02 Mar 2021 – Bishop Strickland on the Equality Act

[0] Welcome to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

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

[2] Bishop Strickland, welcome back after what you've been through in Texas with that cold weather.

[3] Are you okay?

[4] Yes, thank you, Terry.

[5] We're praying for a lot of people still recovering in Texas, but thankfully the Diocese of Tyler was not hit as significantly as some areas, but there are people still working through damage to their.

[6] homes and those kinds of things.

[7] Well, we'll keep them in our prayers.

[8] Bishop Strickland, as you know, we take your tweets and some of the issues of the day and have you give commentary, and then we get right into the catechism of the Catholic Church to teach people the fundamentals of the faith.

[9] But I have to compliment your brother bishops regarding the Equality Act that is being voted on, and they say it's a grave threat to religious liberty, and they're asking us lay people to take action.

[10] Here's what they said.

[11] They said the Equality Act, which is being voted in the U .S. representative soon, in many ways, does the opposite and needs to be opposed.

[12] Instead of respecting differences in belief about marriage and sexuality, this Equality Act would discriminate against people of faith.

[13] That's us.

[14] The Equality Act would punish faith -based organizations like us, such as charities and schools who serve.

[15] serve everyone in their communities.

[16] It would force, and here's the crazy idea.

[17] This thing's saying it's going to force girls and women to compete against boys and men for limited opportunities in sports.

[18] And here's something, Bishop Strickland, what kind of sense are they thinking of when they say that they're going to share locker rooms and shower spaces with biological males who identify as women risking mandating taxpayers to fund abortions?

[19] all the bad things force people in everyday life and especially health care workers to support gender transition and expand what the government considers a public place forcing even some parish halls to host functions that conflict with Catholic beliefs.

[20] Now I want to get your comment but this is what the bishop said.

[21] If this isn't bad enough, the bishops gave a more detailed critique of this legislation last year, and people can get it.

[22] It says the Equality Act would impose sweeping regulations to discriminate a society as a whole, and the act definition alone would remove women and girls from protected legal existence.

[23] It goes on.

[24] Bishop Strickland, thank you.

[25] If you see your brother bishops at one of these conferences, say the lay people love to see clarity with charity, and that's what they did.

[26] What's your time?

[27] take on this.

[28] Yes, absolutely.

[29] I applaud this statement from the USCB, and it needs to be said.

[30] It needs to be repeated.

[31] It needs to be said very clearly, like you said, with charity and clarity.

[32] Because really, Terry, certainly it threatens religious liberty.

[33] It threatens what we believe in.

[34] But we have to even go deeper than that.

[35] Tell me. It threatens reality.

[36] Yeah.

[37] Oh, exactly.

[38] This kind of, I mean, you know, religious liberty is a huge issue, but it's the idea of the human person, the idea of how God has made us, whether people believe in God or not, the way we are created has a basic pattern to it, and it's just, it's a falsehood that is sweeping the country, sweeping the world, really.

[39] It is wrong, it is harmful, and it must be, it must be rejected at every turn with strength and with clarity that what the church teaches is the truth.

[40] And we need people to wake up to that truth before more lives are harmed and society deteriorates even further.

[41] Well, said Bishop Strickland, and you know, you just tweeted minutes before we went on the air regarding whole foods that says they're asking that you don't use gender language when talking to customers and servers.

[42] Thanks, brother.

[43] Hello, ladies.

[44] Hello, sir, are examples of gendered language and is harmful to the trans and non -binary folk.

[45] And you point out on your tweet, this is inhumane.

[46] Think about this.

[47] God made us male and female.

[48] So you're right, it's taking the country.

[49] And Bishop Strickland, I'm going to get a comment from a book that just got taken off of Amazon.

[50] He's not a Catholic, but he wrote a book called When Harry Became Sally.

[51] and what happened is Amazon censored it and said we're not going to sell the book and I like this young man's, he's a young man to me, he's in his 30s, he wrote this book and Michael Brandon said, well, when the bookstores and Amazon take your book off, then I looked at as an endorsement and it tells me that I'm doing, I must be doing the right thing because they're telling me that this is wrong.

[52] So I think his attitude is, yeah, I mean, I'm not going to give up.

[53] I'm going to continue to promote my book.

[54] I mean, last time I look at still a free country, but what I see happening, Bishop Strickland, is people like this guy, if they don't have the same jagra, you don't have the same message they want to hear, they take you out of the equation.

