15 Jun 21 – Correcting the Errors of Fr. James Martin

[0] Welcome to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

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

[2] I have the honor of sharing the gospel with our Bishop, Bishop Joseph Strickland of the Diocese of Tyler, Texas.

[3] And Bishop Strickland, welcome to another hour.

[4] Thanks, Terry.

[5] Thank you for joining us now.

[6] The format for those who are brand new is we take the tweets from Bishop Strickland, talk about them, ask him why he particularly sent that tweet out.

[7] And also we take the catechism of the Catholic Church.

[8] which I have in my hand, and we take paragraphs of it, and we read it, and we study our faith.

[9] Now, Bishop Strickland is about my age, and both of us have been studying our Catholic faith for decades, and it doesn't ever get tiring.

[10] As a matter of fact, I think it's a lifetime occupation to study our faith each day, because I'm getting new insights, and I'm re -learning things that maybe 10, 15 years ago, I'm picking up books like this little book, My Meditation on St. Paul.

[11] from Catholic publishing, from the Comforturnity of Precious Blood.

[12] I read this when I was in my 20s, and I got another copy.

[13] This is what we need.

[14] We need constant formation.

[15] Am I on to something, Bishop Strickland?

[16] Absolutely.

[17] We're talking about an infinite God who is infinite life and love and beauty.

[18] So learning about the infinite is an infinite journey, and we're never going to get there.

[19] But hopefully we'll be it to beaithic vision when all the knowledge, will just be showered upon us.

[20] Wow, I can't wait.

[21] Sign me up.

[22] Bishop Strickland, you had a tweet.

[23] I didn't actually read it myself.

[24] I heard about it.

[25] It was a tweet regarding what's happening in the church in China and some of the priests and seminarians that are being arrested.

[26] Can you share with our listeners why you did this tweet and what we can do for our brothers and sisters in China who are persecuted?

[27] Well, really, Terry, I was asked to share it just to bring.

[28] up the awareness of it because you don't see much in the news about it.

[29] It's not the popular thing to talk about.

[30] But faithful bishop, priests, and seminarians that have been approved by the Vatican as real Catholics are being persecuted or being rounded up and moved out of circulation, basically by the communist government.

[31] And we need to speak up about it.

[32] The persecutions, it's certainly not the only persecution going on in Christianity today, but it's one that, again, it's not politically correct to speak up about, but we know that communist China is exactly that.

[33] It is a communist nation.

[34] And this, from what the article said, which you have to presume is accurate, as much as it's hard to know what is accurate these days, but it speaks of a Catholic bishop approved by the Vatican and priests and seminarians of this bishop, all being rounded up as the wording that was used.

[35] And we need to speak up against it.

[36] We need to wherever it takes place, it should not be allowed in silence, allows those things to just continue.

[37] So that's the reason that at the request of a faithful Catholic that I have a lot of respect for, they presented this article and said, Bishop, would you get this out there?

[38] And so I used my Twitter to put it out there and ask people to be aware and to to pray for those persecuted in the church.

[39] Just yesterday, we celebrated a mass for persecuted Christians because it was suggested because of the readings.

[40] And probably we don't focus on when the beautiful gospel reading of the beatitudes, bless to the poor and spirit, bless for the are the humble of heart, bless all those blessings but it ends with persecution and an acknowledgement that people even as Christ is speaking he acknowledges that people will be persecuted for living his truth and for sharing his truth and we need to pay attention to that so it I found it you know interesting that just yesterday celebrating this mass for persecuted Christians And the very first thing I see this morning when I looked at my iPhone was this request that I put it out there, the persecution of Christians in China, even as we speak.

[41] And we do need to speak out and to call for respect for humanity and for religion.

[42] of freedom of religion is something that we kind of take for granted in this nation but it's not available to everyone throughout the world and we need to pay attention well said this is the month of june dedicated to the sacred heart of jesus maculate heart we have a feast day we have corpus christi so it's all about the holy euchrist and the love that god has for us with the sacred heart and you did another tweet where you said this is advice I think it's advice that I take heed from, and I think our listeners would.

[43] You said in this tweet, if you don't believe, pray for faith.

[44] If you do believe, pray for deeper faith.

[45] His love is everlasting and infinite.

[46] He wants to heal you in his name.

