22 Mar 22 – Bishop Strickland Joins Pope in Russia Consecration

[0] Welcome to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[1] My name is Terry Barber with Virgin Most Powerful radio.

[2] And each week we have a conversation with the bishop regarding his tweets.

[3] And we also go into the catechism of the Catholic Church to teach people.

[4] Today we're going to be talking again on the sacrament of marriage in the fourth segment.

[5] Bishop Strickland, thanks again for joining us for this holy hour of power.

[6] Thanks, Terry.

[7] And the reason I say it's a holy hour of power is not because of you are me. It's because we're talking about the Lord.

[8] of Christ.

[9] And Bishop Strickland, your tweets this week, I say it every time, it inspires me that a prelate of our church will come out and say things that are just spot on.

[10] But I realize that it's politically incorrect for you to say this.

[11] Like, for example, I'll just give you one, your March 8th tweet.

[12] You were commenting on a LifeSight News article called How Big Pharma won its war against cheap ineffective ivermectin now you said in this tweet that this is a crime against humanity big statement people have died because treatments for COVID did not offer the profit margin that was held to be more sacred than people's lives any voice that tried to expose this was silenced a human tragedy Bishop Strickland, I have not heard anybody anybody in the church say that clearly and other than laymen like myself and Jesse and others who are calling this out.

[13] What made you speak up on this?

[14] Well, it's just a travesty, I believe, to see now you're seeing advertisements for treatments for COVID.

[15] The treatments have been there and there are different debates about, oh, this doesn't work, that doesn't work.

[16] the medical evidence people say follow the science and there have been treatments some you know probably not every treatment works for anyone i mean it's not there none of them are 100 % effective but there was absolutely no focus on treatments it was just all this get the vaccine get the vaccine and even the vaccine is is not really a vaccine um but There's just been so much misinformation, and now to see this late in the game that, you know, they're advertising these treatments on television in this article talks about it, that it's all the profit margin and it's all big pharma.

[17] And, you know, we need to speak up and just say, absolutely, we need treatments, we need the prevention that really works and not just saying, or do these things and then you know a month later they say oh well that doesn't really do anything to help and there's been just so much in misinformation and that has been deadly for people uh i've heard a number of doctors interview that said people have died because they weren't given the proper treatments soon enough well bishop stricken i've read the same articles from doctors that we're talking about tens of thousands of people, especially the elderly, who were just not given the proper medication, and that was very, very sad and wicked, but I always say follow the money.

[18] Bishop Strickland, you tweeted about the idea of 33 -day consecration to Jesus through Mary.

[19] Well, I'm glad you did, and that's good, but right before we went on the air today, I heard some breaking news, and I know you tweeted about it, Pope Francis will consecrate Russia.

[20] Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary on March 25th, and you thank the Holy Father and said the flock of Tyler will join you in this consecration.

[21] Can you elaborate on that?

[22] Well, there's been a lot, I'm sure both of us and all of everybody listening, we probably read different articles.

[23] Well, Russia has been consecrated to Mary and Pius the 12th did it.

[24] And then other people say, well, it really didn't.

[25] And I guess that's been my thought all along.

[26] Just do it again.

[27] Exactly.

[28] I mean, how can you have too much consecration to Mary?

[29] And this, you know, like you mentioned earlier, the consecration to Jesus through Mary.

[30] Yes.

[31] It's all about Jesus Christ.

[32] Of course.

[33] We know that as Catholics.

[34] Mary is all about Jesus Christ.

[35] Certainly I live in a part of the world here in East.

[36] Texas, where it's only less than 10 % Catholic.

[37] Wow.

[38] Many people, you know, say, oh, you Catholics, you worship Mary.

[39] Anyone who studies that question, really, from the very beginning of the history of the church, we have never worshipped Mary.

[40] She's not God.

[41] You only worship God.

[42] Amen.

[43] But there's great honor and great devotion to Mary because she, her job in the universe is to draw us closer to her son, like so many earthly mothers, what do mothers do?

[44] They support and promote what their good sons and daughters are doing, and that's what Mary does.

[45] So the 33 -day consecration to Jesus through Mary, thankfully, a part, we're in the midst of that right now.

[46] It started March 9th for us in the diocese and anyone else who wants to participate.

[47] Right.

[48] We're ending that on Palm Sunday, Passion Sunday.

[49] Awesome.

[50] So this March 25th, a beautiful day for the Holy Father to choose, because as we've talked about before, Terry, March 25th, the feast of the enunciation, the solemnity of the enunciation of the Lord, that's when the son of God became incarnate, when he was conceived in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary, just like for all of us, that's when we come to be.

