27 Mar 24 – True Eucharistic Revival

[0] Welcome to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[1] This is Terry Barber with Virgin Most Powerful Radio, where we take the gospel, which is my favorite part of this show, the good news of Jesus Christ, and we share it with the world through our radio stations that we're on, through our internet, any social media, anywhere we can get the word out, we want to be there.

[2] Bishop Strickland, thanks again for another hour of what I call it, hour of power with Jesus Christ.

[3] Thanks, sir.

[4] Thank you.

[5] And how do we start to show off every day when we do the Bishop Strickland hour?

[6] The gospel.

[7] So Bishop Strickland, if you could read the gospel, I call it the week that changed the world.

[8] This is now Wednesday of Holy Week.

[9] So this is our, this is exciting what's taking place with the Easter Tritium coming up.

[10] If you could read the gospel and give us some commentary, that would be great.

[11] Sure.

[12] A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew.

[13] you.

[14] One of the 12, who was called Judas Ascariot, went to the chief priest and said, What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?

[15] They paid him 30 pieces of silver.

[16] And from that time on, he looked for an opportunity to hand him over.

[17] On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Brett, the disciples approached Jesus and said, where do you want us to prepare for you to eat the Passover?

[18] He said, go into the city to a certain man and tell him.

[19] The teacher says, my appointed time draws near.

[20] In your house, I shall celebrate the Passover with my disciples.

[21] The disciples then did as Jesus had ordered and prepared the Passover.

[22] when it was evening he reclined the table with the twelve and while they were eating he said amen i say to you one of you will betray me deeply distressed at this they began to say to him one after another surely it is not i lord he said in reply he who has dipped his hand into the dish with me is the one who will betray me the son of man indeed go as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the son of man is betrayed.

[23] It would be better for that man if he had never been born.

[24] Then Judas, his betrayers, said in reply, surely it is not I, Rabbi.

[25] He answered, you have said so.

[26] The gospel of the Lord.

[27] Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

[28] Well, it really is a blessing.

[29] to read these two Gospels yesterdays and today's, because this passage from Matthew kind of leads up to what we heard from John's Gospel, the actual description of Judas' betrayal.

[30] This is leading up to that with the choice to go and celebrate the Passover, and it says that Judas had been meeting with the chief priest.

[31] I think it tells us so much that we need to pay attention to for our own struggle with sin because what does Judas really do besides certainly it's terrible that he betrays Christ but he doesn't just do that he embraces the world he sells out our Lord Jesus Christ for literally 30 pieces of silver.

[32] And we all know that image of the selling out of Christ for 30 pieces of silver.

[33] And I'm sure that we've all reflected on the reality that, as I mentioned before, when we sin, we are embracing our own 30 pieces of silver, which at times it's because of wealth.

[34] It may be pleasure.

[35] It may be worldly acknowledgment or popularity, worldly power.

[36] It can take a lot of different forms.

[37] But I think this passage from Matthew really is a great compliment to the similar passage from the gospel of John, because it goes more in depth into what is motivating Judas Ascariot.

[38] What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?

[39] It literally is a sellout for Christ who, for whatever reasons, Judas had rejected the message of Christ and instead uses his status.

[40] He is an apostle.

[41] He's not removed as an apostle.

[42] He is an apostle, one of the 12, but he betrays Christ.

[43] and sells him out for 30 pieces of silver.

[44] I think it's this part of the gospel just is a sobering reminder that we can all fall into the same trap.

[45] And let me say, Terry, that the priest that we, the video that we watched, that I watched for the first time, And you watch once again from this priest that were Father Kirby.

[46] I would frame what he says to me as a bishop is a challenge.

[47] Bishops of the world, bishops of the United States, be careful.

[48] Are you selling Christ out for your 30 pieces of silver?

[49] Wow.

[50] I need to, I need to soberly listen to that.

[51] ask myself, am I allowing that to happen, as does every bishop, every priest, every deacon, everyone in holy orders?

[52] But it just strikes me that that is really what this, Father Kirby, is challenging bishops not to do, not to sell out the truth of Christ for the world, for repeating basically the betrayal of Judas Ascariot, not just betraying Christ.

[53] but betraying Christ by embracing what the world has to offer.

[54] It was tragic for Judas Ascariot, certainly.

[55] In the mystery of God's plan, God allowed it to happen.

[56] He allowed his son to be betrayed and ultimately to die on a cross in order to give us the opportunity of salvation.