[47] And then the last thing you said was, come, Lord Jesus, come.

[48] I think that's Maranatha, if I'm not mistaken.

[49] I'm asking you, Bishop Strickland, you did this tweet in the month of the sacred Heart, Corpus Christi, the Eucharist, it seems like it fits the month.

[50] Is that why you did it?

[51] Yeah, I think it always is pertinent, but certainly with the Sacred Heart and having just celebrated Pentecost, we need to be people of faith and not be complacent about it.

[52] We live in a time when, well, you're free to believe what you want, but I'm free to not believe anything or I'm free to believe whatever I choose.

[53] And real faith is based in the truth.

[54] That seems to be what is sort of very foggy, very fuzzy in our time.

[55] Many people challenge that there's any objective truth.

[56] But really, when you start really thinking about what truth, is, it's all objective.

[57] If it's true, it's not my truth or your truth.

[58] It's the truth of that is beyond us, that is objective, not subjective.

[59] Amen.

[60] And I think we all need to, just as humanity, we need to reflect on that more.

[61] And certainly as people who believe in a revealed truth, religion, then God has revealed truth that we couldn't discover just on our own.

[62] A principal revelation there is that God is a trinity of persons, father, son, and spirit.

[63] Without God revealing that, primarily through his son becoming incarnate, we didn't know that, and we can't just look at nature and say, oh, God must be a trinity of persons.

[64] That is revealed by God.

[65] because God loves us, and he wants us to share his life and to flourish in his kingdom, ultimately.

[66] Well, said, and at the bottom of the tweet, you put a quote from Archbishop Shee, my favorite archbishop.

[67] He says, the greatest love story of all time is contained in a tiny white host.

[68] I read that years ago, and boy, there's so much to say about that, the Eucharist, the source and summit of the Christian life.

[69] Thank you for quoting Sheen on that.

[70] Bishop Strickland, the next tweet that you sent out, it seems very appropriate because there's a lot of confusion in our world today.

[71] And it wasn't just a little over 150 years ago, we had St. Charles Luonga and his companions.

[72] We were celebrating that feast that was on June 3rd.

[73] It was 1886.

[74] Pope Paul the 6 canonized Charles Wilonga and his companions on June 26, 19th.

[75] In our lifetime, and Charles is the patron of African youth of the Catholic action.

[76] They joined the martyrs of the old.

[77] In other words, this is something that's been going on for 2 ,000 years, people dying for the faith.

[78] The reason I ask you to bring this up is because in our culture right now, many people are confused about homosexuality.

[79] In other words, can you give us the circumstances of the king?

[80] And then I just want to throw this in that maybe you're aware.

[81] I just think it's awesome that the king, I'll just say this, he was an active homosexual, he was trying to lead on his stages of bringing them on to become part of what his sinful actions.

[82] And of course, St. Charles Luonga encouraged him not to do that, don't, you know, say no to these things.

[83] And obviously, some of these young men, correct me if I'm wrong, but they were just baptized, or they weren't even baptized, a combination.

[84] And then what I really thought was powerful, and I'm taking the wind out of your sales, but I just want to, I just thought, when you said that, when you gave that tweet, I thought, did you know that the king who was committing all these sins, he died with baptism on his deathbed?

[85] and I thought you see we have people who are actively homosexuals in our culture right now and I'm not condemning them I'm what I'm doing I'm lovingly sharing the truth about sexuality that they can embrace and be happy and to be with God forever and it seems like he's a great patron saint for our time am I on to something bishop strickland absolutely Terry I would love to see the church really highlight St. Charles Luonga martyr and his companions because they were martyred for a very pertinent to our time reason, you know, the whole question of sexual morality.

[86] Well said, we're going to come back with more with Bishop Strickland Hour here on Virgin, both powerful radio.

[87] Stay with us.

[88] Welcome back to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[89] Before the break, Bishop Strickland was making a comment about St. Charles Luonga as being a great patron for our own time.

[90] Now, I think that there's a lot of confusion in the church right now, Bishop Strickland.

[91] And I'll be honest with you, many people dressed like me and even you, they don't see the beautiful perennial teachings of the church when it comes to human sexuality, when it comes to the issue of homosexuality.

