16 Feb 2021 – God Desires All Men to Be Saved

[0] Welcome to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[1] My name is Terry Barber.

[2] I'm with Virgin Most Powerful radio.

[3] Honored to spend an hour a week with Bishop Strickland to talk about how people can fall deeper in love with Jesus Christ and his church.

[4] We take the catechism of the Catholic Church.

[5] We take his tweets.

[6] And I hope it will help you fall deeper in love with Jesus.

[7] Bishop Strickland, you've been busy this week.

[8] I see a lot of tweets as usual.

[9] But, man, you hit on a constant theme when it comes to the sacredness of life because, I mean, we have so many babies being killed through abortion that you said on January 27th, you said, now we learn that aborted children are used throughout the medical research, not just vaccines.

[10] Some may see this as a reason to surrender.

[11] And they have big letters.

[12] It says, no, we should uphold the dignity of human life more than ever.

[13] With one strong voice we need to proclaim.

[14] Here's the cash value.

[15] I love this.

[16] We will not kill children to live.

[17] Okay, Bishop Strickland, I like that last part.

[18] We will not kill children to live.

[19] In other words, if I'm understanding you, if I get an extra 10 years because I took this vaccination that is tented with abortion, you don't think that's a worthwhile endeavor.

[20] Is that a fair statement?

[21] yeah less than worthwhile it's it's wrong exactly it's um and the reality is which people will be slow to admit the reality and they'll say it's oh it's fake news but yeah more and more the research that I'm being shown shows that aborted children are woven into so many different productions or products, certainly pharmacological and other kinds of products.

[22] And it's really interesting to me what I've already seen the reaction.

[23] It's like, well, it's so overwhelming, then we just kind of ignore it.

[24] I mean, that's basically what people are saying.

[25] And yes, it's overwhelming.

[26] And no, I'm really not totally insane.

[27] Like some people, seem to think, but I believe that life is sacred.

[28] And we've got to call for, what I've said, is call for a moratorium on using these aborted children as as byproducts that can just be manipulated.

[29] And sadly, it becomes much more sinister, much more evil than that.

[30] But I won't go into the, the gory details, and they are gory.

[31] Yeah, they are.

[32] But we need to, I just saw someone shared with me a text that a Baptist pastor said abortion was the greatest evil of our time.

[33] And that's what I said.

[34] I believe that.

[35] And I'm glad to hear other Christian brothers and sisters saying the same message.

[36] really, I'm glad that the Catholic Church is known that's sort of compromised a bit right now because some Catholics, obviously, don't believe that abortion is wrong.

[37] But the church is still known for proclaiming the sanctity of life from conception to natural death.

[38] And like so many things the church teaches, it's not a Catholic truth.

[39] it's not oh well that's for you as catholics if you want to believe that then that's your faith that's what you believe but as we've talked about before terry what the church authentically teaches is the truth truth that we can glean from simply being human and living in this world and the truth that god is revealed to us that we wouldn't naturally be able to come to without the revelation of God.

[40] But you put both of those together.

[41] We have a beautiful font of truth that is good news, and it really brings the solution to every challenge that we face.

[42] Certainly, to say that every human being is going to live the law of God.

[43] It didn't happen through history.

[44] It didn't happen in the time of Jesus Christ, and it hasn't happened since Jesus Christ.

[45] But as believers, I think we have to continually return to those principles that we know will guide us to the most fulfilling life in this world and to everlasting life with God in the next.

[46] the gospel says the conversation that Jesus has with a young man and says who is my neighbor and Jesus says it gives us the beautiful parable of the Good Samaritan I've thought about that a lot recently because the church has a wonderful body of social teaching and you hear a lot about elements of that in the world today, but ironically, many people who are all caught up in social justice really don't seem to count abortion as part of that spectrum.

[47] And the real challenge that we face is to see that whole spectrum of life, from conception to natural death, those are where the social justice issues, rise to the surface.

[48] And if we acknowledge from conception to natural death that anyone conceived until they naturally die, not murdered, but just die, a natural death, sometimes from disease, but they die according to God's plan rather than according to some person's plan or some group's plan, then remembering that all of those individuals are our neighbors according to Jesus Christ.

[49] They are our neighbor.

