12 Jun 24 – The Need for Reparation and Conversion of the World

[0] Welcome to the Bishop Joseph Strickland hour.

[1] Sorry, I'm getting mixed up here.

[2] Bishop Strickland, I want to thank you again because every hour we talk about Jesus Christ is always a blessing for me because I learned something about my faith.

[3] And I think that helps me have a deeper love and appreciation for my faith.

[4] So thank you for doing that.

[5] And today we're going to be talking about a couple things.

[6] We're going to hit your Twitter account and talk about.

[7] some of the tweets but we're also going to talk about the world's biggest monstrance monstrance was created are you ready for this folks in reparation for the Spanish war and they're leading this right now a yearly procession because this is the year of the Holy Eucharist like Corpus Christi and I see the picture of this monstrance and there's six priests holding the monstrance it's almost like they're holding a statue but it's in a beautiful architecture thing.

[8] It looks like it's probably 12 feet high.

[9] And I've been to the one at Marrytown in Libertyville, Illinois, and that's a big one there.

[10] It's like six feet.

[11] But this is the biggest one.

[12] And again, for reparation.

[13] We'll talk about that and much, much more.

[14] Bishop Strickland, thanks again for joining us on your show.

[15] Thank you, Terry.

[16] And you know what my favorite part of the show is?

[17] Not your commentary.

[18] Sorry, it's not.

[19] And not anything other than I love it when we've been brought into the gospel of the day.

[20] To read the gospel of the day touches souls.

[21] And so this is June 15th, Wednesday.

[22] And we have the gospel of Matthew chapter 5, verse 17 to 19.

[23] If we could read that and then give us a commentary, that'd be grand.

[24] Yeah, let me pull it up.

[25] Okay.

[26] Wednesday, June 12, correct?

[27] The 15th.

[28] Maybe I'm out.

[29] June 15th.

[30] Am I wrong?

[31] Is it the 12th?

[32] It is the 12th, I think.

[33] Yes.

[34] Sorry.

[35] Wednesday, the 12th.

[36] Yep, I'm going to mark that down.

[37] Thank you.

[38] Okay.

[39] I'm ahead of my time.

[40] Go ahead.

[41] And, okay, a reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew.

[42] Jesus said to his disciples, Do not think that I've come to abolish the law of the prophets.

[43] I've come not to abolish, but to fulfill.

[44] Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away.

[45] Not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law.

[46] Until all things have taken place.

[47] Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven.

[48] but whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven the gospel of the lord praise to you lord jesus christ bishop strictly before you go on you know what just touched me i said keep preaching those ten commandments i mean this gospel says that you know we need to teach these commandments of god it's not something that goes out in other words there's no expiration date on it yeah absolutely And Christ says in other places using similar words that, as he says here, teaches others, therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven.

[49] He says in another place, those who teach the little ones, the children, they need a millstone around their neck.

[50] I mean, those are strong words.

[51] And tossed into the sea.

[52] And it, it, these are, this gospel should be well known across the world in every corner of the church.

[53] Because this is what we're seeing violated all too often.

[54] It's as if we're, we've decided we can ignore this verse, these verses from Matthew, chapter five, verses 17 to 19.

[55] We ignore them at our peril.

[56] And we're in a very perilous time, like the letter we talked about yesterday that I wrote recently.

[57] Right.

[58] Not because I'm some great scholar.

[59] I'm not.

[60] But I do believe deeply in what the Lord has shared with us.

[61] And I know him.

[62] I need to know him better.

[63] recently someone shared with me that you know you love the lord but there are holes in your love and that really i took to heart because that's true for all of us of course there are holes in my love because it's an imperfect love yeah christ's love is perfect he is perfect love incarnate And we're all challenged to purify and to perfect our love, not by our own effort, but by a deeper openness to the grace of God that's available to all of us.

[64] So I think we have to do what we're doing, Terry, not like we said, not our opinion, not because we're important, but the world needs the message of Jesus.

[65] Christ.

[66] And Jesus did not come to abolish the law or the prophets, but to fulfill them.

[67] Let's, for a moment, realize how important those words were for the people of Israel, the people of the law and the prophets.

[68] They survived through history, knowing the one true God, who may through Jesus Christ, we know, is Trinitarian, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

[69] They only knew the great I am, but they knew God.

[70] They knew the truth of who God is.

[71] And even knowing that, I continue to read the Old Testament, and I encourage others to do so.

