10 Oct 23 – Bishop Strickland Supports Dubia Cardinals

[0] Welcome to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

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

[2] And once a week, we talk about the most important thing in life, how to get to heaven through Jesus Christ and his bride the church.

[3] Bishop Strickland, thanks for taking the time again.

[4] I know your schedule is busy with confirmations and things that bishops have to do.

[5] So thanks so much for joining us each week here on Virgin Most Powerful Radio.

[6] Thank you, Terry.

[7] I have to tell you, your tweets always grab me, but I want to start off with something that is important.

[8] We talked about it before the show, and that is the idea of prayer fasting and almsgiving regarding the Senate that just started.

[9] This is recording on October 4th, the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, and many of us lay people, at least I've been encouraging people to pray and fast and almsgiving and just.

[10] you know, praying for the Senate that they will stay to the deposit of faith and that not change, try to change anything, they can't.

[11] But let's just say we've had some bad signals that there's some things that they want to change that would concern any Catholic who believes in his supernatural faith.

[12] So, Bishop Strickland, is it adoration of the Blessed Sacrament?

[13] Is it in the church because you're the bishop.

[14] I'm a layman.

[15] Your thoughts?

[16] Well, certainly all forms of prayer.

[17] Adoration is beautiful.

[18] Having a mass offered, attending mass and praying, even if you don't have the opportunity to actually have it for that need to offer your own prayers, to pray a rosary.

[19] Yeah.

[20] To help someone who's in need.

[21] Yeah.

[22] To help someone who's in need.

[23] make a sacrifice, like we talked about.

[24] I would encourage people as today, the synod begins.

[25] Yes.

[26] You know, there's all sorts of noise about it, but I would encourage people to be calm and faithful and pray.

[27] Yep.

[28] And really use this, I think it goes till about the 20th of October.

[29] 29.

[30] 29th.

[31] Okay.

[32] So a long time, 25 days.

[33] but use it as a mini lent.

[34] Maybe make a sacrifice like you would doing the Lent and season.

[35] We really need to do that more often anyway because it's not just Lent that we're called to make sacrifices, alms, giving, and prayer and fasting.

[36] It should be a way of life.

[37] And always reminding us that just like as we celebrate St. Francis today, to me the readings, I had Mass at noon, here in Tyler, and the readings for today, the Feast of St. Francis, remind us it speaks of glory in the cross, and it speaks of giving up the world in order to gain eternal life.

[38] That's exactly what St. Francis did, and so many of the saints model that for us.

[39] And I think we talk a lot about St. Francis.

[40] He loved the animals.

[41] I had a blessing of the animals for our great school.

[42] morning, and that's great, but he goes much deeper than that.

[43] And I think people like to leave St. Francis is sort of this nice guy who loved animals, and certainly he was that.

[44] But he had a deep theological faith.

[45] He really had a devotion to the Eucharist.

[46] He experienced the stigmata, the marks of Christ late in life.

[47] He suffered a lot.

[48] He had a lot of pushback.

[49] And in his time, we might be starry.

[50] to realize that the institutional church wasn't really welcoming to St. Francis originally.

[51] They thought he was too extreme and all this poverty was really probably too challenging for them.

[52] Because in his time, as in our time, a lot of the prelates of the church had a lot of wealth.

[53] Yeah, and had a lot of prestige.

[54] And he was kind of challenging that in a very, simple way.

[55] He called the little way.

[56] Christ calls his way, the way, that's the early Christian name for Christianity, was the way of Jesus Christ.

[57] So I think we can go deeply into St. Francis and be inspired by his poverty, his simplicity, his clear doctrine.

[58] He hears the famous crucifix there and send Damiano speaks to him and says rebuild my church that's falling in ruins we need St. Francis now Amen!

[59] The church is spiritually falling in ruins in too many ways.

[60] Christ is still here.

[61] The Holy Spirit is powerful as ever but people are using their God -given free will to ignore God's plan.

[62] I'm really inspired by St. Francis because he didn't have to turn to the Lord.

[63] He was on a path wanting to be a soldier.

[64] He had a wealthy merchant father.

[65] As I mentioned at the mass I had at noon, we would never have heard of St. Francis if he had really become the heir apparent of his father's apparel merchant work that he was doing.

[66] That's what his father did there in Assisi.

[67] He was a wealthy merchant.

[68] And St. Francis could have gone into that life and nobody would have known about it.

[69] He's known 800 years almost after he lived because he embraced the way of Jesus Christ.

[70] And he gloried in the cross.

[71] I think that's an important point about St. Francis that probably gets very little mentioned.

[72] but he embraced the cross of Christ and was willing to suffer.

