09 Apr 24 – The Evil of Moral Relativism

[0] Welcome to this Wednesday edition of the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[1] Terry Barber here, we are blessed because yesterday we talked about Bishop Strickland's letter about proportionalism threatening the church and moral relativism, threatening the church.

[2] And I want to continue on with that.

[3] But before we get into that document, Bishop Strickland, I'd like to ask if you could read the gospel of the day, which is really a famous gospel.

[4] You see it at football games out in the stadium.

[5] And we have a lot in common.

[6] Every time I see that, I love it that they'll be willing to put scripture out at a football game.

[7] So it's John 316.

[8] A reading from the Holy Gospel according to John.

[9] God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son.

[10] So that everyone who believes in him might not perish, but might have.

[11] eternal life.

[12] For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.

[13] Whoever believes in him will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten son of God.

[14] And this is the verdict that the light came into the world, but people prefer darkness to light.

[15] because their works were evil.

[16] For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light so that his works might not be exposed.

[17] But whoever lives the truth comes to the light so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.

[18] The gospel of the Lord.

[19] Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

[20] Really a beautiful gospel, passage, it's good that it is quoted.

[21] Most people would be able to tell you what John 316 says.

[22] And what the rest of the verses go on to say really is a very good mini -catechism of what it's all about.

[23] Yeah.

[24] God's love and embracing Christ, those who believe will not be condemned, those who don't believe are already condemned.

[25] The world needs, not just the first verse, John 316, but this whole passage really needs to be understood and embraced by every person in the world.

[26] It would go such a long way to helping us heal the divisions and heal the things that we condemn ourselves to, Because we ignore the truth.

[27] We ignore the message of Jesus Christ and says, everyone who believes in him will not perish when I have eternal life.

[28] To believe in Jesus is exactly what this letter we're talking about.

[29] It's embracing the truth because he is the truth.

[30] To believe in Jesus Christ, but then to cling to the fall.

[31] falsehoods that the world pushes all the time.

[32] It's contradictory.

[33] And it's unsustainable, really.

[34] As I read this once again, it's so ironic, but so true.

[35] What this, these ancient words, 2 ,000 years old, that Christ says in the gospel, again, the truth doesn't change.

[36] 2 ,000 years later, it's as true as it was then maybe more true, just because of what we've gone through in history.

[37] But people prefer darkness to light because their works were evil.

[38] How can people prefer darkness?

[39] But we see it so much in the world today.

[40] And it comes down to, it really circles back to, exactly what we've been talking about.

[41] When people create their own truth, and they're in darkness, they don't want to let go of it because they're doing it their way.

[42] They've shaped the world in their image, and they stubbornly hang on to that darkness because the light calls them to change, and they don't want to change.

[43] And that's why it's so significant.

[44] that we and the church always need to be calling people to conversion, to change, to be changed in Christ.

[45] And it's an ongoing effort for all of us.

[46] We can never say, I mean, we celebrate the people that have converted to the Catholic faith and have come into the church.

[47] As you say, we lament the reality that, you know, six are leaving when one's come in.

[48] So we're, you know, just again, simple logic says we're on the, you know, we're in an upside down reality there that is not good for the church, but it's Christ Church.

[49] The church will continue.

[50] And but what we have to remember is that those who have embraced the Catholic faith, they need to be strong and continue that.

[51] conversion.

[52] I guess that is the point that I wanted to make.

[53] Conversion isn't a one and done process.

[54] I mean, we could have, I mean, just like St. Paul, a dramatic moment of conversion, but he had to continue on that path of living in the light of Christ and rejecting the false messages that he'd been pushing as he was persecuting Christianity.

[55] So conversion is a way of life and where when you have converted basically and you've said, yes, I want to follow Jesus, it means an ongoing being changed more and more in his light.

[56] And I think we both agree that the more you see his light, the more you know his truth, the more you're challenged and changed, and the more the darkness of our sin falls away, sometimes painfully, but we're changed by following Christ.

[57] We have to be.

[58] We need to be.

[59] It's ultimately a joyful change, but it doesn't make it easy, and it doesn't make it painless.

[60] It can be very difficult to let go of that darkness that we cling to, just like Christ says, those who prefer the darkness, and they cling to it.

[61] We all do that in the ways that we cling to our sinfulness.

