08 Feb 22 – Defending Lay Groups Calling for Fidelity in the Church

[0] Welcome to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[1] I am your host, Terry Barber.

[2] Bishop Strickland, thanks for joining us for another hour.

[3] Thanks, Terry.

[4] Bishop Strickland, I think of a call that you and I and others are called as Christians to do.

[5] Even you're the bishop, I'm just a layman, but I really do believe that we are here to make the comfortable, uncomfortable, and the uncomfortable with the gospel, both ways.

[6] And what are we mean by that?

[7] well, you know, the gospel for a lot of people, it's uncomfortable if you're not living that way and you should be because you're going to make them feel like, you know, guilty.

[8] And then Catholic guilt is good.

[9] So what we do here, folks, and for many of you are brand new listeners from the Spiritual Warfare Conference.

[10] You downloaded our app and you're listening.

[11] I want to welcome you.

[12] Bishop Strickland once a week talks on the catechism of the Catholic Church and his tweets.

[13] And you can listen to all these podcasts.

[14] They're on Virgin Most Powerful Radio.

[15] So I want to start with a couple tweets that he gave this past week and then let him give some commentary on it.

[16] I love it when you quote Scripture, because we need to be high information Catholics, and Scripture is a great source for that.

[17] That's why I want to encourage the church, even encourages you to read Scripture every day.

[18] All right, here's the quote that you have from St. Timothy and Titus, who are bishops, and it's taken from the second book of Timothy, chapter 1, 7, and 8.

[19] So God did not give us a spirit of cowardness, but rather of power and love and self -control.

[20] So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord, but bear your share of hardship for the gospel with the strength that comes from God.

[21] The word of the Lord.

[22] to God.

[23] Bishop Strickland, that's a great quote from the Bible.

[24] I know you put your quote here, said, whoever follows me does not walk in dark, he will have the light of life.

[25] These are beautiful words of Jesus from the daytime prayer of the bravery.

[26] There is much darkness in our world, but let us choose to follow Jesus and walk in his wondrous light.

[27] We need to hear more of that, Bishop Strickland.

[28] Well, I agree.

[29] And that part about cowardice.

[30] Yeah.

[31] Christ was a brave man. Of course, he's the son of God also.

[32] But laying aside his divinity and becoming one of us and living with us, his bravery is really throughout his life.

[33] And he's the model for us.

[34] The apostles, they were strong, brave men.

[35] Yes.

[36] It reminds me of a story that we were talking about.

[37] I don't think it's written anywhere, but a personal story that was shared with me about Archbishop Sheen.

[38] Oh, yeah.

[39] And I think it was in 1976, this young man was serving Mass. And Archbishop Sheen, somebody came in and they'd written a book.

[40] I forget exactly the topic.

[41] But it was basically saying, how do we reconcile the Catholic faith with, you know, some new age religion or whatever it was?

[42] something that was corrupting the faith in the good Archbishop's opinion.

[43] And he really surprised this young man because he was so, so elegant and so proper and just a wonderful man when he was on television and in everything he did.

[44] He was classy.

[45] But it surprised this.

[46] I think this young man was about 14 when this happened.

[47] and he said that Archbishop Sheen just looked at this person that was presenting this book that was like comparing Catholicism to some, you know, that new age probably didn't exist then, but something like that.

[48] Right.

[49] And he said, get out of here!

[50] I mean, he yelled, and he sort of startled this server, but that's what we need.

[51] All of us, all the baptines, and deacons, priests, and bishops, We need that fire in the belly.

[52] We can't be, have a cowardly quiet approach.

[53] And, you know, I'm a quiet guy.

[54] People probably say, ah, Bishop Strickland, but I mean, they say all kinds of things.

[55] And it's like, they're talking about me. But when it comes to the message of the gospel, I do have that fire in the belly because I love the Lord and I love the church he's established and I will die for him.

[56] I really will.

[57] That's what the early church, the whole early church had that fire in the belly.

[58] And many people have it now.

[59] But with all the controversy, certainly in the church, there's a lot of confusion.

[60] There's a lot of controversy.

[61] There's a lot of controversy.

[62] There really should be no controversy in the church.

[63] It's really very clear.

[64] Go to the catechism, go to the word of God, go to the deposit of faith.

[65] And if it's contrary, what's happening or what is being said, how a situation is being handled.

[66] If it's contrary to the deposit of faith, we need to be like Archbishop Sheen.

[67] We need to yell.

[68] We need to be vigorous and say, get out of here.

[69] No. Yes, with kindness.