[73] And there's so much of a tendency in Christianity today and in the Catholic Church to say, oh, I don't want the cross.

[74] I just want to embrace Christ and follow him, but I don't want to take up any cross.

[75] And it's de -emphasized.

[76] St. Francis really emphasized the cross.

[77] Wow.

[78] Amen.

[79] The only thing I'll add to that is an interesting note how St. Francis talked about sister nature, you know, the sister moon.

[80] And some people say, no, no, it's mother moon.

[81] No, no. Notice the distinction he made sister, not mother.

[82] So I just think that's an interesting point.

[83] And again, I found out from a little research on St. Francis that he was the one who said the tabernacle needs to be up on the altar in the 12th century and not on the side.

[84] And I thought that was interesting.

[85] And then he also said this about poverty.

[86] he said poverty ends at the altar and what he meant by that I've read that also Yeah you okay so yeah For our listeners what he means by that is Yeah I mean we live a simple life But when it comes to the chalice and for the mass And the candles we go elaborate Because it's the sacrifice of Christ on the cross And so he had it right And I think his comment what you said About rebuilding the church, Bishop Strickland Yeah we need to rebuild the church With a supernatural faith and get that back and not have a worldly view on whether it's the earth or a worldly view on same -sex attraction or a worldly view on adultery or fornication.

[87] The biblical worldview is what we need to get back in our faith.

[88] That's just a layman speaking there.

[89] Bishop Strickland, before we take our break, I have another quote that I'd like to get your take on.

[90] Off the air, I mentioned that Fulton Sheen, I did a YouTube video saying, Bishop Sheen has a message for people like you, Bishop Strickland, and especially the bishops and the Holy Father in Rome, and all the lay people and religious that are there at the Senate.

[91] And I think he has a powerful statement on regarding responsibility.

[92] And I think this is important.

[93] So when we come back from the break, we'll do that.

[94] Also, Bishop Strickland, I wanted to make a plug.

[95] You're going to be all over the place, but we've got a pro -life event taking place in Tyler, Texas.

[96] Jason will be there.

[97] He's been on our show many, many times.

[98] I'm just looking for my paperwork, and I guess I must place it.

[99] So tell us about the pro -life event that's coming out in Tyler and what people can do to stream it and how they can watch it.

[100] Yeah, it's a sanctity of life banquet that we've had for several years.

[101] Okay.

[102] And just an opportunity to be reminded, like we always talk about, that the I got it.

[103] The sanctity of life beginning with the life of the child conceived in the womb, it is our preeminent issue.

[104] So I'm very proud of the work that our Sanctity of Life Action Committee does.

[105] And they are the, I believe the event is already sold out in a small venue here in Tyler.

[106] But people can live stream it.

[107] And that's what we want to encourage people to know about.

[108] And Bishop, the way they can do that is go to Sanctity of Life Tyler .org.

[109] It's $35 to live stream.

[110] It looked at it as a donation for the pro -life movement.

[111] Jason Jones, he's a film producer.

[112] We knew him here in L .A. for years when he lived here.

[113] A great man, he had a great conversion to the Catholic faith, and you'll love him.

[114] He actually was the executive producer of Bella, if you remember that pro -life movie that won several film industrial awards.

[115] And most notably, the People's Choice Award in 2006 at the Toronto International Film Festival.

[116] Guys are great, you won't miss, this guy's fantastic.

[117] Also, Bishop Strickland will be, and the date on this is October 9th.

[118] That's a Monday.

[119] He's also got another dinner he's going to with Jim Cavizo.

[120] I don't know how maybe we'll helicopter take you from Riverside to Pasadena to get you there on time.

[121] But it's a pro -life event taking place in Pasadena.

[122] I don't know if there's any more tickets available for.

[123] that one but again what are we talking about the sanctity of life every single day on our show we cover that uh because it's so important i'm not sure why the time is still going but i'll i'll continue here uh bishop strickland uh the again for people to get the streaming possibilities because then you have as many people as possible for the bishop strickland sanctity of life dinner you can't make the event but just go to sanctity of life life tyler .org and you can sign up for $35 to watch everything that takes place with Jason Jones and Bishop Strickland.

[124] Check that out.

[125] We come back and want to talk about Bolton J. Sheen and his message to the fathers.

[126] Stay with me. And now back to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[127] Welcome back to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[128] Before we get the Bishop Sheen quote for the fathers in Rome, I love Sister Dede.

[129] and I know you've tweeted her before Bishop Strickland, but Janet Smith, Sister Deity, and other women, hundreds of Catholic women signed a letter, and this is very bold of them, Bishop Strickland.

[130] They're demanding bishops like you, and all bishops, all the way to the top, to do something.

[131] What is it?

