17 Jan 23 – German Catholics Love Benedict XVI

[0] Welcome to the Bishop Strickland Hour on Virgin Most Power I have the honor every week to talk about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ with the successor of the apostle, Bishop Joseph Strickland from the diocese of Tyler.

[1] For all you new listeners, I want to welcome you.

[2] I know that Father Don Calloway last Friday I was with him in a pack church and many of you downloaded the free app, the NPR.

[3] and are now listening.

[4] I promise you you won't be disappointed.

[5] Bishop Strickland, we're glad you're back from retreat.

[6] How was your retreat, my friend?

[7] It was good.

[8] Thanks, Terry.

[9] Awesome.

[10] Bishop Strickland, while you were gone, we just got news yesterday.

[11] Cardinal George Pell, who you actually had a show here on Virgin Most Powerful this past year talking about his imprisonment because he actually did a couple books for Ignatius Press talking about his 400 -some days in prison.

[12] So I wanted to ask you to give us your reflection on Cardinal George and the passing of him.

[13] Yeah, sad to lose him, but we pray that he is a prayer warrior now in heaven.

[14] Amen.

[15] A good man went through extreme persecutions himself, but really went through that with tremendous grace.

[16] Like you mentioned, I never had the chance to.

[17] personally meet him but through the marvel of technology we've had a I had a couple of chances to interact with him and I was impressed by his humility yes and by his spirituality with that whole what more than a year in prison he wrote letters from prison that I honestly haven't had a chance to read but I know many people have commented on the very positively but what I was impressed with was his humanity and his spiritual spirituality woven together.

[18] And here he is in prison, not for any just reason, just a trumped -up charge that was thankfully proven false, and he finally was released from prison.

[19] But he wasn't bitter.

[20] He wasn't angry.

[21] He was prayerful.

[22] And what really impressed me was his concern about the guards.

[23] and his real looking at them as human beings.

[24] You know, being a prison guard is not one of the most pleasant professions in the world, but he really talked about them as spiritual sons and daughters of his that he really interacted with.

[25] And I'm sure that many of those prison guards, officials, anyone that he had contact with, I'm sure they left that experience.

[26] changed because he was truly a man of God trying to do his best to do what he was asked to do, got caught up in the financial scandals of the Vatican.

[27] I think that's part of the reason.

[28] And who knows why this false charge landed him in prison.

[29] But we know that there's great corruption in the world and in the church sadly today.

[30] And he was at the forefront of that.

[31] He was imprisoned because of that.

[32] Thankfully, he was released, but it didn't do what, I mean, honestly, when I had the, before I had a chance to really meet him virtually, I would have expected anger or some sort of, you know, righteous feeling that is just human, just natural.

[33] But he showed what a tremendous man of faith and bringing that he was a catechism you know in himself that's how i experienced that awesome i would agree again i've had contact with him for the past 30 years when he was the archbishop of melbourne and came to our home and we went and had a whole day with him with my young family and i mean my kids called him uncle george because they just connected with him and he was like an uncle to our family and that was so beautiful and i have to say say the fact that he was from Australia.

[34] My mother from Sydney, Australia, so the Aussie connection was very significant to me also.

[35] Awesome.

[36] Father, Bishop Strickland, we're going to your tweets now.

[37] We can't go a week without talking about defending life in the womb.

[38] And our good friend Lila Rose, who is Lebanese like I am, she tweeted this, that we are not going to end abortion in this country unless we change our sexual ethics and you had a response to that saying amen girl you know amen amen amen and you said the casual attitude towards god's sacred gift of sexual intercourse which is only for marriage between a man and a woman is devastating our society this immoral embrace of contraception casual sex abortion and ignoring god's will regarding our sexuality is destroying us Boy, you set a mouthful there, Bishop.

[39] Any more?

[40] I mean, what else can you say on that?

[41] Well, I think Lila Rose, and that's why I retweeted that what she said, because I've tried to say that over and over again.

[42] And it truly is.

[43] That's why contraception is so significant.

[44] And all the sexual sins lead up to abortion.

[45] And it's almost like, you know, sadly.

[46] abortion is used as the contraception of last resort.

[47] If you aren't able to use contraception or in some way block God's plan of bringing a new life through this sexual intercourse, then people just say, well, get an abortion.

[48] And sadly now, too many places, certainly in this country and around the world, it's supported from conception until birth.

[49] anytime you want an abortion, people demand that right.