[57] But, But we have to pay attention to this ancient story that sadly gets repeated over and over again.

[58] How many 30 pieces of silver has Christ been sold out for?

[59] Not just by bishops.

[60] I mean, all of us, all the baptized again are responsible for turning from sin, especially any mortal or serious sin, we've got to turn from sin, which is a betrayal of Christ and embrace his life and turn from the world.

[61] The challenge is this Holy Week, as fresh as it was for the original 12 apostles and for the early church, the challenge is the same.

[62] Turn from sin and live the gospel.

[63] It harkens back to what we heard when we began this Lenton journey that we're culminating once again with Holy Week when on Ash Wednesday we were asked to turn from sin and embrace the gospel or reminded that without the gospel, we simply return to dust.

[64] And not just dust, but we're in everlasting condemnation.

[65] If we ultimately, our ultimate choice is to embrace the 30 pieces of silver that the world offers us and to reject Christ.

[66] Then the gospel continues giving Matthews account of what happens there at the Last Supper, where the betrayer is there.

[67] And the irony, I think, is something for us to really reflect on as well.

[68] Here is Christ instituting the Eucharist.

[69] We pray about that in the fifth luminous mystery of the rosary, the institution of the Eucharist.

[70] They are at the last supper.

[71] As Christ is giving us this wondrous gift that still sustain us, his very presence, body and blood, soul and divinity, that's in every mass, every tabernacle, in every altar of Eucharistic adoration, right here and now in our world, the betrayal happened in that context.

[72] And sadly, the betrayal of Christ is happening now too often by those who are closest to his sacred altar of sacrificial love at the Eucharist.

[73] So it's a challenge for all of us during this Holy Week to live our baptism and to pray for every deacon, priest, and bishop.

[74] And that includes the Bishop of Rome, Pope Francis, all the cardinals are bishops as well, and all the bishops of our diocese.

[75] All of us need to live our baptism and to turn from sin that is a betrayal, a denial of Christ.

[76] I think of what Bishop Sheen said years ago, and it sits well, it's an examination for all of us in the church.

[77] He said, if I were not a Catholic and I were looking for a true church in the world today, I would look for the one church which did not get along well with the world.

[78] In other words, I would look for the church which the world hates.

[79] And I'm going to make a suggestion, Bishop Strickland, I think we've become too identified with the world.

[80] world and not identified with Jesus Christ.

[81] Your thoughts?

[82] Absolutely.

[83] Jesus tells us, be in the world, be out there in the world, but deem not of the world.

[84] There's too much of the church that is in the world and of the world, and there's no contrast that should be there.

[85] The light of the gospel should bring a tremendous contrast between the 30 pieces of silver that represent the world and fidelity to Christ, which is what we're all called to.

[86] Stay with us.

[87] You're listening to the Bishop Strickland Hour on Virgin Most Powerful Radio.

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

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

[90] Welcome back, indeed.

[91] I like good news.

[92] I think there's a big pushback going on in our culture.

[93] For the first time, Pew Research shows that support for so -called gay, marriage is down.

[94] That to me tells me there are two things, Bishop Strickland.

[95] One, people are now willing to speak up and tell us what they really think.

[96] Or maybe it is the culture saying, you know what, I'm tired of this.

[97] We've got to stand up.

[98] Maybe I'm just pushing it, but that's a good sign.

[99] And I've got one more good sign out of Ireland.

[100] We all saw the 17th of March, St. Patrick's Day.

[101] We saw the Cardinal Nuncio and President Biden and Jimmy, Father James Martin was there for the celebration of St. Patrick's Day and we heard the president say that all citizens from the little ones to the old ones have a dignity but he forgot about the unborn I watched his speech but what I wanted to say is the prime minister of Ireland was there and the good news is this.

[102] A couple weeks ago, Ireland had a referendum and it was a landslide rejection of the government's proposals to redefine marriage, motherhood, and family.

[103] So basically they don't want any of this.

[104] Now, the prime minister is a open homosexual.

[105] He says he is.

[106] And he is now going to step down.

[107] And everybody's going, well, what happened?

[108] Well, I can say a couple things.

[109] One, Ireland's coming to their senses and saying, we can't have these people running our show.

[110] Look what it's doing to our family.

[111] We've got to stand up for the family.

[112] So it's just a good news story.

[113] And I wanted to ask you, Bishop Stricken, do you think maybe we are onto the common Joe now stepping up and saying, I'm tired of, you know, this woke culture?