[62] But thankfully, the mercy that Christ has unleashed on the world, flowing from his wounded side on the cross.

[63] It allows us, if we'll simply allow ourselves to be washed in his mercy.

[64] It's a font of wondrous blessings that he offers us.

[65] Beautiful.

[66] You know, I was thinking to what Bishop Sheen commented on something on that.

[67] He's talked about sin.

[68] He said, everyone who is conscience of sin knows that his sin deserves punishment.

[69] But if sin or guilt is denied like it is today in the world, the need for punishment finds its outlet vicariously in the love of violence visited upon others.

[70] And if that doesn't describe our culture, we've denied right or wrong.

[71] So what happens?

[72] Chaos.

[73] Violence.

[74] That's what Bishop Sheen is talking about.

[75] Wow.

[76] And I love that one line of the gospel here that says, but whoever lives the truth comes to the light.

[77] What is the light?

[78] Jesus Christ.

[79] And so we can be saying that, the rest of our lives, which might not be that long in our age, but we're going to continue to preach that because that's the truth.

[80] The truth is not in Bishop Strickland or Terry Barber.

[81] It's in Jesus Christ, and we're going to continue to point that out every day here on the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[82] I want to now mention when we take a quick break here.

[83] I think we're at a time where I'll take a break, but we'll get right back into this letter that you wrote not that long ago, and it was on the return of proportionally.

[84] threatens the church.

[85] And that proportionalism we covered yesterday, moral relativism.

[86] But it affects the family.

[87] Because if you can define a family on, well, I feel a family is two minutes.

[88] Okay, thank you.

[89] I felt like a family is my dog and me. And I'm going to marry my dog or my computer.

[90] We hear this is going on now.

[91] And people are going, well, you know, if you think so, that's okay with you.

[92] You do that.

[93] Or we hear people say, well, wait a minute.

[94] We have to redefine.

[95] Marriage is antiquated.

[96] This idea of a man and a woman.

[97] I mean, who's to say that this marriage can be two men, two women?

[98] This is what's been thrown at us for decades now.

[99] Now, I have to admit, support for homosexual, so -called marriage, support for it is going down.

[100] And I bring this up because we're starting to wake up like the state of Oregon on the topic of illegal drugs.

[101] It was legal for you to have any drug you wanted in the state of Oregon.

[102] And it was that way for a decade.

[103] And they just recently said, you know what?

[104] Maybe that's not a good idea.

[105] And they decided to say, no, we're going to make it illegal for people to have these drugs because we think that it's good that these guys get put away where they can't hand on their drugs to children and to other perpetuate a drug addiction.

[106] We think that we figured this one.

[107] out.

[108] And I'm saying, that's a boy.

[109] But you see the culture now, Bishop Strickland, I think it's right for us to show the Catholic answer because I think people have had enough of this.

[110] And like I say, the support through Pew Research is showing less support for so -called homosexual marriage.

[111] And I think people are right for the truth of the gospel and the Catholic Church teachings on marriage.

[112] So when we I just think it's so beautiful that this was designed by God from the very beginning.

[113] It's not like we get to decide on, you know, what is true to me. That's not the way it works.

[114] The way it works is the leader, God, the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit gives us our truth.

[115] Stay with us, family.

[116] We'll be back after a quick break on the Bishop Strickland Hour.

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

[118] Welcome back indeed to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[119] We're talking about a letter he wrote some time ago, not that long ago.

[120] It's a return of proportionalism threatening the church.

[121] And there's a section you did on marriage, but I just want to encourage people to always go to their catechism.

[122] On paragraph 1601, I'll just read this, and then I'll have you talk about it.

[123] This is right from the catechism, matrimonial covenant, by which man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership of the whole of life is by its natural order towards the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring.

[124] This covenant between a baptize person has been raised by Jesus Christ to a dignity of a sacrament, and then it covers marriage in God's plan.

[125] So I want to ask you, Bishop Strickland, to talk a little bit about what the Catholic Church has to say about what true marriage is, and why is it important?

[126] to teach that in these days that we have such ambiguity about all different types of marriages that supposedly are called gay marriages or all kinds of odd things.

[127] So what is what was your what's the point you're making in this letter about marriage according to God's way?

[128] Well, really, Terry, it is it's part of the you could say the blueprint.

