03 Jan 23 – Creation and the Fall

[0] Welcome to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[1] My name is Terry Barber.

[2] I'm with Virgin Most Powerful, and every week we cover Bishop Strickland's tweets, but I actually say more importantly, we cover Bishop Strickland's teaching of the catechism of the Catholic Church.

[3] This is an edition through his own diocese called The Way of Christ, and this is the topic today is going to be creation in the fall, a very important topic for us here on Virgin Most Powerful Radio.

[4] It should be a very important topic to you because you get the understanding of where we went back in Genesis in the fall and where redemption comes from.

[5] Bishop Strickland, thanks again for taking the time in your busy schedule to teach us about Jesus Christ.

[6] Thanks, Terry.

[7] There's nothing better to do with our time.

[8] You've got that right.

[9] I'm with you 100%.

[10] Bishop Strickland Today the day that we're recording this is the 28th of December the church has dedicated the feast to the holy innocence I'd like you to share with our listeners the significance of this feast and the tie -in to the killing of unborn babies through abortion well thanks Terry I think it is important to note this day the holy innocence as we know or spoken of in scripture not that title, but the children less than two years old of the two -year -old males that were killed as Herod attempted to rid his world of this Jesus born in Bethlehem.

[11] It really is the first of many attempts on the life of Christ, you can say.

[12] And then finally, of course, they do kill him, but then, The resurrection is the rest of the story.

[13] And the Holy Innocence, I think, are a great reminder as I celebrated Mass today, what I reminded myself and reminded the people at Mass. The Holy Innocence are a great model for us in remembering that it's God's grace.

[14] It's God's action that allows us, all of us, to ultimately become sanctified.

[15] We are called to cooperate with that.

[16] The holy innocence didn't have the opportunity to say yes or no. And so by the grace of God, they are welcomed into his kingdom as really the first martyrs, the very first martyrs for the name of Jesus Christ.

[17] I think we really need to remember the holy innocence that are being massacred in our time.

[18] even before they're born.

[19] In Jesus' time, it was boys of two years or younger, already born.

[20] And certainly a great atrocity perpetrated by King Herod trying to assert his power as king.

[21] And in what really struck me as we celebrate this feast of the Holy Innocence, the same dynamics are happening in our world today.

[22] The Holy Innocent children that are being massacred never have a chance to live to say yes or no to God.

[23] We trust in the mystery of God's plan in mercy for them, just like the Holy Innocence were welcomed into the grace won for us by the sacrifice of the Son of God.

[24] we don't have all the answers.

[25] We have the answers that we need.

[26] We don't know exactly what happens to unborn children that certainly never have a chance to be baptized.

[27] But a great consolation for all of us who believe that baptism is the door to what we'll talk about later on to sharing in the new creation, the kingdom of God that's established by his son, conquering.

[28] death and sin that entered the world with the fall of Adam and Eve.

[29] So all of that comes together.

[30] The reality of abortion in our time, the slaughter of the innocence that continues in our world, thankfully, somewhat diminished in certain places.

[31] But we have national leadership that pushes abortion.

[32] We have some governors and other legislators in various places that that are saying, oh, come here and we'll pay for your abortion.

[33] We've got to continue to be a strong voice of love and life and mercy in the Lord.

[34] And always with compassion, those aborted children would be the first, if they'd ever been given a voice, they would be the first to caution us not to give in to anger and evil and hatred.

[35] But instead, to follow Jesus, love our enemies, and the enemies of today are very often those who discount the value of life, certainly of the unborn and too many other ways with euthanasia and assisted suicide and the discounting of the value of people because of some measurement of the quality of life in our terms instead of recognizing that every person is a precious gift of life.

[36] I'm sure both of us, Terry, are constantly attacked by those who want to support the murder of unborn children and accuse us of not caring about them after they're born.

[37] We know, and really, I think the people even accusing us, know that that couldn't be further from the truth.

[38] the reason we care about the unborn is because every born child is precious, every two -year -old is precious, every 92 -year -old is precious.

[39] All of us are precious in the eyes of God.

[40] And if we would, one day, we will awaken to the truth.

[41] That is what God promises us.

[42] But he gives us the free will to remain asleep.