[55] And that seems really unfortunate, and I think this is my take, that we need to push back with clarity and charity, but not to stand back and just let them roll over us because my opinion is they're living in law -law land.

[56] I'm not seven foot five.

[57] I'm five foot five just because I said it doesn't make it true.

[58] And the last thing I'm going to ask you is Fulton J. Sheen said this and then you can comment.

[59] He said almost everyone today wants religion.

[60] This was 70 years ago.

[61] But everyone wants a religion that does not cost too much.

[62] That is why Christianity has been watered down to suit the modern man. Bishop Strickland, this is an example.

[63] We have the, you know, our president says he's a Catholic.

[64] He's endorsing this.

[65] It's a watered down at best.

[66] It's worse than that.

[67] But the point of what Bishop Sheen is saying, 50, 60, 70 years ago, he saw all this coming, Bishop Strickland.

[68] Yeah.

[69] And the reality is it's more than one.

[70] watered down, it's poison.

[71] Yes, poisons.

[72] It is destructive of life, of human life and the human family.

[73] It is, it's poisonous.

[74] And we've got to, with calm and clarity, simply repeat over and over again.

[75] This is false.

[76] This is lunacy.

[77] We've got to wake people up.

[78] before, like I said, before the damage comes so profound that we can't, we can't recover from it.

[79] That, we are reaping our own destruction.

[80] And we've got to, with joy in our hearts and with the truth of the gospel guiding us, the light of Jesus Christ, we've got to speak up.

[81] And every believing person really needs to speak up and say, this is not love, this is not care, this is poisonous, and it's undermining the very fabric of humanity, much less civilization.

[82] It's undermining the fabric of what humans living in community can be and should be.

[83] Bishop Strickland, we're recording this on February 23rd, which is the St. Polycarb, Bishop and Martyr.

[84] And I was so impressed by his life.

[85] And I'll just give a little comment and give me your feedback on it.

[86] You know, he was converted, he was 155 AD.

[87] He was converted to the faith by St. John the Evangelist, okay?

[88] Wow.

[89] And he was consecrated to bishop in, you know, modern day Turkey.

[90] Now, he was about 86 years old.

[91] Bishop Strickland, we're not 86 years.

[92] years old yet but if we're 86 years old think about this and see if you could follow this saint's life i loved it he was 86 years old when the roman uh procurulator he wanted to he urge him he's telling him you need to renounce christ or we're going to kill you're going to burn you up well st polychrept said to the roman guy hey for for 86 years i've served him and he's never wronged me how can i renounced the king who has saved me now that line touched my heart this morning at holy mass and i said jesus i see it coming i i see the days when when we're going to be persecuted like that again i do and i hope i'm wrong but i see it coming where if we teach the ten commandments they're going to say that's a hate crime you're going to jail and i pray that i will be able to say as St. Polycarp, I'm not going to defect and renounce my faith after all these years of serving him.

[93] Go ahead and shoot me, burn me, do whatever you got to do because life is short and eternity is forever.

[94] Bishop Strickland, does this story relate to you at all?

[95] Oh, yeah, I was moved by it as you were.

[96] And when I read it this morning as part of the morning prayers, celebrating St. Polycarp, Bishop and Martyr, another in the line of heroes that inspire me. And so early on, what a beautiful story to know that he actually, as you said, was a disciple of St. John, the evangelist, the gospel writer, the beloved disciple of Jesus Christ.

[97] So he, St. Polycarp, is one of those who was very close to Christ himself.

[98] One degree of separation, you might say, with St. John the evangelist who literally leaned on the chest of Christ, learning the power of his love, and here's St. Polycarp, knowing that same love.

[99] I thought it was interesting in the brief story that I read that they tried to burn him alive.

[100] He wouldn't burn.

[101] No. It wasn't harming him.

[102] So they had to kill him with a sword.

[103] That's right.

[104] It's hard to kill a saint.

[105] Amen.

[106] We come back.

[107] We'll have more to inspire you to call deeper love in Jesus.

[108] Welcome back to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[109] My name's Terry Barbara.

[110] I'm with Virgin Most Powerful Radio.

[111] We're talking about some of the tweets from Bishop Strickland, trying to bring some sense into this world that we're living in because what we just talked about, transgenderism and all the craziness that's going on where people say, hey, I'm a man, but really I'm a woman, but I can make that decision myself.