[50] And Lila Rose is exactly correct that it's that whole attitude of using the gift of sexuality that is really the most connected to our God -given likeness in God's image and likeness we're created for a man and a woman in a loving marriage, the beautiful, like you and your wife, the result of their love is another person.

[51] It's talk about cooperating with our creator.

[52] It makes me, you know, it gives me tingles to think about the wonder of that.

[53] And I'm not a married man. I've never had that opportunity.

[54] But to realize what a treasure that is and how it's being squandered and denigrated.

[55] I mean, Lila Rose just hit the nail on the head, and we've got to keep, as you said, we've got to keep preaching the message of the sanctity of the life of the unborn.

[56] And we really need to raise the volume of saying, when sex is outside of the context of a loving marriage committed for life between a man and a woman, that's where it goes wrong.

[57] And abortion is one of the tragic and sad results, the worst result of that attitude of saying, I can have sex with whomever I want, whenever I want, and if a child happens to be conceived, we'll just kill it, we'll murder it.

[58] And it's an attitude that is pervasive and it's deeply harmful to the human family.

[59] You know, well, I'm listening to you, Bishop Strickland, I'm thinking back in 1965, in my own lifetime, the Griswold decision from the Supreme Court said that now contraception can be sold to married couples.

[60] Before 1965, I mean, in my lifetime, do you see the difference?

[61] They said, no, no, no, we know what married life is all about.

[62] Even our culture knew that.

[63] Controception was immoral.

[64] And in those short years, look where we've gone.

[65] And sadly, Terry, even within the church, there are voices.

[66] saying, oh, maybe we need to re -look at this and maybe we need to open up and maybe there's circumstances where contraception is morally justified.

[67] It is a dark road of evil that we go down if we diminish the, we need to do exactly the opposite of really emphasizing how immoral contraception is because it denigrates the woman.

[68] A lot of the ills in our society exactly what Pope Paul the 6 said in Humane Vite, I think it's number eight in that document.

[69] If we allow contraception to take over the world, then it's going to harm women, it's going to harm families, it's going to harm society.

[70] And he was prophetic in what he laid out, if we don't pay attention to this aspect, this critical aspect, one of the most critical aspects of God's plan for us because it's about procreation.

[71] It's about continuing the human race into the future.

[72] And we start to get that wrong, which is very off the rails now.

[73] We got problems in every aspect of society.

[74] And that's where we are.

[75] Wow, you got it.

[76] I want to mention when we come back, we got a quote from Benedict the 16th, God rest his soul, that you tweeted, and I thought was really profound, and I want to get into that.

[77] And I just want to mention, in the future shows, Bishop Strickland has agreed to do a summary of Veritatis Splendor.

[78] It's a document by St. John Paul II, published in 1993, right after the Catechism of the Catholic Church was published, and it answers so many of these moral questions with such clarity.

[79] And I thought, today we need that more than ever.

[80] so in the future we will be covering veritatis splendor that means the splendor of the truth so when we come back we're going to talk about benedict the 16th his passing and also how it's how important his writings are for church today even though he he's gone to his eternal reward it's such a beautiful thing that that we can take his writings today and show how beautiful they are in the sense of answering the questions of today with such clarity, which is something that we desperately need.

[81] I think Benedict the 16th, John Paul, too, those two popes, if they have anything in common, it's that they had this great love for teaching the perennial teachings of the church.

[82] And I love them, and I thank him for my own lifetime that they were here with me, and I'm going to try to do my best to continue to share their writings because the church needs it.

[83] When we come back, we'll be back here.

[84] with Pope Benedict the 16th comments with Bishop Strickland.

[85] Stay with us.

[86] Welcome back to the Bishop Strickland Hour on Virgin Most Powerful Radio.

[87] I'd like to talk a little bit about Pope Benedict the 16th passing.

[88] I was just moved by the funeral and the number of people, especially the people from Germany.

[89] We're going to talk a little bit about that later.

[90] So many German young people who loved Pope Benedict so much they actually traveled to for the funeral, and it was inspiring because we think of Germany with the bishops coming out and doing things that are crazy, but so many of the young people are saying, no, no, no, that we have a contingent here in Germany that just want to know the perennial teachings of the church.

[91] We're kind of disappointed with our flock, but Benedict XVI, we love him because he was so clear.

[92] Well, let me give you a quote from Benedict the 16, we call it ecclesiology, how you see the church.