[51] That's why life is sacred from conception to natural death.

[52] So I'm really glad that Pope Francis has chosen that date for this consecration of Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

[53] And we pray that this will be a great inspiration to people of faith will be a consolation to the people there suffering in Ukraine, even in Russia that are suffering because they don't want this to be happening.

[54] And we have to believe and to trust that the grace of God can change every heart.

[55] There are hearts that are heartened against the truth that Jesus Christ has revealed.

[56] That was true when Jesus walked this earth.

[57] That's why he was crucified ultimately because the hearts of too many of, the religious leaders and the state leaders of his day back in the first century, their hearts were hardened.

[58] And they would simply not believe in who Jesus really is.

[59] They're hearts that are hardened today.

[60] And they've decided they may not deny Jesus Christ, but they deny aspects of what he taught.

[61] And they shape it according to their image instead of just embracing the truth that he's revealed to us.

[62] But hearts can always be changed.

[63] And so we have to be hopeful and joyful in the Lord and keep praying.

[64] And I'm so glad to be able to, I'm working to, I mean, it's kind of last minute.

[65] Times are busy with Lent and all, but I'm working to arrange so that I can have a mass on March 25th to have this consecration locally to join in the Holy Father who's doing it from Rome for the Universal Church.

[66] And I would encourage every individual diocese to join in this.

[67] The more prayers we can offer praying for the intercession of Mary and praying to Jesus Christ for repentance, for a change of heart, for what Lent is all about.

[68] The more prayers we can offer, the better.

[69] Well, Seth, and I just want to mention it was the bishops of Ukraine, the Catholic bishops who requested the Holy Father to do this just a couple weeks ago.

[70] so it's really quick everything's moving so fast but i want to encourage our listeners we just did a show with dr ed maza a catholic historian about that very question about the consecration and you be the judge with all the information dr maza gave us yesterday it's on our podcast the terry and jesse show if you're interested in that topic about was russia consecrated to the immaculate heart of mary by name okay bishop strickland i love it you tweet anything on Archbishop Fulton Sheen.

[71] Because I, I'm our Terry and Jesse Shea, we say a show, we say full Sheen ahead.

[72] And this is a quote, I remember it.

[73] It's not in my quotable Sheen book that I have here, but I've read this before.

[74] And here's what you tweeted by Sheen.

[75] And this is something that is so fundamental to life.

[76] And again, I've been encouraging all of our listeners during the month of, during Lent, that we go back to our roots as Catholic, our spirituality, the gospel message.

[77] and reread the Gospels.

[78] That's what I'm doing, and I would encourage others to do likewise.

[79] Here's what the venerable Fulton Sheen said.

[80] You will never be happy if your happiness depends on getting solely what you want.

[81] And then Bishop Sheen says, change the focus.

[82] Get a new center.

[83] Here is the answer.

[84] Will what God wills and your joy no man shall take from you.

[85] Bishop Strickland, where'd you get there?

[86] I mean, does that quote just speak to our world today?

[87] Absolutely.

[88] And I mean, it echoes the message of scripture.

[89] And it's just a reminder of what we all need to remember.

[90] The world is frantically pursuing happiness according to our plan.

[91] And if we will just wake up and know that God, loving plan is so much better than anything we could imagine.

[92] And to embrace that humbly, that's what Christ models for us.

[93] That's what the Lenton season is about, is to get back in focus.

[94] If you don't mind, I'd like to continue to read on if I got a minute before the break.

[95] This is a book by Father John Harden called The Treasers of Catholic Wisdom.

[96] And when we come back, I'm going to add, because that quote was taken from a book of Fulton, Sheen's, but what Father Hardin did is he added a little bit more to what Sheen said, and I think it fits.

[97] And when we come back, I'll include that and get Bishop Strickland's comments on that.

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

[99] I hope this is inspiring you as it inspires me to fall deeper in love with Jesus and his church.

[100] Welcome back to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[101] We were talking about Archbishop Bolton Sheen's quote about happiness, and that will what God wills, and your joy, no man can shall take away from you.

[102] And I referred to a book by Father John Harden, Catholic Wisdom that Ignatius Press published years ago.

[103] And here's what Bishop Sheen said.

[104] This is really profound about God's will.

[105] He says, every moment comes to you pregnant with a divine purpose.

[106] Time being so precious that God deals it out only second by second.