[92] and our church has been very clear on this topic but I want to understand that it's not condemning people I mean people who are fornicators adulterers all these sins are offenses against God it seems to me Bishop Strickland that it's not only your obligation to share the truth with people but especially to share the truth with a sinner is what we call amonishing the sinner is that one of the works of mercy I mean, I just think that maybe the church has a ways to go on reaching out to people with same -sex attraction by sharing the beautiful teachings that the church has on sexuality rather than maybe even looking the other way and saying, well, you know, they love each other.

[93] And I think it's a lie.

[94] And I think we, I mean, this is me as a layman, but I think we have to be honest with our brothers who are in their circumstances and lovingly tell them the truth about human beings.

[95] sexuality.

[96] That's my take.

[97] I hope you agree with me on that because I think it needs to be done because there's so much confusion.

[98] Well, Terry, I agree because it's the truth.

[99] It's not just somebody's opinion.

[100] We've lived in the time of what's called the sexual revolution.

[101] And the revolution has unfolded to the point where we are now.

[102] with really denying there is such a thing as sexual sin.

[103] Yeah.

[104] And that has not been a blessing to humanity ultimately.

[105] It's brought a lot of suffering in a lot of different ways.

[106] I mean, we have the human trafficking that is very often based on sexual realities.

[107] There's all kinds of abuse of children that's even happened sadly within the church um but it comes down to who made us yeah god made us that's right how did god make us male and female and what is that gift of the sexual difference about yes it's about procreation and about bringing together to people in a unity of lifelong love and commitment really the the catechism uses the word disordered.

[108] And any revision of the catechism, what I would support would be to use that word more liberally.

[109] Yeah, of course.

[110] Not less, but more.

[111] Of course.

[112] Because any sexual activity that is not between a man and a woman committed in a lifelong relationship of marriage, open to children, is disordered.

[113] Yeah.

[114] And that certainly shouldn't be one category of sexual sin.

[115] Oh, this is disordered.

[116] Any sexual expression that is not in that pretty narrow window of morality is disordered.

[117] Does that mean people that fall into those sins are discarded or denigrated?

[118] No, it shouldn't.

[119] No way.

[120] It should mean anyone.

[121] The man, the young man and woman that have decided, oh, we're not.

[122] going to bother with marriage, we're just going to shack up or hook up or whatever today's terminology is.

[123] They should be told, no, that's sinful.

[124] Exactly.

[125] The man who decides to, you know, have pleasure, sexual pleasure by himself.

[126] Yes.

[127] They should be told no, that's sinful.

[128] Forenography.

[129] No, that's sinful.

[130] I mean, all sorts of things that people fall into.

[131] Most people, if we're honest, most people have had some encounter of that kind in some way with the sins of lust, the sins against the proper order of sexuality.

[132] Against the proper order means it's disordered.

[133] Does that mean condemn that person or banish them?

[134] No. But it does mean we have to be called to the truth of ourselves and the truth of how God has made us.

[135] That is what liberates us.

[136] The scriptures say, truth sets us free.

[137] And I've talked to many people that have experienced that.

[138] When they come to understand God's plan for our set, whatever the orientation, whatever the tendencies that a person has, once we find that we find God's plan for our sexual lives, then what, We are set free by that truth.

[139] That's what we need to share with people.

[140] Amen.

[141] Not sort of allowing in any form a disordered living out of sexuality to be condoned.

[142] Certainly, our society condones basically any sexual expression at this point.

[143] And that isn't helpful.

[144] That isn't healthy.

[145] It's destructive to the human person, to the family, and to society.

[146] We need to wake up to that reality and not condone it because that just brings more destruction, more heartache to the individual person and to society in general.

[147] Well, thank you for your clarity, Bishop Strickland, but I got to tell you, as a layman, when I see people dressed like you with a collar on who say things like, well, I know what St. Paul says about homosexuality condemning it, but I just don't agree with him.

[148] And I know that at the bishops conference, you even said and I pray for Father James Martin, because I had a chance to meet him at the religious ed Congress.

[149] But I'm just saying that this priest, I know he has goodwill.

[150] I'm assuming he's got goodwill because I can't judge him, but the content of what he's saying, it seems like it's pride to say that the Bible teaches this, I acknowledge that, but I don't really agree with that.