[114] You know, I'm going to speak up.

[115] And I'm hoping that's the case.

[116] But what's your thought on that?

[117] Well, I certainly hope so.

[118] And I guess I would say it this way, Terry.

[119] It will happen eventually.

[120] That's the only future for people to realize God's plan for marriage, God's plan for the family.

[121] God's plan for humanity is our only future.

[122] And whatever, you know, tragic things happen, hopefully people are waking up.

[123] up.

[124] As we both know, there are many good, faithful people in every state in the United States throughout this country and throughout the world.

[125] But I think what you just talked about with Ireland, we've allowed leadership to take us down a dark path.

[126] I mean, here we have a president who literally celebrates murdering unborn children.

[127] And a priest there is saying what a great honor it is to be shaking the hand of this so -called Catholic.

[128] It's a travesty that he's even claims to be Catholic, much less being supported by an ordained priest.

[129] It's just, it's all on the wrong path.

[130] People need to wake up.

[131] I hope that, I mean, Ireland has been a beautiful leader in the church in the paper.

[132] hopefully Ireland is waking up and people are beginning to reject this idea of turning from God and living in the ways of the world, this betrayal, I mean, these gospels we've read on these past two days.

[133] We're living in a time of betrayal of the gospel message.

[134] It's like Judas Ascariot has taken over the College of Abossals, and that will not last.

[135] We always remember this Prime Minister of Ireland.

[136] We pray for his conversion.

[137] Absolutely.

[138] Not just to step down, but pray for his heart to be moved because evidently he's hearing the message of the people.

[139] And hopefully he personally will hear that message and know that it's never too late.

[140] It's never beyond repair.

[141] It's never beyond forgiveness and mercy.

[142] But we have to change and we pray that many people, like you said, Terry, and that's always our prayer, that hearts will change and that hearts will grow closer to the sacred heart of Christ to be strengthened.

[143] Maybe it's probably a combination of some, speaking up finally, that have always believed and others coming to believe through conversion, but we pray for both because we need to proclaim the truth of Christ.

[144] It's our only future.

[145] And ultimately, that future will overwhelm the world again because it's all the only truth.

[146] Truth is all that lasts.

[147] Yes.

[148] But we need to pray for those who are suffering now and being.

[149] led into darkness and being applauded for living in that darkness, we need to pray that they will be awakened as well.

[150] Because God wants to save us all.

[151] His salvation is presented as an opportunity for every human being.

[152] And so we need to be energized.

[153] And we need to look, I'm glad you share these signs of hope.

[154] Yeah.

[155] We should never be people of despair and darkness.

[156] There is too much gloom around, but there's always hope.

[157] And we need to share those messages of hope and see people that are doing the right thing.

[158] Yeah, I agree.

[159] And I just want to give one more story, if I may, lay people stepping up to the plate.

[160] I did, this is my fourth show today.

[161] So if I already brought this up, correct me right on the air.

[162] But it's the NFL kicker Harrison Butler.

[163] He slams abortion as the great atrocity that is happening in this.

[164] country.

[165] It was an interview he gave.

[166] And, you know, he's a, he's the best field goal kicker in the NFL, note by hands down.

[167] And he's a active Catholic.

[168] And he just says, I think it's a great atrocity occurring in our country with the massacring of unborn babies.

[169] He said, the unborn are to me, the greatest victim in our society.

[170] Now, he sounds like you, Bishop Strickland, but he's a layman who gets paid quite a bit of money to kick footballs for field goals.

[171] But I'm sure many people in the NFL would have wished he didn't say those comments and he just kept his mouth shut and he'll pay a price for it.

[172] But I'm just saying thank you, Harrison Buckker, because we need more sports players and media people to be willing to take a hit for speaking the truth about the gospel of life, so I thank him for that.

[173] Your thoughts?

[174] Absolutely.

[175] I've applauded him before, and I'm glad that he's willing to speak out because I'm sure there are the people that hold the power, the money power and everything that may be nervous about him speaking in this way.

[176] But we need.

[177] It's a great example for young people who look towards figures.

[178] They're talented people that have God given talents and allow them, I mean, to be a great kicker, but to recognize, and I was impressed that he and others gave credit to God.

[179] Thank God for winning the Super Bowl.

[180] I mean, you know, God's there supporting all of us and living virtuously, living the talents that he's given us.

[181] So I applaud this kicker.

[182] Awesome.