[93] And what you tweeted was, here's what St. Excuse me, Pope Benedict XVI said, it is not a more human church that we need, but a more divine church.

[94] Only then will it be truly human.

[95] I think I could talk an hour on that statement.

[96] Bishop Strickland, you said, another great quote from Pope Benedict the 16th, let us ponder his wisdom that we may know Jesus more deeply.

[97] You have any more thoughts on that statement?

[98] Well, I just thought, as you said, what a wonderful statement Pope Benedict made in saying, in connecting humanity to divinity and reminding ourselves, it reminds me of another issue that I tweeted about, because science is saying, oh, we're just another animal that can be manipulated.

[99] And that certainly may be true.

[100] That can happen.

[101] And we need to say no. We are not just another animal.

[102] We are created in the image and likeness of God.

[103] We have that spark of sharing in God's divine life by simply being human.

[104] It's why murder of unborn children is wrong.

[105] It's why all the violence we see in the world is wrong.

[106] It's why euthanasia is wrong, because there's no more precious gift to creation than the human being, because we have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit by the grace of God.

[107] And certainly, for us as Catholics, that's true for everyone.

[108] I mean, original sin is there in our faith.

[109] In original sin, we know, affects everyone.

[110] It's not just a Catholic thing.

[111] It's part of humanity's brokenness.

[112] Right.

[113] But that gift of being created in the image and likeness of God, ironically, Terry, and that's what I'm sure strikes for both of us.

[114] Yeah.

[115] But when we hear so many people today so proud of their atheism and their rejection of God, what is so ironic is God so loves us and just like his son allowed himself to be spat upon and scourged and beaten and mocked, blasphemed.

[116] And to death, literally, God allows us mere humans created in his image and likeness to blaspheme, to say he doesn't exist, to denigrate every one of his laws.

[117] He allows that because he knows that real love can't be coerced.

[118] We see it happen all over the world where what is a fake love, a vestige of love, is the coercion of love is something that really harms humanity.

[119] But it just something, just recently I've seen an advertisement, and they're playing it quite a bit of who is it?

[120] I think his name's Ron Reagan.

[121] Anyway, President Reagan's son.

[122] Yeah, Ron, Ronnie.

[123] Yeah, very proudly saying, promoting this atheist club, basically, and saying people, free yourselves from the trappings and the shackles of religion.

[124] And it's just like, I mean, that's what occurs to me that here's this man in this commercial, touting the fact and he says at the end he's not afraid of burning in hell and I hate to tell him he needs to wake up his father was a man of great faith that's right but it's just there's a push in the world because of evil because of Satan and because of sin but too many in the world too many leaders are promoting exactly what he was talking about, the godless world that they want, because they want to be God.

[125] They want to be in charge.

[126] And that's what we always have to be very aware of when someone, and certainly, not every atheist, and I guess my own personal belief is there aren't many real, true believing atheists, you might say.

[127] There are just people who don't want to change themselves, don't want to be changed by the power of God's word and grace and the truth that is out there and that has been revealed to us.

[128] I think that's where most people are.

[129] There are some that are truly committed atheists that are promoting this godless world, but I hate to tell them that that doesn't eliminate God.

[130] And what Pope Benedict said, talking about being human, is becoming closer to the divine, because ultimately we're destined to return to God, to be his children for all eternity.

[131] And what exactly heaven looks like?

[132] We don't know.

[133] That hasn't been revealed to us.

[134] There are all kinds of images and ideas, but it is being in the glorious presence of God for all eternity.

[135] being a part of God's life for all eternity.

[136] And so that's what we're made for.

[137] We're made by God to return to God.

[138] That's what we've got to keep preaching.

[139] That's why people want to get rid of the Catholic Church.

[140] Right.

[141] Because it's the clearest voice of the truth that God has revealed to us.

[142] And that's why she's still here.

[143] After 2 ,023 years of people trying to get rid of the message of God's son, in the Catholic Church, she's still here because, for one thing, Christ promised the gates of hell would not prevail, but we know that holiness in the spirit of God is with the church.

[144] And because truth will not be eliminated by any human force, the church won't be either because the church in her beauty, certainly there's corruption, they're sinners, I'm a sinner.

[145] The church is always mixed in in her holiness with the brokenness and sinfulness of humanity.

[146] But there is that reality of the church.

[147] The holiness is what will last and ultimately guide us as humanity to that unification with God, Father, Son, and Spirit.

[148] Well, said, I wanted to get your comment on Cardinal Zen, who is the Cardinal Emeritus of Hong Kong.