[151] Well, Bishop Strickland, if you said that to me, you know what I'd tell you right to your face?

[152] I would say, Bishop Strickland, why don't you sit down and let someone else sit in that chair of your bishopry?

[153] Because you're not teaching what you're supposed to be teaching from the perennial teachings of the church and do us a favor because you're bringing confusion.

[154] Now, if you wouldn't take that from me, in other words, you would say either you're right, Terry, you know, being honest, I don't agree with it, and I will step down.

[155] Or you could say, who are you just tell me as a layman that I'm not, you know, doing what I should be doing.

[156] I'm just doing it not from my personal opinion.

[157] I'm looking at the deposit of Bishop Strickland.

[158] This priest is running around the country telling people this.

[159] And to me as a layman, people like you, bishops, whoever his superior is, should say to him, look, I lovingly tell you, knock it off, because that's not what the church teaches.

[160] You know it.

[161] If you don't believe it, I'm going to send you away for a retreat.

[162] and kind of recatechize you because I love you that much.

[163] Am I on, am I, am I, am I, am I, am I, am I, am I, am to something, or do you think I'm just being too judgmental?

[164] Well, the truth, we have to judge the truth and not judge the other person, but is this the truth or not.

[165] And, um, and that we're not in a time when, where we are strongly doing that.

[166] We need to do a much clearer, better job of simply presenting.

[167] the truth, as you mentioned, you know, to say, oh, I disagree with St. Paul.

[168] Well, it's the deposit of faith.

[169] It's sacred scripture.

[170] We read a few weeks ago in the Gaticism.

[171] Yes.

[172] The Gaticism says all of Scripture speaks of Christ.

[173] Amen.

[174] So which part of Christ are you rejecting?

[175] And that, I think, is the perspective we need to bring.

[176] Yes, we need to be humble and to say, maybe I don't understand or maybe, you know, I tend to disagree with that, but we should be humble enough and obedient enough to Christ to say, well, Lord, I don't understand, but I'm going to bow to your truth and try to gain a better understanding, a fuller understanding.

[177] But the attitude in the world today is just reject what you choose to.

[178] and embrace what you choose to.

[179] But that leaves us pretty divided and pretty fractured.

[180] People speak of division.

[181] Our only real hope of unity, our principle of unity is not some theoretical idea.

[182] It's the person of Jesus Christ.

[183] Amen.

[184] He is our unity.

[185] If we're not united in him, then we'll never be united.

[186] And sadly, the division is, people picking and choosing what of Christ's message we're going to listen to.

[187] And I hope we can all be more challenged, including myself, to listen to the whole message and ask ourselves, how am I living the fullness of the truth of Jesus Christ?

[188] Amen to that.

[189] And you know, Bishop Strickland, you're not the only one who's been saying this.

[190] Archbishop Chapu from Philadelphia.

[191] He's the retired Archiecki, Bishop, he's saying something about the issue of pride coming into our culture when he said that transgenderism, he says, is the final rebellion against God.

[192] Now, he's saying that this, when asked about the desire of people to take on the role of God, the Archbishop said, I think that the gender issue today as a prime example of that where we're not even satisfied with the body that we were born with that we think we have the power to become something that we are not created that I can become a woman or a man becoming a man is just not something that God does not something that we do but in some ways he's saying that's the rebellion against God and for him to say this on national radio television just last week I mean, that takes guts because that goes against the culture right now.

[193] So, I mean, I don't know if you know Archbishop Shepu, but I've known him for 25 years, and he's been very consistent on just teaching what the church teaches in season and out.

[194] Yeah, I have a lot of respect for Archbishop Shepu, and the only thing that I would bring into that conversation, he said it's the final rebellion against God.

[195] I think it's just part of an ongoing rebellion that really begins with my sin and your sin.

[196] We all rebel against God when we sin and at whatever level.

[197] But it's a corporate sin of the human community that we're in the midst of now.

[198] And certainly, as we talk about rebelling against God, we have to acknowledge that many people, in many cultures today deny God, period, deny the existence of God.

[199] Yep.

[200] And there are many people that celebrate the idea that there is no God.

[201] And so the rebellion is ongoing, and certainly as Archbishop Shapu points out, to say that we can, where did we come from?

[202] That's part of the question.

[203] I mean, the old Baltimore Catechism, who made you?