[183] Now, on the other side of the coin, It seems that, I'll use the term liberalism is dying out.

[184] And I mean that.

[185] You can't be fruitful.

[186] And one of the stories I'll bring up is in Germany.

[187] And as we all know, Germany, I think you wrote a letter a couple years ago to the bishops of Germany saying, guys, don't do this.

[188] You're going to leave the church if you compromise on these sexual morality issues.

[189] And in the head of the German Franciscans, and I was in a comcy for the Franciscan, so it comes, it's home, but he actually says he is an active homosexual and doesn't see it as a problem.

[190] And he's the head of the Franciscans, and he defends homosexuality and transgenderism.

[191] And he says this.

[192] He says the Catholic teaching on grave sinfulness of homosexuality is wrong, and he defends transgenderism as a wonderful diversity in this latest interview.

[193] But I got to tell you, Cardinal Pell has a response to.

[194] to this, even though he's been dead for over a year.

[195] Because another Cardinal said for something in a false idea, his name is Cardinal Jean Claude Hollerick, another Jesuit, Archbishop of Lundkenberg of Germany, and he's the General Secretary for the Senate on Senadality.

[196] He said the teaching on sodomy is now false because of the sociological and scientific foundations of this teaching is no longer correct.

[197] But the late Cardinald Pell said to Hollericks, they're explicitly heresy.

[198] Now, Bishop Strickland, I know you have to keep it civil with your brother bishops and archbishops and cardinals and you respect their office.

[199] But when they come out and say something that's so blatantly against the morality of the Catholic Church, it seems to me Cardinal Pell was spot on to call a spade a spade.

[200] And you know why I say that?

[201] Today, I got to call it 5 .30 in the morning from a mother.

[202] And they had an issue with homosexuality.

[203] And it was very sad because this individual was using what's going on in the Catholic Church today as an excuse.

[204] And this saddens my heart.

[205] So do you think Cardinal Pell was right on with his comments of saying that this is just plain heresy when you say that the church is wrong on the teachings on sodomy?

[206] It's false because now we have sociological scientific foundations of this teaching so it's no longer correct what yeah well cardinal pell even posthumously yeah but is right once again because the truth is what prevails yeah and all this hogwash about you know scientific study and yeah advanced to understand that's all just of that's of satan you don't We haven't rewritten how human beings are made.

[207] We're created in the image and likeness of God.

[208] And all of this is just a push to rewrite reality.

[209] And it's not reality.

[210] Right.

[211] And it will never be reality.

[212] It will never prevail.

[213] It won't last.

[214] And we need to wait people up and help.

[215] So Gardner Pell is exactly.

[216] Exactly right.

[217] And as you said, Terry, out of respect for the office of Bishop, like we were talking about with Father Kirby's homily, we should respect that office.

[218] It's out of respect for the office that we must speak up when this Cardinal Hollerick says something that is contrary to what his office should be representing.

[219] He's betraying his office.

[220] He's betraying Christ.

[221] He's betraying the church.

[222] And we need to respectfully, but it's the greatest respect is to call it out.

[223] That's right.

[224] No, this isn't the church.

[225] And no, we haven't somehow evolved to a new reality.

[226] I mean, you hear that kind of stuff from too many of the Cardinals.

[227] Reality isn't evolving into some contradiction of what has been.

[228] We can know more deeply what is, but it's not going to contradict that God made us male and female and suddenly, oh, well, that's all wrong.

[229] No, it's not.

[230] When we come back, I'm going to give the catechism paragraph 2357, what the Catholic Church teaches about homosexuality for all of us.

[231] Stay with this family.

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

[233] Now back to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[234] Welcome back, indeed.

[235] We were just talking about what the church teaches regarding homosexuality.

[236] And I wanted to read paragraph 2357 from the catechism of the Catholic Church.

[237] This isn't Bishop Strickland's personal opinion.

[238] It's not mine.

[239] I want to know the mind of Christ.

[240] And here's what the catechism says, basing itself on sacred scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave to privacy.

[241] Tradition has always declared that homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered.

[242] They are contrary to natural law.

[243] They close the sexual act to the gift of life.

[244] They do not proceed from a genuine, effective, and sexual complimentary, like a husband and wife.

[245] Under no circumstance, read this, under no circumstance can they be approved.

[246] Now, Bishop Strickland, I'm not in management.

[247] I'm in sales.

[248] But when I hear bishops and priests dissent, I mean, they don't buy what the Catholic Church teaches and they're staying in just to infect us with their changes.