[43] to the reality and to the wonder of life that he's given us.

[44] But those of us who are awake, we have the obligation to be vigorous and strong, always joyful, always compassionate, but with vigor and strength to uphold the sanctity of life.

[45] And that really, Terry, I know that people get tired of hearing me, but as long as I have breath, they're going to have to keep putting up with it.

[46] Because all the threats, all the sinfulness we see in the world today, with the border issues, which are atrocities, with children and families and innocent people suffering, with the suffering going on with countries at war and divisions and shaken by drug cartels.

[47] I mean, the atrocities are just multiple, but they all have to do with the sanctity.

[48] of life.

[49] The epidemic of fentanyl in our society, killing people and threatening lives at every turn, it all comes down to what's more sacred, the dollar or the person?

[50] And too many of the, well, I would say most of the issues we face, and I would even wager that all of them in some way are connected to wealth and power and leaders that are more concerned about their power base than about the sanctity of every person.

[51] And so they're willing to turn a blind eye to things like fentanyl that's flowing across the border because they've determined it's to their advantage to have some of these happening, to having an open border.

[52] And some of the things we see, it's hard to know the truth, but you can see these videos of people, children of God.

[53] We always need to remember that.

[54] When we see these vast throngs of people, no, we don't condemn them because they're children of God.

[55] But they are being, talk about being pawns in a machine and people accuse certain people on the other side of, oh, they're busing them or they're flying them here and there.

[56] Everyone is using God's children as pawns.

[57] Some of them literally children.

[58] We're always children in the eyes of God, no matter what our age.

[59] So yes, I'm on my soapbox because we need to speak up.

[60] We can't be afraid to speak up.

[61] Some have been canceled because they have spoken too strongly for the sanctity of life.

[62] Or that's what appears to be the case.

[63] But we have to speak up for the sanctity of life from conception to natural death.

[64] And it starts with unborn children in the womb.

[65] As Mother Teresa reminds us so beautifully over and over again, with so many different images.

[66] And I love that image of her telling Hillary Clinton, why hasn't there been a woman president?

[67] And Mother Teresa says, well, you probably aborted her as a national.

[68] That woman that maybe have been, by God's plan, been given all the gifts and all the abilities that we need in a president, male or female.

[69] Too many good people have been aborted, and that means we're aborting our future.

[70] So we can't be silent and we can't weaken in the face of this slaughter of the innocence in the year 2022, soon to turn into the year 2020, and abortion is still with us.

[71] We applaud the ways it has been diminished, the Roe v. Wade decision, but there's a whole lot more work to do to protect the life of every unborn child.

[72] And then we can have a foundation to worry about the life of every single person from the oldest to the most recently born.

[73] Every child is precious before God.

[74] Amen.

[75] I think of what Mother Teresa also said that we're not going to have peace when you kill your babies.

[76] And what do we have right now?

[77] Look at the wars that are going on in the Ukraine in Russia.

[78] Killing our babies is the key for war and for not peace.

[79] So what do we need to do?

[80] Stop the killing of the innocent babies and we will have peace.

[81] When we come back, We want to pray for Pope Benedict I'm 16th emeritus.

[82] He is very sick and the Vatican has asked us to pray.

[83] We'll talk about that when we come back here on the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[84] Stay with him.

[85] Welcome back to the Bishop Strickland Hour on Virgin Most Power Radio.

[86] Many might have heard that Pope Benedict the 16th Emeritus has been very ill. And the Vatican has asked us to pray a prayer.

[87] And Bishop Strickland, I'd like you to, if you could pray that prayer that you'd like you to, if you could pray that prayer, tweeted i think we could all pray together do you have it i do have it yeah let us it says let us pray almighty and eternal god you are the everlasting health of those who believe in you here are your prayers for here are your prayers for your sick servant benedict for whom we implore the aid of your tender mercy through christ our lord amen bishop strickland i don't want to take the whole show on pope benedict the 16th but i could and i'll tell you why as a layman and then you can tell me if he has writings have affected you.

[88] But I go way back when he was the prefect for the doctrine of faith back in I think 81 is when he got that job.

[89] And it seemed that he really sent us a lot of documents that St. John Paul II endorsed and signed off on that really explains so much on, you know, liberation theology, how it's not something we should be embracing.