[72] It so enriches my faith and my life in Christ to read those Old Testament passages.

[73] I've been reading recently through the book of kings.

[74] And it's a story of over and over again, the kings or the prophets or the people of God called to fidelity, called to the law and the prophets, and too often Israel wanders off to see a ball has something attractive to offer or some other false prophet.

[75] The people of Israel were the people of the law and the prophets.

[76] But Jesus, who is the law incarnate, he is truth incarnate.

[77] He's God's son.

[78] He comes not to abolish the law.

[79] We might, if anyone would have been there to abolish the law, it would have been God's incarnate son, Jesus Christ.

[80] Amen.

[81] But even he says that he's not there to abolish the law, but to fulfill it.

[82] It's a reminder to us that the revelation that we have from the Hebrew scriptures, the Old Testament, the story of the people of Israel, that's where revelation begins.

[83] And then it's fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

[84] he becomes word incarnate, he was always the eternal word as creation happened, as the Old Testament, the Genesis tells us the story of creation.

[85] We know that Jesus, the word, was present when God created the universe.

[86] And he continues to be with us now powerfully, as we've said, his sacred heart beating a rhythm of love.

[87] We need to really embrace that and understand that all of us have to lovingly but clearly reject the so -called new prophets of today that are telling us exactly to do what Jesus tells us we can't to dismantle the law and the prophets and say, oh, we've come to a new understanding.

[88] That's not what Christ says.

[89] If anyone had license to change the law and the prophets, the Son of God, who is the law, incarnate.

[90] But beautifully, he shows us that Revelation is a cumulative revealing until it reaches the point where Jesus Christ is standing in the world, talking to the scribes and Pharisees, talking to Pontius Pilate, and he is truth incarnate, showing them the truth.

[91] We're blessed in our time that the risen Lord is with us.

[92] In the Eucharist and in all the sacraments, that living presence of truth is with us.

[93] And what a devastating time we're in.

[94] It will not devastate us, but it's devastating that too many are being led astray and doing exactly what this says.

[95] Therefore, whoever breaks one of these least of these commandments and some of the greatest of the commandments are being broken, the sanctity of life, the sanctity of our moral code of living as men and women in chastity and recognizing that the marriage of a man and a woman is the only proper context for sexual expression.

[96] So many are living, and contrary to that, they are called least in the kingdom of heaven according to this word of Christ.

[97] They're the same ones that need a millstone around their neck.

[98] And I can imagine many, if they listen to what we're talking about now, they say, oh, so judgmental, you're not supposed to judge.

[99] We judge no one.

[100] But Christ, judges us all.

[101] And we need to awake to the judgment that accompanies his mercy.

[102] Yes, it's merciful, but he's also the supreme judge that will judge each of us.

[103] We need to wake up to that judgment.

[104] Amen.

[105] What a great message of mercy.

[106] Stay with us, family.

[107] We'll be back with more of the Bishop Strickland Hour on Virgin Powerful Radio.

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

[109] Welcome back, indeed.

[110] We're going to be getting to the catechism a little later in the show, but I wanted to follow up on some of the tweets by Bishop Strickland.

[111] And the one that I was impressed with, and every year, St. Charles Luonga and his companions, this was June 3rd, he died as a martyr rather than give in to the depraved demands of their king, who was a homosexual, may they insist.

[112] inspire us in the church in Africa to continue to reject acts contrary to biblical truth.

[113] Pray for the conversion of all caught up in the sit of sin of sodomy.

[114] And you know, that's an old term, but it's a very biblical term.

[115] Bishop Strickland, I mentioned that because on that day I went to a mass and the priest was very embarrassed to have to talk about the saint of the day.

[116] he said well you know he he was fighting some things that you know probably weren't the best thing to be doing in the time of history or something I was ambiguous I'm saying father please I pray that you just tell us the truth what was going on how did he become a saint don't sugarcoat it and I felt bad and I didn't go after mass to talk to the priest because well number one I had to go take care of other things but I prayed for him at least.

[117] But sometimes, you know, I would encourage some people if you have a relationship with the priest, befriend them first before you criticize anything like that because most of the time it won't do any good to, you know, criticize them.

[118] And I think probably the best thing to do is to pray for them.

[119] But I know that's happened to other people, but it just seems like we're becoming too politically correct.

[120] What's wrong with saying this is the saint who stood up to, you know, he could be the patron saint for people who have same -sex attraction.

[121] Your thought.