[249] I'm going to give you my take, and you can say, Terry, you're a radical.

[250] Here's my take.

[251] If you don't embrace Catholicism fully with its teachings on its moral teachings, I look at the early church.

[252] You always say become a first century Christian.

[253] You know, the early church, said, fine.

[254] If you don't buy it, we're not forcing you to embrace this, then please leave.

[255] You can't come in.

[256] I know this sounds like it's a terrible act of being uncharitable to them, but I see the evils, and I use the word evils of these people who come in and say, we've got to change the moral teachings of the church, and I'm going to do it by staying as the bishop or a priest or a layman.

[257] I humbly ask them to be honest and say, it's time.

[258] for me to step down and get somebody in there who believes fully in the teachings of the church.

[259] Now, that's a layman.

[260] Am I too radical in asking that of our clergy?

[261] No, Terry, I believe you're spot on.

[262] That's really what needs to happen.

[263] And certainly, Christ is inviting all.

[264] But if you're rejecting the invitation, we have no right to reshaping.

[265] the invitation according to our will.

[266] And if you reject it, you're free to.

[267] God gives us that free will to say, no, I don't want this life.

[268] I don't want the Catholic faith.

[269] But to say, oh, we're going to reform it in our image.

[270] And that's what's going on.

[271] Yeah.

[272] And that we, that will be rejected ultimately.

[273] They'll misshape it into the point that it's not the Catholic faith any longer.

[274] But the authentic thing to do is to simply say, I don't believe this anymore, and so I'm leaving.

[275] We don't want anyone to leave, but it's more authentic to say, I'm leaving because I don't believe this, rather than to say, I don't believe this, but I'm going to change it to what I think it should be, ignoring tradition, ignoring scripture, ignoring what the church teaches that what you describe what you read from the catechism yeah as the churches stand on homosexuality is full of charity yeah it's full of clarity right it's full of truth yeah and really what it comes down to terry it what as you read that what occurred to me is the very root of this is the sexual revolution.

[276] People rejecting what is our sexual nature for.

[277] It's for procreation ultimately.

[278] Amen.

[279] Yes.

[280] In marriage, the church says there's what's called a unitive aspect.

[281] That's right.

[282] But according to the church, sex is only to be in marriage.

[283] Right.

[284] And we're so far from that.

[285] It's still the truth.

[286] It's still the nature of our sexual nature is that it's for procreation.

[287] Procration is meant to only happen in the bond of marriage.

[288] Yes, there it can have that unitive aspect that like for you and your wife, it brings you into an intimate union that's beautiful.

[289] Absolutely.

[290] And it makes the two.

[291] become one.

[292] But to pretend that that can happen outside marriage, that there's some, basically what we're hearing from too many is that there's a unitive aspect to sex that has nothing to do with marriage.

[293] And that is simply false.

[294] It's not human reality.

[295] It's not the teaching of the Catholic faith.

[296] And it's a misunderstanding of what the sexual faculty, is all about.

[297] God created us male and female in order for a man and a woman to come together in procreation.

[298] And in that act of procreation, it creates a beautiful bond between that man and woman committed in marriage.

[299] But when it's distorted and taken outside of marriage, it's anything but a beautiful bond.

[300] And in the wording of that catechism, people say, oh, that wording's too harsh.

[301] It needs to change.

[302] It speaks of the harsh reality that we cannot pretend has changed, no matter even if every person of the world, but the two of us decides, oh, we're going to take a majority vote and say that it's changed.

[303] It hasn't.

[304] It can't.

[305] And we need to return to reality.

[306] wow well said you know when you were speaking i get also get distracted i think of st ignatius of liola and the spiritual exercises he says if one fears men much he will he if one fears men much he will never do anything great for god because it's fear but he says all that one does for god arouses persecution so here's the point i'm making and i just hear it the world has infected the church in a very bad way.

[307] I mean, Fulton Sheen even talked about it in the 70s where we've bought too much of the worldly view.

[308] And it seems to me that when you speak the gospel, the unadulterated doctrine of the church of what Jesus taught, the world is going to go after you, but it seems that the persecution is also coming from people dressed like you.

[309] I'm dressed like you.

[310] A bishop's priests that, you know, condemn us for promoting Hermione Vite for Veritatis Splendor, all these beautiful teachings that we call the perennial teachings of the church and they're saying, no, no, we have to have a new approach to Christianity.

