31 May 22 – Thank You, Archbishop Cordileone

[0] Welcome to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[1] My name is Terry Barber.

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

[3] Bishop Strickland, thanks again for joining us for another hour to talk about Jesus Christ and his bride the church.

[4] Thanks, Terry.

[5] Bishop Strickland, I'm fired up today.

[6] I really am because over the weekend on Friday, I think it was, Archbishop Cordillione, it came out as a news breaking news that he is going to bar Nancy Pelosi from receiving Holy communion until she repents of that sin of promoting abortion on demand.

[7] And I noticed that I think there were 13 bishops who came out.

[8] You were one of them who, you know, commended him.

[9] And I love what you said, but I'm going to let you tell you can say it your own way.

[10] But are you as fired up as I am that, I mean, that an archbishop came out as clear as possible to say one of the most public Catholics who says she's a devout Catholic that she may not receive Holy Communion because she's endangering her soul.

[11] And this is really a loving thing the Archbishop did.

[12] But I want to get your take on it as a bishop.

[13] Well, Terry, I'm totally in agreement with what you said.

[14] And I know a lot of people said finally.

[15] And I joined them.

[16] And I thank Archbishop Cordione.

[17] I know he's got tremendous pressures to not do that from within the Catholic community, but I commend him for doing that.

[18] And frankly, Terry, 13 is not even a good start.

[19] It's less than 5%.

[20] Yep.

[21] We should be united.

[22] If we're not united on that issue, they talk so much about, oh, the bishops need, we need unity.

[23] I could use some language that I will choose not to.

[24] Thank you.

[25] But blank Yes, we need unity, but unity starts in Jesus Christ, and if it starts there, then we will be united in all of the basic issues.

[26] And one of the most basic is the sanctity of life, and the most basic issue with the sanctity of life is the sanctity of the unborn.

[27] for all of us in the world, and certainly in the United States, this country where we're still free to speak our conscience.

[28] We have free speech.

[29] It's eroded a bit, but we still have it.

[30] And people tell us to pipe down, but we still have free speech, and we need to speak up.

[31] And it needs to be the vast majority of the bishops in unison.

[32] That's where our unity is.

[33] And if we're not united on that, then we don't need to worry about any other kind of unity.

[34] We may be unified and whatever, but if we're not united on the most basic values of humanity in the life of the unborn as the most threatened and the most desecrated, then all the other unity that we might accomplish or might worry about it really is insignificant.

[35] So I hope and pray we will reach a point where maybe less than a dozen bishops are not speaking up for the sanctity of life.

[36] That's where we need to be, where there are always going to be a few outliers, but instead, the outliers are the ones speaking the truth, and I'll keep speaking it as long as I have the responsibility.

[37] And frankly, even if I didn't have the responsibility of being a bishop, I hope I I would have the responsibility in the guts to be a Catholic man. Yeah.

[38] Men.

[39] I mean, it takes a man and a woman.

[40] I hate to tell people with all the craziness going on, but those children that are aborted are there alive until they're murdered because a man and a woman shared in this in one way or another.

[41] Okay, they said, well, it was just a sperm donation, still took a man for that sperm to be.

[42] be produced.

[43] We can't create sperm in a laboratory.

[44] We can't create the egg in a laboratory.

[45] It takes a man and a woman.

[46] That's the only way it happens.

[47] I mean, yeah, we can manipulate things, but we've got to find a man to donate.

[48] We've got to find a woman to donate.

[49] And therefore, every man, I can't speak for women.

[50] There are plenty of wonderful women like Sister Deirdre out in Washington, D .C., there are plenty of women that speak for the women and the special opportunity and responsibility they have to be guardians of the sanctity of the life of the unborn, because they're the ones that have the burden and the blessing of actually carrying that child in their wound.

[51] The heartbeat of that.

[52] that baby is very close to the heartbeat of that woman.

[53] It's a distinct heartbeat.

[54] It's two different people.

[55] It's not the woman's body.

[56] But we men have to speak up.

[57] I have no children biologically, but I have to speak up for all men.

[58] And we need to be a voice, and the bishops need to be men leading as shepherds and speaking for the sanctity of life.

[59] Until we get there, we might as well just fasten our seatbelts for all the atrocities we're seeing and more.

[60] Because I think there are clear indications.

[61] People have said for many years, how long is God going to be patient with this?

[62] I think we're seeing God at the end of his last nerve.

