25 Aug 2020 – Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery (Pt. 1)

[0] Welcome to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[1] I have the honor of being the host for the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[2] My name's Terry Barber.

[3] This is Virgin Most Powerful Radio.

[4] Bishop Strickland, thanks again for joining us for this holy hour of power.

[5] Thank you, Terry.

[6] We're going to be talking about the Sixth Commandment.

[7] Whoa.

[8] Yes, the Sixth Commandment in our culture.

[9] I thought that was antiquated.

[10] I didn't know that still, is that still effect?

[11] Yes, there's no expiration date on these Ten Commandments.

[12] So we'll talk more about that.

[13] But before we do that, Bishop Strickland does a lot of tweeting.

[14] So I want all of our listeners to connect with Bishop Strickland by his tweets because I've got three different tweets that I want him to comment on, and then we'll move into the issue of the Sixth Commandment.

[15] Bishop Strickland, you have on August 3rd, you quoted Jeremiah 1516.

[16] It says, when I found your words, I devoured them.

[17] they became my joy and the happiness of my heart because I bore your name.

[18] Let us rejoice in the Word of God and embrace its daily challenge in our lives.

[19] Len, you said, let us be God's holy temple.

[20] That's really good advice for today.

[21] What made you want to tweet that message?

[22] Well, I think that it highlights the Word of God.

[23] Importance of it.

[24] Certainly believers believe that sacred scripture is the Word of God, all of the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation.

[25] Amen.

[26] But I think especially as we've continued this journey of the past several months, with all the confusion, all the controversy, thankfully as a priest, I celebrate Mass every day.

[27] read scripture.

[28] You go to Mass, there's always scripture.

[29] I always tell the confirmation kids if, you know, you go to Mass and the priest says, ah, we don't want to take the time today.

[30] We're not going to read the Bible.

[31] You're not going to have mass because it's part of it.

[32] And I think that quote from Jeremiah reminds us of the great treasure that it is.

[33] it is you're probably just a little ditty that I've heard what does Bible stand for basic information before leaving Earth and it's in that context that I think we need to be joyful about turning to the Word of God, finding strength, finding guidance, and what I've found in the midst of all of these challenges recently with good old COVID -19.

[34] is that just speaking for myself, I think it's easy for scripture to just sort of float past us.

[35] Oh, it's nice stuff we've heard before.

[36] I think we need to really say, wait, let's listen.

[37] What is the Lord really saying in this?

[38] And whether it's a Psalm, whether it's the Old Testament, whether it's the New Testament, whether it's a gospel, or if it's a letter of Paul, it's the word of God.

[39] It's God speaking to us, and it's full of truth that I think I can speak for myself.

[40] I'm just beginning to plumb the depths of that, and I'll spend the rest of my life doing that.

[41] So that's the reason I, that quote just captured my attention from the prophet Jeremiah.

[42] Awesome.

[43] Bishop Strickland, I love God, I love the Bible.

[44] You know, I think St. Aaron Air said, ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.

[45] And here you go again.

[46] A couple days later, you're quoting a New Testament reading from the Gospel of Matthew 1028.

[47] I thought this was so appropriate.

[48] Do not be afraid of those who killed a body, but cannot kill the soul.

[49] Rather be afraid of the one who can destroy both body in Gehenna.

[50] And then you said, we are too easily ignore this message from the world.

[51] word of God.

[52] Let us be strong in faith.

[53] Mr. Strickland, I'm going to put you on the hot seat.

[54] When I read that, it made me think of COVID -19, that we're so afraid of the virus of COVID -19.

[55] But what about the virus of mortal sin?

[56] I mean, the body and the soul.

[57] What are we more afraid of?

[58] The body or the soul?

[59] And I thought that your scripture verse spoke loudly to me. Is that the reason you put it in?

[60] Or are there other reasons?

[61] Well, yeah, that's the reason I put it in because I had COVID -19 in the back of my mind as well because we are and certainly we believe I mean we talk about in the Catholic faith life is sacred from conception to natural death but I think we need to to dig a little deeper for why is life sacred and you know there are two different dimensions of life there's natural life and there's supernatural life.

[62] Man. We who are created in the image and likeness of God, according to Genesis, then part of that image and likeness of God is that we are in both worlds.

[63] We have a natural life, just like the animal, just like the plants, just like everything that's living.

[64] We have that natural life.

[65] But we also have supernatural life.

[66] And I think that everything I read from the saints and from other writings about the whole mystery of life and death, we all know, and we're told, and we probably reflect on to some extent, this life, as Scripture says, some of the Psalms speak of this beautifully.