[311] And I almost think that the, I can't judge them fully.

[312] I can't just say it appears to me as a layman.

[313] They're really trying to change what Christ taught and come up with a better idea in a sense of a human idea that's more palatable to the world rather than doing what the church has always done, and it's an unchanging teaching.

[314] And here's my take, and you correct me right here.

[315] I think one of the reasons the church keeps growing, okay, is because it doesn't change.

[316] It's not like the weather.

[317] You know, look at all the denominations that have caved in in the last 50 years.

[318] I'll give one example.

[319] The Anglicans.

[320] Some say they're not even going to exist in another 20 years because they caved in on moral teachings of the church and they have very few members now.

[321] So that's the question, Mike, to you Bishop Strickland is, am I on to something saying that when we don't, when we stick to our guns, you know, expression of faith expression of guns?

[322] In other words, we stick to our deposit of faith, people are attracted to that.

[323] They're not attracted to things that change with the wind.

[324] Absolutely.

[325] People are by their nature, created by God.

[326] God gave us the nature that we have as human beings.

[327] And the natural thing is people are attracted to the truth.

[328] They naturally are, they shun evil and live the goodness of truth.

[329] Certainly, sin and concupiscence have their effect to distort that.

[330] But still, I mean, look at children.

[331] I mean, I saw your grandchildren recently.

[332] That's right.

[333] Especially your little granddaughter.

[334] Yeah.

[335] You know, they're just naturally attracted to goodness.

[336] Oh, yeah.

[337] Duty, to truth.

[338] And, you know, certainly sin will enter into her life as it does all of us.

[339] Oh, yeah.

[340] But we need to go back to what does Christ tell us?

[341] To be like children.

[342] And he doesn't mean to be childish, but to be children.

[343] in the sense of recognizing the truth and the wonder of God's grace is so much bigger than us.

[344] We need to have the wide open eyes of children to see the wondrous truth that calls us to be changed, that calls us to reform our lives and live more corresponding to that truth.

[345] Wow.

[346] Wow, wow, well.

[347] Amen.

[348] I want to give a little plug.

[349] We've got two minutes before we break, and then we'll get into the catechism.

[350] You tweeted something about, We either talk about pro -life, the sanctity of life, the Eucharist, and Our Lady, every single show.

[351] So you tweeted this about the Blessed Sacrament.

[352] It's a picture of some altar boys with a priest, and it looks like an old town, and they're having a eucharistic procession, and the old folks are kneeling down with reverence.

[353] You said, we must return to this.

[354] Out of reverence of this sacrament, talking about the Eucharist, nothing touches it but which is consecrated, since the corporal and the chalice are constantly.

[355] consecrated.

[356] Likewise, the hands of the priest to touch this sacrament.

[357] Therefore, it is not lawful for anyone else to touch it.

[358] It seems to me what I'm reading right there is let's go back to where we knelt down and received Holy Communion only on the tongue.

[359] Am I interpreting that correctly?

[360] Yes.

[361] And I've had people question and say, Bishop, what are you saying?

[362] And I know that we're a long way from making that the reality again.

[363] But Terry, Part of where we are is a lack of reverence for Jesus Christ, the Son of God, present among us.

[364] Amen.

[365] He is with us, body and blood, soul, and divinity.

[366] We've got to return to reverence.

[367] And to me, that is one way of remembering the reverence.

[368] It would take some significant reforms in the liturgy.

[369] And let me say as well, tell me. One of my favorite prayers in the mass that I say in my private unspoken prayers, Domine non -sumdignus, Lord, I am not worthy.

[370] I need to remember that as a bishop, as a priest.

[371] I hold, my hands are consecrated, but I'm still not worthy.

[372] And I need to remember that.

[373] And people whose hands are not consecrated shouldn't be touching the Lord, not be Because, oh, well, the priests are more worthy.

[374] We're not.

[375] But we have that role.

[376] Stay with us, family.

[377] We'll be right back.

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

[379] Welcome back to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[380] Indeed.

[381] Bishop Strickland, we have this Eucharistic revival coming up this summer.

[382] The UCCB is promoting this.

[383] I think it's great that they're promoting this.

[384] But I think you hit the nail on the head because, you know, I've shared this with you before.

[385] I always ask people what their belief is about the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist when I was doing a lot of work for Lighthouse Catholic media that I founded.

[386] And most of the people didn't understand the real presence.

[387] And so your point about having people kneel down for Holy Communion, receive on the tongue, I'm convinced that will help.