[132] Uphold church teaching.

[133] What a novel idea.

[134] Bishop Strickland, they're saying that this letter is calling all bishops attending the Senate on senatorality to present the evidence, that they continue to profess the Catholic faith among widespread heresy in the church.

[135] That's strong language.

[136] Yeah, well, they're strong women, and I'd appreciate them.

[137] Sister Dede spoke at our Sanctity of Live Banquet last year.

[138] That's right.

[139] And she's a great woman of faith, strong, and just a beautiful example, as is Janet Smith.

[140] Oh, yeah.

[141] And all the women, I'm sure, that's signed on to that.

[142] And I'm glad they're speaking up.

[143] need, we're in a time when we need to, with great charity, as we say always, with clarity and charity, but speak up regarding the truth.

[144] Just as I tweeted something this morning that, you know, they're opening the debate about all these issues.

[145] There's nothing to debate.

[146] Right.

[147] And we need to be clear about that.

[148] Thank you.

[149] There's nothing to debate.

[150] Christ welcomes all to what's called metanoia, a conversion, a change of heart, a change of life, to turn around and walk with Jesus Christ.

[151] All are invited, but to ignore that change and say, oh, I want to follow Jesus, but I don't want to change.

[152] That's a contradiction.

[153] Amen.

[154] And that's really blasphemy toward the sacrifice, his death on the cross, in order to make it possible for us to embrace that change.

[155] It is truly blasphemy to act as if no change is needed if we want to follow Jesus Christ.

[156] Both of us are in a constant mode of trying to change and turn from sin and live a more virtuous life.

[157] And that's a lifelong mission for every disciple of Jesus Christ.

[158] Great message.

[159] Amen, amen, amen.

[160] Bishop Sheen has a quote, Bishop Strickland from 70 years ago that I think was so appropriate I decided to put it on YouTube as Bishop Sheen's advice to the Holy Father and all the Senate fathers and all the lay people in Rome that are in that Senate until the 29th of October.

[161] He said this about responsibility.

[162] He said truth brings with it a great responsibilities.

[163] That is why so many men keep their hands open to welcome it, but never close them to grasp it.

[164] And this is strong language, Bishop Strickland.

[165] He says, in their cowardness, they keep their minds open so they will never have to close on anything that would entail responsibility, duty, and this is a big one, moral correction, our altered behavior.

[166] Bishop Strickland, when I read that today, I couldn't stop thinking that what great advice to people like you and all the bishops in the Catholic Church.

[167] your thoughts?

[168] I totally agree.

[169] And as once again, Archbishop Sheen is so prophetic, it reminds me of something I heard as a teenager and as a young seminarian back in the 70s.

[170] You know, the 70s was really a decade of open -mindedness.

[171] Exactly.

[172] You probably heard the same thing.

[173] People have said, your mind can be so open.

[174] Your brain falls out.

[175] Yes, of course.

[176] That's kind of a silly image.

[177] But open -mindedness to a point, yes, to embrace and to receive the truth.

[178] But at some point, you've got to say, here's the truth, and I've got to stand for this and speak for it, instead of just keeping your mind so open that there is no truth.

[179] And that's where we are with too many these days.

[180] It's like instead of clarity and truth, yes and no, it's let's keep things confused.

[181] just use lots of words and fancy language and never really say anything.

[182] Good people that are just grassroots, common sense.

[183] It doesn't take a complicated message to speak the truth.

[184] And Jesus Christ is a beautiful example of that.

[185] As the son of God, he had the intellect of the world.

[186] He had God's mind at his fingertips, but he used simple images that all the people could relate to, people that knew about planting seeds and producing crops and gathering those crops and caring for animals.

[187] That's the kind of imagery he used to speak of profound truth.

[188] We need to imitate our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

[189] Wow, well said.

[190] Bishop Strickland, one of your tweets you said, the body of Christ is once again experiencing the agony of his passion we must fall to our knees and prayers of humble reparation and atonement for the blasphemies emanating from Rome pray for all who have hardened their hearts to the truth Jesus died and rose to share with all that's kind of like what Bishop Sheen is saying about truth he's saying that that we have to embrace the truth.

[191] And if we don't, what, there's only just, Bishop Strickland, I'll let you respond, but I see it real simple.

[192] I'm just a simple guy, okay?

[193] I don't have any degrees.

[194] I have a degree in common sense, PhD in it.

[195] I think that common.

[196] But here's my point, that that the idea of truth, there's only one other way.

[197] There's no gray area.

[198] It's truth or error.

[199] See, that's how my mind works.

[200] black or white.

[201] And so your tweet to pray for all who have hardened their hearts, it seems to me that fits right into what Bishop Sheen said that their minds are so open that they will never have to close on anything that would entail responsibility, duty, moral correctness, a correction, or altering behavior.