[129] Yeah.

[130] for humanity.

[131] Marriage between a man and a woman, committed for life, open to children, not always having children, but open to children.

[132] We could talk for hours about how that has been corrupted and relativized.

[133] Open to children doesn't mean we're going to have children by hook or by crook, by doing something immoral if we have to.

[134] want to have children.

[135] Or the opposite.

[136] We don't want to have children because it's going to mess with our lifestyle or whatever reason.

[137] And so we're going to not have children.

[138] Right.

[139] I mean, so all of those things.

[140] But the basic fabric of marriage is part of the fabric of human civilization, of family.

[141] And as Pope St. John Paul II said so clearly, as the family goes, as the family goes, goes, so goes the world.

[142] Amen.

[143] So goes everything.

[144] Because that basic unit of the family based on a marriage.

[145] And, you know, we acknowledge that not every family is the perfect model because life happens.

[146] A spouse dies.

[147] Mom or dad dies or for whatever reason, mom or dad leaves the family.

[148] All of those situations are very real and very painful for people.

[149] But I think what tends to happen in what we see now, when truth becomes relativized, then that basic model is thrown aside and there is no model.

[150] So it's like, well, you just make up your own.

[151] And when people go down that path, it just continues to deteriorate further and further for the family, and then it affects everything else.

[152] And we're really seeing so many of the consequences of that kind of unraveling where, like you said earlier, Terry, if we start to define things according to how we feel, at a given moment, and that's how too many people define marriage.

[153] I mean, the vows that you and your wife took until death.

[154] Amen.

[155] Too many people marry as long as we both feel like it, and that's not marriage.

[156] And it undermines the very meaning of marriage, because if people enter into a marriage and then they do have children, maybe they want, you know, they want two children.

[157] children or three children or whatever.

[158] So they have children, but their commitment is, as long as we both feel like it, then the children deal with the consequences of that.

[159] Because, I mean, again, it's not rocket science.

[160] It's pretty simple, really, what God is revealed to us.

[161] Children need a mother and a father, just like in order for that child to come in.

[162] into existence.

[163] They have to have a mother and a father.

[164] I mean, you know, now things can be done in laboratories that are contrary to God's plan and all kinds of ways that things have unraveled.

[165] But you still have that essential participation of a mother and a father in bringing a new child, ultimately cooperating with the grace of God and the God.

[166] the author of life that is God, when we play God and we manipulate all that, it just unravels more and more.

[167] And certainly, that's what we're seeing in the world.

[168] And like you were saying earlier, people are rejecting gay marriage.

[169] Right.

[170] Because it's not authentic.

[171] It's not real.

[172] And that doesn't mean people that are struggling with same -sex attraction need to be condemned.

[173] absolutely not.

[174] But the condemnation that's happening now is that those people are being condemned to a life in darkness because society is saying, oh, well, we're bigoted if we tell them the truth of the light of Christ.

[175] And so we just leave them in darkness.

[176] That is a condemnation in itself.

[177] So it's a really messed up world that we're.

[178] we find ourselves in.

[179] But we still have the clear answer.

[180] I mean, the gospel that we reflect on today, God so loved the world that he gave us his only begotten some.

[181] If we follow him in real love, then all the answers start to fall into place.

[182] Yes.

[183] That's what Christianity has brought to humanity, the answers to the age -old questions.

[184] And as we move further and further from Christianity and people say, oh, this is antiquated, it's something of the past to really believe in the church's message and the deposit of faith in this heritage of truth, then when we go down that path, we're just going deeper and deeper into darkness.

[185] And it's natural.

[186] It's natural that people, we're seeing a lot of young people that are embracing the Catholic faith because they naturally gravitate to unambiguous, real, concrete truth that isn't relativized into oblivion.

[187] people have a natural need for that, just like your own grandchildren, have a need for what you and their parents are offering them is a basic model of life.

[188] Children naturally look for that.

[189] They want answers.

[190] They want to know what love means, and they see it in parents and grandparents who through thick and thin are there for them.

[191] Not always letting them take the easy path.

[192] Sometimes it means challenging our children and our grandchildren to live the truth and to turn away.

[193] I mean, just like you're talking about Oregon, waking and saying some of these drugs that people are just willfully taking, it's leading them more deeply into darkness.