[67] This life is but the blink of an eye.

[68] And eternal life is eternal.

[69] So in proportion, you know, we're so worried about what is ultimately the blink of an eye, and we forget we're destined for eternal life.

[70] So let's worry about the eternity.

[71] And interestingly, if you really begin to focus on eternal life in that immortal call that we have to share life with God, life everlasting, then the real proper embracing of that means every moment of this life is a sacred gift that should be squandered.

[72] And, you know, do we think of wasting time as a sin?

[73] I try to.

[74] And I think, and I'll confess, I waste time.

[75] Me too.

[76] I don't do everything.

[77] I mean, I tried to pray.

[78] I try to get the work done.

[79] but I waste time.

[80] And I think that really instead of devaluing this natural life journey that we have for 60, 80, 100 years for some, it's just a drop in the bucket.

[81] A precious drop in the bucket, but it's only a drop in the bucket that should be every molecule of that drop.

[82] be about looking to what's going to be eternity.

[83] And that's just not the perspective we naturally live in, and it's not the perspective that certainly non -believers live in.

[84] And I think we more and more need to recognize.

[85] And too much, even in the church, you know, as a bishop, I have to acknowledge that too much is a focus on this world And forgetting, like the Code of Canada law says, and the Catechism talks about constantly, it's all about everlasting life, the salvation of souls.

[86] Amen.

[87] It's not about that.

[88] Then what is it about?

[89] But we know it is about that.

[90] Thank you for your clarity and your charity and saying it.

[91] You know, Dr. Scott Hahn, when I met him 30 -some years ago, he was coming into the Catholic Church.

[92] He taught me a line.

[93] is short Terry eternity is forever and I've been saying it all those years and I got that from Dr. Hahn Bishop Strickland you also tweeted about a great saint St. Lawrence he was a deacon you said we celebrate this was last week's celebration on the 10th of August we celebrate St. Lawrence who knew the great treasure of the church and her faithful members I love it he was martyred in the third century and gives us a great example of really faith in the face of a corrupt society.

[94] And I like your last line.

[95] Let us heed his example and care for the poor in body, mind, and spirit.

[96] Okay, tell us a little bit about St. Lawrence.

[97] Why did you say all that?

[98] Well, St. Lawrence was one of the early deacons of the church.

[99] He went up against the authority of the day, the emperor.

[100] And the story is, that the emperor asked him, bring me your riches.

[101] You Christians are wealthy.

[102] You know, you have all this wealth.

[103] Bring me your riches.

[104] And St. Lawrence, obviously, he was a little stinker.

[105] I mean, he had a sense of humor.

[106] I love it.

[107] But a sense of the truth also.

[108] Sure, sure.

[109] And so the story is that he sold all the material wealthy have, gave it to the poor, and brought the poor to the emperor.

[110] I love it.

[111] And as you can imagine, the emperor was not happy.

[112] I imagine.

[113] That led to his being grilled alive, burned alive.

[114] You know, St. Lawrence, at least as tradition presents him, I love this.

[115] He definitely had a sense of humor because you're probably familiar with the story where he says, as he's being literally grinned, Yes.

[116] Not asked a lot of questions, but on a fire, like a barbecue.

[117] Right.

[118] He says, he supposedly says to his grillers, turn me over, I'm done on this side.

[119] I think it's great.

[120] And, you know, that's part of the humor of the church and a lot of the saints were remembered for saying things like that.

[121] But I think what it captures is the joyful spirit of St. Lawrence.

[122] And what occurred to me in reading just a brief, I didn't read a lot about him, but there's a brief story there.

[123] Hang on one second, Bishop Strickland.

[124] I want to hear that story, but we're out of time for the first segment.

[125] We'll be right back with the Bishop Strickland Hour on Virgin Most Powerful Radio.

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[138] Thank you.

[139] God bless you.

[140] Keep the faith.

[141] This is Terry Barber.

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[148] Thank you so much for your support.

[149] Welcome back to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[150] My name's Terry Barber with Virgin Most Power.

[151] powerful radio.

[152] And Bishop Strickland was just telling us before the break about a story about St. Lawrence.

[153] So Bishop Strickland, I'm all ears.

[154] Well, what struck me about St. Lawrence is that he lived in the third century, got crossways with the emperor of his time as Christianity.

[155] This was before, you know, Constantine and the edict of Milan when Christianity was made the religion.

[156] So it was being persecuted.

[157] And what occurred to me is he's a great model for being 21st century Catholics and Christians in the world today.

[158] Because they were, he was in trouble for being politically incorrect.

[159] Yes.

[160] For speaking up about things that the Roman Empire said, you know, they didn't want to change.