[112] It's just nonsense.

[113] But right now it seems like it's catching on to say, well, I, you know, whatever I say goes.

[114] And that's a very dangerous way to live.

[115] Bishop Strickland, it seems to me like this tweet that you gave on February 9th just tries to pull people back to objective truth, which is that this truth about the gospel is true today, tomorrow, 500 years from now.

[116] And you said this, you said, knowing the truth and speaking the truth are equally challenging endeavors these days.

[117] You can say that again, Bishop.

[118] He says, I know that Jesus Christ is the Lord of Life and that the life God has given us is sacred.

[119] Well said.

[120] And then you said, let us pray for each other as we know that this truth.

[121] and that we may be bold enough to speak this truth.

[122] And I like the last part of your statement.

[123] More importantly, speak the truth, but live the truth.

[124] Because I think people see more than they hear.

[125] I think if they see people standing up for life, I think that's more impressive than just talking about it.

[126] Absolutely.

[127] And actually, the gospel for today, for this first week of land, the gospel is from Matthew, where the Lord gives the model of prayer, the Our Father, the Lord's prayer, as the model of prayer.

[128] And one of the things that I highlighted at Mass today was that the Lord actually talks about exactly what you just said, Terry, not just praying, but living what the prayer says, forgiving the trespasses of others if we expect God to forgive our trespass.

[129] our sins, in that living out what our prayer is, living out what the word of God says, living out love for neighbor is the challenge we all face, especially during Lent, and hopefully that charges us up, strengthens us, this retreat of the church for the Lenton season, to live the faith throughout our days, not just during Lent, but always, but we always need that.

[130] Humanly, we need a time to step away and to reflect and to be in a retreat from the world.

[131] The Lord gives us that example right there in the Gospels.

[132] As it says, the Holy Spirit drove him into the desert for 40 days and 40 nights of fasting and prayer.

[133] The church doesn't ask us to fast for 40 days and 40 nights, but it does ask us to embrace.

[134] some fasting, and to remind ourselves of what is real.

[135] What occurred to me in my prayer today, Terry, is that we tend to think and we're taught that what we see, what we can feel, what we can hear, what our senses tell us, that's the most real world.

[136] But like we've said so many times on this show, speaking of eternity, if the measure of reality is what lasts the longest than everything we can't see.

[137] Our spirit, the love of God, the life of the saints in heaven, all the invisible truth that the church embraces when we say that we believe that God has created all that is visible and then visible.

[138] Lent is a time to remember that that invisible realm if again if we measure it what lasts the longest if we measure it that way then the invisible realm of everlasting life with God in heaven is the most real and the great reminder that the saints remind us of that the word of God reminds us of is that we can be in touch with that everlasting realm the kingdom of God right here and now through prayer and through loving one another we can be in touch with our eternity and we need to remember that we need to not be so distracted by what we can see and what our senses tell us and say that's the only real world and remember the most real world is what will be here for all that we see, all that we touch, all that we can hear is gone.

[139] That will disappear, it will fall to dust, it will go into nothingness, but everlasting life with God is the eternity that we're called to live.

[140] Bishop Strickland, you made me think while you were speaking about the value of a discipline life and being able to say no to oneself.

[141] It seems to me that in our world where we have an abundance of food, entertainment, just a lot of titillation in our culture, that the very fact that you live a disciplined life and you can learn to say no to yourself will help you fall deep in love with Jesus because I think, you know, it's a gospel principle that if you can't say no to yourself, then the world will overtake you.

[142] Am I on to something?

[143] Absolutely.

[144] And Terry, you inspire me to share something that I haven't put on my website yet.

[145] but I will probably post it tomorrow.

[146] And I just want to share a couple of sentences in the context of, as I share on the website, all the controversy about who should receive communion and who shouldn't.

[147] These words come from words spoken to a mystic St. Margaret of Cortona in the 13th century.

[148] And I'll just share a couple of sentences for all of us to pray about it.

[149] and to reflect on.

[150] Woe to the souls that sin unceasingly and dare to receive me, this is Christ speaking, dare to receive me without correcting their faults.

[151] There will be a strict account for them at a future day.

[152] Terry, those words need to be on billboards around the world.

[153] It's not just some politicians.

[154] that need, absolutely, we should be concerned about that.

[155] But in Christ's words to St. Margaret, bemoans the reality that too many people receive him without a care about whether they are worthy at all or not.