[204] God made you.

[205] What God make you for?

[206] To know, love and serve him in this life and to be happy with him in the next.

[207] All of that has been thrown out by the culture, and it's like, who made me?

[208] Nobody.

[209] I made myself, and I can remake myself any way I want.

[210] As the biblical worldview and the secular worldview, I'll take God's view.

[211] We come back, we're going to open up our catechism to paragraph 172 about our Catholic faith.

[212] Stay with us.

[213] Welcome back to the Bishop Strickman Hour.

[214] I've said this over the years.

[215] The bishop's job is to teach, govern, and sanctify.

[216] I learned that from Bishop Sheen and my catechism.

[217] And one thing that Bishop Strickland does is he's teaching us the faith.

[218] And I love it because every time I open up a catechism, even though I read this a while back, I get new insights, I learn my faith, and it's what excites me. And I hope it excites you.

[219] And if you don't have a catechism of the Catholic Church like this, get to the bookstore or go online.

[220] If you can't get one, call me at 877 -5 -2 -26 -21 -1, because you need a catechism and a Bible.

[221] That's what I call a high -information Catholic.

[222] If you want to know your faith, you have to study your faith, unless you're going to get infused knowledge, which doesn't happen very often.

[223] All right, Bishop Strickland, paragraph 172 under only the one faith.

[224] It says, through the centuries, in so many languages, cultures, and people, and nations, the church has constantly confessed this one faith received from the one Lord transmitted by one baptism and grounded in the conviction that all people have only one God and father St. Arenas of Lyons a witness of the faith declared this now Bishop Strickland what are we doing here are we setting groundwork about in other words the paragraph is just basically saying you know talking about the perennial teachings that this is not something that can change.

[225] Is that a fair statement?

[226] This is our deposit of our faith.

[227] Deposit.

[228] Yep, that's what it's about.

[229] Yeah.

[230] And the thing I like about this is going back to the catechism, especially today where I know this, you know this, I know this, we grew up our generation right after us, many of them didn't get good catechetical teachings of the faith.

[231] They're adults today, but they have very little knowledge of the faith.

[232] So going back to the catechism with us like this, this could be a real game changer for their own faith because it's now giving them faith and reason that maybe they didn't get when they were younger.

[233] Absolutely.

[234] And so that's, now here's paragraph 173 following up.

[235] Indeed, the church, though scattered throughout the whole world, even to the ends of the earth, having received the faith from the apostles and their disciples, guards this.

[236] preaching of faith with care as dwelling in but a single house, and similarly believes that if having but one soul and one single heart and preaches, teaches, and hands on the faith with a unanimous voice as if possessing only one mouth.

[237] Wow, the perennial teachings of the church.

[238] Bishop Strickland has it a fair statement to say that you're obligated to pass on that apostolic teaching because you are one of the successors of the apostle, especially you as a bishop, that you're not here to give your, you know, nuance on the positive faith.

[239] Is it fair to say that your job is to just pass on what was received to you as when you were in your own formation?

[240] That's my question.

[241] Yes, that's exactly what we need to do.

[242] And as we've said, before, it's not my opinion.

[243] Right.

[244] It's what it comes down to, Terry, is realizing that Jesus Christ is the divine son of God.

[245] Yeah.

[246] He is truth incarnate.

[247] He is truth.

[248] He was truth from eternity and became incarnate because God's soul of the world that he gave us his son to guide us and to show us truth.

[249] walking among us, but I think that's a good way for me and hopefully for all of us to remember why truth is one, why truth is not just some subjective idea that is changeable, because it's a person.

[250] Amen.

[251] Jesus Christ is a divine person and he's also a human person, the same person, the son of God and fully God, fully man. So when we look to Jesus, then I find it even easier to be aware that we must respect the truth.

[252] We must recognize that just as a real person can't morph into something different all the time.

[253] It's Jesus Christ is a person.

[254] person.

[255] So truth is personified in him.

[256] So we look to him for that truth, that he's the one that inspired the apostles, and he sent them out to build a church, to go and teach all nations, baptizing in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, bringing the truth, bringing him.

[257] Just in my own prayer and reflection, just recently.

[258] Just recently, it's occurred to me how powerfully we need to turn to Christ because he is Lord of all.