[388] Not only in there, in that area, and I want to have you finish it up, but I've been told by Satanists, okay, that are converted to the Catholic faith, that they were actually trying to steal hosts for black masses, too.

[389] So I think there's lots of benefits of going back to the old form of receiving, kneeling down and on the tongue.

[390] Your thoughts?

[391] Well, really, Terry, I think it comes down to it.

[392] There are lots of issues involved.

[393] Yeah.

[394] But why do we need this Eucharistic revival?

[395] Because too many people have lost faith and don't really believe in the real presence.

[396] And that's happened over our lifetime.

[397] Yes.

[398] Because things have gotten too relaxed.

[399] The mass, as I was talking with another group just recently, we need to promote a laser focus on Christ.

[400] At every mass, whatever form, whatever language, and there's all the debate about Novus Ordo and Latin Mass. We need a laser focus on Christ.

[401] And if we really believe and we're really focused, then a lot of these other reforms are going to, fall into place.

[402] Certainly, I know very faithful people who receive on the hand, receive our Lord on the hand.

[403] But for the general population of the church, for young people, for people who maybe aren't as well, as catechized as they should be, it becomes too easily too casual.

[404] Yes.

[405] And we don't need casual in the mass. It needs to be focused on Christ.

[406] It needs to be focused that what are we there for?

[407] We're there to worship God.

[408] And there, you know, there are a lot of issues that have been a part of the mass. I'm still most familiar with celebrating what's called the Novus Ordo.

[409] Sure.

[410] And I try to celebrate it with reverence.

[411] You do.

[412] And with focus on Christ.

[413] Amen.

[414] But that's what we need.

[415] So that's why I tweeted that because, you know, and I understand that people, because people say, oh, are you saying I'm wrong because I'm a communion minister or whatever?

[416] You're following what the church teaches, but the church needs to reform.

[417] Yeah.

[418] I mean, like we talked about with that video with St. Charles Borromeo.

[419] Yes, what a great man. form now to be reformed as the body of Christ and not just let things get so out of focus that we forget what we're there for who it's about it's about a who not a thing it's not just a gathering of people it's about worshiping God and humbling ourselves before the the loving sacrifice of the Son of God as he gave his body and blood, soul, and divinity for us to be transformed.

[420] And that's what we need to focus on.

[421] Wow.

[422] Bishop Strickland, we're going to be close to the Annunciation.

[423] I think we have to celebrate the feast the 25th of March.

[424] It's at Sunday, so I think we're moving.

[425] Is it moving the feast?

[426] I'm not quite sure how they're going to.

[427] Yeah, it's usually transferred to the next day, the Monday.

[428] Okay.

[429] And just, you know, praying the Angelus, I know Father Chad Ripper really pushed hard on that over at the spiritual warfare conference that you were at.

[430] Can you talk a little bit about the beauty of the enunciation?

[431] And also, would you concur with Father Chad that this is something we should practice as often as possible, hopefully three times a day?

[432] Definitely, and I've encouraged the same thing.

[433] Good.

[434] At 6 a .m. noon and 6 p .m., we need to get into the habit of praying the Angelus, because it really is the whole message of the gospel in a very brief.

[435] I don't know how long it takes to pray the Angeles, but it's not very long.

[436] It takes a few minutes, but it focuses on you talk about the week that changed the world.

[437] I do.

[438] The moment that changed the universe.

[439] Amen.

[440] When God, our Creator entered into creation through his conception in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

[441] And that's what the Angelus is about.

[442] Angelus comes from angel.

[443] It's the message of the angel of God's saving plan for humanity, his son being incarnate among us.

[444] So we need to bring that focus and that power as I talked about it at the Spirit.

[445] Warfare Conference.

[446] It's like a reboot of what our faith is about.

[447] Amen.

[448] Several times a day to remind ourselves, what are we living?

[449] What is being Catholic about?

[450] What are our families about?

[451] It's about living in the light of the one who came to us when he was conceived in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

[452] And celebrating it on March 25th, As I've said before, we need to, I think part of our reform needs to be a church that absolutely we celebrate Christmas and the birth of Christ, but we need to elevate March 25th to the point that it is comparable to celebrating Christmas, celebrating the incarnation.