[122] Yeah, absolutely.

[123] Well, I think it's divine providence that St. Charles Luonga and companions from Uganda are martyrs that we celebrate June 3rd as we begin the month.

[124] I mean, St. Charles was dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Christ.

[125] That's why he was willing to get.

[126] give his life rather than give in to something that was contrary to the teachings of Jesus Christ, whose sacred heart he reveres.

[127] So like I've said, I don't even like to give airtime to the other focus during June.

[128] But St. Charles is a great patron saint for this month of the sacred heart.

[129] Because it's only dedication to Jesus Christ to his sacred heart.

[130] that gives him the strength to die rather than teach contrary to the commandments, just like the gospel we just read.

[131] He is one of the greatest in the kingdom of heaven, because he stood for those commandments.

[132] He stood for the laws that of old and in present times are so critically important.

[133] Well, you know, Bishop Strickland, there's a cardinal who I really respect in the Catholic Church, several of them, but one of them is Cardinal Sirrah.

[134] And you tweeted about thanking him.

[135] Here's what he said, and I thought, wow, for him to say this as a cardinal, what a blessing we have with his leadership.

[136] He said this in an April speech, he was the diocese in Africa.

[137] He said, the African academic world must be careful not to be contaminated by the diseases of the spirit that the West, that's us, would like to oppose on it.

[138] The West, and this is a great statement, is afraid of the search for truth.

[139] For many Westerners, truth has become, and then it goes on, I don't, you know, relative, I guess.

[140] Bishop Strickland, you said thank you to the Cardinal, and I wanted to just get your take.

[141] Why would you, I mean, is it refreshing for you as a bishop when you hear a Cardinal speak like this?

[142] Because for me, this guy's like, he's a no -nonsense.

[143] Cardinal just calls him as he sees him.

[144] Yeah.

[145] Cardinal Sarah is constantly saying the right thing and strong enough to speak up when so many won't.

[146] And one thing that I thought was especially good, he really alludes to the reality that we face.

[147] Yeah.

[148] Too many are rejecting truth because they're compromised and their corruption would be exposed if the truth really came out.

[149] And that, I mean, that's a key part of what we're dealing with.

[150] So many are saying, oh, the commandments needs to change.

[151] The law needs to change because they're living in ways that are contrary to the, truth of the commandment of the law.

[152] And rather than being willing to be changed and follow Christ, they're saying, oh, no, we need to change Christ.

[153] We need to change the message.

[154] And I think the cardinal is absolutely right that so much of the rejection of truth boils down to, that's messing with my corruption that I don't want to let go up.

[155] And so we're not willing to hear the truth or proclaim the truth.

[156] We've got to.

[157] The truth is what sets us free.

[158] Amen.

[159] Okay, you're in Texas, I'm in California.

[160] I'm not into politics.

[161] I'm into helping people find Christ.

[162] But when I hear politicians speak with moral absolutes, I'm always refreshed.

[163] And the Texas GOP platform calls abortion homicide.

[164] That's just what Pope Francis said when he called it a hitman.

[165] and he also says that overfell should be nullified and then to top it all off these Texan Republicans say no fault divorce repealed you know this is the Republican Party of Texas they've retained language in their platform forcibly condemning abortion homosexuality calling for same -sex marriage to be nullified and urging an overhaul of modern divorce rules I would see you saying that, Bishop Strickland, and going, right on, that's what the church teaches.

[166] I'm like, from California, I could not even imagine our politicians on either side saying this.

[167] You've got to educate us out in California.

[168] How in the heck did these politicians come up with this idea other than they must have a faith -based life?

[169] Because you couldn't come up with that on just a natural level.

[170] Your thoughts?

[171] Yeah, absolutely.

[172] And that's why I thought it was so important to support them and to encourage that's what every state in the nation needs to adopt that, not because it's Texas, but because it's the truth.

[173] Exactly.

[174] Not because it's Republican or Democrat.

[175] The point of it is, it's the truth.

[176] Absolutely.

[177] And they, that platform gets at some of the most destructive elements of our modern society that we, do need to go after and say, no. And I think more and more people are awakening to the truth that is Christ.

[178] And we've got to support each other in speaking up and humbly acknowledge that all of us need ongoing conversion.

[179] I'm the first to say that I'm a sinner.

[180] Me too.

[181] And I need to more deeply convert to the Lord and to his truth.

[182] But at least, acknowledging that we're sinners, that is what we need to do in order to fight these equals.