[161] And they held themselves as a great virtuous, you know, the great Roman empire, but they were about, you know, dehumanizing people in all kinds of ways.

[162] And the Christian message was always the same.

[163] It's deepened and understood more deeply now in some ways, maybe not lived nearly the way it was in the time of St. Lawrence, but I think he's a great example for us as disciples today of recognizing that, yeah, we're going to be politically incorrect.

[164] We're going to be against the mainstream.

[165] And a lot of people are not going to like that, even at times people within the church.

[166] But the truth is the truth.

[167] And so we have to really, I mean, St. Lawrence, I think he's a great saint, a great deacon, martyr saint that really reminds us of who we are to be in the 21st century.

[168] Well, said, that brings me right up to one more topic before we get into the Sixth Commandment.

[169] Bishop Strickland, I know you've spoken out on this before, but the former prefect of the Vatican's highest court insists, Cardinal Burke, that Catholic pro -abortion politicians who present, present themselves for communion, cause a scandal.

[170] He actually quotes canon law 915, and I just wanted to get your take on this because for clarity purposes, we always say clarity with charity.

[171] It's not charity to allow someone who's broken, you know, the line of morality to receive Holy Communion.

[172] And I think that Cardinal Burke has been saying this for over a decade, but I wanted to get your take because we've heard, unfortunately, prelates and priests saying that it's not that clear.

[173] How clear is it for you, Bishop Strickland?

[174] I have to say it's very clear, Terry.

[175] And what I would want to emphasize, I think we get caught up in a lot of different elements of an argument and make it so complicated.

[176] I think it's very clear.

[177] I don't think it's complicated at all.

[178] I think we could take it away from any of the specifics and just say that if you're aware, if it's public knowledge that a person is living and speaking in ways that are contrary to the truth that the church teaches, name your truth.

[179] We know the controversy is abortion and all of that, the sanctity of life, which is one of our, if not the most, critical issue.

[180] It's one of the core issues of our time is life sacred or not.

[181] And it gets all caught up in that.

[182] But the greatest charity to a politician, to a public figure, who is, has made it clear that they are not in communion with church teaching.

[183] If they are publicly teaching something contrary to this catechism that we're reading, then the greatest charity for that, for that person, just for that person, this is a child of God, a son or daughter of God that is not in communion with church teaching.

[184] The most charitable thing to do is to say, Susan or Tom don't receive communion.

[185] And that, you know, as a priest, that's my obligation, not to, not to bring scandal on top of a probably already scandalous situation, but to just in charity go to the person.

[186] If we believe that life is sacred, which we do, if we believe, like we were talking about earlier that this natural life is a journey to supernatural, everlasting life with God, then to put that all into perspective, what greater charity than to tell this person you're putting your immortal life at stake here, making a decision in not in communion with what the church teaches, with what we believe, Jesus Christ, the fullness of revelation, what he has shared with us.

[187] And to call that person back to the truth is the greatest charity.

[188] Not to make a big public deal of it, but simply to say, Tom or Susan, if you don't believe this, then you should not receive this.

[189] the body of Christ at communion in the Catholic Mass. Because you're living a contradiction.

[190] You're receiving communion, but you're not in communion.

[191] Amen.

[192] And, you know, that I think is the greatest charity that we can bring to a person that we believe is not living according to the truth.

[193] Many people disagree.

[194] Many people say, oh, the Catholic Church they'll be glad when it's gone.

[195] I hate to tell them, it ain't going anywhere.

[196] Amen.

[197] It may be diminished in worldly power or significance, but it's not a worldly organization.

[198] Ultimately, it's about the salvation of souls.

[199] And I think that that's what I need to remember as a pastor.

[200] It's about the salvation of that one soul that's in front of us.

[201] Amen.

[202] And if we can help, it's tough love sometimes.

[203] Parents as a priestly parent, a spiritual father.

[204] Tough love means son or daughter of God.

[205] You're not living a court.

[206] You're not in communion.

[207] And it's not, it's not me taking that action.

[208] But hopefully this wakes someone up.

[209] Plenty of people have been reawakened to their faith by being challenged, by being challenged, by being said, no, you're not going to get away with this just to look okay and to be politically correct.

[210] You're not going to get away with this.

[211] I think we have to, out of charity, not out of some, you know, fire and brimstone, you know, attack on anyone out of the greatest Christian charity.

[212] What's the greatest charity to wish the good of the other?

[213] That's Thomas.

[214] What's the greatest good, everlasting life with God?

[215] If someone is walking away from that, you call them back in charity.

[216] If they refuse, they're free to do that.