[194] Thankfully, Oregon's waking up, but we all need to wake up.

[195] You know, Bishop Strickland, I was reading the end of your letter, and you constantly have said, you know, what did the early church do?

[196] And, you know, the early church faced a lot of the same things that were faced with.

[197] You pointed out in your document that the culture at that time, the early Christianity, they were practicing primitive forms of abortion and exposure, a practice of leaving unwanted children on rocks to be eaten by birds of prey, we would say that's sick.

[198] Well, what are we doing with abortion?

[199] We're leaving our children.

[200] We're killing our children.

[201] So nothing's changed in a sense.

[202] But I want to ask you, what was it that the early church did that converted so many pagans that we might want to emulate what they did for us today in the 21st century?

[203] well many of them were willing to die rather than to deny the truth that they had learned in Jesus Christ we need that kind of faith of the martyrs even I mean you know we the martyrs didn't say oh I want to be killed they said I want to live the truth that has set me free I'm not going to allow somebody to take that away from me. And so their living the truth was more important even than their very life.

[204] But that's, you know, as the ancient church said, and it's still true today, the blood of the martyrs is the seed of faith.

[205] And the church saw that.

[206] And, you know, you have to have kind of a sense of humor about it as well.

[207] well, because, I mean, look at all of those that have tried to stamp out the message of Christianity.

[208] Beginning, of course, and it's certainly nothing, no laughing matter, but with Christ himself.

[209] Yeah.

[210] But through the ages, early on, I mean, we're reading now in these Easter days, beautiful gospels, but also the acts of the apostles.

[211] and we read about Peter and the other apostles getting more and more in trouble because they're teaching this truth of Jesus and healing people in his name.

[212] So, you know, the world thought it got rid of the Jesus problem when they crucified him.

[213] They thought he's dead, dead and buried, we can move on.

[214] But then they see, well, he was dead and buried, but he rose from the dead.

[215] Certainly they don't believe that.

[216] But the believing Christians become all over again a problem for the Roman Empire.

[217] And that continues.

[218] I mean, that's why so many of the apostles were martyred and so many of the early Christians because the truth challenges people in ways that gets uncomfortable.

[219] The people in the power of Rome didn't want Christianity messing with their power base because ultimately what Christianity says is no power on earth is more powerful than God, Father's Son and Holy Spirit.

[220] And people like the Romans and dictators through the centuries don't like that.

[221] They don't want people messing with their power.

[222] And we see the same thing today, you know, even in this country.

[223] People are going after believing Christians because it undermines their false authority that isn't built on the truth.

[224] When power loses that foundation of truth, then Christianity becomes a real problem for them.

[225] And that's what we're facing.

[226] I'll give an example.

[227] We pro -lifers are on list for the FBI as terrorists for this country because we believe in the sanctity of life.

[228] Is this microphone on?

[229] If someone told me that 30 years ago, I wouldn't have believed him.

[230] Stay with us, family.

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

[232] We'll be back after a quick break.

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

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

[235] Bishop Strickland, I want to continue on catechism, the catechism, and I'll tell you why.

[236] This is so important that people know the fundamentals of the faith.

[237] My thought on why so many people have been misled in the last 50, 60 years is because they didn't know their faith.

[238] And so when things were being taught, they didn't know that, oh, I just thought, well, the church says this now, and that's what we believe.

[239] But, you know, I'm saying you need to major on the fundamentals.

[240] So you have a catechism that your diocese, when you were a bishop there, the St. Philip Institute, you were very much involved in helping this catechism come together with a bunch of lay people, in collaboration with you.

[241] And I thought, hey, this is great.

[242] Let's teach it.

[243] So we are right at the section 12, chapter 12, and I thought it was appropriate because last Saturday, we had confirmations here at our chapel.

[244] Yeah, for the Anglican Ordinari, it was beautiful.

[245] And that's what we want to talk about, the sacrament of confirmation.

[246] And it says here, question seven, what is the sacrament of confirmation?

[247] The answer is quick.

[248] Confirmation means strengthening.

[249] It is the sacrament through which Christ strengthens us, not a sacrament simply for confirming our faith in him.

[250] Confirmation is the sacrament that prefix the graces of baptism and strengthens the union with Christ's mystical body, the church.