[63] He is fed up with humanity throwing the most precious.

[64] gift he gives us the life of a new child conceived in the womb of a woman, when we keep throwing that away and literally ripping those children apart.

[65] I was just reading another book just before we started that really slapped me in the face one more time.

[66] Describes a little boy.

[67] I mean, the doctor very callously and very calm said, oh, we got a big boy here as he's ripping it apart.

[68] It's just, it's atrocious.

[69] It's demonic.

[70] And we've got to face the reality of what it is before we all rue the day of what comes.

[71] And Terry, I know we get fired up about this all the time, but we need to be.

[72] Absolutely.

[73] We need to speak about it until it ends.

[74] And the other priest and bishops and laymen and women that are doing great work.

[75] I mean, I think of Lila Rose.

[76] I think of Father Frank Pavone.

[77] I think of wonderful people that have put tremendous energy into this cause of the sanctity of the life of the unborn.

[78] And we've made headway, but not nearly what we need to.

[79] And the Planned Parenthood is still an industry that makes big bucks off of butchering children in the womb.

[80] and then parceling their parts out for profit.

[81] It's got to stop.

[82] And the Roe v. Wade decision looming at the Supreme Court, Archbishop Cordleone's very tough stance to say.

[83] And as I said in my tweet, I thanked him.

[84] And I said, thank you for respecting and loving Nancy Pelosi.

[85] Amen.

[86] Because the greatest love for.

[87] for her.

[88] It's to say, Nancy, grandmother, mother, woman, daughter of God, you better wake up.

[89] She's not a young woman.

[90] And she can't be on this planet that many more years.

[91] She needs to wake up to what she's doing and what she's promoting.

[92] It may bring her great power.

[93] It may bring her great influence in worldly ways.

[94] It may bring her great wealth.

[95] It may bring her great wealth.

[96] but all of that will fall to dust the moment she dies, and she better prepare for that moment.

[97] We all better.

[98] I don't judge her.

[99] I don't know what's in her heart.

[100] I can't.

[101] It's wrong to judge, as the Lord tells us in his word, but we have to make judgments, and she's making the wrong judgments, and thankfully, Archbishop Corleone, who is her bishop, her shepherd, spoke up and said, Nancy, you need to have a come to Jesus moment for you come to communion and receive Jesus again.

[102] And I'm sure, sadly, from what I understand, the Archbishop has tried to speak to her numerous times.

[103] He's done it properly.

[104] And I think he just finally got fed up with it and just said, okay, if you're not going to listen, then I'm going to tell you how it works.

[105] He did the proper thing according to loving her and to standing for what the truth of the church is.

[106] And to speak against the desecration of the Blessed Sacrament, to just dull the body of Christ out to anyone and everyone without any question is wrong on our part as pastors and it's wrong on the part of the recipient to just receive Jesus casually.

[107] it's just it's got to stop i mean there's so many elements of this that are just far from faithfully living our call as disciples of jesus christ well said bishop strickland i'm going to ask you a question on the other side of this break and then basically i as a father see see abortion as uh my responsibility as a father in the family i want to make sure my kids my wife are all on the same page in defending life.

[108] And if they are away from the faith, you know, my sons can correct me. If I'm not living a sacramental life, I want them to correct me. Now, I think the most merciless thing we can do is let someone wallow in their sin.

[109] So if someone is objectively sinning, objectively saying abortion is a good thing, we need to keep illegal and safe and all that, and they're Catholic, and you say nothing?

[110] I want to quote Pope Felix III who says something different about sins of omission.

[111] I'll just do it real quick.

[112] Not to oppose error is to approve it.

[113] Not to defend truth is to suppress it.

[114] And indeed, the neglect to confound evil men when you can do it is no less a sin than to encourage them.

[115] That statement makes me want to speak up because at my judgment seat, when I have my exit interview, I don't want to say, hey, why didn't you say something to that person?

[116] No, we want to tell them the truth.

[117] That's what sets us free.

[118] We'll be back with more on the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[119] Welcome back to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[120] I want to ask the good bishop a question as a layman.

[121] I mentioned the analogy of a father with my own kids that I feel like that God has called me to be the shepherd for my family, and I have to stand up to any issue that comes that might rob them, and especially the salvation of their soul.

[122] Bishop Strickland, as a shepherd in your diocese, am I off on this?