[90] He covered Dominus Jesus in the year 2000 of the uniqueness of the Catholic faith.

[91] He gave him.

[92] such clarity as the prefect for the doctor of the faith.

[93] And then when he became Pope in 2005, I'll be honest with you.

[94] Jesse and I were just outside the studio.

[95] When we heard it, we jumped in the air.

[96] We were ecstatic because we had a scripture scholar being the Pope.

[97] And as Dr. Scott Hunt said, we have not had that before.

[98] And he wrote these books on Jesus of Nazareth that were very fruitful for me. Has Pope Benedict been fruitful for you as a bishop in the years that he was the Pope?

[99] and also the prefect?

[100] Oh, absolutely.

[101] A real blessing to the church.

[102] And we certainly pray for him.

[103] We're all in God's hands.

[104] And we pray that whatever is God's will, that Pope Emeritus Benedict XVIth will be blessed and truly receive his reward.

[105] If it's now, certainly we pray for him.

[106] if he's able to recover and continue to be with us, we certainly want that.

[107] We pray for God's will.

[108] And I think it's a reminder of the role of the Pope, whether Pope Francis or Pope Benedict, Pope John Paul II, Pope Paul the 6th, all the way back through the ages.

[109] They are the vicar of Christ.

[110] There's been some confusion about that, confusion about a lot of things these days.

[111] and the title of Vicar of Christ.

[112] But what that means, and what that really reminds us is the Pope is not Christ.

[113] Christ is the spiritual head of the church.

[114] And that, you know, we speak of church triumphant and church militant, and probably a lot of times that those just kind of get politicized.

[115] But what the church is, what that reminds us of is that there's one reality.

[116] Heaven and earth are part of one creation of God.

[117] Everything flows from God.

[118] We talked about that from the catechism, that God is the before all else that is.

[119] God is the prime mover.

[120] All sorts of different ways we can talk about God.

[121] But when we talk about church militant and church triumphant, it's a reminder that all of us creatures are somewhere in God's, holy universe as he's created it.

[122] And we'll talk about where the brokenness is well and where evil is crept in, interestingly, through human will.

[123] By that mystery of God creating us in his image and likeness.

[124] So as we honor Pope Benedict and pray for him, as we pray for Pope Francis, as the current pontiff, as we've prayed for all the popes.

[125] And now, with John Paul II, we can pray that he prays for us as a canonized saint.

[126] But just the communion of saints reminds us, we say in the creed, one of the versions of the creed, we believe in the communion of saints.

[127] That's another way of saying we believe in a life in this world, in a life everlasting with God, and both are woven together in ways that probably we can't even imagine many of the great saints and mystics talk about the angels that surround us and the demons.

[128] Yeah.

[129] And it's like all of us, Terry, are in a constant position of choosing good and evil.

[130] Just like Adam and Eve, it's constantly playing out over and over again.

[131] We can turn to our good angels for the support and for their.

[132] help our guardian angels and all the choirs of angels to support us.

[133] We can also get caught up in the demons and they're real as well.

[134] It's like there's a cosmic tug of war going on all the time.

[135] And so as we pray for Pope Benedict, I think it's a reminder to us.

[136] He's still with us in the church militant.

[137] He's still, and, you know, we don't know how long he will be with us, but as long as he's here, we pray for him.

[138] We pray for him even when he passes from this life.

[139] And it's a reminder of what the truth is.

[140] And I know that Pope Benedict, even as his body is weakened, his mind has been very clear.

[141] And there's some great quotes from him that come from.

[142] from the writings that you mentioned, from his time as Pope and then from his time as a theologian of the church.

[143] And he's always pointing us back to Christ into living these truths that are unshakable.

[144] And I think that's a great legacy that Pope Benedict XVI leaves us and has left us, even as he's still with us, and we definitely don't want to hurry him away, but, you know, that's in God's hands.

[145] He's in God's hands.

[146] And we pray that he's strengthened and blessed as he is in God's hands.

[147] As we pray for so many people in our own communities, in our own dioceses, and our own lives that are facing serious illness and sometimes very close to the point of death.