[149] We've been praying for him for over a year because he was arrested in Hong Kong and now he's out and he was able to meet with Pope Francis just last week.

[150] And I know that we've had him on our show over the years and he really feels like he thinks because of experience in Hong Kong that this deal that the Vatican made with the atheistic communist Chinese government is really a bad deal for the Catholics in China and he'd always wanted to meet with him and he was there like two years ago and for some reason he just couldn't meet with the Pope he tried everything he could, he told us on the air well now he did and I'm sure he was able to communicate to the Holy Father his sentiments that this deal that was made needs to be cut off because it's hurting the Catholics in China and I respect him just because of his courage but I would think and I'll let you give your take I think he's like man now I can die I'm 90 years old I was able to communicate directly to the vigor of Christ what's going on in China and now he has to make a decision it's on him but I at least made my journey and I did what I was supposed to do which I felt was part of my duty to communicate with the vigor of Christ your thoughts Terry I think you're spot on because what are we called to do, you, me, Cardinal Zinn, everyone.

[151] We're called to speak the truth.

[152] We have an obligation to speak the truth, partially just simply to proclaim the truth.

[153] That's what we're built for.

[154] We need to speak the truth.

[155] And certainly, Cardinal Zinn with him personally witnessing the destructive forces of a communist state against the church and trying to create this fake church in communist china he needed to i would say he needed to get it off his chest he needed to be able to speak that truth and i'm sure he does have a lot of peace now because he knows i mean he's an old man he's over 90 i know and he he won't be alive that much longer probably either, but I'm sure he rests much more peacefully now because he's had the chance to speak the truth, to get it off his chest.

[156] And like you said, that he's done.

[157] I mean, he's done his duty.

[158] He can't run the world.

[159] He's not the pope.

[160] He's not even an active cardinal right now.

[161] Even if they had a conclave, he wouldn't be able to vote.

[162] He's past the age.

[163] But he is a man. of God and he had the chance as a man of God to speak the truth and I'm sure that it was a great weight lifted off his shoulders.

[164] I saw the pictures of him reverencing the casket of Pope Benedict the 16th and praying there and I'm sure that all of that experience was was a great blessing to Cardinal Zen.

[165] So in many ways I'd encourage all of us to recognize that maybe not the way we wanted, but our prayers are answered in him having that spiritual opportunity, because that's the most important thing.

[166] He had the chance to speak the truth to Pope Francis and to express the tragedy that he sees unfolding in China, his homeland.

[167] So I really continue to pray for Cardinal Zen but I'm so glad that and I think we all need to rejoice that he had that opportunity.

[168] Well said, God bless him will continue to pray for Cardinal Zen what a great bishop, a successor of the apostle I've been following him for years.

[169] Bishop Struddle, when we come back, it seems like Pope Benedict is preaching from the grave now when we read his statements and he has one statement that he made even while he was alive was really politically incorrect.

[170] You're going, what did he say?

[171] Well, he requested that President Biden not come to his funeral.

[172] And I'm going to speculate on why I think he said that and then you can tell me I'm all wet when we come back from the break.

[173] Personally, I think it's because he didn't want him to come and receive a sacrilegious communion.

[174] I think you're spun on.

[175] All right, we come back.

[176] We'll have more.

[177] on the tweets of Benedict of Bishop Strickland about Benedict the 16th and then we'll get into some catechism you're listening to the Bishop Strickland hour on Virgin Most Powerful radio I am so honored to share the gospel here at Virgin Most Powerful and I thank all of our listeners for their support will come right back with something from Pope Benedict the 16th that should inspire you to fall deeper love at Jesus and his church welcome back to the Bishop Strickland hour.

[178] I wanted to give a quote from Pope Benedict to 16, but I also want to give kudos to the folks in Texas.

[179] You know, I'm coming from California, Bishop Strickland, and I got this article.

[180] It says, Texas virtually eliminated abortion just in two months after the Dobbs ruling state data shows.

[181] Are you ready for this?

[182] Thousands of lives are being saved in Texas, as many as 50 ,000 babies since September of last year, and the best days of the movement are yet to come in Texas.

[183] Well, Texas, you know, they said they had three abortions from these last three months because the doctors said it threatened the life of a mother.

[184] Okay?

[185] Well, you know, it's not perfect, but I'll tell you what, Bishop Strickland, I'm impressed that your state has taken a stand for life.