[123] Or do you feel like you have an obligation as a shepherd to speak to your flock, especially on moral issues so that they don't have any ambiguity to believe that maybe that's not what we teach?

[124] But my question to you is, how is it that you as a bishop, you know, I want to understand the responsibilities.

[125] Maybe I'm exaggerating, but aren't you responsible as a shepherd?

[126] in your so many counties to have the salvation of souls as your number one issue for as a as a shepherd is am i on to something there is that what your role is absolutely that's what the last canon and the code of canon law says it's all about the salvation of souls that my job is to get people to heaven yeah to complete uh to fulfill god's will god's plan yeah and really it's not just for for the Catholics.

[127] It's for every person.

[128] And remembering that from the Catholic perspective, every baptized person is a member of the church.

[129] I mean, we've got a lot of people here in East Texas that are not Catholic and would probably say, no way, am I a member of the Catholic Church?

[130] But we know the church is only one that Christ established.

[131] And to the degree that someone is baptized, they are members of the Catholic Church.

[132] And the reality is, as we know, Terry, the sacraments aren't some kind of guarantee.

[133] There are plenty of baptized Christians that are much better Catholics in the sense of what is a Catholic?

[134] Someone who is a faithful disciple.

[135] And there are many baptized Christians that are better disciples than many Catholics.

[136] I mean, that's the challenge we all face.

[137] but so absolutely the job of a success what was the job of the apostles what mandate did jesus give them go out to the world and baptize in the name of the father the son and the holy spirit and teach people the truth of the gospel the good news that is basically what the great commissioning at the end of matthew and in other ways and other gospels that's what it's about that's what he sent the out to do.

[138] And as a successor of the apostles in the 21st century, that's my job.

[139] Yeah.

[140] That's my primary job.

[141] That's my most important job.

[142] And I would go so far as to say my, really, my job.

[143] Yeah.

[144] The rest of it is supporting that work.

[145] And if that's not that the core of it, then all the rest of it becomes meaningless.

[146] And there's too much.

[147] of all the rest of it that is just rooted in this life.

[148] Absolutely.

[149] As I've said many times, if we have that perspective, I mean, people argue, oh, you're just thinking about, you just don't value this world at all.

[150] You don't look at the issues we face in this life.

[151] But really, Terry, what I've tried to explain and what I believe, what I believe the church teaches us, if we recognize that you and I and every man and woman on the planet, that we're all called to everlasting life with God.

[152] If that's the basic premise of living our days, living our lives, then it begins to shape, okay, then, how do I act?

[153] What do I do?

[154] What decisions do I make?

[155] What's valuable?

[156] Where do I put my energy.

[157] All of those questions begin to be answered if we remember we're called to everlasting life with God.

[158] Amen.

[159] How do we get there?

[160] Well, we have to be as perfect as we can.

[161] How can we be perfect?

[162] We can't be perfect.

[163] But God can perfect us in His grace.

[164] And that's what we believe purgatory is about after we die.

[165] It's a perfecting time, a purgation, a cleansing.

[166] So if we remember our ultimate destination, and it's part of our human existence as well.

[167] I mean, when someone is setting out on a career, to be really successful, they need to remember what their ultimate goal is.

[168] If a doctor says their ultimate goal is to make a lot of money, not to heal human bodies, then they may make a lot of money, but they're not being a doctor.

[169] And they're losing track of their ultimate purpose.

[170] And it's the same thing for all of us in the spiritual realm, for all of us, whether doctors or technicians or ditch diggers or whatever we're doing.

[171] Humanly, as God created us, as children of God, we're called to shape our lives according to that eternal path.

[172] Christ tells it it's a narrow path, but it is possible because all things are possible with God.

[173] So absolutely, the work of a bishop is really the most important work in the world to guide people to their most important goal of everlasting life, of salvation, of fulfilling God's plan for us from the moment we're conceived in the womb of our mother.

[174] Bishop Strickland, I'm going to put you on the hot seat.

[175] This week and last week we've been reading from the gospel of John.

[176] And today it was talking about that we are at odds with the world.

[177] The gospel is at odds with the world.

[178] So if you're being told, I'll just give an example, the worldliness.

[179] Let's say, without due respect, President Biden, he comes to you and says, Bishop Strickland, you're such a, you're right on, man. Keep doing what you're doing.

[180] See, I would be worried about that.