[251] Confirmation also gives the grace to be a public witness of Christ to others, both by sharing and defending the faith and word and deed.

[252] the church sees a connection between confirmation and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.

[253] Bishop Strickland, I don't know about you, but I was confirmed when I was in the seventh grade.

[254] I don't know if they were doing that when, you know, in your neck of the woods.

[255] I was confirmed the same year, seventh grade.

[256] Okay, and I remember the thing about being a soldier for Christ, even back then, and I really liked the idea as a young boy going, yeah, I'm going to promote the faith.

[257] And, of course, I didn't really understand all the ins and outs of it all.

[258] But I did understand that when the bishop slapped me, he did back then, and said, you know, you're confirmed.

[259] And I thought, wow, man, this is serious matter.

[260] I didn't really understand all of it until later in my, you know, teens.

[261] But I was grateful that I got confirmed because I knew it was something important regarding my walk with Jesus Christ.

[262] And I just ask you this question regarding confirmation.

[263] How was it when you were a youngster?

[264] How did you handle that in the seventh grade?

[265] And I'm curious to ask that question.

[266] Well, like you said, Terry, I didn't fully understand.

[267] But since I was being raised in a strong Catholic family, that milestone of confirmation, just allowed me to continue, you know, in seventh grade, you're, what, 12, 13 years old, and, you know, a lot begins to change in your life.

[268] You become more mature.

[269] You're changing from a kid to eventually an adult, and you're growing up, and there are lots more things to be tempted by, a lot of challenges that you face.

[270] Amen.

[271] And I think that certainly the grace of the sacraments, we have to encourage people to really understand the power and the strength that is there.

[272] The third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, is really the strengthening presence of confirmation.

[273] And classically, the Pentecost is, I used to tell, when I was celebrating confirmation, I would tell the young people that this was their personal Pentecost.

[274] It was, the apostles were confirmed, we can say, at Pentecost when the Holy Spirit comes to them.

[275] It's the very same Holy Spirit.

[276] And I think that we need to emphasize that for ourselves and for those being confirmed, whether older or younger, whatever age, it's a time to be strengthened.

[277] And I think really in the time that I was confirmed, really about the same time, but, you know, we were in different churches, different places.

[278] And it was already being emphasized that it was your choice.

[279] And I think that that has been emphasized to the point that people forget that ultimately confirmation is about being strengthened in the grace of God.

[280] It's not just making your own personal choice.

[281] Certainly, you have to choose to cooperate with that grace.

[282] But I think that it's been, you know, I think the clarity of what confirmation is really needs to continue to be emphasized because I think that we got away from being a soldier for Christ, and it was more just, okay, I choose to be a Catholic, and you know, that really is not what should be emphasized.

[283] Instead, it should be emphasized that the grace of God is allowing you to be strengthened to live your baptism.

[284] It's not so much because, you know, we probably both known young people through, you know, through our time who have said, well, I don't want to be confirmed.

[285] I don't choose to be Catholic.

[286] And parents struggle with that sometimes.

[287] So it's really not, it shouldn't be emphasizing, well, it goes back to what we've been talking about.

[288] Is it just your own personal decision or is it the truth that God is welcome.

[289] you to know more deeply.

[290] And I think there's some challenges there in how we approach presenting the faith to young people.

[291] Because too many, like we've said, too many young people and older people, too many people are opting out now.

[292] And it's not just a matter of, well, I don't choose to be a child of God.

[293] Well, you are, whether you choose or whether you choose to live it or not, you need to choose to live it, but I mean, I think that that's where we've gotten away from really presenting the truth of who we are created in the image and likeness of God.

[294] And confirmation as the grace of that sacrament should strengthen us to live who we are and not just sort of be, you know, one of those choices we make, yes or no, as far as living who God has created us to be.

[295] You know, Bishop Stricken, statistically, young people, by the time they're 23 years of age, 88 % of those young people are not practicing their faith.

[296] So I really think we have to reevaluate the approach we've been taking on catechizing our young people, because let's be honest, 88 %?

[297] That's like almost 9 out of 10 young adults.

[298] You see these statistics that they have no, commitment to Christ.

[299] So we're doing something wrong.

[300] And I'm wondering, see, I guess I caught it a year or two, but I understood as a soldier of Christ that I was embracing that perspective that I'm here to promote the Catholic faith.

