who he really was.

[356] I think that is inspiring to me to remember that this is a mystery beyond our understanding, beyond what we can calculate and measure and get.

[357] We live in such a time where people reject things that they can't scientifically measure.

[358] Right.

[359] But even science, and that's one of the beautiful things that I see, is even science ultimately runs up against mystery.

[360] Because we live in the time when the atom has been split and they know about neutrinos and all the different elements of how things are put together, but they're still mystery.

[361] there.

[362] There's still unanswered questions.

[363] What this inspires me with article 242 of the catechism is just the development of the understanding.

[364] It was always, we didn't have the formulation of consubstantial and then what the Nicene Creed says beautifully and using the word again, consubstantial with the father.

[365] But this is humanity with God revealing the truth, coming to understand as God's children, who God has always been.

[366] It's not like, well, we decided who God is.

[367] God was always Father, Son, and Spirit, and the mystery of that, the Trinitarian God.

[368] And this is speaking of the relationship with the Father and the Son.

[369] and of course then the Holy Spirit emanating forth from the Father and the Son in ways that we can explain to some extent we have a better understanding than before humanity even realized that God is a Trinitarian God but to me it's it's inspiring to recognize that relationship that we we have with God that he has revealed to us more deeply than the people before Christ understood who God is, a trinitarian mystery that ultimately comes down to a relationship of love by God's very existence, the love of the Father and the Son.

[370] And Jesus says, I often refer to the gospel according to John, because that is the fourth gospel written.

[371] All the scripture scholars would agree.

[372] It's the last gospel written.

[373] And it's the most developed theology.

[374] But John's gospel has Jesus talking about where you see the father, you see the son, and all of that language that really helped the church fathers, three centuries later, come to this formulation of consubstantial, that it's of the same substance there in it you know it still doesn't fully capture the mystery of who god is but it it gives us language to be able to pass on this truth to the next generation you know bishop strickland i was thinking at that same time of history the council of hippo and carthage came with the canon of the list of the books of the bible and i think of what the church worked through with the holy spirit the successors of the apostle praying.

[375] So much good in that century came out in that fourth century.

[376] There's so many good beautiful teachings there.

[377] Okay, well let's move on to paragraph 243.

[378] The Father and the Son revealed by the Spirit.

[379] Okay.

[380] Before his Passover, Jesus announced the sending of another paraclete, the advocate, the Holy Spirit, at work since creation.

[381] Isn't that interesting?

[382] At work since creation.

[383] Having previously spoken through the prophets, the Spirit will now be with and in the disciples to teach them, to guide them.

[384] I love this little words, three or four words, into all the truth.

[385] Into all the truth.

[386] The Holy Spirit is thus revealed as another divine person with Jesus and the father beautiful and and i like that word um advocate advocate oh yeah the gospel uses that word paraclete advocates uh helper yeah but that um we use it as a legal term advocate yeah that to me that it really evokes a beautiful gift from god that we have somebody fighting for us advocating i love that for our cause, for our salvation over and over again.

[387] And I think that it really is a reminder of the God who is love by his very existence, how much he loves each of us.

[388] And really, Terry, as I mentioned that, so much violence, so much division, so much attack, so much lack of valuing of the other person, so often traces back to the failure to really, really believe that God loves us.

[389] That is probably one of the greatest things that I'm sure you tried to teach your kids and your grandkids.

[390] God loves you.

[391] If we really can embrace that, it heals so much.

[392] that is broken in our lives and it gives us the strength to face whatever brokenness if we really believe that our heavenly father his son and their spirit that god loves us profoundly i mean the scriptures tell us that oh yeah you know we are precious in his side he knit us together in our mother's womb.

[393] He loved us before we were.

[394] But to me, I've often reflected that a lot of what is broken in our families, in our world, in whatever aspect of society we want to point to, so often it traces back to not really believing that God loves us.

[395] And the more we can embrace that, the more we begin to see God in our lives, because God is love.

[396] Father, Son, and Spirit are love incarnate.

[397] I mean, Christ is love incarnate, but God's very existence as love, as again, John's Gospel says.

[398] Well, said, you made me think of what one of the spiritual writers from Opus Day book I read saying that, yeah, we need to teach people that they are loved by God, but many people don't believe God is big enough to take care of themselves, because the world has taught them what we call the unholy Trinity, me, myself, and I, rather than the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

[399] And I think that if we can instill in people's hearts and minds that God loves them and that God's big enough to take care of them, and we want to give our life over to Christ, not my will, but hear well.

[400] It's pretty simple, Bishop Strickland.

[401] When I evangelize people, I always bring that up to him.

[402] It's not my, we give ourselves to God.

[403] Look at, I was at a breakfast with a guy, and he says, I only go to church, you know, I go one hour a week.

[404] That's what I give God.

[405] And I said, what does God give to you?

[406] He's, what are you talking about?

[407] 168 hours, huh?

[408] Oh, I mean, 167 hours.

[409] And he goes, I got it.

[410] And you know, it was really funny about that.

[411] That was my old coach from high school, guess where he was at today?

[412] He was over here at our chapel for Mass. He said, I got the message.

[413] But you see, it's that one hour, I mean, really, we're supposed to give everything to God so that every action is like a blank check.

[414] It has Christ's name on it.

[415] Bishop Strickland, we got a couple minutes before the blessing.

[416] I don't want to go into another paragraph, but what is your approach?

[417] I know you've written books on different aspects of teaching people about Christ, but is that a fundamental teaching that you try to work with that show people how God loves them in a special way?

[418] Is that your approach to teach people about Jesus?

[419] How do you?

[420] Absolutely.

[421] Because God is love.

[422] Yeah, God is love.

[423] Christ is love incarnate.

[424] If you take that approach, it really draws people in and it helps to bring so much healing.

[425] Because I think, again, you know, when a child, because of human brokenness, when they don't really get that, and they don't come to understand how profoundly loved by God they, or maybe because their parents were just not able to love them very well, I mean, that happens too often.

[426] So at whatever stage, we talked about earlier a change of heart.

[427] Amen.

[428] People can convert to that understanding at any point in their lives.

[429] It becomes harder because we get a crust of resentment and believing that ultimately we're no good and that life is no good.

[430] But by the grace of God, that can always be broken through to have that new heart that the prophets speak of.

[431] And to come to know that God loves us, then we can begin to love others.

[432] Amen.

[433] How about a blessing, Bishop Strickland for our listeners, please.

[434] God bless all of you listening and guide us always in the light of your son in the name of the father's son Holy Spirit amen thank you so much you want to listen to other podcasts of the bishop strickland hour go to vmpr .org and if you'd like to get a catechism of the catholic church i just call us at 877 526 215 -1 may god richly bless you and your family we'll see you again next week Same time, same station.

[435] God love you and your family.