[107] Once it leaves your hands and your power to do with it as you please, it plunges into eternity to remain forever, whatever you make of it.

[108] So God gives us free will to do God's will.

[109] So if we choose that decision to be made, that God has given us a certain amount of time on earth, we need to collaborate with it.

[110] And that's what Fulton Sheen is saying, is that every moment comes to you as a pregnant with a divine purpose when i read that the first time bishop strickland i went oh my gosh that man's got away with words i mean pregnant with a divine purpose time being so precious that god deals it out second by second so god only gives us only a certain amount of breath severe but he gives us free will to choose what we're going to do with that anyhow it touched me well terry it calls to mind for me what i love to reflect on is the that's the wonder of the incarnation really yeah yeah right is the jesus christ who is timeless the eternal son of god yeah outside time and space he entered into time and space and he had here's the the eternal word the son of God, and he chose to have a certain number of breaths in this life, just like all of us, from, you know, certainly he's in the womb for those nine months, but as soon as he's born, like all of us, he takes his first breath and breathes until he expires on the cross.

[111] And I think about that also in connection to, I mean, we both acknowledge that we're not kids anymore.

[112] You think?

[113] We're both in our 60s.

[114] We don't know how many more years the Lord will give us.

[115] But like you said, we both have a finite number of breaths and heartbeats that we will live through until it's our last.

[116] and that is a great perspective.

[117] And it really gets, it's a great connection and a great reflection on what Archbishop Sheen is saying is the happiness is choosing, and I mean, we all fail.

[118] I mean, I often pray that every heartbeat and every breath for the rest of my life will be turning from sin and living the grace and cooperating.

[119] with God's will.

[120] But, you know, I mean, we get busy and we forget we're breathing and we get caught up in the meeting or the controversy or the challenge or the celebration or whatever.

[121] But we do need to, that's what prayer's about is bringing it back into focus.

[122] And Lent is, as several people have commented, maybe it's because so much is going on in the world with the tragic war unfolding in Ukraine and just all the turmoil and the fears about prices going up and inflation and just so much to be concerned about.

[123] Many people have said to me already, I mean, we're here in the second week of Lent and it's like, is that all?

[124] It seems longer.

[125] But, you know, Lent will be over and God willing, will still be here.

[126] to celebrate another resurrection and go into the Easter season.

[127] And that's a beautiful, I'm just reading a book that really talks about the Protestant Reformation and how they desacralized time and space.

[128] Right.

[129] And it's part of the incarnation.

[130] We are incarnate beings.

[131] We have that spark of the divine nurtured by.

[132] God's divine son who lived this human journey for 33 years, but what the church has done through the ages is say there are sacred moments and there are sacred places because those are happening within us in our human journey.

[133] And when that gets rejected, we start to diminish what the incarnation means, what it means to be children of God.

[134] Well, said, Bishop Strickland, I like what you said about the breath of air and just giving it all to Christ.

[135] You had a tweet that reminded me of an article I saw.

[136] Your tweet was, is there any doubt about how Jesus feels about abortion?

[137] And then I read, again, Catholic Church in Mexico will deny communion to politicians who voted for abortion.

[138] I want to get your take on this because last week, this is the seventh state in Mexico to legalize the killing of unborn babies up to 13 weeks.

[139] Most states still protect babies from abortion.

[140] But basically these Catholic lawmakers who vote for legalized abortion, the bishop is saying, you know what?

[141] You're not going to be receiving communion?

[142] And he also says, you're not going to become godparents in the diocese.

[143] You're not qualified, according to CNA.

[144] Now, by voting to allow the killing of unborn babies, the bishop is saying these lawmakers place themselves in a unworthy state to receive the body of Christ.

[145] And what he also said, that the church believes, and I like this clarity, bishop, the church believes in the value of every human life.

[146] It sounds like you saying this, but this is another bishop down in Mexico.

[147] and he says from conception to natural death as being personally pro -life is not a legitimate argument for supporting the legalization of abortion.

[148] He said this is an erroneous theory since no circumstance, very clear, no purpose, no law can make an act lawful that is, and he uses the word intrinsically illicit, just what you said, is contrary to the law of God, which is written in every human heart known by reason itself and proclaimed by the church and then he quotes St. John Paul to the Great and his encyclical on human life.

[149] Now, the abortion activist, Bishop Strickland, have been pressuring Mexican leaders for years to repel the pro -life laws that protect unborn babies and, believe it not, sometimes resorting to violent protests, vandalism, and threats, the Roman Catholic churches especially have been targets of pro -abortion violence in recent years.