[148] but we pray that that hopefully we can, as we pray for Pope Benedict, Pope Emeritus, Benedict XVIth, we can be reminded of the wonders of our faith in the unshakable truth that we have to stand strong and not allow the tides and the winds of the day to change what we know is unchangeable.

[149] As somebody mentioned recently, when we forget and when we try to deny going back to abortion, but sorry, I'm a broken record.

[150] Good.

[151] But it applies to everything.

[152] When we forget that every child in the womb is a child of God, that this is a child.

[153] It's not a clump of cells.

[154] It's not a, you know, ball of tissue.

[155] It's a child.

[156] When we forget that, then we forget other things like who's a man and who's a woman.

[157] What is marriage?

[158] And the truth just begins to unravel before our eyes.

[159] Not really, but in our perception, it begins to unravel.

[160] The truth is still there.

[161] And so we've got to be strong and joyful and clear and compassionate to the confused, always compassionate to even those who may declare themselves are.

[162] enemies.

[163] Hopefully, Christ tells us love our enemies, but he doesn't tell us to multiply our enemies.

[164] So we need to have the approach that no one's our enemy.

[165] We're all brothers and sisters and the Lord.

[166] Some are desperately confused in darkness.

[167] Out of love for them, we've got to bring them the light.

[168] They've got to choose whether to embrace it or not.

[169] But I think one of our constant prayers in these times is for a change of heart, for all of those who are caught up in the darkness, whether it's a teenager down the road or some legislator in Congress or the president or a governor or some business leader or some movie star, if they are caught up in darkness, we have an obligation to bring them to the light and to share that light with them.

[170] But it's up to their choice from their heart, their free will, what they choose to do with the light.

[171] And that many will continue to turn from it, ignore it, and bring the darkness even more powerfully.

[172] But we have to joyfully and lovingly share the light.

[173] Well, what you just said reminds me of what Pope Benedict the 16th Ameritus said, I put it at the end of my book, how to show your faith with anyone.

[174] He said, there is nothing more beautiful than to be surprised by the gospel by an encounter with Jesus Christ there is nothing more beautiful than to know him and to speak to others about our friendship with him that's Benedict man I just yeah anyhow we'll pray for his recovery and thank you very much for that a little brief commentary on Pope Benedict 16th Emeritus Bishop Strickland you mentioned about Congress and legislators you tweeted something very strong and I didn't see this on the internet I don't know how you caught this but AOC claims that abortion is a religious sacrament are you serious that one of our legislators said that I'll repeat she claims abortion is a religious sacrament now you said this is blasphemous do you have it in front of you you know what you said yeah come on give us your commentary on that somebody needs to speak up well and that's why I said We've got to speak up.

[175] And then, you know, people say, try to quibble and say, oh, she didn't really use those words.

[176] But that is exactly what's being promoted, as if it were a religious value that the right to abortion and promoting it, the slaughter of unborn children.

[177] It is people are vigorous and tenacious about saying, and they get ugly.

[178] They get vicious.

[179] We should avoid falling into that trap.

[180] Hatred doesn't get them anywhere, and it won't get any of us anywhere.

[181] An unborn child is an image of love and goodness and should never be, you know, I mean, we get angry.

[182] It's human to get angry when we see them slaughtered and literally ripped apart in people promoting this atrocity.

[183] like it's a right for someone, but we can't let the anger overcome us.

[184] We have to continually return to the goodness and to the beauty.

[185] But it is, a sacrament is, we know, a sign of God, a sign of grace, something instituted by Christ himself.

[186] And the use of those terms, whether or not the actual term was used, and I'd think it was, but that is how these people are operating.

[187] And it accurately captures.

[188] It's as important to them as the sacraments are to faithful Catholics.

[189] And we've got to speak up.

[190] We've got to say no. For the sake of the individual saying it, not just for the sake of everyone in society, absolutely for that.

[191] But for that individual, we've got to speak up and say, no, this is evil, this is wrong, and the killing of unborn children will never be a blessing to another individual.

[192] When we come back, I can't believe it, I'm glad the U .S. bishops are saying defund the Catholic campaign for human development.

[193] Stay with us.

[194] Welcome back to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[195] I'm pretty excited.