[50] The disabled, during February, we especially focus on those with special needs.

[51] And they bring beautiful things to their families and to the human community.

[52] And sadly, those who are categorized as, with special needs, especially I think of Down syndrome.

[53] In some countries, they hardly have any Down syndrome children because they're predominantly aborted.

[54] It certainly happens a lot in this country with people who believe abortion is certainly an acceptable solution.

[55] When they find out a child is Down syndrome, then they say, oh, well, we need to abort that child.

[56] And sadly, that happens.

[57] But it's such an impoverishment of what God's plan is for that individual and that family.

[58] I know many families that have Down syndrome children and grow to be adults.

[59] Thankfully, the Down syndrome children live a lot longer than they used to they get to be older people and that's that's beautiful because of the care of their family better medicine um but the the blessings that those people bring are godly blessings the reminders that everything the world measures quality of life by is not really what life is about um so the special needs that people may have and certainly down syndrome isn't the only category there are many different ways that people have what are called special needs and i believe as we're saying every person is sacred but those with special needs bring special blessings and it really is an impoverishment of our world when people say oh they don't fit the perfect picture of what my child needs to look like, so they eliminate them.

[60] They abort them.

[61] That's a real tragedy for that family and for society in general to eliminate those who have special needs, who have different needs.

[62] That is not what the charity of Christ is all about.

[63] Bishop Strickland, you couldn't say it better.

[64] The good news is that Vatican recognizes the heroic virtues of professor, his name is Professor Jerome Lejeune.

[65] I met him in the 1980s at pro -life conferences from Human Life International, and he was a very humble man, but he is the one who discovered the cause of the Down syndrome.

[66] And I got to tell you, at a time when our society, like you said, is calling into question the most fundamental certainties about the human person, Professor Jerome Lejeune remains a passionate, courageous witness to truth and charity.

[67] When I heard him speak, he motivated me to save lives for babies.

[68] And I just want to say, it's amazing how his cause is now up for beatification.

[69] And this is somebody I met 30 -some years ago at a pro -life meeting at a conference.

[70] And I'm like, man, does that tell you you're getting old, Terry?

[71] I think so.

[72] Hey, when we, Bishop Strickland, when we come back, we're going to talk some more about some of your tweets.

[73] But I also want to remind people a good news story.

[74] Another bishop, the Spanish Carlin, and we come back, we're His name is Archbishop Levera from Valencia, Spain.

[75] Check this out.

[76] He's making, he's calling orders for more masses, more faith in God amid the COVID restrictions.

[77] What he's basically doing is he's urging the faithful in his diocese to deepen their faith in God during this COVID pandemic, asking priests to say as many masses as possible and to leave the churches open for Eucharistic adoration.

[78] Now, I pulled that off the internet and I said, That's the kind of bishop I like.

[79] What's strong leadership?

[80] So Bishop Strickland, I think you got another friend.

[81] You two should get together because I think you think alike.

[82] Hey, when we come back, we'll talk to Bishop Strickland about some more of these wonderful tweets here at Virgin Most Powerful radio.

[83] All of this for one reason to help you fall deeper love with Jesus Christ.

[84] Welcome back to the Bishop Strickland hour.

[85] We're talking about different tweets.

[86] Sometimes Bishop Strickland, you've heard people say, well, Man, Bishop Joseph Strickland, Tyler, man, that guy's hardcore.

[87] He just tells it, I mean, he even criticizes the church sometimes when things aren't going well.

[88] Well, I just have to tell you, Bishop Strickland, you're not the only bishop in America who wants the church to get better at what it does in introducing people to Jesus Christ.

[89] My own bishop here in Southern California, Bishop Robert Barron, he said this, and man, this was striking.

[90] He said, it's a sign of a corrupt church that stops thinking deeply about the truths of Christianity.

[91] a church that is against being precise about its teaching is a corrupt church i when he said that i was like flabbergast i was like wow he's saying that yes we have to be careful on what we say about our theology about the real presence of christ in the euchrist he talked about that and he actually talked about sexual morality that that we can't we can't approve sexual morality that's contrary to the gospel because it's a political correctness.

[92] And so there's another bishop speaking the truth.

[93] And I guarantee you, Bishop Strickland, he took heat for saying that.