[183] Well said.

[184] I wanted to shift to another topic, and this was in the National Catholic Register.

[185] It's a good news story.

[186] The world's biggest monstrance was created in reparation for the Spanish war leads its yearly procession of Corpus Christi.

[187] And I love it because this, uh, this traditional practice of making reparation takes on a deeply symbolic role, the monstrance used in the procession was created as an active reparation for the atrocities of the Spanish Civil War.

[188] I'm going to tell you that, you know, Spanish Civil War, just to remind everybody the history, because everybody from 1936 to 1939 brought about violent deaths of thousands of priests, nuns, and laypeople, and 11 have already been canonized by our church, and well over 2 ,000 people have been beatified.

[189] Did you hear that?

[190] 2 ,000 people.

[191] The cause is underway for another 2 ,000 plus.

[192] In April, the Pope recognized the martyrdom of two more, one a priest, and another of a father of 11 children.

[193] Victims of this brutality will likely continue to be recognized bit by bit for centuries to come.

[194] Bishop Strickland, you know what I think of with the French Revolution, the Spanish Civil War, I think we also have, and I know some people don't like this analogy, but a civil war in a sense of our children, the babies, the 50, 60 million babies that have been butchered through abortion, this is a unbelievable amount of life, of loss of life, and I think also that needs to have reparations.

[195] and that's one of the reasons, I'll just tell you, praying outside an abortion clinic, your rosary, yes, it's a witness there for giving women and men alternatives to abortion, but it's also of reparation that needs to be prayed that people will convert and not kill the innocent babies in the wombs of mothers.

[196] And I'm going to get your take on this story because this is an annual procession of reparation.

[197] I'm thinking we need something like that in our country.

[198] country.

[199] Absolutely.

[200] Because like you have mentioned, Terry, we all have the obligation of making reparation and atonement for our sins and for the sins of others and for our sinful world and for the sin that has a stranglehold on the church.

[201] So we need to repent if we need to live the truth more and more clearly, all of us, and we need to make reparation.

[202] And really, I would say this time in the world, we need to have a Lenton feel for everything.

[203] We need to be penitential.

[204] Lent is a specifically liturgically penitential time.

[205] But you can say now every day should have a penitential tone to it because there's much to make reparation for.

[206] Amen to that.

[207] Real quick, before we end the break, a good news story.

[208] This is a young student who was temporarily denied his diploma from high school after urging his classmates to follow Jesus Christ at a graduation ceremony.

[209] Michael Price was allowed to thank the Lord in his graduation speech at Campbell County High School in Kentucky, but was forbidden from urging other students to do the same.

[210] And what he did was, he reminded me of Paul in prison when they said he's going to get out of jail.

[211] But you're going to come out of jail, but you can't preach the name of Jesus.

[212] And he said, I can't do it.

[213] I'm going to preach Jesus.

[214] And this 17 -year -old boy, he said, he said this.

[215] He said, I will say this.

[216] He says, when it came time for the speech, he said, I delivered my marks to tell people that you must give honor and praise of the glory of the Lord and the Savior Jesus Christ.

[217] And you know the people applauded him, but the administration said, you can't do that.

[218] Your thoughts, real quick.

[219] Well, I think we need to support that young man. It reminded me like when you first shared it of Carlo Acutus.

[220] There you go.

[221] Major in Italy, who will be canonized in next year 2025.

[222] Yep.

[223] These young people will inspire us.

[224] Amen.

[225] We come back to catechism.

[226] Stay with us, family.

[227] We'll be right back.

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

[229] Welcome back, indeed, to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[230] One of the neat things about this show is we try to catechize through this little catechism that the diocese of Tyler put out.

[231] It's called The Way of Christ, and it can be available through the diocese.

[232] Go to St. Philip Institute of Catechesis and Evangelization.

[233] It reminds me like a Baltimore Catechism question and answer.

[234] And the topic for today is paragraph 15.

[235] You know, we did the Eucharist.

[236] I think the authors of this catechism knew that the Eucharist and confession are tied together.

[237] And so they have chapter 14 on the Eucharist, chapter 15.

[238] I'm thinking, they've got to know that.

[239] So here's what they did on reconciliation and annoying things.

[240] the healing power of Christ.

[241] Chapter 15.

[242] The sacrament of reconciliation and the anointing of the sick are the sacraments of healing and reconciliation.

[243] God's forgiveness flows through the priest to reconcile a sinner with God and the church.