[259] He is the truth.

[260] He is the way the truth and the life, as he says.

[261] And we need to really, as people of faith, we need to grasp that with more vigor and with more tenacity.

[262] joyful tenacity, I would say, because there are too many that are denying him, that are blaspheming his name, that are acting as if Jesus Christ never even lived, much less lived, died, and rose for us.

[263] We know that to be the truth.

[264] The martyrs, like we were talking about, with St. Charles Luonga and his companions, martyrs of the 19th century, there were many martyrs in the 20th century.

[265] There probably have been martyrs in the 21st century, and there will be.

[266] There have been martyrs in every century of the church, as there were in the very beginning of the church.

[267] Once we come to know Jesus Christ, the martyrs remind us that we can and should be willing to die for his name.

[268] We don't volunteer to die for his name, but if it comes to that, we believe strongly enough that he is the way the truth and the life that we'll die for his name, will die for his truth.

[269] And as we're talking, to me, that's what I'm sharing is just where the roots are for reminding me that as a bishop, I'm not sharing Joe Strickland's ideas or opinions.

[270] I'm sharing the truth, the deposit of faith that has been handed on to me. and woe be the bishop or the priest or the father or the man who doesn't bother to hand on that truth to the next generation.

[271] That's what the church is about.

[272] That's what we're called to do.

[273] We've said earlier today, that's what we find ourselves in a difficult time in the world today because we haven't done a very good job.

[274] of handing on the truth but we can always strive to do better the truth doesn't change the truth hasn't disappeared or we talk about the truth being watered down the truth isn't watered down it's our presentation of the truth that can be watered down and compromised and bracketed as we've talked about so that well we're not going to share the hard truth just like we were mentioning earlier the passage of the beatitudes in the gospel.

[275] It talks about all those blessings.

[276] But then it begins to talk about persecution.

[277] And that's the full truth that we have to share.

[278] Yes, you are blessed in God for listening to him and sharing his mercy and caring for the poor and all the things that we're called to do.

[279] But we often know that those blessings are accompanied by rejection and persecution and suffering that Christ himself endured.

[280] We can't separate those, as we've talked about before.

[281] The cross is part of it.

[282] We don't get to Easter Sunday, the resurrection of the Lord, without going through Good Friday, the crucifixion and death of the Lord.

[283] And that passion of the Lord, people have said, The church has to go through as well, and the church has gone through that in different ways and continues to go through that passion of that suffering as a community, as a body.

[284] I mean, as we read that paragraph of the catechism, it's really sad to recognize as if possessing only one mouth.

[285] There's tremendous division in the church today, as if the church has.

[286] has many different mouths, speaking many different truths.

[287] We are all challenged to come back to that unity that is found in Christ, to speak one truth with one mouth of faith.

[288] That is a tremendous challenge in our time.

[289] But we have to be full of hope and be strengthened in Christ and strengthened in the Holy Spirit, that we can find that unity again.

[290] truth is one so the truth is always going to unify us if we are willing to be challenged by the fullness of the truth Bishop Strickland you remind me of something I have a doctor friend last week on the phone was telling me he had a patient come in from Armenia and they had a cross tattooed on her arm and the doctor said well why do you have that cross tattooed on your arm and that older woman said Well, when the church was being persecuted, we wanted to have a mark that showed that we believe in Jesus so that even at the time of the persecution, if we said, no, no, we're not Christian, we couldn't deny it because we had put that cross on our arm.

[291] And I thought, wow, this is today.

[292] You know, we're talking about 19th century martyrs, 20th century, 21st century, that these Armenian Catholics, and there are many of them here in Glendale, California, who I've worked with who have told me, yeah, we just wanted to identify, even we would give our lives up.

[293] And I thought, wow, that's a commitment.

[294] Bishop Strickland, before we break for the last segment, I wanted to just give a email or a website for your St. Philip Institute.

[295] Could you tell us real quick how people could get a hold of that?

[296] Yes, St .Philip Institute .org.

[297] Philip with one L, lots of teaching resources there that are available to anyone who wants to access it.

[298] Fantastic.

[299] When we come back from the break, we'll finish up.

[300] Welcome back to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[301] You're in a catechism class.

[302] I love it.

[303] We're studying the Catholic faith through the official catechism of the Catholic Church, second addiction.