[94] Oh, I'm sure.

[95] And I thank you, bishops, along with you and Bishop Barron and others who speak up and say, no, no, time out.

[96] This isn't right.

[97] I'm going to, you know, speak the truth in charity.

[98] So thank you.

[99] Here's another tweet that you quoted the Bible, Hebrews, chapter 13, verse 8 and 9.

[100] All week long, we've been reading Hebrews at Daily Mass. And, I mean, I think it was Martin Luther.

[101] He didn't like Hebrews, the book of Hebrews, but that's okay.

[102] It's too priestly.

[103] It talks too much about the priesthood of Jesus Christ.

[104] Yeah, I have a matter of fact, if anybody ever wanted about a 10 -hour course on Hebrews from Dr. Scott Hahn, back in the early 90s, I recorded all of his classes at Steubenville.

[105] I'll make it available to any of your listeners.

[106] Just call us at 877 -5 -26 -21.

[107] five when he does a grand job teaching from that book but here's what you said about the book of hebrews chapter 13 8 and 9 said jesus christ is the same yesterday today today and forever do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings hmm his unalterable truth guides us through these confusing times let us listen to him and avoiding trying to change his truth to suit our desires.

[108] Bishop Strickland, you know, that commentary on that, that's exactly how I read it when I read it at Daily Mass. And I said, how appropriate for us today, because there are people even inside the church, Bishop Strickland, that are trying to change the morality about same -sex marriage or, you know, other issues on contraception, these perennial teachings of the church.

[109] And they have the goal to say, well, I know that's what the Bible says, but I don't think I agree with it.

[110] Who the heck are you not to agree with the word of God, but I think it's gone that far.

[111] So what made you, I know when I read that, I said, man, I know that makes sense, but what brought you to quote Hebrews today?

[112] Is it, you know, give us your take on that?

[113] Well, there's a lot of change going on in the world.

[114] A lot of things are changing.

[115] And I think people need, I need to.

[116] Yeah.

[117] We need to remember some things don't change.

[118] And one of those is Jesus Christ.

[119] Yesterday, today, and forever.

[120] His truth is truth for all time, truth for all humanity, truth for no matter what the world does, the truth remains the same.

[121] And there's a real movement, as you said, within the church and exterior to the rest of the world, absolutely.

[122] There are many people that operate as if you can change the truth.

[123] You know, the question of marriage.

[124] Marriage is as defined from the book of Genesis.

[125] God created us male and female, and then the two shall become one.

[126] All of that is right there in the book of Genesis.

[127] Jesus himself quotes that and to redefine what marriage is, which is codified in the law of this nation and other nations.

[128] But it's just a reminder that our human laws are only as good as when they correspond to the truth of creation, the truth that God is revealed to us, the truth of what is real.

[129] We can create laws that deny that, but it doesn't change the truth.

[130] And so we really, we're in a time when, and most often, as I've said before, Terry, if you look at people that are moving to change the truth, I love to look at it.

[131] is it changing to something harder and more challenging or is it changing to something easier and more accommodating for what we want to do anyway yeah and i think that's a good reminder that's just a good sort of test for each of us personally yeah if something if the laws are being changed the the truth is being altered ask yourself well is somebody saying we've it's got to be harder than it's ever been before it's got to be more challenging i don't think you're going to see that certainly not very often no it's it's easier so hmm easier does that mean what our parents and grandparents and their grandparents i mean going back a couple hundred years or a couple thousand years what those people lived with as the truth oh well we've we've learned that it's not the truth so what they did was was harder but we have it easier um it just i think it's a good simple way to ask yourself okay they're saying what was always true is not true anymore um is it really moving in the direction of of a more challenging way of life or an easier way of life.

[132] And many people don't want any rules at all.

[133] Right.

[134] It's it.

[135] You nailed it, Bishop Strickland.

[136] That's exactly what we have in our culture right now.

[137] We want the easy way out, comfort.

[138] Okay, Bishop Strickland, I like the way you quote scripture in your tweets because, I mean, we want ignorance of scripture is ignorance of Christ.

[139] And so the church wants us to read our Bibles.