[150] Many of these pro -abortion groups are funded by some of the richest men in the world, powerful figures who want the killing of unborn babies in abortion to be legal worldwide.

[151] Bishop Strickland, I've been pressed that the bishop called him out.

[152] Me too.

[153] I mean, that's what I wish every bishop would do.

[154] I mean, that's, we should be doing that.

[155] We all have the same playbook.

[156] We all have the same truth.

[157] Thank you.

[158] We should all be one chorus of truth for the world.

[159] Sadly, we're not.

[160] But, you know, it is one truth.

[161] And that's what I tell people all the time.

[162] What this bishop is talking about, and I'm glad it's interesting, because we've talked about it before, Terry.

[163] You know, when you're speaking the truth, it's like, I can say it.

[164] He can say it.

[165] You can say it.

[166] We're all saying the same thing.

[167] Of course.

[168] It's just like we keep repeating each other.

[169] Yeah.

[170] If it's not the truth, then you have all these different fractures and all these different angles on things.

[171] If it's the truth, then, you know, it's just going to be repeating the same message.

[172] He sounds like me. I sound like him.

[173] Yeah.

[174] And, you know, that's the way it should be.

[175] Because it's one truth.

[176] And we just have to always, what I keep, reminding people and myself.

[177] The truth is what lasts.

[178] All the falsehoods that we're hearing and making headlines and people are saying, oh, well, this senator will way in Germany or whatever, what's false doesn't last.

[179] It doesn't prevail.

[180] It may prevail for a while, and it may look like the falsehood is one, but in the long term, and certainly in eternity, the only thing that is eternal is truth.

[181] I mean, all the false paths end in destruction.

[182] And so we just need to hang on to that hope and keep working and work at clarity with charity, as you say so often.

[183] And that's what really what this bishop in Mexico reminds me, the greatest charity toward those politicians in Mexico is to tell them, no, you can't pretend to be a faithful Catholic and support the murder of unborn children.

[184] It just doesn't work.

[185] And that's the greatest charity toward them because maybe if he's clear enough and maybe if some other bishops join him that some of those politicians will have a change of heart.

[186] It can happen.

[187] I mean, just because you're a politician doesn't mean it's impossible for your heart to be changed by the truth.

[188] And so we have to keep praying for that.

[189] Bishop Strickland, it reminds me of my wife and myself with raising our kids.

[190] One of the things we said is we have to be on the same page when we're raising our kids.

[191] So they backed me. I back her.

[192] If mom said it, it's a done deal, kids.

[193] And if dad said it, it's a done deal, kids.

[194] And I know this is not a perfect analogy but the bishops should be on the same page like mom and dad are supposed to be on the same page because it gives the kids clarity on what the expectations are in growing up in a family and we have the family of god and i know this isn't a perfect analogy and i'm just asking the question i'm a layman and that is i know how important it is with mom and dad raising kids because i'm one i've done that and if we weren't on the same page, it would have been a disaster to the kids.

[195] They would have been getting mixed signals.

[196] So I say this to bishops like you and all bishops, not out of disrespect, but out of love.

[197] Please, just give what the church teaches so that we lay people are going to know exactly what our expectations are when it comes to Catholic morality.

[198] Because one of the weaknesses of us as lay people is once one bishop says something of a compromise, it's like a crack and it starts cracking and the crack gets bigger because we all go well if father said it or if bishop said we can use contraception and our marriage well then hey they gave me an out so I don't mean to belabor the point but I'm just saying the importance of being on the same page in a family and also in the family of God which is the church so there you go Bishop Strickland I know that I'm not preaching to the choir but before we get to the quick break I wanted to say that during Lent, you tweeted something to keep me focused in all of our listeners.

[199] You said, this Lent, the world is full of conflict and many feverishly works to fix the world, like the war.

[200] Let us all who believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God, the Lord of History, resist the spirit of panic.

[201] We must begin to heal the world by allowing Jesus' healing mercy to wash over our hearts.

[202] Well said.

[203] We need to hear that.

[204] Hey, when we come back, Bishop Strickland, I'm so glad because you are quoting some of the great saints of our church, and we've got St. Teresa of Calcutta that everyone's going to want to hear this quote because everybody has to deal with pain.

[205] Stay with us, family.

[206] Welcome back to the Bishop Strickland hour.

[207] I have a great quote from St. Teresa of Calcutta that Bishop Strickland tweeted, because pain is something we, all have to deal with.