[304] And Bishop Strickland, this next paragraph I'm reading with a different set of eyes.

[305] because it talks about, you know, the church is supposed to be the same anywhere in the world, and it names Germany.

[306] Wait, you stand.

[307] I'm thinking, wow, with what's going on in Germany, well, let's read it, and then we'll talk about this, but wow, it really made me, my eyes jumped out.

[308] Paragraph 174, for though languages differ throughout the world, the content of the tradition is one and the same.

[309] The churches established in Germany have no other faith or tradition, nor do those of the Iberians, nor those of the Celts, nor those of East of Egypt, of Libya, no throos established in the center of the world.

[310] The church message is true and solid, in which one in the same way of salvation appears throughout the whole world.

[311] Now, why I'm commenting is because Bishop Strickland, you know.

[312] No, in Germany, they have done some crazy things regarding same -sex unions saying that they want to bless them.

[313] And over 100 churches are doing this, which is contrary to what Pope Francis has asked them not to do.

[314] And, you know, when you see this kind of division, it's obviously disturbing.

[315] But the catechism says just what Pope Francis said, you shouldn't be having, you know, one Catholic church say one thing and another Catholic church and another.

[316] other countries say another thing, we're supposed to have that unity.

[317] Is that correct?

[318] Absolutely.

[319] We talked about it earlier because it's about Jesus Christ.

[320] One person, one truth incarnate, he has to be the principle of unity.

[321] And if you are going to sort of dissect the message of Jesus Christ, the Word of God, the tradition of the church, then where do you stop?

[322] Where do you begin to say, well, that's going too far?

[323] It becomes a subjective answer to that question that isn't the church.

[324] That's the sad place where we find ourselves.

[325] And, you know, so we all need to be aware of what the catechism says and what the deposit of faith really is that we need to return to that one truth and that unity and recognize that the principle of unity is Jesus Christ.

[326] He's the unity that God spoke Francis and all the bishops in union with him to be united in one faith, one baptism, one Lord.

[327] Bishop Strickland, you're well, it's well said.

[328] I've been at this for 42 years, and I've had people from Dr. Scott Hahn to Tim Staples, all the different evangelists, Michael Barber, Dr. Barber, Dr. Petrie.

[329] All these guys have published stuff through a company called St. Joseph Communications and Lighthouse Catholic Media, which I was the boss for years, and there were times, not those names, but there were people who published, we published and we found out that they decided to deviate from the magisterial teachings of the church and i as a layman i'm not a bishop or even a priest but as a layman i said you're gone and i had a conversation with them you know first i said you know ex whoever i'm talking i said you know we only teach things here at my i disapostulate that are the magisterial teachings of the church the perennial teachings and you've gone off and so we're taking your material out of of our catalog, and unless you want to come back to the church and its perennial teachings, we're done.

[330] And I would not do this in a vindictive way, Bishop Strickland.

[331] I did it in a respectful way, and I called them back to the harbor of truth what the church teaches.

[332] Now, I'm a layman.

[333] In your own diocese, the buck stops with Bishop Strickland.

[334] So if somebody's teaching heretical teachings, it seems to me that you have to do the same thing if you're going to be faithful to your call as the bishop.

[335] And I think not only you, but all the way up to the Pope, if we see teachings that are deviating from the perennial teachings, those in responsible positions have to act on it.

[336] Now, I realize Bishop Strickland that you're not going to be popular to do that because I had a lot of rebellion, even as a director of an allay apostolate, when I would fire people for their theology in the sense of I wouldn't let them continue unless they taught the faith, you know, my point is I wish we had more of that going on because it seems to me, Bishop Strickland, that there are guys running around and they're not being corrected because maybe, I don't know why, maybe it's just that nobody wants to be the bad guy.

[337] And I just think that actually you're the good guy to stop it, because for the salvation of souls, it seems to me that you will be judged by God, just like I will be judged by God for what I published, and I think bishops and priests also have a responsibility as a layman, and I think I can back that up with Scripture and with the church's teaching.

[338] So there you go.

[339] All right.

[340] Now, the next paragraph, this is an interesting one, and I like it.

[341] 175, I like it a lot.

[342] We guard with care, the faith that we have received from the church.