[156] That is a plague against the Holy Spirit in our time.

[157] Here it is the 13th that that is one of the profound issues that we need to address as people of faith.

[158] faith, that lack of belief in the real presence, he is really there.

[159] And too often, Christ is desecrated because we receive him unworthily.

[160] We've got to embrace that challenge deeply.

[161] I need to, you need to, we all do.

[162] We say at mass, Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof.

[163] And we're correct.

[164] And we go on to say, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.

[165] The word of Christ can enter our soul if we contritely confess our sins and best to be well prepared to receive him at communion.

[166] Too many people too easily receive.

[167] And we get into all the controversy about how people receive the Lord and the reverence that we need to pay attention to.

[168] But I think that those words of Christ to St. Margaret really cut deeply and profoundly into the real issue.

[169] Yes, we need to receive with reverence.

[170] And the greatest reverence is a soul that has recently gone to confession and done our best to repent of our sins and embrace the gospel of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

[171] That is the key issue of the Eucharist in reverence toward his body and blood.

[172] We need to pay attention to that during this Lenton season like never before.

[173] Bishop Strickland, music to my ears, and I need to embrace all of that, what you said.

[174] We had the Terry and Jesse show today, and we talked about that very thing.

[175] How are we to prepare ourselves to receive Holy Communion and I'm wondering Bishop Strickland if you know I don't know what's inside of anybody's head okay I can only say objectively you know there are people who have not been taught well for their conscience in other words they say oh my conscience says I can be living with my girlfriend and still go to Holy Communion or have a second or third wife you know because things have changed I mean it's not as clear as it used to be and I get all that but here's my my question, Bishop Strickland.

[176] It's men like you, bishops who need, and I'm just being frank about this, we need leadership right now to make that clearly, clear in our minds who can receive and who can't because my fear Bishop Strickland, as Joe Sixpac sees that, you know, like our president is receiving holy community, the United States as a devout Catholic, when objectively he's promoting things that are contrary for like Hyde Amendment, and all kinds of abortion things that he's supporting, and it makes no sense.

[177] But to the Hoy -Polloy, they go, well, why aren't you guys speaking up if it's that bad?

[178] So I don't mean to point the finger at your Bishop Strickland, but I really think this problem would be solved a lot easier if it wasn't guys like me and Jesse and other laymen speaking like this.

[179] We need our leadership to say clearly what an informed conscience is and that people who are in big positions publicly stating these things I believe that it would be really helpful if our leadership would point these things out clearly because I think there's a lot of confusion for us lay people.

[180] Okay, I said it.

[181] Well, absolutely.

[182] That is my job.

[183] I promised to guard the deposit of faith and to share the truth of Jesus Christ.

[184] And we have to.

[185] The world is in desperate need of the truth of.

[186] Jesus Christ.

[187] And for us as shepherds to be silent, we're not doing our job.

[188] And believe me, Terry, in my own prayer this morning, I'm a sinner.

[189] And I pray that I can continue to more and more repent of my sins and move forward to one day receive the Lord.

[190] as worthily as I possibly can in my human reality.

[191] I'm not there, but I need to keep seeking that, and all of us do, to say, oh, I've gotten there and I'm worthy.

[192] We're probably far from worthy, but we all trust, as we say, as before we received communion.

[193] The priest says it along with the people.

[194] Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word.

[195] and my soul shall be healed.

[196] We need to all be seeking more and more virtue, more and more worthiness, and humbly repenting of our sins and seeking to rid our lives of those empty promises of Satan.

[197] Well said, Bishop Strickland.

[198] Wow, and don't forget saying that act of contrition before receiving Holy Communion is, again, repenting.

[199] And I think that's a good policy.

[200] And I hope maybe everybody's doing that.

[201] not start doing it.

[202] Hey, when we come back, Bishop Strickland tweeted a quote for what?

[203] Pope Leo the 13th back almost over 100 years ago, but that's it.

[204] That's the beauty of our church.

[205] I can hear what he's going to say right back after a quick break.

[206] Welcome back to the Bishop Strickland Hour, Terry Barber, with Virgin Most Powerful radio.

[207] And I teased you at the break.

[208] And that is, what does Pope Leo the 13 have to say to us in the 21st century?

[209] Well, Bishop Strickland quoted something I'd never seen before a bishop, and wow, it got me. Here's what it says.

[210] Now, check this out when you listen.