[217] God has given us, making us in his likeness and image, we are free to reject him.

[218] We all have that freedom, and we do, and I do as a sinner.

[219] I try to come back as quick as I can, but to the degree that I sin, we all.

[220] do, we reject God.

[221] But he's always ready to welcome us back.

[222] To let someone pretend that they are in communion when they're not, that's not charity, that's not love, that's not our faith.

[223] And it's harmful to that person and to society, to the people that are listening to that person who may have no idea what the Catholic Church really teaches to, for them to listen to a person who is lying and not telling the truth about what Catholic teaching is, a person who is not in communion, who is saying that, you know, abortion's fine, and, you know, it's the choice of the mother.

[224] You know, all the arguments that are there, we believe that it's simply not the truth.

[225] And I think it connects in an important way with what it means to receive communion.

[226] To receive the real body and blood of the Son of God.

[227] Thankfully, I'm more deeply conscious of that all the time.

[228] And need to be.

[229] As a bishop of the church, I need to be very conscious of what I do at it may be the most beautiful altar of a basilica.

[230] I've celebrated Mass at one or two basilicas.

[231] We don't have a basilica in the Diocese of Tyler.

[232] But whatever the simplicity or the beautiful artistic grandeur of an altar, the greatest beauty is the sacrificial love of Jesus Christ that is celebrated there.

[233] That is the focus.

[234] Am I worthy?

[235] Absolutely not.

[236] Any of us have to acknowledge that we're not worthy.

[237] So it's not a matter of labeling a person as, oh, they're unworthy because they don't meet some human standard.

[238] The greater charity is to encourage everyone to recognize.

[239] I mean, and we can say this to everyone.

[240] If we're aware of our, of a mortal sin, if we're aware that we have done something that is out of communion with Christ's teaching, go to confession.

[241] Amen.

[242] Get back on the correct path.

[243] That's the real charity.

[244] If a person is obstinate in saying, I disagree with what Catholic Church teaching is, certainly there is.

[245] free to do that.

[246] God has given them that freedom.

[247] We respect God's free choice to give them that freedom.

[248] But to receive communion is a contradiction.

[249] So I would just encourage real charity to say politicians at whatever level, local, state, national, at whatever level, if a politician is doing anything.

[250] And certainly the life issue is a core issue.

[251] But if they're embezzling funds and nobody knows it yet, the greatest charity, if as pastor you come to know that, you need to confront that politician and say, stop stealing from the people, repent of your sin, and then come to communion.

[252] And, you know, the life issues are so critical and they get so caught.

[253] up in the politically correct.

[254] And certainly, they need to be critical.

[255] But with any way that a politician comes to the altar of Christ.

[256] Yeah, Bishop Strickland, let me jump in real quick.

[257] This is a great segue to go right into the Sixth Commandment because you're telling people the truth.

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

[259] We'll be right back with more on the Bishop Strickman.

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[262] What's our on your mind, brother.

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[282] the ultimate challenge.

[283] This is Terry Barber.

[284] I want to thank you for your support here at Virgin Most Powerful Radio.

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[289] Call 877 -543 -387.

[290] Call 877.

[291] Thank you so much for your support.

[292] Welcome back to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[293] This is Terry Barber.

[294] I just heard you, Bishop Strickland, give some great advice about following the truth and that I think of Father Bill Casey, the Father General, former Father General for their Father's of Mercy, used to say the most merciless thing you can do is let someone wallow in error.

[295] Give them the truth with charity and clarity.

[296] And that's what you just did regarding receiving Holy Communion.

[297] I'd like to shift now to the Sixth Commandment.

[298] For those who just tuned in, Bishop Strickland has been going through the Ten Commandments.

[299] And I joke with people, Bishop Strickland, I say the Ten Commandments has no expiration date.

[300] These commandments are still valid because some people try to tell me, oh, well, yeah, we're living in the 21st century, so somehow that's going to mitigate what the teachings of the church are.

[301] no objective truth the teachings of Christ the teachings are good today 500 years from now a thousand years from now so I would like to move right into this commandment that is going to really raise some eyebrows because it's the sixth commandment thou shall not commit adultery and this is a commandment that a lot of people Bishop Strickland scratched their heads and say are you kidding me How many?

[302] Are you kidding me?

[303] Fornication, adultery, all this.

[304] This is rampant in our culture.

[305] That can't be still valid.

[306] Can it be?

[307] I mean, Bishop Strickland, I've heard this in all my ministry time to say that that needs to be adjusted because people just can't be chased.

[308] They can't live a life without committing adultery or fornication.

[309] It's just it's all over.