[181] And I'll tell you why, because of his positions on so many issues, especially the life issues, I'd say, I really don't, I feel uncomfortable with that.

[182] Now, here's my question.

[183] Is there a barometer for the church that when we are with the world, it seems like the church is not as effective.

[184] But when we are at odds with the world, it seems to me that we are more effective in evangelizing.

[185] Am I on to something?

[186] Absolutely.

[187] Absolutely.

[188] There was a reading in the Office of Readings just recently that really struck me. And it said that the Christian community, the church, is really the soul of society, of human society.

[189] And I think that perspective, I think it was a letter from Diogenitus, but that really struck me. Yeah.

[190] That's why the world is falling apart.

[191] Amen.

[192] Because the soul of humanity, Yes.

[193] The church, the people of God, we're sick.

[194] The church is sick.

[195] The church is corrupt.

[196] The church is confused.

[197] The church is unclear.

[198] Yes, the church is holy, thankfully.

[199] Oh, yeah.

[200] That's what we have to hang on to.

[201] Yeah.

[202] The holiness of the church is still there.

[203] But all the corruption and all the giving into the world, it ultimately doesn't just harm the church, but it harms the world.

[204] That's what this letter to Dodgant has really reminded me of as it spoke about how we are the soul of humanity, just like our soul motivates us individually to turn from the evil and to do the good.

[205] it.

[206] That's the job of the church.

[207] That's the job of Christian souls in society.

[208] And when we're not doing that, when too many Christians and Catholics are denying and arguing against the basic truths and saying, oh, this needs to change.

[209] I mean, we've talked about those issues before.

[210] When that is this situation.

[211] What the soul of humanity is sick.

[212] Soul of humanity is decrepit, is, is weak.

[213] And so we can, it's just a sad logic that then you're going to see the division.

[214] You're going to see the heartache.

[215] You're going to see the violence.

[216] Like we were talking about earlier, I think we have to really expand our view.

[217] Certainly.

[218] I mean, both of us.

[219] us, I'm sure have been, you know, had things hurled at us, at least words, saying, oh, you just care about them until they're born, and then you don't care at all.

[220] That's never been the case.

[221] And that's not even logical.

[222] But, you know, people don't have to be logical when they're going on the attack.

[223] But absolutely, what we've got to recognize, that the atrocities going on at our border here in Texas, where children and mothers and teenagers, people's lives are being desecrated, either literally and physically or at least emotionally, the way they're being treated.

[224] That's happening in Ukraine.

[225] That's happening in China.

[226] That's happening in places in Africa.

[227] that's happening around the world.

[228] And when we fail to protect the most innocent lives of the unborn, sadly, we open the door to the mass shootings.

[229] Where these lunatics go on these rampages and people blame guns, guns don't kill people, people with guns.

[230] Amen.

[231] And the reality that is, the life is so little value by whoever goes on these rampages.

[232] And sadly, it happens way too often that the culture of the lack of value of human life is what propagates the violence.

[233] And even when it's not a mass shooting, I mean, you hear about the road rage and the terrible things people do to each other because that value of the other person is diminished.

[234] And even when it comes to maybe not actually taking a life, but just treating people in abusive ways, whether economically or racially or all the different ways that people are treated in a devalued way, we open the door to all of that when we devalue the ones who have no voice, the ones who have no power, the ones who have no wealth, And there's certainly plenty of people that are born and trying to survive in our world that have no voice, no power, no wealth.

[235] But the unborn are the icon of all of that, the most powerless, the most poor, the most unable to control anything.

[236] They are at our mercy.

[237] And sadly, humanity is not being merciful, but is.

[238] on the attack, and as long as that last, we can expect more of the violence and more of the harm to our brothers and sisters in all kinds of ways, more of the devaluing of the human person when the unborn human person can be ripped apart in his own mother's womb.

[239] Yeah, I get it.

[240] You want violence to stop?

[241] Stop the violence in the womb.

[242] It all follows.

[243] It makes total sense.

[244] You get that mentality going where you can kill the most innocent citizen coming into this world and you can kill anybody you're listening to the bishop strickland hour we're going to go shifting gears to another topic when we come back you won't want to miss it because we're going to be talking about christian love for those who hate us how do we deal with that and much more on the bishop strickland hour on virgin most powerful radio stay with us welcome back to the bishop strickland hour I made a little teaser before the break, talking about Christians and love for those who hate them.