[70] I mean, as you always say, charity with clarity.

[71] Absolutely.

[72] But the greatest charity is the truth.

[73] I think very often people, these days, I mean, what media can you trust, whether in the church or in secular, in just public media?

[74] There's so much misinformation.

[75] And the darts get thrown back and forth with, oh, that's misinformation.

[76] And then you find out, well, that's really the truth.

[77] And then somebody else calls the truth misinformation.

[78] It's hard to know.

[79] People desperately need clarity with charity.

[80] They need the truth.

[81] And I really, I'm just one bishop.

[82] But I feel challenged to really take, especially, you know, I'm very troubled about some of the things going on in the nation and in the world.

[83] Of course.

[84] But, you know, we certainly pray.

[85] We try to vote.

[86] We try to vote responsibly.

[87] but a lot of that is really very much out of my control.

[88] There's not much in my control, but when it comes to the truth of the gospel, it's not just in my control, but it's my responsibility to authentically represent the teachings of Jesus Christ.

[89] You have groups in Catholic media, and it's hard to know what the truth is.

[90] I mean, opposing sides that can say very different things.

[91] We need the truth.

[92] All of us need that clarity.

[93] Church militant is often accused of creating division in the church.

[94] It's not.

[95] I know you've been accused of creating division in the church.

[96] What creates division is a lack of the truth, a lack of the deposit of faith, and a lack of clarity of what does Jesus Christ say?

[97] What does the gospel say?

[98] The deposit of faith, as we've talked about those paragraphs about public revelation, it doesn't change.

[99] It is the solid bedrock of truth that is Jesus Christ in person, and it's the bedrock of truth that guides the church.

[100] It's the touchstone we keep going back to.

[101] As I've said before, if I say something or do something that's contrary to the catechism, me too.

[102] Compare it to the catechism and say, Bishop Strickland, straighten up.

[103] You're off, off track.

[104] Amen.

[105] Church militant is often talking about priests and bishops and making some very serious accusations.

[106] Those need to be answered.

[107] If church militant is saying things that aren't true, that needs to be called out.

[108] That needs to be corrected.

[109] They need to demand an apology for something that is said that isn't true, or they need to deal with it.

[110] But we need the truth.

[111] We need to vigorously call for the truth in our society, really across the board, the truth from corporations and who they're dealing with.

[112] I mean, to me, it's despicable that some of the corporations are selling out.

[113] to China because that's where the big bucks are.

[114] Amen.

[115] But if they're caused to do unethical things or just turn a blind eye to people being treated in unethical ways, the businesses need to tell us the truth.

[116] The church needs to tell us the truth.

[117] Absolutely.

[118] The Lord Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior.

[119] He's the heart of the church.

[120] We've got to.

[121] to share his truth.

[122] And so whatever the media outlet, I know you're in media.

[123] And I know you, Terry, I know that you're not going to say something that you don't know is true.

[124] You'll say it even if people don't like it, if you know it's true.

[125] And that's what we have to do.

[126] I'm just one bishop.

[127] And certainly, I'm a sinner and I need to constantly seek to reform my life.

[128] We all need to do that.

[129] but we need the truth to be able to make the decisions we have to make.

[130] And I think people need to be like Archbishop Sheen and be a mighty roar of saying, tell us the truth.

[131] Church, tell us the truth.

[132] Government, tell us the truth.

[133] Business, tell us the truth.

[134] I'm tired of the confusion.

[135] I'm tired.

[136] And I know many people are.

[137] And it harms people.

[138] I just went, I'm sorry, I'm just going on.

[139] Keep going.

[140] I'm saying a big game.

[141] You're inspiring us little guys like me. When you hear a bishop speak like you're speaking, Bishop Strickland, it says to me, hey, wait a minute, maybe I'm not crazy.

[142] Well, I went and visited in South Louisiana, a great apostle, a great ministry that is trying to help young girls, very young girls that are caught up in trafficking.

[143] Oh, we need to get that truth out.

[144] need to tell people the horrible things that are happening.

[145] Bishop Strickland, let me interrupt you.

[146] Bring the light of Christ.

[147] I want you to tell us on the other side of this break about that organization because I want people to support it.

[148] You're listening to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[149] We're going to come right back.

[150] I'm fired up.

[151] The bishop's fired up.

[152] And I know you're fired up about the gospel.

[153] You wouldn't be listening.

[154] Stay with us, family.

[155] Welcome back to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[156] I'm Terry Barber.

[157] Bishop Strickland was talking about a wonderful organization in Louisiana that helps stop the trafficking of young women.