[140] and so you quote on a tweet 2 Corinthians chapter 129 I willingly boast of my weakness that the power of Christ may rest upon me therefore I am content with weakness mistreatment with distress with persecution and difficulties for the sake of Christ for when I am powerless it is then that I am strong oh you have to read that on a regular basis, Bishop Strickland.

[141] I do.

[142] That's why I tweeted it.

[143] And honestly, Terry, I like to tweet scripture because then I don't have to worry about responses or anything.

[144] People can say, I don't believe that.

[145] I'm tweeting the word of God.

[146] Certainly, I can say things that aren't quite right.

[147] I mean, I want to say the right thing, but I can make mistakes.

[148] So I like to tweet scripture because then if I get pushback on that and say, ah, Bishop Strickland, how can you say this?

[149] Sorry, it's the word of God.

[150] I'm just quoting.

[151] I'm not coming up with anything new.

[152] And really, like we said before, that's what I try to do is just quote the catechism.

[153] And people don't like it.

[154] People get all upset.

[155] I mean, it's interesting just recently.

[156] people of several people just here in my diocese that I run into here in town or whatever but they said are you okay and they're worried about me yeah because they read probably some of the the responses that I get to some of the tweets or to things that I say here I do my best not to read those responses because all I'm doing is is sharing the truth of what the church teaches.

[157] If I get that wrong, absolutely correct me. But if you disagree with that, I understand.

[158] You're free to disagree.

[159] You can decide that you don't believe basic truth.

[160] It's still a free country, thankfully.

[161] We have our free will given by God.

[162] So I really don't worry too much about it.

[163] I certainly want to speak the truth.

[164] Sure.

[165] Jesus Christ is truth incarnate.

[166] Amen.

[167] So if something I say isn't true, then I want to be corrected.

[168] Sometimes it's a matter of opinion or of my own judgment.

[169] And I mean, like with a vaccine, which I've said, I'm not going to take it.

[170] I haven't demanded that of anyone else, but I'm not going to take it.

[171] And there are many things that I say no to.

[172] I mean, it's not just that.

[173] But we should.

[174] say no to the seven deadly sins to the best of our ability we all sin in one way or another but we should be saying no to that and each of the seven deadly sins there's somebody out there that says ah you know that's not a sin and this is just my choice and this is what I'm going to do whichever of the sins it may be and okay you're free to say that but um reality will catch up with you eventually.

[175] Amen.

[176] It catches up with all of us.

[177] Amen to that.

[178] I know we're going to be taking a quick break, but I want to tease everybody.

[179] Before the show, I read something to Bishop Strickland from a book.

[180] Sister Pascalina, they called her Mother Pascalina, was the secretary to Pope Pius the 12th.

[181] And Father Charles Murr knew Mother Pascalina well.

[182] And in his book, he has a quote here that's probably going to knock everybody off their horse, if you're on a horse, if you're driving, stay driving.

[183] But it's a quote from February 20th, 1949, and it was an address that he gave at St. Peter's Square.

[184] And to an enormous crowd, but picture yourself, if you're not driving, picture yourself at St. Peter's Square.

[185] All of us have been there, and you see how people are just, you know, there's the Holy Father, he comes out.

[186] Can you see the Holy Father gather out there at St. Peter's?

[187] and he asked the people this question, do you want a church that remains silent when she should speak?

[188] And the people in the audience in the St. Peter Square said, no, Holy Father.

[189] He says, do you want a church that diminishes the law of God when she's called to proclaim it loudly?

[190] People said, no, Holy Father.

[191] He said, do you want a church to accommodate to the will of man?

[192] I mean, these are questions the Pope is asking the people.

[193] And he said, no. He said, do you want a church that departs from the unshakable foundations upon which Christ founded her?

[194] The people said, no. You want a church that takes the easy way of adapting yourself to the opinion of the day?

[195] This goes on and on.

[196] And Mother said that there was hundreds of thousands of people there that just were cheering.

[197] No, no. And the Holy Father said, yeah, you're right.

[198] We're not going to have that.

[199] But the reason I bring this up to you, Bishop Strickland, is when I read this in the book, I thought of you.

[200] because you're saying very similar to what Pope Pius the 12 said in 1949 here in 2021.

[201] You're saying, we don't want a church that compromises with the world.

[202] We want a church that sets us straight with the truth.