[245] I mean, we have a lot of hate for what we stand for, especially the Catholic Church on this pro -life issue.

[246] It's amazing what they're doing it.

[247] They don't seem to be hitting Mormon churches, Jehovah Witnesses, Presbyterian, but they're sure going after the Catholic Church for this pro -life message we have.

[248] Bishop Strickland, you tweeted that Christian love those who hate them just as the soul loves the body and all its members despite the body's hatred.

[249] I encourage all to read and ponder this excerpt from a letter to Diognicus.

[250] It speaks of the essential role of a Christian disciple.

[251] You were just talking about this.

[252] Yep.

[253] Wow.

[254] You know what?

[255] Just give me your feedback on this.

[256] I just came across it seems like you know you come across these things people say and when you hit when it hits you right in the face, I thought about the world we live in right now, that we're in need of a crisis in the sense of the world going down to its knees and things being taken away.

[257] But here's a statement from a P .O .W. A colonel, James Nick Rowe, he was in, you know, confinement, 1963 to 68 in Vietnam.

[258] He said, the enemy will never realize how much I thank them for taking everything material away from me and reducing me to the point where I didn't have anything but faith in God.

[259] I had a chance to look at myself and realize that you can do things you never realized were possible.

[260] The reason I bring that up, Bishop Strickland, is it seems to me that we're in need of, I think you use a good spanking, but I mean, we're in need of having our things taken away from us so that we can really focus on what's most important in life.

[261] Would you agree with that for us today?

[262] Absolutely.

[263] And I think that prisoner of war really touches on something very important to recognize that all the things, I mean, all the comforts, all the things we take for granted, if it becomes an obstacle to our ultimate goal of salvation in eternity, then we need to be awakened and let go of it.

[264] And so that prisoner of war came to recognize that all the punishments, and thankfully, I mean, not everyone has that reaction, but by the grace of God, that prisoner came to see more clearly that as they strip things away, they couldn't take his faith and his relationship with God.

[265] That's one thing that no dictator, no authoritarian ruler can take away from us.

[266] And I think it is a great point for all of us to ponder is anything that we have.

[267] I mean, everything was stripped away, but he still had faith in God.

[268] And that made him treasure that gift even more.

[269] we need to discipline ourselves and you know we may end up I think we we are being disciplined as humanity now but we don't know how far that discipline will go but we need to learn from it that what we value and what we get so preoccupied with we really need to take another look and that's what happened i mean this prisoner of war was forced to yeah but thankfully by the grace of god rather than just growing bitter um he came to realize he didn't need any of that stuff they could take it all away which obviously they did um i think of you know cardinal zen oh yeah who is i just saw the headline this morning that he was facing he was going facing his trial going to his trial.

[270] He's been, he was arrested and then he was out on bail.

[271] I have no idea what sort of, you know, fabricated charges they're using against him.

[272] But he's in a communist state that, I mean, they can accuse you of anything they want.

[273] And they're, they're anti -God, their anti -faith.

[274] Certainly this cardinal has an uphill battle, but I think probably he's learned a lot of what that prisoner of war learned because he hasn't gotten support from the church.

[275] He hasn't gotten support made certainly individual people.

[276] But as far as from power, he hasn't received support.

[277] But that, again, in the perspective of what's a cardinal's ultimate goal, the same as yours and mine.

[278] Amen.

[279] Is everlasting salvation?

[280] Yes, he has a responsibility.

[281] to guide others and their salvation as well.

[282] But it's only guiding.

[283] Ultimately, we're all responsible for our own relationship with God.

[284] And I have a very strong suspicion that Cardinal Zen has learned a lot about what's valuable to him and his relationship with God.

[285] And he may end up being a prisoner.

[286] And if he is, hopefully, just like Cardinal Pell.

[287] I had the chance to talk to him and hear some of just a few of his stories and his whole attitude.

[288] And it was very, really, it's interesting.

[289] Just as I'm talking, what that prisoner of war said really echoes what I heard from Cardinal Pell.

[290] And he wasn't a prisoner of war in that sense, but he was, you know, unlawfully, really, unjustly imprisoned for a crime that he didn't commit.

[291] Thankfully, he's been freed, but he was in jail for many months for a crime that he didn't commit.

[292] And he learned a lot.

[293] He learned to appreciate the simple things.

[294] And I think that really, certainly we don't search out that kind of dramatic experience of being a prisoner of war, but many times, it seems to take people one way or the other.