[301] And now I'm getting into an adulthood.

[302] Even though I was only in seventh grade, I'm receiving the grace of the sacrament, because I'm reading catechisms, like the Baltimore Catechism.

[303] I'm reading catechisms that are telling me about this.

[304] So I was interested at the time.

[305] I fully didn't understand it.

[306] But I just think we have to reevaluate the approach we're taking with young people.

[307] And to be honest with you, you know what I've been noticing all over the country that's helping a lot of young people come to Jesus Christ, is showing them the beauty of the Holy Eucharist, even when they're teenagers.

[308] I have a good friend, Father Joe Ilo, who he's the pastor up in San Francisco.

[309] He's been up in the news because he speaks the truth with charity.

[310] I met him when he was not a practicing Catholic and he didn't even know what Eucharistic adoration was and he went to the Youth Mission for the Immaculata Summer Program for a whole month to study his faith.

[311] He was at ground level.

[312] He knew nothing about the Eucharist.

[313] And when he started doing holy hours and praying before the Blessed Sacrament and learning the fundamentals of his faith, he fell deep in love with Jesus Christ and then he wanted to become a Catholic priest and by the grace of God for the last foot 40 years.

[314] He's been a faithful priest up in the diocese of San Francisco.

[315] And here again, he could have been, and he told me this.

[316] If I didn't go to that program, I was from Canada.

[317] It was a very laxed parish.

[318] We just kind of went through the motions.

[319] He was never catechized.

[320] Very 19 years old before he had a personal encounter with Jesus Christ.

[321] I think we need to do more of that.

[322] That's my take, Bishop Strickland.

[323] Well, I agree.

[324] And as you're talking to I think it highlights evangelization and catechesis.

[325] Yes.

[326] It's not either or in the sense that evangelization is embracing the truth of the gospel, again, being changed by your encounter with Jesus Christ.

[327] And I think you, and certainly, as you said, when you were confirmed, you were, it's far, something in you to be told that you were to be a soldier for Christ.

[328] I liked it.

[329] And I'm sure that that inspired you to continue to learn.

[330] Oh, yeah.

[331] In a sense to continue to be catechized.

[332] Yes, I did.

[333] Work together.

[334] That's true.

[335] I think that both of us in our 60s would say, yes, we continue to learn.

[336] We continue to be catechized.

[337] Yes.

[338] Because the evangelization is real as well.

[339] that relationship with Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit.

[340] So I think we've got to rekindle both.

[341] And the tendency is to say one or the other.

[342] And when you do one or the other, you're diminishing both because it's got to be evangelization and catechesis.

[343] It's got to be a relationship with Christ and learning more of who he is, what he's taught us.

[344] Yes.

[345] The unchanging truth that our faith is about.

[346] Amen.

[347] I want to make a quick promotion for Bishop Strickland's YouTube channel and what he does.

[348] And I think you've had a beautiful YouTube Easter reading.

[349] Bishop Strickland, how can people watch you on YouTube?

[350] Well, just go to, it's just Bishop Joseph Strickland.

[351] You can subscribe to.

[352] that YouTube like you do and about once a week I'll have six or seven minute talk about series.

[353] Well that's what we like to hear more of that.

[354] When we come back we'll continue on the confirmation sacrament here.

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

[356] Yes, we're back at Bishop Strickland hour talking about the sacrament of confirmation.

[357] And you know if this sounds like, hey, I got this many years ago.

[358] Well, maybe you did, but, you know, it's always good to review the Catholic Church teachings.

[359] I go to the Catechism on a regular basis, just for clarity purposes.

[360] And in this age we're living in, boy, we need clarity.

[361] One of the questions that this catechism asks is, what are the responsibilities of a baptized and confirmed person?

[362] And the answer is, since confirmation builds up the grace given at baptism, a confirmed person must continue to live out their baptismal responsibilities.

[363] These responsibilities are to preserve and foster a relationship with God, to return away from sin, and to grow in virtue, and to help build up the body of Christ the church.

[364] You know, Bishop Strickland, I have a friend who's little boy is only six years old.

[365] He's dying of cancer.

[366] And the pastor, I think, appropriately, confirmed a little boy at age six, because from what I understand, the church wants us to be fully involved in the church's graces of that sacrament when we meet God.