[310] You have to understand these circumstances we live in make it okay now.

[311] So my question to you as a bishop of your diocese, I'm sure you're no different than here in California.

[312] People are affected by pornography and all kinds of things and breakup of marriages.

[313] I mean, the Sixth Commandment is critical for a stable society.

[314] So I'd like to ask you if you can comment on what the catechism has to say about the Sixth Commandment, which is making male and female he created.

[315] So what's the beginning of the six?

[316] commandment.

[317] Give us some information on why this is still valid today.

[318] Well, it's because there's still human beings created in the image of God on the planet.

[319] Yeah, there you go.

[320] There won't be any need for these commandments when there are no human beings created in the image and likeness of God.

[321] Yep.

[322] Animals don't need the commandments.

[323] The plants don't need the commandments.

[324] Their DNA programming takes care of it because they're, They have natural life.

[325] But so as long as there are people, the commandments are valid because it's about how do people live this journey in the most joyful, productive way.

[326] I think it's very interesting.

[327] And as you've said, Terry, the Sixth Commandment is probably the broken commandment in our time.

[328] Yeah, I think so.

[329] And if we look, I mean, we can look at so many of the biblical stories and the breaking of the Sixth Commandment.

[330] Chastity has been a challenge for humanity ever since Adam and Eve fell.

[331] And the Garden of Eden wasn't the way things worked anymore.

[332] And so what we call concupiscence, the tendency to sin.

[333] And one of the primary areas of sin can be traced through the fall of empires, the violence.

[334] So many things are caught up in the struggle against chastity or for chastity.

[335] It's just, it's tough.

[336] And when I find interesting in the way the catechism approaches it, I don't know.

[337] know that many people would say, okay, we got to endure the Catholic Catechism.

[338] And here's the Sixth Commandment.

[339] Yeah.

[340] What does it start with?

[341] Of course, the Commandment, very simply.

[342] You shall not commit adultery.

[343] And then the very next section says, male and female, he created them.

[344] Right, right.

[345] And you know, you might say, huh?

[346] Talk about adultery.

[347] What do you mean male and female he created them?

[348] But the catechism goes into understanding, why would adultery be wrong?

[349] Well, adultery is not being faithful to marriage.

[350] Well, what's marriage?

[351] Marriage is the commitment, lifelong commitment of a man. and a woman.

[352] And part of that commitment is a chaste relationship.

[353] And even as I say that, I can imagine people thinking, ah, here's this Catholic bishop, and he thinks all sex is bad.

[354] And even married people shouldn't have sex.

[355] He said it should be a chaste relationship.

[356] That is not what the church teaches.

[357] But I think, I mean, almost presenting it almost like a cartoon of just, oh, crazy Catholics.

[358] I don't think you should even have sex in marriage.

[359] A chase relationship in marriage, absolutely.

[360] I mean, the Catholic Church does say for a marriage to truly be a marriage, it has to include the sexual intercourse between a man and a woman.

[361] That's what has to happen in a marriage.

[362] You know, probably the issue of Rottam nondon.

[363] consumatum, I use some Latin, not just, but really an unconsumated marriage, which basically means a marriage where they haven't had sexual intercourse, that ain't our problem in the 21st century.

[364] It's the pre -consumated marriage.

[365] You got it.

[366] It's the problem.

[367] Most of the time it was consummated long before they were married, Catholic or not.

[368] I mean, that's just a reality that we have to face pastoral and try to pull people back to an understanding of chastity.

[369] So to say that a marriage should be chaste is part of what the church teaches.

[370] But to understand chastity in the context, what the church says very often, the way the church puts it, is a person should be chased according.

[371] to their state in life.

[372] Well said.

[373] Which means, for me as a celibate priest, I should be chased.

[374] And, you know, that is a challenge for every celibate priest.

[375] If you're honest with yourself, it's a challenge.

[376] And we fail.

[377] We're sinners.

[378] A man and a woman in marriage, you and your wife, married, committed in your marriage.

[379] That needs to be a chaste relationship.

[380] That's right.

[381] a different kind of chastity than me who refrains from any sexual intimacy with any person.

[382] Right.

[383] For you, it's you refrain from sexual intimacy with any person other than your wife.

[384] You got it.

[385] That's the core of adultery.

[386] So we come back to thou shalt not commit adultery.

[387] For me, it means being chased with every person.

[388] chased in body, mind, and spirit, which gets more challenging.

[389] You know, you might say, well, it just, and even, you know, honestly, as I went through formation in the seminary, sometimes it was a little less stringent as it, than it needed to be, you know, being a celibate, honestly, being a celibate priest as it was presented to me, the emphasis was not on the chastity, it was on the celibacy, the not marrying, which, you know, is an essential aspect of it.