[244] The anointing of the sick heals the person of sin and brings comfort to the person in danger of death.

[245] So the first question comes up is what is the Sacrament of Reconciliation, the Sacrament of Penance.

[246] Well, reconciliation is the way God restores our relationship with him and forgives us of our sins committed after baptism.

[247] It is also called the confession or penance.

[248] Bishop Strickland, before you give us this, you've been a priest for 40 years or so, I think, since 80, something, 85, right?

[249] 39.

[250] 39 years.

[251] 39 years.

[252] and you've heard thousands of confessions, thousands.

[253] Let me just ask you a question.

[254] Most of my priest friends tell me this.

[255] Isn't it an honor to be the bridge of bringing a fallen away, let's say a sinner back into reconciliation with Christ and that you humbly are there as Christ in reconciling?

[256] Isn't that one of the most affirming aspects of your faith, of your priesthood?

[257] Or am I on to something?

[258] Terry, absolutely.

[259] And as I know we've talked about before, but I'm so glad that, you know, quite appropriately, this catechism that we've been working through talks about Eucharist and then immediately talks about penance or confession.

[260] Right.

[261] They are tied together and they need to be tied together.

[262] And what in really, Harry, I've grown in my own personal understanding because as a bishop, I go to confession like anyone else.

[263] Yeah, sure you do.

[264] I have to find a priest.

[265] I can't absolve myself.

[266] I have to find a priest and humbly confess and do my best to repent my sins.

[267] And it's, as we both know, it's a great feeling to walk out.

[268] out of that confessional or walk away from confession, the sacrament of confession.

[269] And what we need to remember, and it hasn't been emphasized in our lifetime the way it should be, as we need to, we need this Eucharistic revival.

[270] We needed to take a deep root and a constant strengthening of our Eucharistic faith.

[271] But absolutely, it needs to be accompanied by a revival of the sacrament of confession as well.

[272] And really what I've tried to emphasize, and it's an insight that has been a great blessing for me personally.

[273] No one likes to admit their faults.

[274] No one likes to speak face to face to another person or even behind a screen in the sacrament, to tell another person things that we're ashamed of, that we're asking God's forgiveness of.

[275] None of us wants to do that.

[276] But the great gift that it is, we need to celebrate.

[277] I know many faithful Catholics who will say, if they're honest, they'll say, I mean, I was just on a pilgrimage with people very devout Catholics, but some of the people said, oh, I still find it hard to go to confession.

[278] I think part of that is because, well, certainly human, no one likes to admit their faults, admit their mistakes, especially the uglier they are, the harder they are to admit.

[279] But it's such a blessing to be freed from that burden of our sins.

[280] It does create a burden.

[281] Yeah.

[282] And anyone who, if they're listening and say, oh, I don't go to confession very often.

[283] It's been several years.

[284] I urge anyone who is listening to go to confession as soon as you possibly can.

[285] No, it's not easy, but it's a cleansing.

[286] And I guess the main thing that I've come to emphasize in my own life and in those who I talk to, it's another encounter with Jesus Christ who walked this earth and who is still with us.

[287] His sacred heart is still beating a rhythm of.

[288] love for all of us, certainly the Eucharist.

[289] I mean, the Eucharist is him, is his real presence, body and blood, soul, and divinity.

[290] But the sacrament of confession, once again through the priest, is his forgiving, mercy, and love that's real and available to us.

[291] And Terry, I think it's very telling and very significant that both of these sacraments, involve a personal encounter with the priest as well.

[292] Really, all of the sacraments do, but especially Eucharist and confession involve, we don't have them without a priest.

[293] Baptism, a deacon can baptize you, or, as we both know, any believing person in an emergency situation can baptize another.

[294] But no matter how devout an individual is, no one can hear a confession sacramentally except a priest.

[295] No one can celebrate mass other than a priest.

[296] And I think that's very significant.

[297] I think that's why the church, even though we celebrate the gift of deacons and they're important, they're part of the sacrament of holy orders.

[298] But I think it emphasized the significance and the importance, the vital importance of priests for the church.

[299] Only priests can celebrate mass. Only priests can hear confessions and offer sacramental absolution for those sins.

[300] I think that's very significant and very important for all of us to reflect on and rejoice.

[301] and that's another reason we need to pray for our priests.

[302] We have priests that are very Eucharistic, but they don't, they're not generous with their time in offering the sacrament of confession.