[211] Think about this.

[212] It is unlawful to follow one line of conduct in private life and another in public, respecting privately the authority of the church, but publicly rejecting it.

[213] For this would amount to joining together good and evil.

[214] Now, this is from an encyclical that he wrote, number 47.

[215] Bishop Strickland, where the heck did you find that?

[216] I mean, that's just so appropriate for us.

[217] We say, oh, yeah, yeah, I'm a Catholic.

[218] I go to church on Sunday, but during the week, they don't bring it up at all.

[219] As a matter of fact, I live a double life.

[220] And the Holy Father seems to me saying, don't do that.

[221] Is that the reason you wanted to quote that for our situation in the 21st century?

[222] Absolutely.

[223] It really is a Pope speaking on the reality of duplicity is not living the gospel.

[224] You can't say, well, in my home, I pray and I'm holy and I do these things.

[225] But out there in the world, I'm a different person and I lie in the workplace or steal things or whatever it is.

[226] The truth is one.

[227] The truth is not in compartments of life.

[228] Right.

[229] And certainly, Pope Leo the 13th lived long before a lot of the things that we have that so easily compartmentalized things and say, well, this is this part of my life and this is the other part of my life.

[230] The reality is truth is one.

[231] It's not contained in one room of the house and then we can, you know, do some.

[232] something else in other places.

[233] It's always the same.

[234] So I think that what Pope Leo the 13th is saying there is a critical message for our time.

[235] And like you said, I'd never seen it before.

[236] And honestly, I don't remember where it came across my desk.

[237] But I read lots of things and I see lots of things and it's something that we just have to be very clear about and actually I'd like to share another this is actually the latest post on my website bishop strickland .com the title is flip -flopping right and wrong and let me just read this from it's actually a book that I'm reading that isn't published yet, but I look forward to it being published because this author really captures things in a very readable way that we need to ponder deeply in our broken world today.

[238] But let me just share this brief quote.

[239] As the world becomes desensitized to these sins, many in our society are not just advocating excessive.

[240] acceptance of sin, but also flip -flopping right and wrong, stating that anyone who advocates a virtuous life in alignment with God's commandments is intolerant, bigoted, closed -minded, and even evil.

[241] To me, Terry, that harkens back to our earlier conversation this hour about this so -called equality act.

[242] That is exactly what's going on.

[243] for us to say, let us live the virtuous lives that God has created us to live either male or female.

[244] Those are the two options we have.

[245] People speak of, oh, being non -binary, that is simply not the creation that God has given us.

[246] And yes, we're compassionate to people that may have confusion about who they are.

[247] But it is not charity.

[248] no to encourage that confusion if someone has schizophrenia you don't encourage them to think that they are something besides who they are that's what the sad illness of schizophrenia is and to call it intolerant to say to this person let us help you know who you are that is the opposite of intolerance It's Christian charity.

[249] So we are in, talk about a flip -flopping of right and wrong.

[250] It is a distortion of basic reality that we're facing.

[251] And to be told that we're intolerant, bigoted, close -minded, and even evil.

[252] And that is the agenda that's out there.

[253] Yep.

[254] For us to speak the truth of Jesus Christ, the Savior of humanity, people are accusing us of exactly that.

[255] And we have to stand strong because it's the truth.

[256] It's how God has made us.

[257] And to pretend that we can reshape creation according to our image instead of living as God has created us according to his image and likeness is not only wrong, but it's devastating to the human reality.

[258] We are reaping the whirlwind.

[259] the more we allow this insanity to just play itself out.

[260] Bishop Strickland, amen to all of that.

[261] I mean, that is so true.

[262] I want to just quote you on another tweet, but I want to back up something that as this Equality Act goes through, and if it goes through, it's going to affect Christians in a real negative way, meaning that, you know, like our Ten Commandments series that we did, would be condemned as hate material because we're telling them that there's certain, you know, thou shall not steal, thou shalt not commit adultery, all these thou shall nots, it seems to me that they're going to tell us that if we want to preach that, then we're going to pay a price and possibly even going to jail over preaching the gospel.

[263] Now, this isn't the first time this has happened in Christian.

[264] Christianity, but it seems to me that if this happens to your diocese, where I'm living all over the country, it seems to me that we're going to be needing to really ask for the grace of perseverance and courage, and it seems to me that if we don't ask our Lord for these graces to stand up, many of us are going to fall.