[367] And I thought that was so beautiful that here, this little boy has not much left on time on earth, but the church would confirm him just really touched me. Is that something that you've experienced yourself?

[368] I mean, as a bishop and a priest, have you ever confirmed a little kid who might be?

[369] might be, you know, in his last weeks or months of his life to make sure that when he meets our Lord, that he has, you know, the confirmation sacrament?

[370] Or is this just unusual?

[371] No, it's what pastorally should be done.

[372] Okay.

[373] If, if, you know, sadly, when a young child, it's pretty much certain that they're going to die.

[374] Yeah.

[375] It's certainly appropriate for them to be confirmed.

[376] Got it.

[377] All right.

[378] Well, let me just ask this question.

[379] Who can be confirmed?

[380] I answer, and this is, I think, a big question because this says, any baptized Christian who has reached the age of reason, seven years old, generally, can be confirmed if they have the mature faith in proportion to their age.

[381] Confirmation can be earlier if the child is in danger of death.

[382] I remember a good friend of mine, he's no longer the Bishop of Phoenix, he's retired, but Bishop Olmsted, when he went to Phoenix, and he was coming from Wichita, Kansas, he wanted to change the date of when people were being confirmed to an earlier time.

[383] And the reason he said it, and you see if you agree with this, I thought it made sense.

[384] He said, these kids need the grace of confirmation, especially when they start getting into the teenage years, when all these temptations come, their body's changing.

[385] So he wanted to have the kids confirmed at the age of reason, and they were doing that in Phoenix, because he felt compelled to do that.

[386] Now, I don't know what your diocese did when you were the bishop or before you were the bishop, but I think there's some merit to what Bishop Olmsted is saying.

[387] Your thoughts?

[388] Yeah, actually, my predecessor, Bishop Alvaro Carrata, as the third bishop of Tyler, went to what's called restored order.

[389] And some diocese have done that, where it's restoring the order of the initiation.

[390] sacraments, baptism, confirmation, and then Eucharist.

[391] And it's somewhat controversial still, because practically speaking, it's harder sometimes for families.

[392] And it's sort of, it challenges a lot of the way that we approach the sacraments these days.

[393] But I've heard, I think most people agree that theologically confirmation follows on baptism.

[394] Yeah.

[395] But a lot of bishops resist what's called restored order just because, you know, and I think, Terry, what it comes, gets into is people say, well, if you confirm them early, they'll leave the church early, which sadly, you know, sometimes happens.

[396] sure.

[397] But I think rather than saying, well, we'll kind of postpone confirmation so that they hang around longer, we need to take a serious look like we were saying at the whole program of evangelization and catechesis for those who are in Catholic families and being welcomed into the Catholic faith.

[398] We just need to do a lot better job of Christian initiatives.

[399] really, for those in Catholic families.

[400] But I guess what I experienced was, yes, sadly, and a lot of times it's the parents that are, have a mindset that, oh, it's my responsibility to make sure my kids get baptized and confirmed.

[401] Once that happens, I can relax.

[402] That isn't really the proper way to approach it.

[403] But, you know, I mean, the human reality is that too many Catholics would say, oh, I got to get my, you know, grandma's telling us, you know, that we got to get our kids baptized and confirmed.

[404] But once they get that done, it's like, well, it's up to them whether they continue in the faith or not.

[405] And really, instead of continuing to model the faith, you know, so I think it just that there are a lot of issues.

[406] There are a lot of influences in the world that make it difficult.

[407] But we need, you know, we believe the sacraments are the life that Christ offers us.

[408] And we need that grace in order to live as his disciples.

[409] So I think we've faced a lot of challenges in the world today.

[410] And it kind of, I guess what occurs to me as our conversation yesterday and today about this moral relativism and all the things that we're facing, it makes us weaker as a church and individually to really not cling to that darkness like the gospel today talks about.

[411] And too many times, people determine, especially younger people, I'm pretty okay with this darkness of what, you know, they just want what the world has to offer.

[412] Yeah.

[413] In youth, I mean, ironically, when you're younger, the world looks pretty exciting and pretty fulfilling.

[414] And so it easily fools us into thinking, that's all they're.

[415] is.