[202] Seems to me like we want to be friends over giving them salvation.

[203] Absolutely.

[204] And we've really got to encourage people.

[205] And I think that's one of the good things that I see happening with all the chaos is the lines are being drawn.

[206] Dark and light, truth and false.

[207] It's becoming much clear.

[208] And people are having to make a choice.

[209] Some still don't want to make that choice.

[210] And they're kind of dragging their heels.

[211] But all of us need to make a choice.

[212] And to me, that's what the reparation.

[213] and atonement is about to say, clearly to say no, do anything that denies our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, that denies the efficacy of the sacraments, that denies or tries to reinterpret the word of God.

[214] We've got to simply humbly, and I think that's a key, we've got to be humble and embrace truth that's challenging to all of us.

[215] Everyone, if we really listen to the gospel, none of us are going to say, oh, well, I get off scot -free.

[216] I don't have anything to be challenged by.

[217] The challenges may be different, but there are challenges there for all of us if we really listen to the gospel.

[218] I have to ask you this right on the air.

[219] We've got another duby out that these Cardinals, Cardinal Burke, many other Sandoval, many others have endorsed it from Bishop Hathanasius.

[220] Snyder to Cardinal Mueller and others have said, this is important to ask these five questions to the Holy See for clarification.

[221] They said for importance that there'd be less confusion if we would just answer these questions.

[222] So my question is we've got Cardinals from Switzerland that just stepped up to the plate and said, I endorse it.

[223] What's your position on this dubia?

[224] Do you support those Cardinals?

[225] Absolutely.

[226] I'm glad that they've clearly asked the questions and we have to pray and urge for a clear response right well you said this in your tweet just another tweet on october third because many people have asked you you said this i want to reiterate the unchangeable church teachings as stated by the congregation of the doctrine of faith on 31521 god does not and cannot bless sin you've been quoting that for months and that the church does not have and cannot have the power to bless unions of persons in the same sex.

[227] This is all we're saying is what the church is always taught, and this is now becoming controversial.

[228] Sorry, but truth is controversial.

[229] Yeah, what I think we need to, we need to broaden the whole picture.

[230] Certainly, you know, the sexual sins are not the only sense.

[231] They are very significant, obviously, because there's so much talk about them.

[232] And so many people ignoring the commandments of God.

[233] But imagine two embezzlers coming and saying, oh, we want a, we want a blessing because we're embezzlers and we just, you know, we know that it's wrong, but that's okay.

[234] We just want your blessing, father.

[235] Yeah.

[236] That's ridiculous.

[237] Or, you know, two child molesters come and say, oh, we want your blessing.

[238] Yeah.

[239] We can't bless sin.

[240] That's right.

[241] And the only blessing that we can give is called to repentance and called to turn away from sin.

[242] It's not picking on one category of sin.

[243] Well said.

[244] But it's also really flipping that, I think what's being demanded in our time is ignoring one category.

[245] of sin and say, okay, y 'all are off scot -free because your sin falls into this specific category.

[246] As people who follow Jesus Christ, we can't ignore any sin, whether it's dishonesty or blasphemy against God or sexual sin or whatever it may be.

[247] We've got to call all people from sin to virtue.

[248] And that's what it comes down to.

[249] Well said, I would even encourage this, that when someone is living, whether it's fornication, adultery, all these grave sins and stealing, like you said, active homosexuality, you can give them a blessing provided they go to confession and repent and then you absolve their sins in the name of Jesus Christ and you bless them because they repent and believe in the gospel.

[250] So it just seems real simple to me. But I think, Again, Sheen had it right when he said this, that anything that would entail responsibility, duty, or moral correctness, correction is hard for certain people in the church correctness, correcting somebody in their error.

[251] It's like, we can't do that.

[252] But our Lord did it all over the place in the Gospels.

[253] His message was repent and believe in the gospel.

[254] And I think that we have to go back to that world biblical view of what Christ taught in the scriptures.

[255] rather than going to a worldly view that the world says, hey, everybody deserves to have love no matter how you do it.

[256] That's a worldly view.

[257] That's not a biblical view.

[258] So thank you for your clarity.

[259] Bishop Strick, let me see if I got time for this next question, next tweet you did.

[260] And that is, you've said that, yeah, oh, no, I already did this one.

[261] You mentioned this in your next tweet.

[262] Let us rejoice that no matter who tries to change the truth that are distort to truth, it can't change.

[263] In other words, there's no expiration date on truth.

[264] I want to get to that when we come back.

[265] What do we mean it can't change?

[266] And I think this is an important fact that the dubia has asked this question too.