[208] And the quote says, pain and suffering have come into your life, but remember, pain, sorrow, suffering are but a kiss of Jesus, a sign that you have to come so close to him that he can kiss you.

[209] Bishop Strickland, where did you get that quote?

[210] I mean, I've seen it before, but that quote for Lent seems very appropriate.

[211] Yeah, well, these are just great quotes that people send me, and then I tweet them.

[212] But I think it is a reminder, especially with all that we're dealing with.

[213] I know even in our relatively small diocese, there are people here that have connections directly with Ukraine and they're worried about it.

[214] We have some sisters here in the hospital here in Tyler, and members of their community are there in Ukraine.

[215] And so there are a lot of people, the other things that people are worried about.

[216] There are people that have loved ones that are ill. There's just a lot of pain in the world.

[217] And as St. Teresa of Calcutta, Mother Teresa reminds us in that quote, Jesus knows how we feel.

[218] He knows our pain.

[219] You know, we've heard politicians say that.

[220] Oh, I share your pain.

[221] Jesus is no politician.

[222] He's Lord.

[223] And he knows what human pain is about.

[224] That's the beauty of his incarnation, is that really I like to, I mean, traditionally, on Tuesdays, we pray the sorrowful mysteries of the rosary, at least I do.

[225] And the, you know, those, really the passion of the Lord, I like to think of when he became incarnate, he certainly made himself vulnerable to that.

[226] And even as a little boy, he would have experienced some of what little boys experienced, disappointments, falls, and, you know, for a child, you know, you fall and scrape your knee or, you know, you do some little thing that's not exactly tragic, but it's a big deal for a four -year -old boy when, you know, they cut their foot or, you know, anything that a typical four -year -old does.

[227] And Jesus lived through that.

[228] He knows that, as we say in the prayer, the Salve Regina, this veil of tears.

[229] Jesus has lived in this veil of tears with us.

[230] And that really makes him our Lord and someone that we can relate to if we will choose to, that he knows what our pain is about, and he bore more pain than we can even fathom as he bore the pain of all of our sins so that we could be freed from them.

[231] So St. Teresa of Calcutta is really cutting to, as she often does, kind of like Archbishop Sheen, they're great at getting to the very core of what we humans are dealing with.

[232] Yeah, well said, you know, Bishop Strickland, I thought of last Sunday I was at my daughter's house and I I closed the back of a hatchback onto my head and my head was you know bleeding that's why you have the band -aid and I was just laughing I felt like I got sucker punched I was shit you know I was really shaking up my daughter's sit down dad sit down and I'm fine I'm fine but my point was uh after I got hit uh you know they stopped the bleeding and they put a band -aid on and you know all that stuff It took me about a day to get over that, but I thought, wait a minute, I could offer up that little hit for a salvation of souls.

[233] And I'm being, this is kind of embarrassing to have to say this.

[234] It took hours for me to respond that way.

[235] I was so done.

[236] I mean, I felt like someone just hit me and I'm like, I said, wait a minute, this little inconvenience of pain, offer it up, Terry.

[237] But the point I'm making is all these things that we have, the suffering in our life, can be just jewels of sanctifying grace that for someone else, because our lady at Fatima said souls are going to hell, because no one is there to pray for them and make sacrifices.

[238] So all that can be offered up for the salvation of souls.

[239] That's the point.

[240] Bishop Strickland, you quoted one of my heroes in the church.

[241] Cardinal Burke is one of my heroes and another cardinal, Cardinal Brandmuller, from Germany.

[242] and he's been very clear on certain things and you pointed out saying thank you your eminence we need a choir of leaders who love Jesus Christ and his church so loudly denouncing these false teachings Jesus leads us to every everlasting life this is very clear you're saying false teachings lead us to eternal damnation thanks for speaking the truth what the heck did the cardinals say because that's a pretty big endorsement you just said well he's basically speaking about this senatoral path in germany thankfully a number of the cardinals have spoken up and um i just saw something this afternoon cardinal pell saying the vatican needs to correct this yeah that's that's the church's job is to pull people the deposit of faith to to pull people back to the truth.

[243] And I'm, I'm pleased to see more, it's not exactly a thundering chorus, which it should be, but there are more voices speaking up.

[244] And that's, that's what we need to do.

[245] And you know, Bishop Strickland, I think what you just said is we'll spill over to mom and dad in the family.

[246] And what I mean by that is when we have clear teaching, this example spills right over to mom and dad saying, wait a minute, kids, this is what we believe as Catholics.

[247] You need to stick to this.