[295] Either it draws them into a deeper faith, a more profound faith, and a deeper recognition that all the things that they've been stripped of, they didn't really need anyway.

[296] Or sometimes, sadly, it takes them into bitterness and even into insanity.

[297] I've read stories about some of the prisoners of war, and they said many of their fellow prisoners just went insane.

[298] Yes.

[299] If they didn't turn to God, they had nowhere to go, and they just lost their minds.

[300] But it's a great blessing when they are able to turn to God.

[301] And we need to do the same thing.

[302] I mean, Jesus Christ was stripped of everything, and I try to remind myself of that when I do things that I feel are tough, but that's just because I'm weak, and I'm sinful.

[303] It's not because it's that tough.

[304] But sometimes just speaking the truth in the world today, even as a Catholic bishop, you know, you're going to get flack for it.

[305] You're not going to be supported by colleagues.

[306] And, you know, it's a little tiny taste of what the prisoner of war learned.

[307] You've got to do what's right.

[308] You've got to focus on the end goal and not worry about the popularity contest and whether the world embraces you or not.

[309] And that's what we've got to re -learn as Catholic bishops, as Catholic faithful, as people that call themselves Christians and disciples of Jesus Christ.

[310] He's the model for it.

[311] He was stripped of everything, except his relationship with his father and knowing that he was living the will of his father.

[312] That's all he had left.

[313] And even that, you know, he expresses humanly, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me in that very human moment of Christ on the cross?

[314] But he still remained on the cross, even when he was humanly beaten down to nothing.

[315] And, you know, that prisoner of war is experiencing the same thing.

[316] And that's the strength that we can all draw from our Lord who suffered, died, and rose for us.

[317] As he died on a cross, he went through the human struggles of dealing with that on a human level, but as the Son of God, he continued to do the will of the Father.

[318] And he models for us.

[319] It's challenging.

[320] It's hard to do.

[321] We all fail.

[322] But we have to get up and continue and look to that model that Christ gives us.

[323] Wow.

[324] Great advice.

[325] and it seems to me that dealing with life when we are in love with Jesus Christ and his church and we understand our in -game, as you say, salvation heaven, it reminds me of a tweet you just sent out this week that ties it into the Holy Mass. In other words, the Mass is the source and summit of the Christian life.

[326] It seems to me that when we have sufferings, if we can unite it with the sufferings of Christ for the good of the church, that's how we do it.

[327] But think about what takes place at Mass, even if we were in prison.

[328] We can go through a whole Mass. I've tried that.

[329] I've done it where I've gone through it, and it was very edifying.

[330] I said, boy, that would be, that's what would happen if I was in prison.

[331] And I haven't.

[332] I've been in jail for pro -life, but not for any extended time.

[333] But here's the tweet you said, and this reminds me of Bishop Snyder's book on the Catholic Mass that I'm still rereading a second time.

[334] And if people want to get Bishop Snyder's book, we do have it at the Virgin Most Powerful website, vmpr .org.

[335] But here's the tweet, Bishop Strickland.

[336] And to me, it just touched me to realize every time, holy mass, he said at every Holy Mass, the angels are there and all their splendor.

[337] That statement right there makes me realize that there's a supernatural aspect of the mass. Then comma, the saints are there.

[338] in all their glory.

[339] Mary is there with all her love, and above all, God is there in all his majesty.

[340] Please, if we only understood the Mass, here's another statement if you tweeted.

[341] Truly, at every Holy Mass, the entire kingdom of God dwells before and within us.

[342] And then the last statement, what a gift that Holy Mass is to the entire world.

[343] Bishop Strickland, I read that today, and I said, Man, I've got to act like when I go to Mass in the morning, this could be my last Mass. Let me realize what's taking place.

[344] I'm convinced, Bishop Strickland, that if Catholics really understood the Mass in a proper form, and in other words, know that they're at that reenactment of Calvary, present one eternal sacrifice of Christ on Calvary, it seems to me there would be so much more attention to that.

[345] Now, I want to ask you on the other side of this break, why did you send that beautiful tweet about Holy Mass because it is so supernatural that it makes you want to go to Mass as soon as you can participate in that great sacrifice of Calvary?

[346] Stay with us, family.

[347] We'll be right back on the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[348] Welcome back to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[349] I got a little tarried away about the Mass, Bishop Strickland, but you tweeted something so beautiful about when we're at Mass, the angels, the saints, God is there.