[265] And I don't say, oh, I can do it.

[266] Yeah, it's easy to say I can do it.

[267] but the time comes, you know, the advice I have, and I want to hear your advice, is that stay close to Jesus Christ and know that personal relationship that you have with him in prayer and know that living in the presence of God, none of this can really affect us.

[268] I mean, the worst thing they can do, really, is kill us for the faith.

[269] And, you know, for us, Bishop Strickland, I ask Jesus Christ for more faith every day.

[270] I hope and pray that I can say, well, hey, you know what?

[271] Like my father, Zachariab Butro said when a guy was going to kill him and he said to him, he's at 14 years of age, he said, you know, go ahead and do it because you're my ticket to get to meet Jesus.

[272] I'm not afraid of dying.

[273] I just hope and pray we can have that courage.

[274] And Bishop Strickland, correct me if I'm wrong, it doesn't happen overnight.

[275] We have to prepare for a dry martyrdom or, you know, whatever martyrdom that could come, but we can't stand up to this without having a strong relationship with Jesus Christ personally in prayer.

[276] Is that a fair statement?

[277] Absolutely.

[278] And what I'm reminded of is what I already mentioned, the gospel today, the Lord teaching us to pray the Our Father.

[279] We need to ponder that deeply and ask ourselves, how do I live that today.

[280] Something else I was reading this morning from a mystic that really had a tremendous story, a conversion experience that is truly remarkable.

[281] Mariano Restrepo is his name.

[282] You may know that name.

[283] Or Marino Restrepo, I believe, is the correct name.

[284] But he had a tremendous conversion experience.

[285] And what I was reading as he speaks in a book I was reading this morning about the state of our world, he says, Christians, we need to love everyone.

[286] The people that we drive by on the freeway, pray for them as you're driving by.

[287] The people in our neighborhood, we, and I think he's so right, and I would encourage us all as believers.

[288] I, you know, we all face.

[289] We all faith.

[290] I'm weak.

[291] I get out of focus.

[292] I've sinned.

[293] But let's keep striving to really love each other that, like you said, Texas has gone through the worst winter I've experienced ever in my lifetime.

[294] And they say more than 100 years since we've had the kind of temperatures here in East Texas that we had last week.

[295] Many people, thankfully, reaching out and helping others.

[296] Awesome.

[297] I had the opportunity to do just a lot.

[298] little bit of that.

[299] But all of us need to do whatever we can.

[300] And not just in the midst of calamities and tragedies.

[301] Thankfully, people still do step up in those drastic situations.

[302] But what this mystic is reminding us is we need to do that on a daily basis to resolve that every human being we see, whether we're ordering fast food from someone or getting gas at the gas station or whatever it is to approach that person as a sacred presence of God that we wish well and that we offer Christ love to in the simplest ways.

[303] It used to be called common courtesy.

[304] And those are things that certainly it's not just being polite, but it's recognizing you're holding the door open for a child of God.

[305] Amen.

[306] You're saying, sure, go ahead of me. me in line to another child of God.

[307] You are wishing well a person that is beloved of God to really try to during these Lenton days to retool the way we operate, the way we live.

[308] And many people live this already to a large degree.

[309] But all of us can slip and say, you idiot, you cut me off in traffic or whatever, but even when we make those mistakes to return to valuing the person, loving the person, I think Marino Restrepo really says something very significant for the broken world we find ourselves in.

[310] We are to be people of the light of Christ and to share his joy to share his hope with every single person we encounter every day.

[311] a difference.

[312] Well, said, the dignity of the human person.

[313] You're listening to the Terry, you're listening to the Bishop Strickland Hour on Virgin Most Powerful.

[314] We'll be right there.

[315] Welcome back to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[316] My name's Terry Barber with Virgin Most Powerful Radio.

[317] Before we get into the catechism of the Catholic Church about sacred tradition and sacred scripture, the St. Philip Institute that's run in the Diocese of Texas, Tyler Texas, Bishop Strickland, give us another plug because you've got some things for Lent that I think a lot of folks would benefit, you know, receiving.

[318] How can they tell us a little bit about the Institute, please?

[319] Yes, the St. Philip Institute, St. Philip Institute .org, Philip with one L. It, they're really, the team is doing a great job.

[320] They are working on a lot of things to nurture people's faith during this Lenton season because the darkness has affected everyone, the, the broken, of our world, it seems to just break more deeply all the time.