[186] So I just, I don't know what you've had involved in that, but the people of Texas have voiced their opinion that killing unborn babies is not acceptable.

[187] I thank you for that.

[188] Thank you.

[189] It's God bless Texas.

[190] Amen.

[191] And so many more Californians are moving and I'll make a little plug for so many people go to Tyler.

[192] You might want, if you're going to go to Texas, think about Tyler, Texas.

[193] All right.

[194] Here's my quote from Pope Benedict the 16th, preaching from the grave.

[195] His statements are so inspiring.

[196] You sent this and you just said beautiful.

[197] Dear friends, Pope Benedict says, may no adversity paralyze you.

[198] Be afraid neither of the world, nor of the future, nor of your weakness.

[199] The Lord has allowed you to live in this moment of history so that, by your faith, his name will continue to resound throughout the world.

[200] Oh man, that melts me, Bishop Strickland.

[201] That got me excited.

[202] Well, to me, it's basically just repeating what we, John Paul II repeated so often, be not afraid.

[203] Trust in God's grace in the power of the spirit working among us.

[204] And I really like what you said, Terry, because I really believe that Pope Benedict will come into his own posthumously after his death.

[205] He's just a man of great faith.

[206] And we need that now.

[207] The clear voice of faith And, I mean, he's a brilliant theologian.

[208] He's a brilliant scholar.

[209] I really hope that one day, maybe not too long, who knows, but one day he would at least be named a doctor of the church.

[210] Because that would just be making formal what is the reality.

[211] He has been like the doctors of the church through the ages that have taught so clearly the beautiful message of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Word of God, the catechism, all the teachings that if we would only embrace them, they're the answer to all the problems we see in the world.

[212] Well, said you and Archbishop Shapu, retired Archbishop of Philadelphia, said a very similar thing.

[213] He's a doctor of the church, and I hope and pray that that will happen.

[214] Bishop Strickland, you tweeted something that really was disturbing in the sense of, you called it diabolical.

[215] And it was a tweet regarding Klaus Schwab's top advisor professor that he said, humans are now hackable animals.

[216] The whole idea that humans have their soul or spirit, and nobody knows what's happening inside them, and that they have free will, that's over.

[217] Talk about an attack on God.

[218] You said, this is truly diabolical.

[219] It's literally the devil, literally of the devil.

[220] This arrogance is devastating.

[221] and will lead only to dictators who use their free will to dominate others.

[222] We are created in God's image and likeness.

[223] We are not hackable animals.

[224] Thanks for that response.

[225] Anything else you want to say about that?

[226] Well, as I watched that whole video, this man really, thankfully, wasn't promoting the idea of doing this, but the mere fact that we can do it is should be a wake -up call for all.

[227] of us.

[228] Because as I said, the irony that I saw in that whole pronouncement that was on a video where he spoke about it, the reality is we do have free will.

[229] And people that have the power can use their free will to do exactly that, to basically what that clip is talking about.

[230] is dehumanizing the human.

[231] If you, you know, science may be able to implant a chip that takes away our ability to do anything except respond to stimulus, but if they do that, they're taking away the humanity of the person.

[232] And that is only slightly worse than murdering the person because you're taking away their humanity.

[233] So we've got to very clearly, I remember even as a kid, and I've always loved science.

[234] The church loves science.

[235] Pope Benedict made that very clear.

[236] Faith and reason worked together for one truth.

[237] But I remember as a kid really hearing the message that just because we can do something, we need to ask ourselves, should we?

[238] do something.

[239] And that was probably when I was in high school, but going studying philosophy and going through all these years, that is a profound question that we need to address in our society just because we can do some of these things.

[240] Like you can intervene and kill an almost newborn child.

[241] I mean, a child that's ready for birth, yeah, we can intervene and kill them.

[242] Should we?

[243] Absolutely not.

[244] And there's so many things that science can do.

[245] I mean, it's like the mutilations of boys and girls that are being mutilated and change from boy to girl or girl to boy.

[246] That's mutilation of the gift of life that God has given us.

[247] And we can do it.

[248] They can do amazing things but when those amazing things get twisted into evil we've got to say yes we can do this but we must not do it and that isn't strong enough in our the the conversation of our society is now prone to saying oh we can do it so we're gonna yeah instead of yes we can do that i mean sadly, world leaders could destroy humanity right now with nuclear weapons.

[249] Thankfully, they haven't been insane enough to actually do it.

[250] They could.