[203] When we come back, I want to get your reaction to now a famous presentation at St. Peter Square of Pope Pius X .12 addressing what kind of church do we want?

[204] We'll be back with more on the Bishop Strickman Hour.

[205] after a quick break.

[206] Welcome back to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[207] I'm knee -deep in the catechism of the church.

[208] Not paying attention, but I wanted to, before we get into the catechism, I wanted to get a response from Bishop Strickland from Pope Pius the 12th, February 20th, 1949 address the series of questions he asked to an enormous large crowd at St. Peter's Square.

[209] And Bishop Strickland, I don't know if you had heard this before.

[210] Most people I've talked to haven't heard about this, a presentation by the Holy Father.

[211] But what struck you with those words?

[212] Well, once again, as you mentioned, it's prophetic asking questions that truly need to be asked today.

[213] And as I mentioned, where we were discussing it earlier, sadly, too many in the church would not say, oh, no, Holy Father.

[214] instead they would say yes bring change change the catechism in many different ways whether they wanted or not is really not the issue no the issue is is it true or not yeah truth doesn't change um so it we are in a very different place here so that's close to 70 70 plus years ago, just doing the quick math, 1949.

[215] I was born in 58, so that was nine years before me. So just over 70 years ago, and we're in a time when people within the church, you could go point for point through that.

[216] And actually, if you can send that to me, I would like to do that to really analyze it.

[217] Because there are people, pushing for exactly that.

[218] We have politicians, and without naming names, I don't really need to.

[219] People know what politicians claim to be Catholic, but support abortion, support the homosexual agenda, support all kinds of things that contradict what the truth is that the church has perennially proclaimed.

[220] There, absolutely, we must be compassionate.

[221] to everyone.

[222] Amen.

[223] There, I've seen letters recently written by bishops that talk about the compassion we need to have for people.

[224] Absolutely.

[225] But let's remember what does the church teach is real compassion to call the sinner away from sin.

[226] Amen.

[227] That is real compassion.

[228] And that tends to get pushed to the side or glossed over in one way or another.

[229] It's both absolutely.

[230] Absolutely.

[231] Every person, again, from conception to natural death is valuable.

[232] That we are precious in the eyes of God.

[233] But we forget that.

[234] And then the people that want to want the church to relax this teaching or change that teaching, it ultimately is not charity.

[235] It is not compassion because it's not the truth.

[236] But that, especially not one of those questions basically deals with not conforming to what society wants.

[237] That's exactly what too much of the church is doing, conforming to the push from society rather than saying, no, we bring the light of Jesus Christ into that darkness.

[238] So it's a very different place where we are.

[239] in 2021 as opposed to 1949.

[240] But we need those same questions asked and honest answers from within the church and from the society at large.

[241] I know many who are not part of the Catholic Church that want the church to continue to stand for what she stands for.

[242] And when we dilute that, when we start thinking we can change truth, we're just on a path to harm and possible destruction if we don't reverse that path.

[243] Because the truth doesn't change.

[244] Christ yesterday, today, and forever.

[245] Wow.

[246] This unchanging creed, we sing about that.

[247] Yep.

[248] An unchanging creed.

[249] So we've got to simply face it, that probably if somebody made us God, there are probably things that we would change, but nobody's going to make us God.

[250] There's only one God.

[251] And too much of what's going on in the world is ignoring God and making the decisions on our own.

[252] So therefore, playing God, pretending we're God, pretending we're in charge of everything.

[253] And as I've said before, I love science and I love to talk to scientists and a scientist that is a person of faith and even not but science runs into unanswerable questions it runs into mysteries whatever molecular science chemical science whatever science you're looking at it runs into questions they don't have the answer to and therefore it's a mystery it's an unanswered unexplainable phenomenon.

[254] And we embrace that as people of faith that everything is beyond us.

[255] Recently, we celebrated St. Thomas Aquinas.

[256] And I probably have said this earlier, because anytime I talk about St. Thomas Aquinas, I love his quote that he said, after writing the Summa Theologica, this huge volume of tremendous truth.

[257] of helping us, he had such a great analytical mind, and he could say it so clearly.

[258] We still use a lot of St. Thomas's theology in the life of the church, because he figured it out.

[259] He helped to explain and clarify what the church had taught in deeper ways.