[343] that's what you're doing for without ceasing under the action of god's spirit this deposit of great price as if it as as if in an excellent vessel i like the analogy is constantly being renewed and causes the very vessel that contains it to be renewed so i'm getting that impression that church is always being renewed is that what that is saying bishop strickland in need of renewal absolutely and a deepening of faith that's what it says and it's just a reminder that we all have a responsibility to care for the faith that is a gift that has it been handed on by the church yeah and the church is people you learned it from people I learned it from people that's right Certainly we read books, but where did books come from?

[344] They were written by people.

[345] So it may not always be a direct professor or teacher, but the people of God pass on this deposit of faith of the truth that has come from God.

[346] And out of respect for God and of those who have gone before us, we're obligated to pass it on whole and entire, not alter.

[347] not watered down, not diminished in any way.

[348] And once again, if we go back to Christ, it's not, it's as new as it was when the apostles were first sent out to baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and Spirit.

[349] It's a brand new gift.

[350] I love to tell the young people that I confirm, it's the same Holy Spirit.

[351] It's not a copy.

[352] It's not just an image.

[353] It's not some worn -out idea.

[354] It's as brand new as them celebrating the sacrament like I'll do tomorrow in one of our parishes, as I've been doing in a lot of the parishes throughout this, what was the Easter season and now continuing into ordinary time.

[355] But it is ever -ancient.

[356] ever knew and we need to we need to guard it as it says here this deposit of great price yeah it reminds me of the pearl of great price it that the gospel speaks of we've found that treasure and we don't just go bury it we don't let it get you know washed away in the flood we guard it and pass it on to the next generation well said when we come back next week We're going to be talking about the creed, the Apostles' Creed, the Nicene Creed, and Apostles' Creed.

[357] It's all in the catechism, and it's amazing how the church came up with these creeds to identify what we actually believe in.

[358] And then Section 2, the profession of the Christian faith, the creeds, I love this paragraph 185, says, whoever says I believe says, I pledge myself to what we believe.

[359] Communion in faith needs a common language of faith, normative for all.

[360] all uniting all in the same confession of faith.

[361] So it seems to me what he's saying there is that we have to be all on the same page speaking the same language.

[362] And that's beautifully done in creeds because the creed does that.

[363] Bishop Strickland, we will pray for you.

[364] We know you're on your way to the bishops conference in the middle of June.

[365] And I know it's going to be a virtual conference, but we will pray for all the bishops that the Holy Spirit will guide you to help teach the perennial teachings of the church and make it really clear for us hoi -poly guys in the pews that everything is really clear on what we know and what we're teaching and that we don't deviate from that because we need to be praying for our bishops every thursday at here at the sacred heart chapel we spend two hours on our knees before the blessed sacrament praying for the holy father the bishops the priests and so we will continue to do that but I would like to ask your special blessing upon all the radio listeners and their families that God will continue to bless them and their study of their faith.

[366] The Lord be with you.

[367] And with your spirit.

[368] Almighty God, we ask your blessing for all that work at Virgin Most Powerful Radio and for all who are listening, that they may, we all together may continue to grow in the truth that your son has revealed and live the power of your grace, and share that truth is the greatest treasure of our lives.

[369] We ask this blessing in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

[370] Amen.

[371] Thank you so much, Bishop Strickland.

[372] I want to remind everybody, if this is your first show listening to Bishop Strickland, we have lots of podcasts on different topics.

[373] Bishop Strickland did the Ten Commandments not so long ago teaching that, which is, man, does that need to be taught again and again every age?

[374] And those Ten Commandments are not ten suggestions.

[375] They're commandments.

[376] He brings us happiness.

[377] And also other shows from Virgin Most Powerful Radio, Jesus 9 -1 -1, The Terry and Jesse Show, practical apologetics.

[378] And we have a new show coming up sponsored by the Knights of Columbus.

[379] And it's a teaching series on teaching people to faith.

[380] We need more of that here on Virgin Most Powerful Radio.

[381] I want to thank all of our supporters for all their support.

[382] They make it possible for us to broadcast.

[383] these shows every day.

[384] And may God bless all of you here listening and keep us in your prayers because we need you.

[385] We need to be faithful to the perennial teachings of the church and we do that each day moment by moment.

[386] May God bless all of us.

[387] See you next week.