[158] And if you still have the information, I like our people to know who to support the good guys that are doing great work for the church.

[159] So, Bishop, can you finish your story?

[160] Because this is, and let me just, let me preface this.

[161] I just met at the conference, one of an FBI agent who was like a head of a whole department on the West Coast.

[162] And he told me when he started, the trafficking of young people.

[163] people wasn't even on their rating system one to six and it has become number one right now to deal with in our country that's sick so i want to give a plug to this organization if you know they contact information sure tell the rest of the story though well it's uh the the organization it's a a shelter basically for trafficked young girls awesome sadly very young even younger than 10 years old sometimes, that are in the system.

[164] And this is a ministry of Father Jeff Behi.

[165] I'm not sure how it pronounce his name.

[166] B -A -Y -H -I.

[167] He's a priest of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, doing a beautiful ministry.

[168] There are five sisters that work there.

[169] Awesome.

[170] And it's called Metanoia.

[171] And it's near We're a town called Zachary, Louisiana, just a small town there in the Diocese of Baton Rouge.

[172] But it's just one of those things that where, sadly, I mean, tragically, Father Jeff told us that some of these girls are put into trafficking by their own parents.

[173] Oh, no. because of desperate situations where maybe it's mom by herself or just need the money or whatever.

[174] But it's just, it's very tragic.

[175] It's just another element of the breakdown of family and the breakdown of truth in our society.

[176] The value of these young women or young girls, I mean, they're not women yet.

[177] But they are precious before God.

[178] Terry, it is connected to when you deny the value of unborn children, that's part of what results.

[179] People are treated as a commodity for the pleasure of others.

[180] It is just, talk about diabolical.

[181] It is evil.

[182] But this priest and these wonderful nuns are doing beautiful work trying to help these girls to get on the path that God has for them.

[183] But this is another area.

[184] where we need to get accurate information, the politics gets involved, and people try to deny these kind of things.

[185] And there are just so many issues that go into it.

[186] And it's overwhelming.

[187] It's overwhelming for all of us.

[188] But we need to know the truth of what's going on in our world, and we need to do everything we can to address the suffering people.

[189] And the truth is what sets us free.

[190] All the corruption that sadly even invades the church.

[191] When we deny the truth of Jesus Christ, when it's a false gospel, when it's a message that may make people much happier to hear, oh, that's not a sin anymore.

[192] We've changed things or it needs to change.

[193] That's just not the truth.

[194] And it results in the suffering of people.

[195] That is, I know that the Lord weeps.

[196] to see the people that are suffering in the world in so many different ways.

[197] Christ is about sharing the light of truth, which brings joy and peace and fulfillment in our lives.

[198] So we've got to be stronger in calling for truth in all this confusion.

[199] I mean, the government, and I don't want to pick on any individual politician at this point.

[200] I mean, I could pick on a lot of them.

[201] But just the whole situation, the corruption, the confusion, the double speak that we've just got to demand what is the truth.

[202] I mean, the things going on at the Texas border, it's horrible what we're seeing.

[203] And much of the mainstream media is not even reporting on it.

[204] But when you see a video of people being let off a plane somewhere in the north or somewhere in one of our large cities, really, across the country, these are people, these are children of God.

[205] And the way things are being treated, we're just not getting the truth.

[206] We're not getting the answers that we need in order to make the right decisions.

[207] It's all caught up in politics.

[208] It's all caught up in protecting this group or that group.

[209] We need the truth.

[210] And sadly, the same thing happens in the church.

[211] We need to have the truth.

[212] And any organization that is putting out something that's false, they need to be called on it.

[213] We're too complacent.

[214] We just let people say things.

[215] If it's not true, it doesn't need to be said.

[216] And it needs to be counteracted with the truth.

[217] I just, it gets very frustrating.

[218] Oh, yeah.

[219] And it's, it's very, I guess that part of what really has made me so adamant today is seeing these children, these young girls suffering.

[220] It's seeing so much of that going on in the life of our society.

[221] And we've got to have the truth in order to overcome some of these things.

[222] Jesus Christ is the truth.

[223] Evil is real.

[224] And we can't pretend that things aren't sinful.

[225] the sins that are caught up in the whole trafficking situation, I mean, sometimes you hear, oh, the sins below the belt, they're not that big a deal.

[226] Tell these young girls, tell the young girls that have been literally abused and their lives being destroyed before their eyes.

[227] Tell them that sins below the belt are just not that big a deal.

[228] We make too much about them.