[260] But with all that teaching, he said it's all straw compared to the reality of God, the marvel of the universe, the reality of who God is and who he calls us to be.

[261] I think that is very inspiring to me because in a lot of ways, certainly, we're naturally inquisitive as human beings.

[262] We want answers.

[263] But it's kind of like the child that looks with wonder at life.

[264] We all need to have that childlike wonder and be able to look at life and recognize we're never going to understand it all.

[265] It's beyond us, and that's okay.

[266] It's actually a great blessing because the truth is more wondrous than we can fathom.

[267] Bishop Strickland, amen to that.

[268] I want to transition now to the catechism of the Catholic Church.

[269] And by the way, if people want to get a copy, I should say this, we're putting it on our website, Pope Pius the 12th letter, and we also have a YouTube clip where we read that.

[270] going on our YouTube channel, Virgin Most Powerful Radio YouTube channel.

[271] Now we're going to transition to the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

[272] Paragraph 74, this is Article 2, talks about the transmission of divine revelation.

[273] And this is fitting right into what Bishop Strickland's been talking about.

[274] Paragraph 74 says this, God desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

[275] that is of Jesus Christ.

[276] Christ must be proclaimed to all nations and individuals so that this revelation may reach to the ends of the earth.

[277] That's our marching orders.

[278] Is it not Bishop Strickland?

[279] Absolutely.

[280] That's what he said to the 12.

[281] He sent them out to baptize and proclaim the good news to all the ends of the earth.

[282] And people in the time of Christ didn't even know about where we are presently, Texas or California, the United States, North America, South America, the new world, they didn't even know it existed.

[283] But as it was discovered, people of faith knew, we've got to go there too.

[284] The ends of the earth, we know, are the entire globe, all of humanity.

[285] And that's one thing that the catechism, it couldn't say it more clearly, yeah but in many ways we've surrendered that idea in the life of the church um we don't teach and we don't live with the real perspective that jesus christ is for everyone man there's such a an idea of tolerance these days and certainly mistakes were made in the past and people love to point to those mistakes.

[286] But because there were mistakes in how Jesus Christ was proclaimed, because we're sinful people.

[287] Corruption is always there.

[288] We fail to live Christ.

[289] That, to me, it's not even logical that we would say, well, let's quit proclaiming him because we've done it badly.

[290] certainly many saints can be named that did wondrous work tremendous human gifts that they sacrificed and they worked and literally poured out their lives as Jesus Christ poured out his life to make it all possible there were many wonderful saints that through the edges before the new world was discovered and since it was discovered, whatever were the dimensions of humanity, as people understood it at that time, there were many saints through the ages who poured themselves out, bringing Jesus Christ to others.

[291] So we always have to counterbalance.

[292] Yes, there was brokenness, there was corruption.

[293] People were really not bringing Christ at times, either the new world or the old, but they were bringing their own agenda.

[294] They were bringing a desire for wealth.

[295] they were bringing all kinds of human brokenness absolutely but to surrender this joyful message of jesus christ to surrender the good news and say well it's only for a few or it's it's there if you want it um that is is not what jesus said and it's not what's quoted here in the catechism I have to say amen to that, but you know, Bishop Strickland, how do we get our fires lit again?

[296] We just had this Amazon Senate where there were Franciscans there that were missionaries for like 40 years, and they never had any converts.

[297] So at the end of this break, I'd like to ask you to summarize, again, is it the lives of the saints?

[298] How do we get the zeal that our fathers had for sharing the gospel?

[299] Because I see a church right now where we just aren't that zealous in trying to share.

[300] share the gospel.

[301] We'll be back with more on the Bishop Strickland Hour at Virgin Most Powerful Radio.

[302] Welcome back to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[303] I want to welcome all you YouTube listeners.

[304] About 800 more new YouTube listeners joined us, and you can always listen to any of these podcasts on our website, Virgin Most Powerful Radio.

[305] I kind of put Bishop Strickland on the hot seat regarding the zeal that the church needs to get back.

[306] It's zeal for the salvation of souls and I mentioned you know down at the Amazon how some of these missionaries have been there 40 years but they never had one convert to the Catholic faith and they just kind of like said well we don't we're not here to convert people we're just here to make them comfortable and make them you know live longer and I'm like really what is that all about what happened to you know the fathers of the church what happened to the saints so Bishop Strickland is there a formula to to you can give us that would ignite a fire for the church to get back its zeal that we once had?