[251] But we need to say, absolutely not.

[252] We can't do this.

[253] And there's so many things in science where science has been brought to a level where the humanity is threatened.

[254] And we have to speak up and say, yes, we can do this, but no, we must prevent that from ever happening.

[255] And that comes into laws and to moral teachings.

[256] But if we get people that are in power that have that attitude, we're in big trouble because we, they're using their free will.

[257] They're maintaining their human ability to choose, but they can try to eliminate it for us.

[258] And that is diabolical.

[259] Amen to that.

[260] I love the last tweet I'm going to comment on.

[261] It's about 17 ,000 Catholic college students singing to Salve Regina at a conference in Missouri.

[262] And I was excited to hear that there's 17 ,000 to college students at this conference.

[263] First of all, to learn their Catholic faith.

[264] And you tweeted, amen, this is the future of the church.

[265] Well said.

[266] You said, fidelity to the catechism, reverence for the Eucharist, devotion to Mary, the Immaculate Virgin Mary, and then you put Hail Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our light, our sweetness, and our hope to the Ediewee cry poor banished children of Eve.

[267] I thought about it.

[268] Why didn't I hear about 17 ,000 young people at a conference, Bishop Strickland, that was inspirational, just knowing that they're coming to a Catholic conference to study their faith and to learn their faith.

[269] Yeah, I just want to say thank you for tweeting that because many of us aren't aware things like that.

[270] Yeah, that was Focus, the college university ministry that Focus does and seek is their conference where they had 17 ,000 college students.

[271] It's a great organization that needs to be supported because they're helping young people live their faith with joy and vigor and celebrating.

[272] And I've celebrated Mass for them.

[273] It was about 10 ,000 when I was there a couple of years ago.

[274] And it's just wonderful because they're all responding.

[275] They all clearly believe that Jesus Christ is really their body and blood, soul and divinity.

[276] And it's just wonderful to see them as part of the future when we see so many negatives in young people.

[277] Absolutely.

[278] And I just want to mention the founder, Curtis Martin, believe it or not, Bishop Strickland used to work for St. Joseph Communications.

[279] Really?

[280] Yes.

[281] When he was a college student, I hired him, starving student to record Dr. Scott Hahn's classes at Steubenville, Ohio in the early, but 1990, and ended up, you know, great relationship with him.

[282] And he ended up starting the focus group and great work that he's done.

[283] And I always laughed because I see these people over, and I started in 78, so 45 years ago, I started promoting Bishop Sheen.

[284] And I think about all these young men that I've met and have become just zealous evangelist and I thank God that we could be a link in the chain as a matter of fact I met the meeting last night with about 50 young people in their 20s they're setting up a eucharistic conference in Orange County with their local bishop and I was this I was the old guy in the meeting okay and I said to them young people young girl young man God bless you guys I'm fading you're coming up it up, whatever I can do to help promote your event, send me the information at the very fact that you're having Eucharistic adoration, you're having a rosary, design misty, you're teaching people to faith at this retreat center on that weekend.

[285] It inspired me to say, look, look at the church.

[286] As young people who are in love with Jesus and the Eucharist, they love our lady, they love the perennial teachings of the church.

[287] Anyhow, Bishop Strickland, that just got me very excited to hear about your comment about the 17 ,000 college students and what Focus is doing.

[288] And yes, they need our support.

[289] I would highly recommend people to go to their website from Focus and support these people.

[290] As a matter of fact, I think there were seven Focus students, former Focus Students at that meeting with me last night for the Eucharistic Revival.

[291] You're listening to the Terry and, excuse me, you're listening to the Bishop Strickland Hour on Virgin Most Power Radio.

[292] I've had too much iced tea.

[293] When we come back, we're going to open up our catechism, talking about salvation history.

[294] Stay with us, family.

[295] We'll be right back after a short break.

[296] Welcome back to the Bishop Strickman Hour.

[297] I wanted to open up the catechism.

[298] It's called The Way of Christ.

[299] It's a catechism that the Diocese of Texas, and it's the St. Philip Institute, the Catechesis of Evangelization, who's actually publishing this Catechism, and the Tyler Diocese is, you know, supporting this.

[300] And we're on page 12.

[301] You can go to their website, St. Philip Institute, I believe, and pick up a copy of this.

[302] It kind of reminds me, I know some people will get mad, but I like the format of question -answer.

[303] It just makes it simple for me. And I think I'm just a simple guy.