[267] The dubia questions to the Holy See that is something true, can it change 500 years later or because of science?

[268] Can it change?

[269] And we'll talk about that and much more here on the Bishop Strickland Hour on urgent, most powerful radio.

[270] Stay with us, family.

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

[272] Welcome back, indeed.

[273] Bishop Strickland, you have a tweet here regarding truth and distortion of truth.

[274] It said, let us rejoice that no matter who tries to change and distort the truth, it doesn't change.

[275] Truth has a face in the face of Jesus Christ.

[276] let us be reminded that any wandering from the truth is always temporary.

[277] Great point.

[278] We say, yeah, expires fall.

[279] Corrupt leaders die.

[280] False teachers fade.

[281] And you encourage us to persevere.

[282] I always say on truth, there's no expiration date on it.

[283] Absolutely.

[284] And I guess that's the point I'm making.

[285] And really underlying that, truth is a person and the image that's come to mind for me in the midst of all this that's going on right now is if we know that Jesus Christ is truth incarnate and his face is the face of truth then I think literally we can say that the body of Christ is being people are attempting to tear it limb from limb, to tear down the body of Christ.

[286] And that is truly something that we must resist all of us who love Jesus Christ.

[287] We can't say, oh, well, I'll just turn a blind eye to that.

[288] We are watching Christ be scourged all over again.

[289] And we've got to speak against it with ultimately always remembering the greatest compassion for those who are doing the scourging is to call them away from that false action and these false messages to once again truly respect the body of Christ.

[290] He is truth incarnate.

[291] He hasn't gone away.

[292] He is still with us.

[293] And that's what we have to emphasize to people.

[294] I just wanted to mention something to you, Bishop Strickland, that the Anglicans who, have come into the Catholic Church, their converts, they are saying that back in the 1950s, they did this, their own senatoral process, okay?

[295] And they said it was a self -destruction back in the 1950s, and these are converts to the Catholic faith.

[296] And they're just warning us, they say ex -Angulans have seen this trick played on the church before, and they're really strong about it, Strickland.

[297] I mean, I'm not saying this, they are very simply put, they wrap up quasi -Marxism content into a spiritual comfort blanket and then talk a lot about, you know, the spirit.

[298] And I'm only saying this because these are Anglicans who've lived through this type of, you know, approach to governance of the church.

[299] And I see this, and you can correct me if I'm wrong, but I see, you know, like the German church or the Swedish church or the American church.

[300] And everybody has their own take on things.

[301] And you and I grew up that it was universal teachings, that when you went to Africa, there's the Catholic Church.

[302] It's a universal worship.

[303] We all believe in the same thing.

[304] I see the danger coming with the Senegal approach that it's being governed like Lutheran churches.

[305] You know, depending on where you go in the world, they have different teachings.

[306] And that would be a disaster to the Catholic Church if that was implemented.

[307] Would you agree?

[308] Absolutely.

[309] And that's what we're going to speak out again.

[310] is the church, the true church, will be one holy, Catholic, and apostolic.

[311] Amen.

[312] It's not going to suddenly be fragmented, unholy, local, and whatever the opposite of apostolic is.

[313] It's going to be, that's the church.

[314] Those marks of the church are describing what the mystical body of Christ looks like.

[315] Yeah.

[316] Just in the confirmation I had last night, I spoke to the young people being confirmed about the four marks of the church.

[317] I had to help them know what those four marks are, but we need to teach, we need to learn them ourselves and teach the young people.

[318] Those are signs where you see the Catholic Church, one holy, Catholic, and apostolic.

[319] And that means, again, coming back to, it's not.

[320] a different version of the body of Christ in Australia, as opposed to in England.

[321] It's the same Jesus Christ.

[322] Amen.

[323] He's Lord of the universe.

[324] And I think it's always helpful to me to bring it back to that person that is Jesus Christ.

[325] The person isn't fragmented into the different people.

[326] I mean, we call that psychosis.

[327] If a person has multiple personalities, Jesus Christ is one, and he is universally present in his church around the world.

[328] Yes.

[329] Well, great stuff.

[330] You know, you tweeted this also.

[331] Let us pray for all the Senate, all that are included in God's call to turn from sin.

[332] That's all of us and live the way of Christ.

[333] And, you know, you stuck your neck out and said something that shouldn't be controversial, Bishop Strickland, but it is and you said that only men can be ordained to holy orders and celibacy the good point is a discipline that can be changed but should not be and and the senate should stay on the plum line of truth and and i'm going to let you respond but you know you probably get the same stuff i get but i get a lot of hate mail because i'm the host of your show it's fun i don't mind because i get it you know from jess i get it i get it from all the different things i do But there's an article posted Bishop Strickland v. Pope Francis on women's ordination, and they try to explain that you're all wet because you're not with it.