[350] It's just, you know, that it's such a blessing to be able to go to Holy Mass, especially understanding what takes place.

[351] Why did you send this out as a tweet?

[352] Well, like you just said, Terry, we as Catholics have to recognize we all know, hopefully, and it's a mystery that we can never say that we fully have plumbed the depths of.

[353] Right.

[354] The mystery of what the mass is is all the power of the pascal mystery, of the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus is right there all over again.

[355] And that's what that quote is really getting at, to remember that every priest that celebrates a mass by himself with a large congregation, with a small congregation, in whatever setting in whatever form when the mass is celebrated we are celebrating the mystery of Jesus Christ, the very heart of his mystery.

[356] That just in my own personal prayer and reflection as part of that tweet it really struck me that as a priest I am holding the sacred heart of Christ in my hands as I consecrate that host.

[357] Wow.

[358] And that I should approach with fear and trembling.

[359] Amen.

[360] With a tremendous awe and a tremendous awareness of how weak I am, how sinful I am, how an unfit vessel that I am.

[361] But if Christ is going to wait to find the perfect human person, the perfect man to celebrate his mass, we're not going to have mass. And he knows we are imperfect.

[362] The priest is a sinner like all the people that are gathered as the congregation.

[363] But we all need to approach with that kind of awe, that kind of reverence, that as I'm the one holding the bread, when I say, this is my body, this is my blood when I hold the chalice with the wine, the people hearing that.

[364] We all need to focus on what is happening and that we are literally opening another door to eternity.

[365] Amen.

[366] To the reality of Jesus Christ.

[367] I like to, as I'm celebrating confirmations this year, I'm focusing on the line in the part of the renewal of baptismal promises.

[368] It says, we believe in Jesus Christ.

[369] And at the end, it says, seated at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty.

[370] And what I'm trying to emphasize to the congregation, to the young people being confirmed, into the whole congregation, is that Jesus, as we're speaking, Terry, it's our faith that God is eternally in heaven, outside time and space, and the wonder of having sent his son to be with us, conceived in the womb of Mary about 2 ,022 years ago, and ever since, he's been here with us in a physical presence for 33 years in the body of a human being, just like our bodies, a real man, lived to be 33 years old.

[371] But even after he died, he's with us in a real physical presence in the Eucharist, body and blood solely.

[372] divinity.

[373] So ever since Jesus came to us, he's been with what?

[374] He promised us.

[375] Yep.

[376] I will remain with you until the end of the age, and he's fulfilled that promise in his Eucharistic presence.

[377] So if we really embrace the wonder of that, then everything we've talked about already makes sense.

[378] Oh, yeah.

[379] If I pray that Nancy Pelosi and every other, American politician or wherever they are.

[380] Anyone.

[381] If they're in leadership and they are pushing abortion, then and then going to mass and receiving the wonder of the body of Christ, they need to wake up for themselves and for the people that they serve.

[382] And we have to pray for them.

[383] You were mentioning earlier, how does Christ tell us to treat our enemies?

[384] I don't know Nancy Pelosi.

[385] We've never met.

[386] We're likely never to meet one person to another.

[387] But she's just a daughter of God.

[388] I'm just a son of God.

[389] Yes, I've got the title of Bishop.

[390] She has the title of Speaker of the House.

[391] Titles come and go.

[392] Titles are temporary conditions of this world.

[393] But for eternity, we both have the opportunity to be children of God with God in heaven.

[394] That's what we both need to strive for.

[395] You know, in God's eyes, both of us have work to do.

[396] I'm sure I do, and I'm sure Nancy Pelosi is, even as she finally woke up and recognized what abortion is, and that she needs to change her heart and her mind and speak out for the sanctity of the life of unborn.

[397] Even if she does that, she's not going to suddenly be a perfect, sinless woman.

[398] She's got other issues to work on, I'm sure, as we all do, as I have my issues to work on, to seek a deeper perfection.

[399] But wouldn't it be marvelous?

[400] Wouldn't it be wonderful?

[401] I mean, with all the things we're seeing going on in the world, wouldn't it be marvelous to see some of these hope I profile people?

[402] Amen.

[403] Fall to their knees and have a change of heart and come out publicly and say, I've been wrong.

[404] all these years.