[196] No, I'm very excited that the U .S. U .S. bishops have said that they're going to defund the Catholic campaign for human development as a result of the Lepanto Institute, reported a layman who pointed out the problems.

[197] Now, Bishop Robert Gruss also instructed all of his parishes in his diocese, which he has the authority to do, to sever their relationship with that.

[198] That's the campaign that is around the Thanksgiving weekend, where supposedly this money is being used to help the poor.

[199] but unfortunately, that wasn't the case for decades.

[200] Now, Bishop Strickland, you made a comment.

[201] Could you tell us what you said regarding that issue of the bishop's conference?

[202] Well, I just thanked Bishop Gruss and encouraged other bishops to do the same.

[203] It is simply an atrocity for Catholic dollars to be used in ways that are contrary to what the church teaches.

[204] And with contraception or the promotion of abortion or teaching, you know, immoral kinds of lessons, mostly in foreign countries where people are poor.

[205] And, you know, it's really tragic because certainly they're tremendous need.

[206] And there's tremendous good done by these, but it's tainted by this connection to corruption that certain people deem, I guess, well, it's great.

[207] It's good.

[208] Let's promote some contraception.

[209] It happens to be immoral and contrary to the teachings of the church.

[210] And we know that because it's the truth that the church teaches, it's harmful to people.

[211] It's destructive to marriage.

[212] It's destructive to society.

[213] Look where we are in the United States after years since the six years.

[214] Since the six, when, thankfully, Paul the Sixth upheld the teaching of the church that contraception is immoral, but too many people ignored it, including too many bishops.

[215] And we, and the same thing is happening now in quieter ways.

[216] It may not be a list of bishops in the New York Times, but when the campaign for human development is promoting human destruction, it needs to be addressed.

[217] And that's why I applaud Bishop Gruss for taking a stand.

[218] Many more bishops need to.

[219] They pass off the work of the Lepanto Institute.

[220] Oh, that's just conspiracy theories.

[221] I hate to tell all of us, there are way too many conspiracy theories that are turning out to be, maybe not totally factual, but there's a lot of truth there.

[222] We could go into many different issues with that.

[223] But I think we've got to take a stand once again for the sanctity of life and for the teachings of our Catholic faith.

[224] And to be compromised gets us nowhere.

[225] It actually gets us in destruction.

[226] Where are we after decades and decades of compromise in turning away from the true teachings of the church?

[227] Sometimes just natural law, much less what God has revealed to us in the scripture and tradition that guides the church.

[228] But we've got to simply say no to these destructive forces.

[229] And sadly, even when some institution of the church is promoting it, we need to say no even more vigorously because it's harmful.

[230] And too many people say, oh, well, the bishop's okayed this.

[231] So I guess it's all right.

[232] Sadly, we can't see that as a necessary guarantee these days.

[233] Just because a bishop or a group of bishops says, oh, this is okay, we've got to know, we've got to be catechized ourselves to know whether this action or this funding is correct or not.

[234] And I applaud the Lepanto Institute.

[235] They're denigrated a lot for the work they do.

[236] but I applaud them for continuing to share the truth.

[237] And no good answer has been given to the reams of material and data that they have shown.

[238] But sadly, it doesn't seem to change many hearts.

[239] But again, we just have to be strong in the truth and be compassionate and absolutely work for the poor.

[240] but the poor are the last ones that need some immoral plan to be thrust upon them.

[241] That is not the way to help the poor.

[242] Bishop Strickland and practical application of this, does that mean now local bishops?

[243] I don't think you had the power, maybe you did before, but can you now say, look, we're not going to support this as a bishop in my diocese because the bishops conference now has spoken up?

[244] Is it going to make it easier for bishops to stop the funding?

[245] Well, hopefully, I mean, as far as I know, we've always had the opportunity and the ability.

[246] I mean, that's what we have to remember.

[247] Each bishop is responsible to be the shepherd of his diocese.

[248] And I can't just look to an organization like the USCB and say, oh, well, I'm exonerated from any responsibility because they've decided.

[249] If they've decided something wrong, then I've got to speak up.

[250] And too many times it doesn't happen.

[251] The ability is there.

[252] I haven't been taken up that collection for several years.