[334] You're not with a new thought.

[335] And I kind of think that it's a good, I mean, if they're going to condemn you, they're condemning you for being too traditional, too fundamental, too biblical.

[336] I have not a problem with that, but I want you to respond to why you said only men, can be ordained to holy orders, because that's a topic that's being discussed in Rome right now.

[337] Well, there are literally books written on the subject.

[338] I think Pope St. John Paul II, John Paul the Great, really nailed it down as this cannot be changed in the life of the church.

[339] And they're trying to use, you know, trying to just kind of sneak in through the deaconate.

[340] Yeah.

[341] But the deaconate is part of holy order.

[342] Exactly.

[343] And all the evidence I've seen, and I don't claim to be a scholar, but you don't have to be a scholar to understand the basic truth.

[344] That's right.

[345] The women that served in the scriptures that are spoken of is diaconia.

[346] Exactly.

[347] It's not ordination.

[348] If you read the scriptures, the only ones that had hands.

[349] laid on them were the ones chosen to be ordained deacons and that and beyond that really Terry one of the key issues we talk about priests this is going beyond deacons to priests but only orders is one sacrament that's right you can't divide it up into well this is lower level yeah it's one sacrament in the ministry of Jesus Christ yes but the priest has talked spoken of as in persona Christi.

[350] And to me, that is one of the clear reasons beyond the great teaching that is the most important, what Pope St. John Paul II said in his papacy, no, we can't ordain women to the priesthood.

[351] But if we use that language of in persona Christi, Jesus Christ was incarnate as a man. as a male human being who grew to be a full -grown man, lived in the world for 33 years.

[352] He was a man. And really, we owe it, and I know people will jump all over me for saying this, but we owe it to women to ensure that the priesthood remains what Christ established it is.

[353] because, and again, going back to the Anglicans, I've talked to Episcopal and Anglican people that embrace, okay, yeah, we can have women that are in our clergy, so called.

[354] It's not working.

[355] No, it's not.

[356] And it's really part of that collapse of Anglicanism that many of the converts are talking about because they've let go of the truth.

[357] the Blessed Virgin Mary is our reminder that if any ordained man, bishop, priest, or deacon, if we start getting all, as we would say in East Texas, uppity about how important we are, we need to just look to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

[358] And women need to remember that there's no man on earth.

[359] that was born sinless.

[360] Jesus Christ, of course, but He's God as well as man. There's no, and what did Jesus say?

[361] No man born of woman is better than John the Baptist.

[362] But John the Baptist wasn't born sinless.

[363] John the Baptist wasn't immaculately conceived.

[364] Only the woman Mary of Nazareth was.

[365] So we need to, for the sake of women, and their dignity, we need to hold with the truth that Christ establishes church on, because if we say, oh, yeah, women can share in holy orders, let's all be equal, that's denying what God has given us and the beauty of that complementarity between men and women.

[366] Men can't be women.

[367] I don't care what people try to do.

[368] Women can't be men.

[369] Let's embrace and rejoice in God's playing for humanity instead of playing God ourselves.

[370] Amen, amen, amen, I say on to you.

[371] That good stuff.

[372] When we come back from the break, we've got a letter from Bishop Athanasius Snyder that he sent to you.

[373] And also, Bishop Snyder has composed a prayer for the Senate on Senadality that's on LifeSight News's website.

[374] You might want to read it.

[375] I thought it was really beautiful.

[376] And, you know, Bishop Snyder also addressed something that I think is very important in regards to the Holy Father being the Pope, whether people like the Holy Father's style or not, I think that's another good article for people to research because there are other people who are saying different.

[377] And I know Bishop Strickland, you clarified that, but I thought Bishop Athanasia Snyder did a wonderful job on that.

[378] So I would encourage people to go to Lifesite News.

[379] And then when we come back, we'll talk about what Bishop Athanasia Snyder has encouraged you to do and all bishops to do.

[380] and basically persevere in the truth.

[381] You're listening to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[382] Every week on Virgin Most Powerful radio, we'll come back with more to inspire you called Deeper in Love with Jesus Christ and His Bride Church.

[383] Stay with us, family.

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

[385] Welcome back, indeed.

[386] We were just talking about Bishop Athanasius Snyder and his prayer that he composed for the Senate on Senatality.

[387] It's rather long, but I would encourage all of our listeners to take a look at it.

[388] It's on LifeSight News.

[389] But here's a little note to you, Bishop Strickland.

[390] I'm glad they made it public because we're really finding out who's on what the claimants.

[391] In other words, everybody needs to stand for what they believe.