[390] And I think that truly the chastity was presumed, but obviously it needed to be more than presumed because of the tragedy of the brokenness we've seen in the church with priests, not living a chaste celibate life.

[391] In whatever ways that has broken down, you know, we have to do better.

[392] And the seminaries, thankfully, are doing better now at emphasizing celibacy means chastity according to your state in life.

[393] What does it mean for a married man to be chased according to his state in life?

[394] Well, it certainly means you don't have sexual intimacy, sexual intercourse, with anyone other than your wife, but it goes beyond that as well.

[395] Just like the gospel speaks of, you know, Jesus says, if you've committed adultery in your thoughts, you've committed adultery.

[396] So that's where images like in pornography, thoughts, living chastely with that kind of beautiful, and I use that word very specifically, because I think a lot of times the Catholic teaching on sexuality is, you know, Catholics are just against sex.

[397] Actually, we treasure it more profoundly than the rest of our culture.

[398] It should be the most beautiful expression of intimacy between a man and a woman in a lifetime commitment of marriage.

[399] And when it is that, it is beautiful, and it is life -giving in, the procreation of children, in its life -giving beyond that, just in the unity that it brings about between that man and woman, those partners.

[400] The catechism goes on to talk about the complementarity of you and your wife, of every man and woman in marriage.

[401] That's why marriage is so sacred, because when a marriage breaks up, when it ends in divorce, when it fractures, it leaves those two people, that man and that woman, whatever the circumstances, it leaves them with some fracture that they have to deal with.

[402] And Bishop Strickland, that's beautifully stated.

[403] I just want to give my perspective as a married man who through the grace of God, I have been chased to my wife for 30 -some years.

[404] And I have to share this with our audience.

[405] I got married to my wife when we were 32.

[406] We both checked out a vocation.

[407] She was checking out the sisterhood, and I was checking out the mom.

[408] monastery and we both found that that wasn't our call but people say to me well wait a minute you mean you were a virgin when you got married at age 32 what was wrong with you and i said well i took what the catechism said i practiced the virtue of chastity and it's under the cardinal virtue of temperance by living your faith receiving communion going to confession the graces were there for my wife and i to be chased and it can be for you too and we come back we'll continue to talk about that sixth Commandment here on the Bishop Strickland Hour on Virgin Most Powerful radio.

[409] Don't turn that down.

[410] We got Ernesto from Long Beach.

[411] You know, I just wanted to comment, you know, and I just wanted to thank you guys.

[412] And I kind of wanted to encourage people that are listening, maybe they are not donating, you know, because honestly, I got to be honest.

[413] I used to think you guys were a little too over the top time, you know?

[414] You know, yeah.

[415] That's right.

[416] If God gave us a lot, you know, and I'm at the blessing of listening to all this.

[417] I just want to call all the people.

[418] You know, I've got five kids, you know, and I don't make a lot of money, and I'm still donating to you guys.

[419] God bless you, brother.

[420] You're amazing.

[421] We got to.

[422] We have to do this.

[423] We have to do the extra.

[424] And is that even an extra?

[425] People see it like it's extra.

[426] Needing for communion, saying your rosary, saying the Divine Mercy Chapel.

[427] It is not extra.

[428] It's what the church tells us to do.

[429] Amen.

[430] You're a good man, brother.

[431] 30 years old, 20 years old, 29 years old, five kids, and I thank you guys.

[432] But everybody else, man, get on fire.

[433] Fight for the truth, man. And I know what I'm telling you guys.

[434] I love it.

[435] This is Terry Barber.

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[450] Thank you so much for your support.

[451] Welcome back to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[452] I don't know about you folks, but I love having clarity with charity.

[453] We have a Bishop, Bishop Joseph Strickland from Tyler, Texas, really just clearly teaching, not his personal opinion.

[454] I keep saying that to you about Bishop Strickland.

[455] You keep teaching what Holy Mother the church teaches, and there's no ambiguity on anything you say.

[456] I'm just like, bring it on.

[457] But Bishop Strickland.

[458] Strickland, in the catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 2351 talks about offenses against chastity.

[459] You did touch a little bit about pornography, but I just want to touch a little bit about how the world, the devil, and the flesh right now is really attacking people who want to live chase lives.

[460] And I even hear people tell me, and Bishop Strickland, I'm sorry to embarrass you, maybe I won't, but I get people who say, yeah, I tell the priest in confession that, I have masturbation, I have a problem with masturbation, and they come back and say, oh, don't worry about that.