[304] I'm not a sophisticated guy.

[305] I'm Joe Six back here.

[306] All right, we're going to talk about what is salvation history.

[307] And just a quick note, Dr. Scott Hahn did a eight -hour class on salvation history from Adam to Jesus, and people can get that by going to, it's our CatholicRC .org on a download of Dr. Scott's Salvation History.

[308] But let's start.

[309] What is salvation history?

[310] Salvation history is a love story of God revealing himself to humanity in order to save us.

[311] You know what, Bishop Strickham, just that first sentence.

[312] That just gets, there it is.

[313] It has four main parts, creation, the fall, preparation, redemption.

[314] We all need to know that.

[315] Creation refers to God and creation of all things good in creating humanity in communion with him.

[316] The fall refers to Adam and Eve's decision to go against God's plan and bringing disharmony and separation from God.

[317] I don't even want to read the next paragraph yet.

[318] once you understand that aspect of the fall it all comes together why do you think we have you know it's a tendency to sin because of original sin I just I just think that the paragraph right there we could spend an hour on yeah and what one thing that struck me just as we're going through this catechism we're on chapter four which is just a chapter of two pages but some good solid questions and answers.

[319] And chapter five is Jesus Christ.

[320] And to me that just really talks about what salvation history is.

[321] And all of this is building up to the fullness of revelation that Jesus Christ is.

[322] So I think even the way the catechism here or this book, the way of Christ is laid out, it's not until chapter five that it's specifically talking about.

[323] talks about Jesus Christ because all of that, what we consider the Old Testament times, the Hebrew scriptures, it's all about leading up to Jesus Christ and what we've just celebrated in the past weeks, the Christmas season, the birth of the Son of God.

[324] That is a pivotal, the pivotal moment in salvation history.

[325] Well, said, I think what we're doing is we're setting the stage for revelation about Jesus Christ, true God, and true man. So this is beautiful.

[326] The next paragraph says, in the period of preparation, God entered into covenants with human beings to form them into his own people and prepare them for the coming of his son.

[327] This period of preparation described in the Old Testament made clear that humanity cannot make amends for their sins against God, and he brought back into the communion with God on their own.

[328] They can't do it.

[329] Redemption, the final part of salvation history, is when the Son of God becomes man to restore God's original plan for humankind and bring humanity back into communion with God.

[330] The church continues Jesus' mission to bring sinners back into communion with God to the celebration of the liturgy and the sacraments, the teaching, the preaching, and the word of God, and governing the faithful with good pastoral care.

[331] I'll read one more.

[332] Yeah, so give us your thoughts on that, because that's said a mouthful too.

[333] Well, it really is talking about the purpose of our sacramental journey in life, the purpose of the church.

[334] I mean, it mentions the celebration of the sacraments, the liturgy, centers back into communion, all the controversy about who receives communion.

[335] All of it's caught in this couple of paragraphs.

[336] It's like it really speaks to what the church is about and what our journey is about.

[337] And the world, talking about evangelization needed.

[338] You mentioned John Paul II and the new evangelization.

[339] We really have to evangelization.

[340] evangelized more vigorously than ever before because so many that call themselves believers are not learned in what they believe and they're easily taken off course because they don't really know the catechism.

[341] They really don't know their faith.

[342] And this really touches on so many of the basics, the church and what we're about as God's people.

[343] And I like the final two words, pastoral care, good pastoral care.

[344] And I think good pastoral care, correct me, but I think I'm on it this, that good pastoral care is giving people the fullness of the truth, not holding back.

[345] Yeah.

[346] Yeah.

[347] So.

[348] Well, I could talk about, I mean, the document where you're going to cover the outline of Veritata Splendor is that fullness of truth, the splendor of truth.

[349] That's what pastoral care is.

[350] And it's dressed up too much.

[351] many times in our world today and in the church today as compromising with that truth.

[352] In pastoral care means you just come to the human side and don't bring people to what's been divinely revealed to us.

[353] And that isn't pastoral care.

[354] It's the opposite.

[355] Well, we talk about the corporal works of mercy admonishing the sinner.

[356] I have the opinion, and this is just my take, that we need to remember true love if you really love somebody you'll give them the truth and this idea that and this is what Fairtta Splendor talks about so much with St. John Paul too and that is you don't love somebody if you don't give them the truth of the gospel absolutely that's what we need to do next question and we got some time how does the church help us interpret salvation history answer the church uses typologies types of Christ, to interpret the meaning of salvation.