[392] I think silence right now is really not really doing much good for the church.

[393] I think we need to lay out what we believe and why we're we believe things.

[394] So here's what Bishop Snyder sent.

[395] Dear Bishop Strickland, thank you for your resolve to serve the Lord and not the time.

[396] I thought that was really beautiful.

[397] In other words, not the world, the time of the world.

[398] As St. Athanasius once admonished bishops, I pray that more bishops in our day may like you raise their voice in defense of the Catholic faith.

[399] Signed Bishop Athanasius Snyder.

[400] Now, he's an exhaliator.

[401] Ray Bishop, we've had them on our show here on the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[402] I know you guys know each other, but it seems that you both are on the same page in serving the church.

[403] And both of you, I will say this, Bishop Strickland, that both of you have taken a lot of heat because you've made public statements that are supportive of the deposit of faith.

[404] I know it sounds like, what?

[405] Is this microphone on?

[406] That's why you're being persecuted, not because you're being creative, you're just repeating what the church is always taught.

[407] That to me tells me that we're in some trying times.

[408] Well, I agree, Terry.

[409] And these letters that I've written, another one came out yesterday.

[410] Oh, I didn't get it.

[411] Okay.

[412] October 3rd.

[413] And it, these letters, as people have commented, they said, Bishop, this is great, but this is nothing new.

[414] This is just basic truth.

[415] And I consider that a compliment.

[416] Of course it is.

[417] We need to share, like we've talked about before, the fundamentals.

[418] And these letters, it started with August 22nd, the Queenship of Mary.

[419] And I've continued with expanding on seven points.

[420] The fifth letter went out yesterday, October 3rd.

[421] It's available on my website.

[422] Bishopstrickland .com.

[423] And there are two more letters that I'm working on because we need the fundamentals.

[424] Yes.

[425] And it, you know, I'm proud to say, I'm just speaking what the church has spoken for centuries.

[426] Yes.

[427] And what is spoken more and more deeply and more beautifully as the centuries have gone on.

[428] But in one of the points that I've made recently, St. Ignatius of Antioch, on his way, I kind of laughed about it because he wrote seven letters as he was going to his execution.

[429] Yeah.

[430] I don't think I don't think I'm going to execution, but I've actually, if I get it all done, I will have written eight letters, one sort of summary and then seven specific letters.

[431] But I just laughed about that when I realized that St. Ignatius of Antioch wrote seven letters as he's literally being carted.

[432] to be mulled by the lions in his martyrdom.

[433] But he talks about the Catholic faith.

[434] He uses the word Catholic.

[435] I believe it's the first time it was used in the church's history.

[436] And that was 107 AD.

[437] Very early on.

[438] And he was connected directly to the Apostles.

[439] I mean, 107 AD that St. John had just recently died.

[440] I mean, it was very close.

[441] And then we hear later on St. Augustine's mentions Catholic, and then it becomes the description, the universal aspect that we were talking about earlier.

[442] But I think it's important to remember that people like St. Ignatius of Antioch were, my point is that's the truth that we have been holding as a sacred deposit of faith, For almost 1 ,900 years.

[443] Wow.

[444] We can't let go of this because it's not, you know, the modern thing to do or the modern world doesn't like it.

[445] The modern world will ultimately pass away as every age has, but the church remains because the church is based in the truth that is Jesus Christ.

[446] And you know what, Bishop Strickland, your letter, I have not read it.

[447] I'm going to be publicly.

[448] I didn't realize it came out yesterday.

[449] I'll get a copy of it today, and we can talk about it next week.

[450] But just as a teaser, can you summarize a few more topics that you covered that are fundamental to our Catholic faith in that letter?

[451] Well, this letter is about the gift of our human sexuality, just basically focusing on that.

[452] And reminding ourselves, and all of us need to be reminded, that one thing that the thing that, the letter talks about, that I know we've talked about before, is the narrow path that Christ talks about.

[453] The narrow path of chaste, beautiful living out of our sexual nature is between a man and a woman, married for life, and open to children.

[454] Those qualifications.

[455] That narrow path is the only way that we can live out and express our sexual nature in a chaste way that is according to God.

[456] There's a long list, and in the letter lists them.

[457] I won't get into the list now, but there's a long list of the ways we divert from that path of virtue when it comes to our human sexuality.

[458] And one thing the letter tries to emphasize.

[459] Tell me. This is a gift.

[460] It's not some ugly thing that the church has to battle.

[461] What's ugly is when it's distorted and sinfully abused.

[462] But when the gift of our sexualities live according to God's plan, it's beautiful.

[463] And a man and woman like you and your wife, living for life, committed for life, open to children, now benefiting from grandchildren.