[461] That's not a sin anymore.

[462] So they come to me and say, is that true, Terry?

[463] And I said, well, let's open up the catechism and find out what the church really teaches.

[464] I don't really just hit my, I say, let's investigate that.

[465] So I give it to him right what the church teaches, and then they go, well, I said, please, don't go back to that priest for confession, because for some reason he wasn't formed well.

[466] So I try to make and pray for him also But Bishop Strickland I hate to tell you this This is happening too often And I don't think I'm scandalizing you You probably have experienced that yourself Where priests have been formed poorly And it's passed on to the laity So let's let's talk about offenses That the Sixth Commandment talks about Against Chastity Absolutely and it is It is one of the tougher subjects It is I think because it is a human challenge.

[467] Yeah.

[468] And somewhere deep down, we know that.

[469] I think in our modern society, we've just, we're like, we're like spoiled children that have just said, well, we know that, daddy, but we're going to do it anyway.

[470] We just are going to pretend that it's okay.

[471] It's interesting, because when I was a young priest, you know, thankfully, I got solid enough formation to know that just to be very clear, masturbation is seriously sinful.

[472] Yes.

[473] I mean, we can go into, you know, if there are issues or whatever.

[474] I mean, with any sin, there can be levels of how hopeful we are.

[475] And anyone listening, if that's a struggle for you as it is with many people, God's mercy is always there.

[476] But mercy is not, like we were talking earlier, the greatest charity is to say, yes, it's sinful, but God is there to forgive you and to help you and to strengthen you.

[477] So that's the response that I would hope every priest can begin to adopt in the confessional.

[478] If, you know, to say, don't try to erase the sin until it's true.

[479] forgiven.

[480] Sins against chastity are real, and they're harmful to people, to pretend that they're not is harmful to that person.

[481] But as a young priest, I had the opposite end of that conversation, where people would say, well, Father, you know, had a problem with masturbation, but I've been told that's not a sin.

[482] and I'd say, well, you know, I'm sorry it is.

[483] And they kind of argue with you.

[484] Oh, no. Thankfully, and that's before we had the catechism as we have it now.

[485] I mean, I've been a priest a long time.

[486] But thankfully, we have the catechism now.

[487] And let me say very clearly, as people are listening, as you've said thankfully, I'm not, I don't want to share my opinion.

[488] Amen.

[489] I want to share the truth of the church teaches.

[490] because it's beautiful.

[491] It's life -giving.

[492] It brings us joy.

[493] It brings us fulfillment.

[494] Even in the area of trying to live a chaste life, which is hard, it's challenging, it's countercultural, but it's going to bring us the most peace and fulfillment to live the way God has taught us to live.

[495] The great thing about the catechism is it can show us in black and white.

[496] It's not somebody's opinion.

[497] it is the truth that's been revealed to us.

[498] And the great thing is that any of it we don't live up to, we simply go to confession and ask forgiveness.

[499] Yes.

[500] And I want to make it very clear that if anyone hears me say something or you hear me say something, you say, Bishop, I don't think that's what the catechism says.

[501] Please correct me. Me too.

[502] Me too.

[503] I can get stupid.

[504] I can misread things.

[505] I can be wrong.

[506] Yeah.

[507] The correction is always there in the catechism.

[508] And I, as a shepherd, as a bishop, I don't want to share anything that isn't the truth that Christ is revealed to us.

[509] Amen.

[510] That's where the catechism offers us.

[511] There's a lot of scripture.

[512] There's a lot of the fathers of the church.

[513] There's a lot of church documents that are quoted in the catechism.

[514] It is that the positive faith that I'm called to guard.

[515] So in this area, in one of the most critical areas, to live chastly means the only people in God's plan that should be involved in sexual intercourse are a man and a woman who are married in a commitment for life.

[516] Everyone else should be celibate, should be living chastely, should not be having sex.

[517] Masturbation, of course, is sometimes called self -abuse.

[518] Yes.

[519] Because it's by yourself.

[520] And there's a whole industry that supports that with, you know, certainly pornography, but other things that people get into as far as using things to, you know, to be immoral and to be unchaste.

[521] If we get into that, God will forgive us.

[522] And that is what we need to always remember.

[523] I would hope that anyone listening that is feeling maybe squirming a little because we're talking about things that can get really uncomfortable, especially if you're struggling with it.

[524] But God loves us.

[525] He wants us to be freed from these things that culture, is constantly throwing at us there are lots of temptations out there, there are lots of questions about sexuality.

[526] If you have questions or if you feel guilty about something you've done in the area of sexuality, welcome to the human race.