[357] Typology is the study of the relation between the characters and images or types in the Old Testament and the reality they signify in the New Testament.

[358] For example, Joshua was an Old Testament figure who led the Israelites into the promised land.

[359] He is also a type, a sign of Jesus, who leads us.

[360] to salvation.

[361] Bishop Strickland, before you answer, I remember Scott Hahn saying that if you don't understand the Old Testament, you'll miss much of the New Testament.

[362] I think these typologies are critical.

[363] Am I on to something?

[364] Absolutely.

[365] There's some beautiful Dr. Brandt Petrie has some beautiful writings along with a lot of what Dr. Hahn has written about the liturgy and how specifically, you don't understand the New Testament, you don't understand Jesus Christ, the whole message of the gospel without the Old Testament, but specifically, and we know the liturgy is the source and summit of our life in Christ, and you don't understand the liturgy if you don't know the Old Testament.

[366] And there's some beautiful images of, you know, like Abraham and his son Isaac, going apparently as that drama unfolds in the Old Testament it looks like Abraham's going to have to sacrifice his son Isaac the angel intervenes at the last moment and stops Abraham from touching Isaac but that doesn't happen when God's own son is to be sacrificed God the father allows his son to be sacrificed for our salvation.

[367] And so, and there's so many images.

[368] I mean, in the liturgy, a lot of it is, well, it is tied to the Old Testament.

[369] It's tied to the Hebrew liturgies.

[370] It's tied to, but so much of, I mean, like the use of bread and wine, all of that is it goes back to those types that are there in the Hebrew scriptures, the manna from heaven.

[371] And everything is really talking about Christ, like we've said before.

[372] That's what the catechism talks about, is that all of Scripture is about Jesus Christ because he is the Word of God.

[373] He's the eternal word incarnate.

[374] So all of this revealed Word of God is, I like to think of it as sort of the DNA code of Jesus Christ.

[375] Well, so Bishop Strickland, we're at the end of God.

[376] our hour.

[377] Could you give us a blessing for our audience, please?

[378] Sure.

[379] The Lord be with you.

[380] And with your spirit.

[381] Almighty God, we ask your blessing for everyone listening and participating in this rejoicing in and study of our faith as we look at the issues of the day and look to the catechism to be reminded of the basic truth that you have revealed to us.

[382] Lord, help us to open our own hearts and the hearts of others, to a deeper and deeper conversion, to the truth of your son, Jesus Christ, to know his sacred heart more deeply with the intercession of all the saints in the Immaculate Virgin Mary, the Queen of Saints, and the mother of Jesus and our mother.

[383] We ask this blessing, Lord, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

[384] Amen.

[385] Thank you again, Bishop Strickland.

[386] I want to remind our new listeners that you can listen to.

[387] All these other shows that we have.

[388] Matter of fact, if you go to our YouTube channel called Full Sheen Ahead, we are replaying the Cardinal Pell Bishop Strickland show that we did this past year.

[389] And if you want to get past shows, go to vmpr .org.

[390] You're listening to it on the radio.

[391] You can go and download our free app.

[392] It's vmpr .org at your store, Apple Store, and then you can listen to all the other shows that we have here on Virgin Most Powerful radio.

[393] I also want to encourage everybody the have evangelization conference coming this weekend.

[394] Johnny Romero, Jesse's brother and myself, you don't have to be here.

[395] We've got people coming from the Philippines via computers that you can register by going to vmpr .org and listen to this wonderful weekend where we're going to have how to share your faith with anyone and also we're going to have mass, confession, rosary, it'll be a day of recollection, but it's going to help you understand how to share your faith, which is what the mission of the church is all about.

[396] Canon Law, the last one says, you know, if souls are saved and everything is saved, that's the purpose of the church.

[397] It's not to do anything other than, really, the number one thing the church is out to do is get you to heaven.

[398] And anything we can help the church do that work by supporting, like the diocese, of Tyler, Texas, support them because you know they're going to take those funds and give them to the needs of the church.

[399] And I think that's what we're looking for is to help people fall deeper in love with Jesus Christ in his church.

[400] And I want to thank all of you the beginning of this year.

[401] This is our fifth year as of yesterday to have Virgin Most Powerful Radio on the air.

[402] Thanks for your support.

[403] And may God richly bless you and your family.

[404] stay tuned for our other shows by going to vmpr .org and listen to get any of them at your leisure.

[405] God love you.