[303] We need to remind priests that it goes hand in hand to be devoted to our Eucharistic Lord, which absolutely we must be.

[304] But we should also be like the curie of ours available for the confession of sinners as well.

[305] These sacraments do go hand in hand.

[306] And sadly, in the state of the church as it is, in most masses that are celebrated, you have a lot more people receiving the body and blood of Christ in the Eucharist than the people lined up to go to confession to maybe that same priest prior to receiving our Lord.

[307] in the Eucharist.

[308] Both need to happen in our wives.

[309] Both need to happen in the church.

[310] We need a Eucharistic and confessional revival desperately.

[311] I agree totally.

[312] And I'm going to tell you what I found to be effective.

[313] The Fathers of Mercy are in order of priests out of Kentucky.

[314] And on their website, they have an examination of conscience.

[315] And it's something that we've kind of forgotten.

[316] And in my opinion, we used to have it in the churches.

[317] We used to have this little piece of paper that we go to confession.

[318] At our chapel, it's still there.

[319] It helps people prepare to go to confession.

[320] And I think that if people want to get it, they can go to the Fathers of Mercy and it's downloadable.

[321] Print it out or put it on your screen.

[322] And take a serious look at a good examination of conscience.

[323] And I'll tell you why I encourage people to do that is because everyone who does that, that, including myself, it really helps me stay focused on how I could offend our Lord and gives me great direction to say, oh, yeah, that's, that's right.

[324] I didn't think of that.

[325] So it's a good thing before you go to confession, even if you go online and type in the Father's of Mercy to read that examination of conscience.

[326] But I also want to say with this Eucharistic revival, and I'm all for it, They're going out $50 million.

[327] The bishop's conference is paying for this, and I've read some good things about Eucharistic processions.

[328] But again, when you look at the church's need and you see thousands of people going to Holy Communion on a Sunday here in Los Angeles, we have big parishes with 5 ,000, 6 ,000 families, and then you go to confession Saturday evening for an hour, and maybe you get 10 or 20 people to go to confession?

[329] I don't know.

[330] I'm not a mathematician, but I figure something's wrong.

[331] And I think you nailed it when you said, we've got to understand what sin is.

[332] And I think what's happened, Bishop Strickland, you can correct me right on the air.

[333] And that is, we don't talk enough about sin and what offends our Lord.

[334] We talk way too much of God's love, which is important, but we never talk about the justice of God, that we can offend him like whether even on contraception I mean we we see prelates teaching and say well yeah we don't really teach that anymore what we don't look in your catechism we do and so this is undermining the people's formation when it comes to the knowing and loving Jesus Christ that's why I keep saying Bishop Strickland confession and the Eucharist they go together and I just I can't say it a lot enough that is let's encourage our bishops and our leaders in our church to promote both together because I haven't heard that in the Eucharistic revival.

[335] I've only heard yeah we've got to get people to understand about the real presence but also as important as that is we have to also understand many people are receiving Holy Communion objectively okay not knowing that they're in mortal sin like I know people I tell them you mean living with my girlfriend is sinful?

[336] What?

[337] You're asking me that question.

[338] Yeah, I get it all the time.

[339] Well, I have to tell them the truth out of charity.

[340] All right, when we come back, we'll continue to talk about the healing power of confession.

[341] And I think stories always help.

[342] And Bishop Strick, when we come back, maybe you've got a story of a healing power of confession.

[343] I sure do.

[344] Stay with us, family.

[345] We'll be right now.

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

[347] welcome back indeed we're talking about two great sacraments really tied together the holy euchrist and the sacrament of confession before we continue in this catechesis stories always arrest the brain and i thought about a story that a gentleman told me back in june of 2002 when i was at the canonization of a padre peel and has at san giovanni retunda watching my kids in a park while my wife was getting more money from the bank and a man who spoke English.

[348] I said, hey, what brought you here?

[349] And he said, well, the story, and I'll just briefly tell it, he had been away from the church for 30 years.

[350] And make a long story short, it's in my book, how to show your faith with anyone.

[351] But he told us that the monk on the train, when he was going back from work, said he needed to go to confession.

[352] And he said, I'm not interested.

[353] And then he goes home and turns the TV on, and he sees the story about Padre Peele, who died in 1968, the same monk that visited him in 1984 on a train.

[354] He came back from the dead to encourage this man to go to confession.

[355] When he said, I don't want to go, the monk said, you have free will to choose God or to reject him, but you need to go to confession.