[253] Really, ever since I was convinced that immoral things are being funded.

[254] And I got very little response.

[255] I mean, basically the form letter saying, oh, just trust us.

[256] frankly no we can't we have a greater responsibility than that for you as a father of a family yeah if somebody says if they're promoting something that you aren't so sure about and they say just trust us if your kids get hurt you've got some responsibility there a lot of responsibility i'm the spiritual father of the flock of the diocese of tyler that's it just that's the limitation of my responsibility, but that's about 1 .5 million people.

[257] That's a lot of people to be responsible for, and I've got to do my best to be true to the gospel and true to Jesus Christ, true to his church, and say no, we're not going to just roll over or turn a blind eye to whatever is contrary to the truth.

[258] No matter who opposes me, I've got to stand up for that.

[259] And we celebrate tomorrow after the Holy Innocence, we celebrate St. Thomas of Beckett, who got in deep trouble with Henry II, ultimately was killed, was murdered, murder in the cathedral.

[260] That, like so many of the saints, he died because he was unwilling to compromise with the truth for the sake of his position.

[261] and ultimately for the sake of his life.

[262] We need that kind of strong faith in the church and in the world today.

[263] A big amen, amen, amen, I say.

[264] Wow, thank you, Bishop Strickland.

[265] Before we get to the catechism, I have one more tweet, and I really like this, you tweeted this because it was profound.

[266] It said, a thousand times in history, a baby has become a king, but only once has a king become.

[267] a baby.

[268] I thought that way.

[269] I've never seen that before.

[270] That touched me. And I hadn't seen it either and I shared it because I like you said, I think it is profound.

[271] Yeah.

[272] And it's a reminder of the great gift of the incarnation, the son of God coming to us in such profound humility.

[273] Yep.

[274] And profound humility is probably the commodity we need the most in the world today.

[275] It's easy.

[276] It's easy.

[277] for all of us as men or women as human beings, young and old.

[278] Pride and being caught up in our own arrogance is destructive.

[279] We need to have the humility which is rooted in reality.

[280] And Christ, here he is, as that quote says, King of the universe becomes a helpless unborn child and then a born child, and both are completely helpless at the mercy of the world, at the mercy of their parents.

[281] Jesus, I think that tells us so much about how we're called to live, that Jesus chose to truly enter into our humanity as God.

[282] He could have come to us and been a 12 -year -old boy or a 21 -year -old young man, or he could have just come to us as a 30 -year -old ready to begin his public ministry.

[283] But he came to us as one of us, and that's what we celebrate for this octave and for the Christmas season, the reality of the incarnation and the humility of a God who loves us that much.

[284] Well, we're going to get into the catechism, but I want to talk about the St. Philip Institute, because they're the publisher of this catechism we're using the Way of Christ.

[285] And Bishop Strickland, can you give us a plug?

[286] We've got a minute and a half before the break, and we're going to get into this catechism.

[287] Tell us a little bit more about the St. Philip Institute.

[288] Well, Terry, it's an institute here in our diocese that is for catechises and evangelization.

[289] This catechism, the way of Christ that was produced back in 2018 by the Institute, by some great people, great priest, and great faithful Catholics who know their faith and have really condensed it to a great question and answer format that makes it easy.

[290] It's designed for those who are interested in becoming Catholic, but I really recommend this, the way of Christ for every Catholic it's a good review, something to have in your home and to go over it with your children.

[291] If questions come up, you see something on the news, it'd be great for the parents to go to this for a basic answer to a lot of the questions that are out there.

[292] Wonderful, and that's what we're going to talk about, chapter three, creation and fall when we come back from the break.

[293] Also, I want to remind everybody, we're going to talk about evangelization.

[294] and about two weeks we're having a conference Saturday, January 14th, go to vmpr .org to register for the conference.

[295] Johnny Romero, Jesse's brother, he's just like his brother Johnny and Jesse are two peas in a pod, and myself are going to be talking about how to share your faith with anyone.

[296] You can call 877 -526215 under register or go online to vmpr .org.

[297] When we come back, we're going to talk about creation in the fall, the gift of given and loss.

[298] Stay with us, family.

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

[300] Welcome back to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[301] We're now going into the catechism section called Creation and the Fall.