[229] Any sin that harms another child of God needs to be dealt with honestly and seriously.

[230] And, you know, for all men and women are called to live chased lives from the gospel.

[231] That's part of what the deposit of faith teaches us.

[232] And to say that, oh, well, this category doesn't have to be chased.

[233] And we don't really worry about that category.

[234] It's harmful to the people of God.

[235] And we need to demand truth be told.

[236] And when it is mortal sin of whatever kind, you can know that it is harming the people of God.

[237] It's harming families.

[238] It's harming individuals.

[239] It's harming society.

[240] And we've got to call it out and say, no, just like Archbishop Sheehan.

[241] Bishop Strickland, you are speaking like a prophet that the Bible speaks about.

[242] And also, you know, we talk about sins of omission.

[243] It seems to me that Pope, I should say, St. Pope Felix III and 475 said something about error and having us, we have to respond to it.

[244] He said, not to oppose error is to approve it.

[245] And not to defend the truth is to suppress it.

[246] And indeed, to neglect the confound evil men when we can do it is no less the same.

[247] sin than to encourage them.

[248] So here's what I want to throw at you.

[249] I got two articles.

[250] You've been speaking up lately more and more, this last couple years, more and more, some of the media is, you know, they're accusing you of things that are just vicious, okay?

[251] I mean, I see the tweets and all that, people, you know, using language like that, but we're talking about Catholic periodicals.

[252] On one side, we got Crisis Magazine, who I'm a subscriber to, and I read all their articles, and I noticed that they put a whole article out defending a tweet that you put out about the Pope and about your authority and where it comes from, and it was just like people were upset that you would make these statements, but it indicated how lack of knowledge the people have of their fundamental teachings of the church, and that article really just articulated that point that you were making that, hey, wait a minute, the bishop is not saying anything new.

[253] This has always been the teaching.

[254] Do you want to share anything?

[255] I mean, it was last week when you mentioned this.

[256] Yeah.

[257] Thanks, Terry.

[258] And really, as I've said so often, and I know you say as well, the greatest charity is the truth.

[259] And the greatest support for Pope Francis, he's the Pope.

[260] He's the Holy Father.

[261] He needs respect.

[262] He needs support.

[263] In our prayers, yes.

[264] I believe the greatest support is to help clarify what the catechism says, what the church says.

[265] He has an absolutely critical role in the world and in the church today.

[266] But all of us, he's Bishop of Rome.

[267] That's why he's the Pope and that we owe him as a person in that position respect, absolutely.

[268] But the greatest respect is to proclaim the truth of Christ.

[269] And I know that Pope Francis would agree with that.

[270] The greatest way to respect any Pope, Pope Francis, Pope Benedict, Pope John Paul II, Paul the 6th, those are the popes that have been alive in my lifetime of 63 years, except John Paul I first, he was there for a month.

[271] They deserve our respect and our support.

[272] And the greatest support is to support them in the truth that Christ proclaims.

[273] Amen.

[274] We have to be clear and we have to be strong and joyful and charitable, but the greatest charity is the truth.

[275] Pope, I mean, in one of the articles said, oh, in history, this doesn't, hasn't happened.

[276] And I mean, that doesn't make sense.

[277] We absolutely, yes, there's great authority and great respect for the Pope.

[278] But each bishop has tremendous, I mean, that's what gets me fired up is, and that's what makes me speak up.

[279] Yeah, I get in trouble for it sometimes, but lots of bishops through the ages have been in trouble with various groups for speaking the truth of Christ.

[280] Again, if I'm not speaking the truth of Christ, then get after me and tell me to correct my statements.

[281] But if it's the truth of Christ, then I must say it.

[282] I must speak up.

[283] And that's the greatest way that we can support the Bishop of Rome is each bishop speaking up for his flock and telling the people what Jesus Christ has taught us, the deposit of faith.

[284] Amen.

[285] And the confusion, I mean, as that article, one of the articles that I read, and I'm surprised to see some of these things, but it talked about people don't know their faith.

[286] They don't know the role of a bishop.

[287] It is different than the role of the Pope, and we need both, but people don't understand.

[288] and we need to correct that catechises.

[289] That's why we talk about the catechism.

[290] It talks about everything that is the beautiful structure and teaching of the church.

[291] That's what sets us free.

[292] Wow, wow, and wow.

[293] Bishop Strickland, when we come back from the break, I call it the National Catholic Distorter.

[294] I'm sorry, because it's called a reporter, but it's all about dissent.

[295] They have a big article today about you, and all because of one of the parts is about Father Anthony Buss, who you've already supported in his letter to the Cardinal.