[356] So the next day, when he didn't go to work, his wife said, what's wrong?

[357] And the man said, well, here's what happened.

[358] He told me, I need to go to confession.

[359] so the wife said well let's go so he went to confession he told me he had an hour confession because he had a lot of bad things he did and he received the sacrament of confession and was so fired up he told me that he started Padre Peel groups up and down England as a way of making reparation for his past sinful life now that's one confession now Bishop Strickland priest almost 40 years I'm sure you've got a story or two.

[360] No names, but just stories of people coming back and saying, you know, that confession that I went to turned my life around.

[361] Do you have any stories like that?

[362] As you said, Terry, lots of stories.

[363] Yeah.

[364] One that I've shared often.

[365] And I share this because hopefully people will hear it and be reminded of a lot of things.

[366] because, you know, typical parish priests, this was several years ago, hearing confessions at the cathedral where I was rector, hearing confessions before the 530 Mass. And I think most priests will tell you, if you're there for an hour, the first few minutes are usually fairly quiet.

[367] But if it's going to be busy, it's going to be busy.

[368] the end of whatever time slot you're there for.

[369] People procrastinate.

[370] They say, well, I get there or whatever.

[371] And so it's getting very close to 5 .30, which is when mass is supposed to start.

[372] And so I'm getting a little nervous.

[373] And, you know, every priest, I'm sure that here's confessions regularly can relate to this because people come at the last minute.

[374] Sure.

[375] And literally, it was, let's say, 520.

[376] Oh, my gosh.

[377] Recession needs to start, and people are going to get antsy when, you know, thinking I'm late for mass. And so I'm literally already standing and moving toward the door.

[378] Oh, my God.

[379] Of the professional to leave.

[380] Yeah.

[381] And I hear the confessor, the pin of the door open, and you can hear the squeak, you know.

[382] Of course.

[383] Because it was so that it was behind the screen.

[384] I wasn't seeing anything.

[385] And I said, oh, you know, and I'm, I try to remind myself in those situations not to have an irritated tone in my voice or because you're there to give the mercy of Christ.

[386] So thankfully, by the grace of God, I controlled myself and was merciful and listening.

[387] And this person comes in and says, forgive me, Father, for I've sin, it's been 30 years.

[388] Wow.

[389] It proceeds to tell me, it wasn't a long story, but it felt like a long story, but proceeds to tell me that the last time they went to confession 30 years ago, the priest yelled at them because they were there at the very last minute.

[390] I don't have time for you, and you need to come back later.

[391] And so they left and never went back to confession for 30 years.

[392] Wow.

[393] And I'm thinking, oh, my God.

[394] goodness, how easily I could have done that, repeated that same scene, because this person, frankly, came in at the last minute when it's already really too late.

[395] Right.

[396] But thankfully, the grace of God took over and kept me from sinning in my own way.

[397] Yeah.

[398] And so I heard the confession of this person.

[399] It was a joyful opportunity.

[400] As you can imagine, it didn't take very long because Mass was started.

[401] but they, by the grace of God, I didn't fall into that trap, which is very reasonable for priests.

[402] So I say that for the sake of any priests that may listen, to be reminded how important it is to be compassionate, to be merciful, to represent Christ.

[403] And I said also for the penitent, don't wait until 528 if you know that's starting at 530.

[404] But thankfully, this individual didn't wait because Mass was about to start.

[405] And that was a grace -filled moment, really for both of us.

[406] Yes.

[407] And we need that sacrament, and we need the priest and the penitent to cooperate with each other to encounter the mercy of Christ.

[408] That's one of my favorite stories because, again, you know, one of the things in my book on how to show your faith with anyone is the title of the book.

[409] I pointed out how many times Jesus had performed miracles and every time he was being interrupted at a time that wasn't convenient.

[410] And that taught me, okay, I mean, I've got story after story of people coming right before me at the radio show.

[411] Like right now, I just sent my engineer.

[412] Go up in the church.

[413] There's a mortuary wants to look for a funeral with their family.

[414] go look at the church.

[415] Well, I can't do it.

[416] I'm on the air.

[417] So what do I do?

[418] Text him, say, go open the church.

[419] The point I'm trying to say is this is how God works a lot of times when it's the last second thing where we just have to let go of our own individual ideas and let God work with us.

[420] So thank you for that beautiful story.

[421] We have a couple minutes left, about six minutes.