[302] And the catechid, this says out of love, God created all things from nothing.

[303] This is the attributes of God.

[304] And sustains their being, God created man and woman in his image to be in a relationship with.

[305] With him, our first parents turned from God in sin, which has affected all of humanity.

[306] That paragraph, Bishop Strickland, to me, is so important for people to understand original sin, because I think what's happened in our culture, many Catholics haven't gotten even catechized on the fall, and this is so essential to understand how we fell and how were we redeemed.

[307] And I'd like you to comment just on the fact of the idea that about our first parents turned away from God, you know, and Adam and Eve.

[308] And this, as we call it, original saying, can you talk a little bit about that?

[309] Sure.

[310] And as you said, I think it's essential to understanding who we are, you know, understanding everything, what life is about, what the church means.

[311] What's the church for?

[312] if there's no fall you don't need the church um and i think it it really goes to the very root of a lot of our problems because we live in the world today i think that the general human mentality just this beyond religion or but just what what seems to be in the air we breathe is that this world is what we're all about.

[313] This world needs to be perfected into this utopia.

[314] And I think that mentality really affects people of faith, people of no faith.

[315] It affects all of on.

[316] You know, I could probably go on forever about this because I think it really is getting to the root of what's wrong.

[317] Yeah.

[318] And it gets to the root of what was condemned by popes from the early 1900s.

[319] I think it was pious the 9th, maybe the 11th.

[320] I always get those pious mixed up.

[321] Yeah.

[322] But the oath against modern It's in 1907.

[323] And speaking about modernism, the whole, we've never really, as far as I understand, and I'm no great scholars, so I can easily be corrected.

[324] But modernism is like the heresy of today.

[325] Amen.

[326] I don't know that it's ever been declared officially to be a heresy.

[327] But the idea that, and really underlying modernism is that, we'll make heaven right here.

[328] Yeah.

[329] Thanks, God.

[330] If you believe in God, it's almost like saying, God, we got this.

[331] We'll create our own heaven.

[332] Or too many don't believe in God.

[333] And so this is all there is, and they're going to perfect this world as, of course, one of the many, many, many fallacies in that is what's your idea of perfection?

[334] And it becomes a human feeling -based arbitrary relativism that is destroying us.

[335] Because your idea of heaven and my idea of heaven, if it's not rooted in the word of God and what God is revealed to us, it can get us off into crazy tangents.

[336] And that's where we are.

[337] Because too many people have no idea of what God's created.

[338] heaven really is about.

[339] And so getting into this, the creation and the fall, it gets to the very heart of what's wrong in the world.

[340] And what we're seeing lived out, what occurs to me is, as we talk about Adam and Eve and the first fall, original sin, original sin is probably been duplicated more than anything else in the universe, because every one of us adds our own sins.

[341] And really, the basic original sin is repeated over and over again.

[342] Adam and Eve were given free will.

[343] They were instructed by God how to avoid sin, and they use that free will to choose sin.

[344] that tragedy gets played out in each of our lives to some degree, but what is our journey?

[345] What is our vocation from our baptism to constantly turn from sin and live the call of grace, to return to God's original plan for creation to flourish in his life and goodness?

[346] That's our mission.

[347] I love it.

[348] And probably both of us.

[349] have heartaches in our own families and certainly in our circle of friends of people that have by their own free will made the choices that destroy their lives, sometimes literally in this world and too often literally for the world of heaven, the everlasting life that God offers us.

[350] we have the free will and the freedom to do that, and it happens over and over again.

[351] But thankfully, in God's mercy, as long as we're breathing, as long as we have another choice to make, we have the opportunity to say, Father, forgive me, I have sinned.

[352] Lord have mercy.

[353] Amen.

[354] And that, it's interesting, because I know.

[355] know as people of faith, like you and I, and so many people listening, we just don't live in a world that really supports our perspective as it needs to be supported.

[356] And we need to always be looking at everything that goes on around us through the lens of faith.

[357] That is what the catechism is talking about.

[358] This idea of creation as God's plan and the fall that distorts it by sin.

[359] What I'm thinking of, you know, I'm pretty much a regular guy.

[360] I enjoy the, you know, the James Bond movies and some of those things.