[296] And it was nothing more than saying, hey, I happen to, what's going on here?

[297] So let's talk a little bit more about speaking the truth and the price you're paying for that.

[298] Stay with us, family.

[299] Welcome back to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[300] Yes, we're fired up about what?

[301] The truth about Jesus Christ and his business.

[302] bride the church because as Bishop Strickland said it's the true it's the truth is what sets us free I constantly say this to Bishop Strickland I don't want your personal opinion I'm a layman I want to know what Holy Mother the church has taught on this topic so I can get it right from Holy Mother the church and not have these personal opinions because it really doesn't matter what you personally think or I think I could care less about my own opinion I want to know what the deposit of faith has been teaching.

[303] Bishop Strickland, last thing I want to just throw out, and that is, it just seems that every time you stand up for an injustice that's being done, whether it's a priest, I know these priests who go, wow, Bishop Strickland, man, I cried when I saw that you tweeted and you said you supported what I'm doing, and all I'm doing is proclaiming the teachings of the church.

[304] Now, we talked about this priest, Father Anthony Buss, a priest in Chicago.

[305] who got in trouble for writing, I thought, a really heartwarming letter to his, I guess it's the auxiliary bishop, just saying, look, I'm tired of this baloney that's going on.

[306] Can't we get it straight?

[307] So I wanted to just take a minute because I'm shocked that they spent 10 pages in the National Catholic.

[308] I call it, it's called a National Catholic reporter, but I had been reading it for 40 years since the 70s.

[309] And I look at it and I go, it seems like they're constantly wanting to change the church.

[310] So I call it the National Catholic Dissenter, a distortor.

[311] But Bishop Strickland, can you tell me?

[312] Sir.

[313] Hang on one second.

[314] I'm going to ask the bishop to tell me why these folks are making such a big deal about you defending a priest with just, he says nothing but the truth about how he's trying to live out his priesthood with the perennial teachings of the church.

[315] I want to hear your defense of why you did that.

[316] Well, it just, I was troubled to see a priest in that situation.

[317] I have to acknowledge that I don't know the details.

[318] Right.

[319] All the details, sure.

[320] But the priest certainly need our support and the bishops.

[321] So it's just a delicate situation.

[322] That's, to me, really, Terry, it goes back to we need information.

[323] Certainly, things can be private and confidential.

[324] Sure.

[325] But as much information as we can have, because frankly, it's hard for any of us as bishops to deal with situations.

[326] And when we simply say, just trust us, people are very slow to do that after all that we've gone through.

[327] So talking about, like we were talking about before, the role of the bishop, certainly, I have no authority and no right to question the action of another bishop.

[328] But we need more information.

[329] And we need, I mean, in this information age, I think what I believe we have to recognize is that we have to share as much.

[330] as we can to explain the situation.

[331] Right.

[332] And certainly, I recognize that probably tweeting about some of these things, it really probably isn't the best venue to get to the right information, but that's where we are.

[333] I think that I want to support Christ and his church and all the bishops that are there serving the truth that he proclaims, we've just got to be clear.

[334] And if we stay with Christ, if we stay with that message, then that will help to clarify a lot.

[335] And that's, you know, I think that's very important for us to be very clear about that.

[336] I recognize that, you know, every bishop has to deal with situations that are difficult and are delicate at times, but the more we can share at least the basic information, I think it's helpful to everyone.

[337] It's helpful to the bishop.

[338] It's helpful to the individual priest.

[339] We're all children of God.

[340] And we've got to really recognize that and have respect for each other.

[341] And, and respect the truth.

[342] Amen.

[343] And respect the truth that needs to be out there as much as possible so that some of these things that get hit the airwaves, if it's not the truth, it needs to be addressed.

[344] I agree.

[345] And, you know, you quoted St. Thomas Aquinas, Don Bosco here on some powerful statements that basically, I think, support your position to sharing the truth.

[346] He says, this is St. Thomas Aquinas, you tweeted.

[347] Hold firmly that our faith is identical with that of the ancients.

[348] Deny this and you dissolve the unity of the church.

[349] Now, Bishop Strickland, I read that and I said, that's where we're at right now.

[350] We need to go back to the perennial teachings of the church and not try to change these teachings because it is dissolving the unity of the church.

[351] If we don't believe in one holy Catholic and apostolic church of teachings, then we dissolve that unity.

[352] So I just want to ask, what made you tweet St. Thomas Aquinas' quote here?

[353] Well, you basically already said, Terry, because he's speaking truth.