[321] But we as believers are people of hope and we as Catholics need to be a light in the darkness because we have the fullness of the light of Jesus Christ.

[322] The St. Philip Institute is about sharing that in countless ways with marriage, with baptismal preparation, with formation and in teaching for youth for all kinds of things.

[323] It just is really doing a tremendous amount of good work.

[324] We have some wonderful, faith -filled people that are working in the St. Philip Institute, headed by Dr. Stacey Trisenkos.

[325] So I urge people to just go to that website and explore.

[326] They're providing some things for the Lenton journey that are guiding people through the scriptures that are a great way to get a deeper experience of the wonderful Lenton retreat that the church offers us.

[327] So I couldn't be more enthusiastic about the St. Philip Institute.

[328] I'm not doing anything with it, really.

[329] It's a great team.

[330] I support them.

[331] That's about all I do.

[332] But I support them in doing the great work that they are doing because the world desperately needs the truth and the light of Jesus Christ.

[333] that's what the St. Philip Institute is all about.

[334] Thank you.

[335] I'm going to take a clip and put that out.

[336] That was beautifully stated.

[337] Bishop Strickland, I'm out paragraph 80.

[338] Just for those who have not listened to any of this, before it's your first show, you can hear the podcast.

[339] Paragraph 80, we're in the relationship between tradition and sacred scripture.

[340] Now, why am I doing this?

[341] Because I'm convinced, after 42 years of, you know, evangelization, of going around promoting the faith, I'm still convinced we're just hitting the top of the cup in the sense of reaching people with solid catechesis that somehow are folks that are baptized Catholics haven't been well -formed for about 50 years and so I asked the good bishop if we could just go through the scriptures and the catechism to teach people and get people excited.

[342] I know people who are with me today who say that it was the catechism of the Catholic Church that converted them to the faith because it was so orderly and it was the truth is very attractive so I want to quote paragraph 80 and then let's talk a little bit about what the church means with she says sacred tradition this is paragraph 80 of the Catholic Catechism sacred tradition and sacred scripture then are bound closely together and communicate one with the other for both of them flowing out from the same divine well I love that title.

[343] Wellspring, the way they describe it, come together in some fashion to form one thing and move towards the same goal.

[344] Each of them makes present and fruitful in the church the mystery of Christ, who promised to remain with his own always to the close of the age.

[345] Man, how quick, that's so succinct.

[346] I mean, that's not a very big paragraph, Bishop Stricken, but it said a lot absolutely and it it captures what we constantly talk about the reality of god's plan for us unfolding through his incarnate son through the incarnate word that is the the source of all creation it really is a marvelous truth that people need to just continue to unlock more profoundly in their lives and let let them be guided by it.

[347] I believe people are shy about the challenges of living the way of Jesus Christ.

[348] And yes, it's challenging.

[349] And I fail all the time.

[350] But I pick myself up and go to confession and seek to live more closely the wondrous message that God has laid out for us through his son.

[351] Well said, and I'm going to jump to paragraph 84.

[352] If you're you have a catechism you can be reading these paragraphs this is very fundamental to our faith but here's a good one i think everybody would like that's paragraph 84 and they get a lot out of this the apostles entrusted the sacred scripture especially i see the apostles entrusted the sacred deposit of faith contained in sacred scripture and tradition to the whole of the church by adhering to this heritage the entire holy people united to its pastors, remain always faithful to the teachings of the apostles, through the brotherhood to the breaking of bread and prayers.

[353] So in maintaining practice and professing the faith that has been handed on, there should be a remarkable harmony between the bishops, that's you Bishop Strickland, and the faithful, the harmony.

[354] I love that.

[355] In other words, we should all be on the same page, is what the catechism is saying.

[356] Is that a fair statement?

[357] yes i remember actually quoting that in something on article i wrote or whatever but that quoting that line there should be a remarkable harmony between the bishops and the faithful sadly we're not there no there is not that remarkable harmony where do we find that remarkable harmony in my fidelity and your fidelity in every baptized person's deep and deeper fidelity to Christ.

[358] He is the Lord of unity.

[359] He prayed that we might be one.

[360] The world is very fractured in the Christian world or in the whatever aspect of the world.

[361] But we need that remarkable harmony.

[362] And we have to trust that all of us are part of finding that remarkable harmony.

[363] We have to live the truth of Jesus Christ.

[364] So it's challenging.