[464] you are living the beauty of God's plan, the beauty of that pleasure you have in loving each other, and the beauty of the fruit that comes from that when you're open, not just the children, but the children are a primary expression of that beautiful coming together, pro -creation in God.

[465] But there's so many ways that I'm sure, and you and your wife aren't perfect people.

[466] You aren't called the sanctity, but you're not perfect.

[467] I've been in your home, and it's a beautiful place, wonderful meals, a little noisy, a little uncomfortable here and there, because that's life.

[468] But I know that many people have been blessed, not just your children, but the wider community to benefit from that love that you express that you're a sacrament of.

[469] That beauty, we can't let get dragged into the mud and reduce to just, more human pleasure that doesn't do anything for the other person and is ultimately totally selfish, that's the path when unchaste living out of our sexuality in whatever way is the path that we take.

[470] And that, sadly, is the path of a world in overwhelming ways in our time.

[471] Ever since this sexual revolution, most people, sadly, are living their sexuality.

[472] in sinful and broken ways.

[473] And they, if they're honest with themselves, they'll point to how that's done harm and it's reduced their happiness and reduced their fulfillment in life.

[474] Marriage is not easy, but the fruits of it, when you commit and you stay with this person, a man and a woman together for wife, it's beautiful.

[475] And it's a beautiful blessing for that individual family and for all the family of God's.

[476] people.

[477] Well said, and I would just add as a married man, happily married man, I just last night did something that I encourage everyone to do.

[478] My wife did it back to me, and that is renew our marriage vows.

[479] Mom, dad, I had several people today call me. They're having challenges in their marriage.

[480] I really mean this, Bishop Strickland.

[481] I don't know what your letter said, but Bishop Sheen said in three to get married, that couples should renew their marriage.

[482] vows often because he said your love for your wife will not last because you're Mr. Tough guy.

[483] No, your love will last because you have the power to renew it.

[484] And I looked straight into my wife's eyes and I said what I said 35 years ago, the same thing that I take you, Mary Danielle, to be my lawful wedded wife.

[485] She lights up every time I say it.

[486] And guess what, Bishop Strickland?

[487] I light up when she says it back to me. And it does fire me up in my commitment to her because I mean, I know I made that commitment at an altar.

[488] And you also made a commitment as a priest and bishop about the deposit of faith, about passing on the faith.

[489] So you can't be unfaithful and say, no, I'm not going to speak about this because, you know, it would make someone uncomfortable.

[490] No, you made a promise.

[491] I made a promise.

[492] We both have to keep our promises before Almighty God.

[493] Absolutely.

[494] I would encourage every priest to renew their vows at every mass they celebrate, at least in their heart to recommit to being a priest of Jesus Christ.

[495] That's what I try to do.

[496] That's awesome.

[497] To do it more deeply at every mass. And you never finish.

[498] You never say, oh, I'm deep enough.

[499] No. The deeper you go, the further you realize you have to go.

[500] And I'm sure you're the same way with your love for your wife.

[501] Yes, it does.

[502] The deeper your love, the more wonderful experiences, the more challenges you face, the stronger your love, and the more you know, you have to love her more perfectly because you love her so much.

[503] That's the same with me and the Lord, especially in the sacrifice of the mass. I don't know if it's the iced tea or we're both fired up about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

[504] Probably a combination, but I love what Bishop Sheen says, sacrifice is the language of love.

[505] Right now, Bishop Strickland, you have to go and do a confirmation again, you're running around serving God's people.

[506] That's the sacrifice you make for the love of your souls that are in Tyler Diocese.

[507] You go out and serve the people.

[508] And I thank you for that.

[509] And I know that as a layman, I'm in the same boat.

[510] I have to go out and serve.

[511] How do I do that?

[512] I serve my wife and family by whatever sacrifices I need to do.

[513] So thank you.

[514] Can we get a blessing before we let you run, please, for our listeners?

[515] Sure.

[516] mighty god we ask your blessing for everyone involved in virgin most powerful radio and everyone who has a chance to listen to this program help us to stay joyful and hopeful and strong in the light of your son who is truth incarnate may the saints especially st francis on this day and the queen of saints the immaculate virgin mary and we ask this blessing in the name of the father and the son of the holy spirit amen thank you very much bishop Strickland, but God bless you in your work and your apostolic work to share the gospel that's been given to us from the early times of the church.

[517] I want to encourage people to go to our website to get past programs of all the programs, whether it's Bishop Strickland or other programs we have.

[518] Go to vmpr .org, download the free app so you can listen to this show anywhere in the world.

[519] And I want to thank you for supporting us here at Virgin, those powerful ratings because our goal is to get everyone to heaven.

[520] Well, how through Jesus Christ.

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