[354] And I thought St. John Bosco's quote was.

[355] I mean, he was a wonderful man who helped young men and then young women to really know Christ and to follow a good path in life, sometimes troubled, sometimes in great poverty.

[356] St. John Bosco is a great example of what we need to do.

[357] And he called young people to the truth.

[358] What St. John Bosco would do was encourage, starting with the young men that he worked with, to go to confession frequently and to receive the Eucharist, the body of Christ, the body and blood, soul, and divinity frequently.

[359] The greatest strength that we can have flows from the grace of the sacraments.

[360] So St. John Bosco is a saint because of what he did for youth in his time, helping them to know the path that sets them free.

[361] We're all sinners.

[362] We need to acknowledge the sin to grow in virtue and to tell people, oh, that's not a sin anymore.

[363] or we've decided that that part of the Bible was misinterpreted.

[364] It's just not our faith in it.

[365] That's what creates the division.

[366] When I'm accused of causing division or any group is accused of causing division, then if they're saying something that isn't true, absolutely, that contributes to the division.

[367] Christ is our only source of lasting and real unity.

[368] If it's not built on Christ, it may look like unity for a while, but it's not going to last, and it's not going to create real unity because he's one body, and he's the only hope for unity that we have.

[369] He prayed that we might be one, and sadly, we seem to just splinter more and more in disunity.

[370] Well, I've got two quotes you printed out for tweets on Don Bosco.

[371] One of them knocked me off my chair, and Jesse and I used it today on our Terry and Jesse show.

[372] He quotes, The power of evil man lives on, the cowardness of the good.

[373] Now, Bishop Strickland, I don't, that's why I think people are a coward to speak up.

[374] I know that sounds hard to hear it in your ears, but, you know, it's easy.

[375] we don't want to get involved i don't want to you know maybe they don't like me if i tell them the truth so i would rather be quiet well don bosco says the power of evil man lives on the cowardness of good tell me what did that hit you being well absolutely that's why i shared it because we need to wake up to that reality and if if i'm too weak to speak the truth yeah then i'm contributing to the evil.

[376] Exactly.

[377] This priest, the Father Jeff that I mentioned with the human trafficking, trying to help these young girls, he said that he's used the word evil more in the past couple of years than ever before.

[378] Oh, yeah.

[379] Because we're seeing evil.

[380] We're seeing people being harmed by evil that is real.

[381] Yeah.

[382] Certainly, as Christ promised, the gates of hell will not prevail.

[383] But as Father Jeff pointed out, and I'm sure if we really think about what Christ says, we need to be on the offensive.

[384] We need to be going forward like with the zeal of Archbishop Sheen saying no to the evil.

[385] The gates of hell need to be bulldozed and the light of Christ brought into all that is evil.

[386] We tend to be too passive, and that passivity is used by evil forces to undermine the truth and to harm people.

[387] There's tremendous harm that comes from allowing evil just passively to have its day.

[388] We've got to speak up for the sake of the children, unborn and born.

[389] Well, Seth, and you know, we just had a spiritual warfare conference with Father Chad Ripper, and he is wanting to come on your show, the Bishop Strickland Hour, and I'm hoping you can acquiesce to that sometime.

[390] We'd have him talk on spiritual warfare, because this is really what it's all about.

[391] Here's what St. Dom John Bosco said.

[392] There are two things that the devil is deadly afraid of, what, a fervent communions and frequent visits to the Blessed Sacrament.

[393] Bishop Strickland, you've been saying that ever since we started this show.

[394] you've got to have the mass you're promoting a new book from Tan on the Mass you're telling people visit Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament you're telling people to get to Holy Communion as far as possible it seems that everything you're saying is either in the scriptures or saints are encouraging it over the centuries Well I hope so Well that's it what you're doing This isn't you Then they can tell me to be quiet If it's not about the saints It's not about the deposit of faith, not about sacred scripture, the catechism.

[395] It's a font of glorious truth and the joy that flows from it.

[396] We need to share that joy and that hope.

[397] People are hopeless.

[398] I mean, it's so sad.

[399] Just today I heard of another suicide of an older woman who just said she ended her life because she was too much of a burden for her family.

[400] That is tragic.

[401] That is false and evil.

[402] Amen.

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

[404] Stay with us, family.

[405] We'll be right back.

[406] Welcome back to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[407] I'm tempted to continue to talk about how to fire people up with their faith.

[408] But earlier in the show, Bishop Strickland talked about lack of knowledge of the faith.