[307] Well, I don't claim to have a formula, but I just point people to the Eucharist.

[308] Amen, source and summit.

[309] To Jesus Christ, even if you're really not sure and you kind of think, I'm not sure I buy this, what the church has taught through the ages, that that bread and wine when you go to Mass really becomes Jesus Christ, truth incarnate, the Lord of the universe.

[310] That's what really has happened in my life.

[311] I've always believed, but that relationship with our Eucharistic Lord has just deepened And thankfully, by God's own grace, not by my doing, but by the grace of God, that relationship continues to deepen.

[312] I was reflecting on the luminous mysteries that I really love that addition of St. John Paul II.

[313] I think it was in the early 2000s that he added the luminous mysteries right out of scripture, but real moments of illumination.

[314] And what occurred to me in my reflection on the luminous mysteries that are typically prayed on Thursdays, you can pray them anytime, but typically the Thursdays or the day, you know, if you look at all the different the four sets of mysteries that we now have.

[315] But it occurred to me that we're called.

[316] We're to be luminous like Christ.

[317] He wants us to shine in the ways that he did.

[318] And what occurred to me is, and I just celebrated a priest ordination, and that's always a beautiful moment for a bishop.

[319] It's one of the things that only a bishop gets to do, and it's one of the things I've enjoyed the most in eight years of being a bishop, and I've been blessed to ordain a number of priests.

[320] But the ordination reminded me of the mystery of Jesus Christ and his humility.

[321] He is the Lord of the universe, the king of kings, lied from light, just as we say in the creed, the profession of faith.

[322] He is beyond our imagining, incarnate word of God, and yet he humbles himself in everything.

[323] In the luminous mysteries, he deigns to be baptized in the Jordan River by John the Baptist.

[324] He obeys his mother and changes water into wine.

[325] even though he says it's not my hour, but here he is the son of God and his mother request this, and ultimately he bows in humility to the request of his mother.

[326] That humility of Christ, and that's, I would imagine, I could probably guess that with every ordination that I've celebrated, every ordination of a priest or of deacons.

[327] I would imagine one of the key words I've used is humility because if we are to be priest of Jesus Christ, and it applies to all of us, one of the beautiful phrases that I highlighted in the sort of prescribed homily that's there in the pontifical that a bishop can use or can use parts of for the ordination.

[328] But it emphasizes that all of us, the baptized, are a royal priestly community.

[329] And so to me, that to think of the priest as the servant of royalty, I think that's a beautiful way to think of my priestly ministry.

[330] I may have mentioned before, Terry.

[331] One time I was in a, I don't remember where there's.

[332] church was, but I was at a church just visiting, not in this diocese.

[333] And going, going from the sacristy out to the altar over the door had said, servants entrance.

[334] And I've always remembered that because that's what easily is forgotten by bishops and priests and even deacons that we are the servants of the people of God.

[335] Jesus Christ couldn't have made that more clear when he washed the feet of the disciples.

[336] And he said, do as I have done.

[337] Wash people's feet.

[338] Take care of the people.

[339] Sacrifice yourself for others.

[340] That's the priestly ministry of Jesus Christ.

[341] And certainly, the wonderful, faithful people that I've known, we talk about sometimes, priest being put on a pedestal.

[342] That may not be so much the case anymore because of all the abuse crisis.

[343] Certainly, I don't think bishops are on a pedestal.

[344] But certainly there is, there should be a respect.

[345] And some of that erosion of respect is tied to the whole question of the lack of respect for authority of any kind.

[346] But that respect for the bishop or the priest or the deacon should always be in the context of that man serving in great humility, because none of us can match the humility of God's own son, even the humility of being conceived in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a human woman that he's conceived in her womb by the power of the Holy Spirit, the way we were conceived naturally by our parents in the womb of our mother, in the womb of his mother, that begins a journey of unfathomable humility.

[347] And I believe that is one of the pride and arrogance are some of the deadliest of deadly sins in the church and in the world today.

[348] We see too much evidence of that arrogance and pride that replace the humility that the Son of God has lived for us.