[405] I think of Dr. Bernard Nathanson, who was one of those doctors tearing babies apart in the womb of their mothers, performing countless abortions and promoting abortion, just like Nancy Pelosi does.

[406] But he had a conversion of heart, and he spent the rest of his life repenting of that sin of committing and promoting abortion.

[407] And Dr. Bernard Nathanson toward the end of his life.

[408] I never met him, but I've read some of the things that he wrote.

[409] And what I understand it is he really feared that he wouldn't be forgiven, even though he was trying to make a life of contrition.

[410] We have to trust in the mercy of God.

[411] And maybe that's what holds high -profile people like Nancy Pelosi or just the average person in the pure.

[412] that says they've been supporting abortion, maybe they had an abortion or encouraged an abortion, and they're just not letting go of it.

[413] Probably deep down, they may question, can God really forgive them?

[414] The message to Dr. Bernard Nathanson before he died was, yes, trust in the Lord's mercy.

[415] He will forgive us if we ask forgiveness.

[416] If there are any that are listening, any of our politicians, we have to love them.

[417] They're not our enemies, but they are on the evil path of destruction of life.

[418] We have to pray that they will have a conversion of heart and really believe if that's what's holding them back, yes, God forgives.

[419] That's the message of Jesus Christ.

[420] He is love incarnate, and he poured out the last drop of his blood to show us that God's divine mercy is real.

[421] God will forgive us, but we have to do the repentance, the reform of our lives, and the humility to ask for that forgiveness.

[422] So we need to pray for Nancy and Joe and all the others for a conversion of heart.

[423] and we need to pray that humanity will come to recognize, really following Jesus Christ brings the greatest challenges, but the greatest joy to our lives.

[424] Amen.

[425] Bishop Strickland, you have the St. Philip Institute.

[426] I've been forgetting to give a plug, but they did something on end -of -life issues.

[427] Can you share a little bit of that with us, please?

[428] Well, there are all sorts of great things of the St. Philip Institute, but we did have a podcast with Dr. Joe Ebly, who has written some great articles on the whole question of brain death and how we have to be very cautious about how we treat the end of life issues.

[429] I'm glad you brought that up, Terry, because life is threatened across the spectrum from conception to natural death.

[430] But the great threats are at the very beginning of life in the womb, and at the end of life, And what's common there, very often you can describe the unborn child in the womb, weak, powerless, without resources, without a voice.

[431] How do you describe the person that's maybe in a coma?

[432] And they've said, oh, they're brain dead.

[433] They're weak, they're powerless, they have no resources, and they can't speak for themselves.

[434] Dr. Ebley showed a video when I heard one of his conferences of a man who was being declared brain dead and the brother intervened and said, no, I'm not going to let this happen.

[435] That man woke up and said, he heard them talking about ending his life and donating his organs.

[436] We've got to be very cautious in those areas.

[437] That's what our conversation with Dr. Ebly was about.

[438] Wow.

[439] And we've got to be concerned about those end -of -life issues as well, euthanasia and assisted suicide and all the ways that when those same elements, when the phrase that's used is when the quality of life, some judgment says, oh, their quality of life is diminished, then life can be threatened.

[440] people would say, I guess, the life of the unborn has no quality yet.

[441] So they're disposable.

[442] And there are people on the other end of the spectrum, whether elderly or seriously incapacitated, that their lives are deemed low in quality.

[443] And so, well, we can get rid of them.

[444] It's a kindness to get rid of them.

[445] And people have even argued that with abortion, that, oh, it's saving them.

[446] this child from a life of poverty.

[447] That is a, it's not logical, but it's also just simply not understanding the precious gift of life.

[448] Amen.

[449] Bishop Strickland, how about a blessing for our listeners, please?

[450] Sure.

[451] Almighty God, we ask your blessing for everyone listening to this Virgin Most Powerful Radio episode that give us all an opportunity to reflect on the wondrous gift of life and to hold it precious for ourselves and for those around us, to recognize that many of the issues we face as humanity will diminish the war we respect the life of every person, especially beginning with wonderful.

[452] Thank the Father of the Son.

[453] Amen.

[454] Thank you so much, Bishop Strickland, for those who are brand new, you can listen to any of his shows on VMPR .org on podcasts.

[455] As a fact, you can listen to all of the shows we produce here at Virgin Most Powerful Radio.

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

[457] We'll hope to see you again next week at the same time.

[458] God love you and your family.