[409] And, you know, Bishop, I don't know of another bishop in the country that takes this catechism of the Catholic Church once a week and opens it up.

[410] and has it read, and we talk about different aspects of the faith.

[411] So I'd like to ask everybody to open up their catechism to paragraph 290.

[412] Now, this is about the creation and the works of the Holy Trinity, paragraph 290.

[413] And why do we want to read this?

[414] I'll tell you why.

[415] We need to know the fundamentals of the faith.

[416] We keep saying that.

[417] But like the attributes of God, who God is, we need to have that personal relationship.

[418] with Jesus Christ.

[419] Without that, we have nothing.

[420] And I mean, there's nothing more personal than receiving the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus and Holy Communion.

[421] But if we don't understand the Old Testament, we miss so much of the New Testament.

[422] That's what Dr. Hahn taught me years and years ago.

[423] So let me read paragraph 290 and have the bishop talk about that.

[424] In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

[425] Three things are affirmed in these first words of scripture the eternal God gave a beginning to all that exist outside of himself oh boy he alone is creator you know the verb create okay so it's always has God for its subject totally of what exists expressed by this formula heavens in the earth depends on the one who gives it being Now, there's more to this next paragraph, but this is like setting the stage of where it all comes from.

[426] This is the question that people ask.

[427] How did it happen?

[428] But go ahead, Bishop.

[429] I'm all ears.

[430] Well, what I think this beautifully points out is something that we really need to remember very profoundly.

[431] Yeah.

[432] We use the word create a lot.

[433] Yeah.

[434] But as this points out, in the Hebrew context, That's true.

[435] Barra.

[436] Barra, yeah.

[437] It always has God as its subject.

[438] And in English, that's certainly not the case.

[439] But we need to remember that in a very real sense, everything that is created comes from God.

[440] And people, you know, I've said this to young people a lot of times in classes, and they say, well, what about the bad stuff?

[441] Certainly, there is concupiscence.

[442] There is a distort.

[443] that sin brings to the world, but everything that is created really does come from God.

[444] Yes, it can be distorted later, but it really is of God.

[445] And I think the main point that I'm reminded of as we read this, when we create something, you can always trace it back to God, because where did we come from?

[446] And where did the raw material come from?

[447] I'll share a funny little story that a bishop, Edmund Carmody, that was Bishop of Tyler when I was a younger priest, he was the second Bishop of Tyler beginning in 1992.

[448] So that's several years ago.

[449] But he used to love to tell a story that we probably all heard before.

[450] But with his Irish accent, he always did a great job telling stories.

[451] But he said, all the scientists of the world decided to get together and say, we don't need you, God, we don't need you anymore.

[452] We've done it all.

[453] We can recreate everything.

[454] And so they go to the seashore and they're going to start creating.

[455] And so the scientists get together and they decide, okay, let's create some animal or whatever they're going to do.

[456] And they start to gather.

[457] some sand and the way you're smiling you've probably heard it before I love this story and so the scientists start to gather the sand to start their creation and God says uh -uh -uh -ah get your own sand and that is a it's a little story that really makes a very important point I mean this technology we're using right now.

[458] Some sort of video screen and the electronics and all of it.

[459] Yeah, I mean, you could say manufactured in whatever country by whatever company.

[460] But the raw materials came from the earth, came from God originally, and the human ingenuity that designed it and made it happen.

[461] Yep.

[462] Came for God.

[463] So we can always trace it back to God.

[464] So I love this, that in Hebrew, Barra always has God as the subject.

[465] We need to remember that.

[466] We have the great blessing and the wondrous ability to be co -creators with God, to take the raw materials.

[467] He's given us and to create new things.

[468] But when some sculptor takes wood and makes a beautiful, piece of furniture.

[469] The wood originally came from God.

[470] Think of Michelangelo, the Pieta, the beautiful sculpture.

[471] And he used to even say, I read about Michelangelo, that he could see the image in, sort of trapped in the stone.

[472] And it was his job to just free it.

[473] All of that is a beautiful reminder.

[474] As beautifully talented as Michelangelo was, it comes from God.

[475] And that's what this paragraph is reminding us, we desperately need to remember that in our world because so many people have turned their backs on God.

[476] And even sadly, within the church, people forget that God is the creator of all.

[477] And divine worship is worship of God.

[478] It has to be theocentric.

[479] It has to be focused on God.

[480] It's not about everybody gathering together, whatever kind of prayer, certainly.

[481] the liturgy of the Mass, but any kind of prayer needs to focus on God.

[482] We come together.