[416] But as we get older, and it's not so exciting, and our bodies aren't as young and vibrant as they were.

[417] And that's why I think it's so many times older people, and as people mature and grow older, their faith becomes more important because our bodies begin to tell us, this world ain't all it's cracked up to be.

[418] And there's a lot of pain, there's a lot of struggle.

[419] There's a lot of diminished ability, but spiritually, you know, the body doesn't diminish our ability to be spiritually alive.

[420] And so that's what we have to learn.

[421] And I think the challenge that we face is to tell young people, you know, don't get caught up in the world because that's going to fade.

[422] Hang on to the truth that never fades.

[423] Amen.

[424] Mr. Stringen, the last question of the pair of the chapter on confirmation is, what is a God parent or a sponsor?

[425] And I want to add, who can be a God parent?

[426] Because I think there's some confusion in that.

[427] But here's the answer.

[428] Godparents and sponsors offer spiritual help during the time of preparation and after the reception of the sacraments.

[429] Godparents are for those who are seeking the sacrament of baptism, while sponsors are for those who seek only the sacrament of confirmation.

[430] So who can be a sponsor for confirmation?

[431] Can it be someone who's not practicing the faith, maybe even a deviant?

[432] Maybe they're outside the church, but that's the favorite uncle.

[433] You know, Uncle Jim, hey, he was, you know, or does the church make it clear that someone needs to be a practicing Catholic to fulfill the obligation of a sponsor?

[434] Your thoughts?

[435] Well, they need to be confirmed in practicing their faith.

[436] which, you know, I've talked to families where that gets challenging because too many are not practicing their faith.

[437] But that is the requirement.

[438] And I think pastors need to hold strong to that requirement because otherwise, you know, it just becomes sort of a social thing.

[439] And it loses its meaning.

[440] If you have a godparent or a sponsor who isn't even even living what they're supposedly standing with you about, then it just becomes sort of a, you know, a game.

[441] And it's not, the reality needs to be there.

[442] I mean, you know, a God parent doesn't have to be a perfect person.

[443] I mean, none of us could be Godparents.

[444] But they have to be someone who is genuinely engaged in living their own baptism.

[445] Yeah.

[446] And confirmed in their faith.

[447] And that's where it comes.

[448] I hear things on the way up in the Vatican saying that active homosexuals, okay, you notice I use the word active homosexuals.

[449] People who are practicing sodomy, but they're going to church.

[450] And, you know, they're going to church saying, well, you know, God loves me the way I am because certain people in the church have told me that you've got to accept me and I'm, you know, I'm not going to judge you.

[451] So the question I have is it's a tough one for you, Bishop Strickland, is how do we love tell someone who's practicing sodomy to say that you can't be a sponsor for baptism because you're not living according to the biblical worldview of Christianity and that this is not supporting that young person as a model for living a life centered on Jesus Christ.

[452] How do you do that?

[453] Well, it may be tough, but it's the loving thing to do for that individual and certainly for the person that they may be a godparent for or a sponsor for you have to explain to people what this is all about and it's not favorite uncle charlie yeah it's one who is really modeling the faith i guess i'd go back to the baseball analogy it's like saying hey come coach our baseball team and you say i don't know anything about baseball It's like, oh, that's okay, just come and coach baseball.

[454] You know, it makes about as much sense.

[455] It brings someone who isn't living Christianity to be your sponsor in Christianity.

[456] Makes no sense.

[457] I agree.

[458] That's a fair analogy.

[459] We have the music coming on, so that means we could, if you'd be so good to give us your blessing in this Easter season, please.

[460] Almighty God, we ask your blessing for all of us at Virgin Most Powerful Radio.

[461] that we may continue to rejoice in the truth.

[462] And as the gospel today reminded us, you so love us that you send us your son, not just as a past event, but into our lives now.

[463] He is present with us in the word and sacraments of our faith.

[464] Guide us always to live this truth.

[465] And we ask this blessing in the name of the Father, the Son of the Holy Spirit.

[466] Amen.

[467] Thank you so much, Bishop Strickland.

[468] I want to remind everybody at this Easter season that many new Catholics were baptized this Easter season.

[469] Let's pray for them and let's pray for more souls coming to know Jesus Christ and his bride the church.

[470] I want to thank everybody who supports us here, spiritually and financially.

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