[422] So I want to get to a couple more questions if we could from the catechism about confession and this is very important many times I ask people do you know where the sacrament of confession is in the Bible and they go it's in the Bible?

[423] Yeah so here's the answer.

[424] When did Jesus institute the sacrament of reconciliation?

[425] And Jesus instituted the sacrament of reconciliation after he rose from the dead Jesus breathed on the apostles saying receive the Holy Spirit who sins you forgive or forgiven them whose sins you retain are retained it's john 20 verse 21 to 23 so jesus christ gave the apostles the holy spirit in order to forgive sins in his name and here's the kicker that doesn't add bishop strickland you are a successor of the apostle and you prayed you've ordained other priests this this power that Christ gave back in John 20 is passed on through the priesthood.

[426] And so I just find that inviting for people to look at the Bible and see that we are a biblical church when it comes to the sacraments.

[427] Your thoughts?

[428] Absolutely.

[429] All the sacraments are at least referred to in sacred scripture.

[430] And in many ways, Christ came.

[431] Yeah.

[432] for to offer the sacrament of confession, to reconcile the world with God, the Father, to forgive sins, to take away the burden of death, at least eternal death.

[433] Right.

[434] And so that's the redeeming purpose of Christ is the forgiveness of our sins.

[435] That's why it's so devastating to the message of our Catholic faith when sin is de -emphasized.

[436] and not mentioned, and not, you know, it's like, oh, we don't want to talk about sin.

[437] We just want to talk about mercy, mercy, mercy.

[438] But we don't really need mercy if sin is not a problem.

[439] But because sin is a problem, we absolutely desperately need mercy.

[440] And thankfully, it's available.

[441] But it's both, I love to think of the things in our faith that are both ends.

[442] Yes, that's right.

[443] Because we tend to want to side with one thing or the other.

[444] The church is holy and sinful.

[445] Yep.

[446] For to be strong Catholics, we need Eucharist and confession.

[447] We need to recognize that we are called to holiness and we are called away from sin.

[448] We're both working together.

[449] And if you just emphasize one, you're not emphasizing Christ.

[450] That's it.

[451] You're not talking about.

[452] He is God and man. He's not just God.

[453] He's not just man. He's God and man. And I think in many elements of our Catholic faith, we need to remember that there are two things that are always somewhat in tension and needing to find the balance that mercy and justice are intention in our world.

[454] we find the perfect balance in God, and we will find that perfect balance with God in everlasting life in heaven.

[455] We're never going to find the perfect balance of mercy and justice in this world, but we need to keep humbly striving for it and looking to the Sacred Heart of Christ as the representation of that perfect balance of mercy and justice.

[456] Wow.

[457] Bishop Strickland, I was just thinking, as you're talking, as you're talking, talking, a story came to my mind of a priest, a Franciscan friend, was at L .A .X. This was during, right after the, you know, sex abuse in the Catholic Church where there was all kinds of scandal.

[458] It was all over the news.

[459] And this gentleman came up to my friend as a Catholic priest and said to him, you know what I think of you, priest?

[460] And he spat right in his face.

[461] He said, that's what I think of you.

[462] And my priest's friend, who, believe it or not, was a former bouncer at bars.

[463] And it was Padre Pio through his mother's prayers that got him back to the faith.

[464] And he said, okay, that's for me. How can I help you?

[465] And the guy was so blown away, he asked Father to hear his confession.

[466] He'd been away for years.

[467] Right at LAX.

[468] That's the power.

[469] Brilliant.

[470] Yes, it's a great story.

[471] I gave you the shortest story of it.

[472] But trust me, this was because he was like Christ.

[473] That's for me. What can I do?

[474] for you.

[475] What?

[476] A blessing for the people, if I could get to your blessing, Bishop Strickland, that'd be great.

[477] Heavenly Father, we ask your blessing for all of us participating and listening and sharing our faith in Virgin Most Powerful Radio.

[478] We can continue to grow in virtue and humbly acknowledge our sin and confession.

[479] I can free from that burden.

[480] We're alive in your grave.

[481] We ask the name of the Father of the Lord of the Spirit.

[482] Amen.

[483] If you hadn't been to confession in the last month, go.

[484] I'm going tomorrow morning.

[485] That's how I do it.

[486] I put it on my schedule.

[487] Try that.

[488] It works for me. It'll work for you.

[489] Thanks again for supporting us here at Virgin Most Powerful Radio.

[490] God bless you and your family.