[483] It's a blessing to come together in community, but we need to be turned to God.

[484] We need to be focused on God.

[485] And when we forget that, then things start to crumble.

[486] And that's a lot of the corruption, a lot of what we're seeing in the world today.

[487] People have forgotten to turn to God, to always focus on God.

[488] And when we rise in the morning, some of the beautiful Psalms that we pray are ancient text of praising God for His creation when we first wake up every morning.

[489] That's what we all need to do, whether we actually pray the bravery or not.

[490] We should be praising God in the beauty of His creation.

[491] Our kids here at the students at Bishop Gorman Catholic School here in Tyler, like many schools, this is Catholic Schools Week as we record this.

[492] Many of our schools are doing a great job celebrating Catholic Schools Week.

[493] They had an academic fair.

[494] And there was some great work that the students did as part of their assignment for the academic fair, looking at the beauty of patterns in nature that only God can create and just all those kind of beautiful things.

[495] Just watching a bird is, if we really remember, this bird comes from God.

[496] It's part of his creation.

[497] They can teach us so much about the beauty of life and enjoying life and being at peace and joyful in God's creation.

[498] Wow, well said, boy, that's, you know, it's something about living in the presence of God.

[499] I talk about in life and having that peace of Christ no matter what goes on in the world.

[500] And this is really what we have to offer when it comes to our Catholic faith.

[501] So Bishop Strickland, I appreciate that.

[502] Hey, I wanted to also remind folks that you've got, I think, 20 seminarians that you're forming in your diocese.

[503] and I know you need support to educate them and form them properly.

[504] And I want to just encourage people just to send money to the bishops Strickland's or to the Diocese of Tyler, Texas.

[505] And if you put in there under the tension that this is for the seminary fund, I think that that would be close.

[506] That would probably go to that fund, right?

[507] If they just put that on the check bishop?

[508] Sure.

[509] Okay, let's just do that, folks.

[510] So you know, go online to get that address for the Diocese of Strych.

[511] of Tyler, Texas, and support these young men.

[512] They're going to be serving to church when most of us are gone.

[513] And think about this, having good formation, having a bishop who's willing to not compromise when it comes to his young men being formed is huge because we need good and holy priests.

[514] Bishop Strickland, we're going to be coming, and we only have a couple minutes left.

[515] I know Lent is coming.

[516] We're going to be preparing for that.

[517] Also, I want to send people to your institute.

[518] love doing that so tell us about the institute sure terry and let me just add to the the question about supporting seminarians absolutely people that are listening encourage them to support their local diocese some we're blessed with we're maxed out with affording the seminarians we have and that's why i'm willing to to encourage people to support us but support your diocese absolutely every bishop needs seminarians, but anyone who, I mean, we need to support the larger church as well.

[519] So I certainly won't turn it down.

[520] No. We have to support, we need to primarily support the priest of the future wherever they are.

[521] We have a number of priests that have grown up here, but they're serving somewhere else.

[522] And that's true for every diocese.

[523] So we support the work of the church.

[524] And that's what the St. Philip Institute is about, helping to form young people so that they can discern a vocation.

[525] Amen.

[526] We're blessed with a young woman leaving from one of our small parishes today, going out to California to start religious life.

[527] We pray that she will continue for the rest of her life.

[528] Maybe she will, maybe she won't.

[529] But it's beautiful that she's a beautiful young woman investing this time now, beginning February 1st, to enter into religious life.

[530] I don't know the name of the community, but I know there are many great religious communities out there in California.

[531] That's where she's headed today.

[532] So we need to support young people and listening to the call of the Lord for priesthood, for religious life, for strong marriages.

[533] As I told our young people today, we had a gathering for Catholic Schools Week at one of our schools.

[534] And I said, from your baptism, you're being called to do a certain work for the Lord.

[535] Some in the church, through ordination, or through vowed consecrated life.

[536] But many through marriage, many in the single life.

[537] But listen and pray that the Lord can help you to know what that call is.

[538] And the St. Philip Institute is there to nurture young people and everyone, families, individuals, old and young, to know the faith more deeply and to celebrate that.

[539] Awesome.

[540] How about a quick blessing, please, Bishop Strickland?

[541] Almighty God, we ask your blessing for everyone listening to this radio program in the name of the Father and of the Son, the Holy Spirit.

[542] Amen.

[543] Thank you very much, Bishop Strickland.

[544] Remember all the other shows are on podcast.

[545] podcast at virgin most powerful radio .org.

[546] May God richly bless you and your family.

[547] We'll see you again next week.