[361] Sometimes they get a little risque, but really James Bond is pretty mild compared to some of the things you could watch these days.

[362] Amen.

[363] But one thing that occurs to me, I mean, you know, the body count in some of those movies is extreme.

[364] And, you know, as a bishop, as a man of faith, I need to ask myself, is this appropriate to even be watching?

[365] Right.

[366] Because, and certainly, there are elements of it that are not appropriate because, but what strikes me, and we can always, even, you know, I'm a sinner, I need to constantly seek a more sanctified life.

[367] But even as we're seeking that, we can learn and we can make the judgments that we need to make.

[368] And what occurs to me in a lot of these movies that where people die, you know, the body count can be extreme, they're never, you don't hear them saying, God, forgive me. I mean, you don't, that's never in the script.

[369] They may use, be using some expletives or they may be telling their friend that's still alive, go and get them and blank, blank, blank, blank.

[370] Yeah.

[371] But we as people of faith need to remember, of course, these are just movies.

[372] This is just Hollywood.

[373] But it does have an effect on us and especially on our children.

[374] We need to, if they're going to see something like this, and they will, you know, we can't shield them from everything, but let's give them the tools to make the moral judgment.

[375] that need to be made.

[376] When this person is at the point of death, they need to be repenting of their sin and saying, Lord, have mercy.

[377] And there are, you know, there's some movies where you'll see that.

[378] But most of the time, the life is being obliterated just as part of the show.

[379] And I think it's just something worth acknowledging that we need to remember going back again to the sanctity of life.

[380] And ask ourselves, how can we live differently?

[381] How can we live respecting every life?

[382] And it really comes down to this part of the catechism, which I haven't given us a chance to really even get into very much.

[383] But that first paragraph reminds us, what is God's plan?

[384] Yeah.

[385] Love and goodness and life and flourishing.

[386] That's God's plan.

[387] We mess it up.

[388] I mess it up when we sin.

[389] Adam and Eve mess it up when they sin and we divert from God's plan, always thinking we have a better idea when really our idea is always going to be diminished if we divert from the plan of God.

[390] You know, Bishop Strickland, at the end of the year, and it seems like this would be a good opportunity to talk about some goals, some New Year's resolutions for my heart.

[391] soul because as Bishop Sheen says, if souls are saved, everything is saved.

[392] If souls aren't saved, nothing is saved.

[393] I would think our love for Jesus Christ and the Holy Eucharist could be a great thing to build for the New Year and also our love for the Blessed Mother.

[394] What are your thoughts about giving us some advice for the New Year to get closer to Christ?

[395] Absolutely.

[396] With the New Year's resolutions that people will be talking about, we need to resolve and what comes to mind as you asked that question, Terry.

[397] We've all been encouraged to consecrate ourselves to the sacred heart of Jesus through the Immaculate Heart Mary.

[398] Yes.

[399] If we've done that wonderful, I'm not living it perfectly.

[400] Probably none of us can claim that we are, but return to that.

[401] Reconsecrate yourself to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

[402] That's really the greatest New Year's resolution that any of us could make.

[403] Amen.

[404] Because if we're doing that, and the more that you and I are authentically living that consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the more alive we are, the more blessed we are, the more we're turning from sin and living grace, the more we are true.

[405] sons of God.

[406] And so for every son and daughter of God to renew that consecration to the sacred heart of Jesus in the Immaculate Heart of Mary, that's the best New Year's resolution we could make.

[407] Amen.

[408] How about a blessing, Fisher Strickland, please.

[409] Almighty God, we ask your blessing for all listening to our ladies power hour that it may be a place to strengthen us, to guide us in the virgin most powerful, help us grow in your loving grace.

[410] Thank you for Father, the son of the Holy Spirit.

[411] Thanks again for listening to the Bishop Strickland.

[412] I remember their podcasts on VMPR .org.

[413] Matter of fact, all the podcasts are there.

[414] Remember our Lady of Fatimus said, souls are going to hell because no one is there to pray and make sacrifices?

[415] Let's be part of team Jesus to make those sacrifices for the salvation of souls.

[416] May God bless you.

[417] We'll see you next year.

[418] I'd love you.