[527] Exactly.

[528] Get the confession like the rest of us.

[529] But after feeling welcome and acknowledging that we if we're honest with ourselves, we struggle with this and one way or another, go to confession, ask God's forgiveness, trust and know that he will forgive us and he calls us to turn from that sin and to grow in chastity.

[530] I face the same challenge that you do and every person does.

[531] I also want to mention Bishop Strickland from a married man for 30 -some years, I tell people that when you live your sexuality according to God's commandments, I know this is a family show, but I'm just going to say it.

[532] Having relations, having intimacy with my wife and only my wife is the way God designed it.

[533] And I can tell you that it's very fulfilling to know that the woman that I'm married is committed to me for life and that I'm not sharing her with anyone else and she's not sharing other way around either.

[534] And that is, a blessing for the conjugal act to know that it's exclusively yours and hers.

[535] And so I want to encourage people that when you live that life according to the commandments, you're actually going to have more joy, more intimacy with your wife or husband, whichever you are, because that's the way God designed it.

[536] Bishop Strickland, we only have a couple minutes left, and I know we're going to have to have a second segment, our second show on this Sixth Commandments, but I just want to encourage also the other issue that's really huge.

[537] Yes, it's fornication, but pornography, the catechism covers 2354 about pornography consisting in removing the reel of a stimulated sexual acts from the intimacy of the husband and wife in order to display them deliberately to a third party.

[538] And it covers that why pornography is a grave sin.

[539] because it's separating that.

[540] But what else would you say?

[541] What other action items or maybe suggestions you'd have where men especially, but now Bishop Strickland, one third of women from the last time I look at this report, are committed to an addiction of pornography.

[542] So it's not just men.

[543] What advice would you give somebody, whether it's in the confessional or just advice to overcome the custody of the eyes, basically, of avoiding pornography in our culture?

[544] Well, that's a tough one because there certainly is explicit pornography, but it's also in commercials, it's on billboards, it's everywhere.

[545] And we're all bombarded with it, not an excuse, but I think we just have to understand that we face a tough culture in that whole area.

[546] I think that one of the aspects of struggling with pornography that I would encourage people to really recognize, it goes back to St. Ignatius of Loyola, who talks about discernment of spirits.

[547] I'd encourage people that are maybe listening and are not sure what we mean by discernment of spirits.

[548] If you Google St. Ignatius and Discernment of Spirits, he'll talk about what he experienced as a young man. And it wasn't talking about things sexual, but it can certainly be applied to that area of our lives.

[549] Because we are sexual beings that should be separated and not, you know, it's not meant to destroy us.

[550] It's meant to bring us a deeper life.

[551] Amen.

[552] But the discernment of spirits in connection with pornography is pornography may give momentary pleasure, but it leaves you empty.

[553] That's right.

[554] I can guarantee that your intimacy with your wife doesn't.

[555] It does the opposite.

[556] Instead of leaving you empty, it deepens your love.

[557] Amen.

[558] It makes you appreciate each other on a supernatural level that I can't really imagine because I've never had that kind of relationship.

[559] That's what I gave up as a celibate priest.

[560] And priests can be tempted into all kinds of unchaste ways of seeking what you have with your wife.

[561] What I would encourage people that are struggling with pornography to realize is, is the joy that they can have in knowing that kind of intimacy.

[562] Amen.

[563] Bishop's coming.

[564] Bishop Shrickland, how about a quick blessing?

[565] We got 30 seconds until the show ends.

[566] Well, Almighty God bless all of you.

[567] He guides you in his love, the Father and Son.

[568] Amen.

[569] When we come back next week, we'll continue on the Sixth Commandment here on Virgin Most Powerful Radio.

[570] May God bless you and your family.

[571] and keep us in your prayers and pass this YouTube video on and Facebook to your friends because this message needs to be heard if you believe that help us to the social media to get this out to people.

[572] May God bless you and your family.

[573] St. Faustina's Prayer for Priests Oh my Jesus I beg thee on behalf of the whole church grant it love and the light of thy spirit and give power to the words of priests so that hardened hearts might be brought to repent.

[574] and return to thee, O Lord.

[575] Lord, give us holy priests.

[576] Thou thyself maintain them in holiness.

[577] O divine and great high priest, may the power of thy mercy accompany them everywhere and protect them from the devil's traps and snares which are continually being set for the souls of priests.

[578] May the power of thy mercy, O Lord, shatter and bring to naught all that might tarnish the sanctity of priests.

[579] for thou canst do all things amen virgin most powerful pray for us join vmpr virgin most powerful virgin most powerful radio sharing the gospel with clarity and charity