[453] That's the moment, especially in our time, where we understand much more clearly what conception is about and how controversial it is with too many children dying shortly after their conception, we need to see that Jesus as a human embryo in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

[454] So I pray for reform in the church probably won't happen in our lifetime, but one day the church needs to reach a point where not only Christmas is celebrated, but nine months before is celebrated just as beautifully in the liturgy, the conception of the Son of God in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

[455] That's what the enunciation is all about.

[456] We've got a couple minutes, and I can't let you go without asking you about the beauty of the Easter Tridium.

[457] I know last week you said you encourage families to go to it.

[458] Can you talk a little bit more about why?

[459] I mean, the readings are so rich.

[460] It's like salvation history coming down from heaven to tell us about.

[461] So could you chat a little bit about the Easter Tridium?

[462] Absolutely.

[463] Well, it is the week that changed the world and can change our lives.

[464] And to participate in whatever way we can in the Easter Tritium is it's celebrating who we are.

[465] It's celebrating what Christ accomplished.

[466] It's celebrating his passion and death.

[467] and resurrection.

[468] It's a very heart of what it means.

[469] As if we follow the teaching of the church that the mass is the source and summit of our life in Christ, the Holy Week is celebrating that source and summit.

[470] In many ways, the Holy Week is celebrating the Mass over those three days of the Easter Trudeum.

[471] Beautiful.

[472] And Bishop Sturis, I want to also just mention, you know, Bishop Sheen, we're going to put a little clip of Bishop Sheen's Good Friday talk on our website for people to listen.

[473] It was 1979, the year he passed away.

[474] And I remember years ago I used to make cassette tapes of Bishop Sheen, and I would put him in the back of churches on Good Friday and before, you know, for the Lent season.

[475] And I just think his meditations on Good Friday are so good.

[476] So we're going to make it available free on our website.

[477] So I would encourage people to listen to Bishop Sheen's Good Friday, even before Good Friday, or even after.

[478] It's just a great, great recording of Fulton Sheen.

[479] We have a couple minutes left, Bishop Strickland.

[480] What else would you give our listeners advice for, you know, what comes, you know, you're talking about Easter or, you know, coming on the Easter tritium?

[481] then the church focuses on what after that?

[482] The Easter season.

[483] Yes, the Easter season.

[484] The whole season, and it needs to be a season of celebrating the resurrection of the Lord.

[485] One thing I would say about the Easter trim and Holy Week is look for ways in your domestic church, in your home to celebrate this.

[486] I mean, I know of the tradition that I've seen with many, and we added in our family, to bring the poems from poems someday and put them in a crucifix in your home.

[487] Of course.

[488] But to look for other ways, to weave the tritome, hopefully you can go to your parish and celebrate the liturgies.

[489] If you can or you can't, to bring those into your homes as well, and to make the whole, Holy Week and the Easter Tritome, something that pervades our families and helps children and all of our family members to really celebrate what leading up to Easter is all about.

[490] Well, Sid, and I want to encourage everyone to share that when you, most of us are going to be visiting our relatives or friends for Easter and Easter egg hunts with the little kids.

[491] I know I've got my grandchildren all set up for that.

[492] I just want to ask everybody to keep their focus on what Easter's all about.

[493] Not the Easter Bunny, obviously, but on the resurrection of Christ and the life and death of Christ.

[494] And so maybe when you see your relatives, just be that witness that we're a resurrected on Easter Sunday that the value that God opened up the gates of heaven through his death and rising of the dead.

[495] And we can follow that.

[496] And I think that the world right now is in desperate need of having hope.

[497] Because right now, Fubb Bishop Strickland, I see a world that's so depressed.

[498] And here we have the week that changed the world that's going to give people hope in Christ.

[499] Am I on to something?

[500] Absolutely.

[501] People need hope.

[502] And there's nothing more hopeful than what we celebrate during Holy Week and Easter.

[503] Yeah, amen to that.

[504] Could we receive a blessing, please?

[505] Almighty God, we ask your blessing for all at Virgin Most Powerful Radio and all the different programs that speak of our faith and the glorious and beautiful faith that we have in our Catholic faith, guide us to a deeper living of that faith, living of our baptism, joy and hope pervading all that we do, help us to be ambassadors of this faith in these dark and tumultuous times.

[506] and we ask this blessing in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit Amen.

[507] Thank you so much, Bishop Strickland and from the staff at Virgin Most Powerful.

[508] I hope your Easter Tritium is a great one.

[509] Also, folks, you can go to our website to get at all the other shows just go to vmpr .org and download them and share them with your friends.

[510] Thanks so much for joining us here on the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[511] May God richly bless you.