[349] Well, Bishop Strickland, we talked about this at the beginning of the show about those who want to change the church's teachings on morality and saying that, yeah, I acknowledge the Bible says this, but I don't agree with the Bible.

[350] That's unbelievable that some, you know, a priest would say something like that.

[351] His pride is so out of control and where is the humility?

[352] And I think of great saints like Brother Andre Bressett, who's now a saint, you know, up in the oratory in Montreal, and he was just a humble man, but it seems like humility and truth go together.

[353] That's my...

[354] Absolutely.

[355] Now, my question is, you have an institute.

[356] I always like to get a plug in for your institute because you've got so many great resources.

[357] Can you share with those who aren't familiar with it?

[358] again yeah the st philip institute you can find it the website st philip institute dot org philip with one l just st philip s philip institute dot org they're really doing a great job of sharing the truth sharing jesus christ they're synonymous he is truth incarnate and that's what we're trying to do at the institute we have a great team of talented people a lot smarter than I am, and they're doing a great job.

[359] They put together a Lenton series that will begin Ash Wednesday in taking every day of Lent a scripture passage to kind of help people be rooted in scripture.

[360] I understand absolutely as Catholics, we are people of the word of God.

[361] We are people of the book of scripture.

[362] It's not solo scriptura, only scripture, but scripture is significant.

[363] It's the word of God.

[364] Absolutely.

[365] It's a basis.

[366] I mean, this catechism that we keep looking at, page by page, you'll see scripture quotations.

[367] It's threaded.

[368] It's laced with scripture because it's the word of God.

[369] It's the truth that has been revealed to us.

[370] And so this St. Philip Institute is all about sharing the word of God, sharing the truth of the sacraments sharing Jesus Christ.

[371] He's truth incarnate.

[372] Thank you for that plug.

[373] And Bishop Strickland, I would love to also ask you for your blessing for our audience, please.

[374] The Lord be with you.

[375] And with your spirit.

[376] May Almighty God bless you, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

[377] Amen.

[378] Thank you, Bishop Strickland.

[379] I'd like to end with this quote that you and I talked about earlier about St. Augustine.

[380] He says, if you pray well, you will live well.

[381] If you live well, you will die well.

[382] If you die well, all will be well.

[383] That was written and that was proclaimed at my mother's and my father's funeral, and that I'll ever forget.

[384] The priest, Father Peter, said that.

[385] And I thought, wow, that is so appropriate.

[386] I mean, life doesn't get any simpler.

[387] And, you know, Padre Pio said this when the pandemic was going on in Italy.

[388] The reason we are having so many problems in our culture is because, you know, Because people don't know how to pray.

[389] You know, Bishop Strickland, I think that 100 years later is still the case.

[390] Because when you pray, when you learn before the Blessed Sacrament, especially I always tell people get before Jesus in the Eucharist, that dialogue that goes on with Jesus Christ, you have this relationship that there's no other relationship.

[391] Even my wife will say this.

[392] I say the same thing.

[393] We have a relationship we're spousal, right?

[394] We share everything.

[395] But you know what?

[396] We pray together, but we also have prayer separate where she's praying to our Lord.

[397] I'm praying to our Lord.

[398] This is why I say teaching people how to pray is really, I think, one of the elements of renewing the church.

[399] Because I think sometimes we've got amnesia in regards to prayer.

[400] What is prayer?

[401] A dialogue with God, conversation with God.

[402] Bishop Strickland, I love having you take an hour a week with us because I feel like I get educated on my faith, not only educated, but motivated.

[403] just keep swinging the bat for Jesus, if you know what I mean by that.

[404] I want to continue to proclaim it in season and out, and with your help, we'll continue to do that.

[405] We want to pray for your diocese because you're the shepherd there for all your people.

[406] We ask our listeners to pray for the Tyler Diocese in Texas.

[407] I guess it's an eastern part of Texas.

[408] It's a big state.

[409] Thanks again, Bishop Strickland for joining us here on Bishop Strickland Hour on Virgin, most powerful radio.

[410] I want to encourage everyone to get their Bibles out every day to read the Word of God and the Catechism.

[411] See you next week, the same time, same station.

[412] May God richly bless you and your entire family.