[365] And sadly, we're a long way from a remarkable harmony but we have to keep striving for it harmony within our own lives too we talked about earlier that duplicity of living one way privately and another way publicly what's interesting and we didn't really get into it earlier terry but a lot of times it what What St. Leo the 13th really speaks about is, or Pope Leo the 13th, is the idea of that you can't live one way privately and live the gospel in another way publicly.

[366] Right.

[367] Very often, the challenge that we face is sort of, again, that flip -lop of, well, I'm not living the gospel privately, but it looks like I am publicly.

[368] Right.

[369] So either way is wrong.

[370] We need to live lives in remarkable harmony.

[371] And that's where the remarkable harmony for the church, the bishops and the faithful, that's where it's going to come about when there's a remarkable harmony in each of us.

[372] It seems impossible sometimes when we're struggling with sin.

[373] But as God's Christ says in the gospels, with God, all things are possible.

[374] So what we need to do during this Lenton season is seek that remarkable harmony first in our own lives.

[375] And I'm challenged by that.

[376] All of us, if we're honest with ourselves, are challenged to live a remarkable harmony between the truth that God is revealed to us and every choice, every breath I take, every moment in my life.

[377] We're sinners, and that remarkable harmony is always going to elude us in one way or another.

[378] another.

[379] But let's continue to strive for it.

[380] The more we individually achieve more and more of that remarkable harmony, the more the church will be a reflection of that beautiful, remarkable harmony that the bride of Christ, the body of Christ, the mystical body of Christ that is the church, will reflect that.

[381] And change the world by showing people, because really, really, I guess I'm really enthused by this idea of remarkable harmony.

[382] Yes.

[383] Because all of us long for it, Terry.

[384] Of course.

[385] We hunger for a harmony in our lives, a resonance of peaceful hearts that are in line with the truth of God.

[386] Everyone is hungry for it.

[387] These people that are going off on tangents that are destructive to their lives and to their souls, They are hungry for this remarkable harmony.

[388] Let us remember we find that remarkable harmony in Jesus Christ, in the Son of God, who is the model for us.

[389] He is the way, the truth, and the life.

[390] All of it begins to make sense when we know him more deeply.

[391] Well said.

[392] Wow.

[393] And I know we're at the end, but I'm so excited because paragraph 85 and 86 is homework for next week, everybody.

[394] it's the Magisterium.

[395] We've got to understand what do we mean by that word magisterium and how the church teaches that the role, like for example, Bishop or Pope, is to confirm us in our faith.

[396] It's not for you, Bishop Stricken, to come up with new ideas in the sense of teachings that aren't perennial or even the Holy Father.

[397] That's what our faith tells us.

[398] And I want to get into that next week because I believe that's important to teach what we mean and what the catechism means when we talk about the magistrate.

[399] And we hear that word.

[400] Let's get into that for next week.

[401] Bishop Strickland, could we have your bishop blessing for our listenership, please?

[402] Sure.

[403] The Lord be with you.

[404] With your spirit.

[405] Almighty God, we ask your blessing for all who are listening, that they and all of us may be guided to know your truth through your son more deeply, strengthen in your Holy Spirit.

[406] May the Blessed Virgin Mary intercede for all of us and for the mystical body of Christ that is the church.

[407] In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, amen.

[408] Bishop Strickland, I want to thank you again for taking the time in your busy schedule to talk about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to talk about the gospel, the catechism, and to introduce people to the person of Christ.

[409] It seems to me, Bishop Strickland, that that's what you are ordained to do as a priest, and now you have the fullness of the priesthood with the bishopry.

[410] And I want to also ask our listeners to continue to pray for your diocese as you guys recover from that weather from last week.

[411] And I want to also remind our listeners that if you want to like us, I guess I'll just say it this way.

[412] We should be back on YouTube tomorrow, or Thursday of this week.

[413] And if you want to get a hold of us, the best way is to go to our website, a virgin most powerful radio .org you'd like to make a donation that's great helps us support the mission of virgin most powerful become a monthly donor and we'll be sending you all kinds of material from Scott Hahn to Fulton Sheen as a way of saying thank you through MP3 and I want to thank Bishop Strickland the entire diocese of Tyler for putting on this show along with Virgin Most Powerful Radio may God richly bless you and I'll take a lot of from Bishop Sheen, I say full Sheen ahead here at Virgin Most Powerful Radio.

[414] God bless you and your family.