[248] But when we have ambiguity, then mom and dad are kind of going, well, I'm not quite sure what the church teaches on this.

[249] So I better just stay quiet because I don't, I mean, I'm not qualified.

[250] I'm not a priest.

[251] I'm not a bishop.

[252] And I always tell the people, you've got the catechism of the Catholic Church.

[253] Mom and dad read it.

[254] And if you ever have any ambiguity, compare it to what the Catholic Church teaches in its catechism and then go with that.

[255] And Terry, I want to jump on that because I often reflect myself and share with others with the confusion.

[256] And there's lots of confusion out there.

[257] But one of the principles that I think guides us, because suffering is real, we live in a world of concupiscence and and brokenness and sin, take the tougher path.

[258] Yeah.

[259] If it's easier, I mean, it's not necessarily always that if it's easier, it's wrong, it's immoral, but you're pretty well guaranteed that if you take the tougher path, it may not be a choice of something that's moral between, you know, sometimes it's just the better thing or the more sacrificial or the more generous.

[260] But a pretty good test is to ask yourself, which is harder to live this truth or to go with somebody else's voice who's saying, oh, it's not true, and you can do this.

[261] It's usually an easier path, at least in the short -sightedness of this world.

[262] If it's a path to eternal destruction, it's ultimately not the easier path.

[263] It looks easy, but if it destroys you, that's not an easy path.

[264] And so, but I think we can always ask ourselves, what's the tougher path?

[265] And you were talking about your banging your head in the car.

[266] And what occurred to me, too, is, and I've thought of this, it's just a simple kind of retooling of our spirituality, but, you know, we're praying for the people in Ukraine.

[267] We're praying for the people that are suffering.

[268] And I, any little inconvenience or any little pain, I try to remind myself, look at what people are suffering there.

[269] And that, there's always tremendous suffering going on in the world.

[270] as Christ said, the poor you will always have with you, the suffering, and even in this country, I mean, the atrocities that we hear about on the news of someone innocently walking down the steps in a subway and literally being pushed down.

[271] I mean, there's always plenty of suffering to go around.

[272] And as members of the body of Christ, we can really kind of retune our own perspective to say, you know, maybe it's the frustration of being in traffic or whatever the little nuisances, you know, the we order lunch and it's not as hot as we would like it.

[273] Like you said, just offer it up and remember the people that maybe don't even have any food or that are suffering in tremendous ways in Ukraine or in so many places in the world, Catholics in China that are suffering and not able to freely live their faith.

[274] I mean, it can really kind of become overwhelming, but in the light of Christ to just be aware of the suffering that's there and to try to shine the light of Christ on that suffering.

[275] And it just puts it all in perspective for us so that a little inconvenience or a little bop on the head, you know, we can handle that and I'll put it up for it up for, those who are truly suffering.

[276] Mr. Strickland, you make me think of the two Chinese couples that came to our church this week yesterday, and I don't know why they came other than someone told to come see this beautiful sacred heart, historic sacred heart chapel.

[277] And I got into a conversation with them because they speak English, and they were talking about the persecution of the church in China, and that they just thought this was so beautiful, our chapel with communion rails and healing down, and they just were you know, impressed with the architecture and just saying to us pray for our church in China.

[278] So, of course, I gave them books and CDs and, you know, material to bring back to China.

[279] But it made me realize, yeah, not everybody has the freedom we have.

[280] Bishop Strickland, we're going to take a quick break, but I want to make sure I get Sister Burns comments that you tweeted.

[281] And also this quote, you'll think about it over the break because I think it ties right in with what you're saying.

[282] You tweeted, the church cannot be the salt of the earth if we keep sugar -coating the gospel.

[283] Yeah, I like that one.

[284] I love that.

[285] When we come back, I want to hear, because what do we mean by sugar -coating the gospel?

[286] Well, when we come back, we'll talk about that because we don't want, you know, watered -down Catholicism or light Catholicism.

[287] We have all these terms we use.

[288] We want the real stuff.

[289] We want to know what Jesus Christ is taught in his perennial teachings, the deposit of faith, and you don't get that unless you get the true gospel.

[290] Stay with us.

[291] Welcome back to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[292] This quote that he just said, it's worth repeating because I never saw this before, but it's so true.

[293] It says, the church cannot be the salt of the earth if we keep sugarcoating the gospel.

[294] In other words, compromising what Christ taught and making people feel comfortable.

[295] am i onto something bishop strickland yeah i think you're on to something very important uh one of the root causes of where we were broken in the world today um it makes me think of the the first reading from isaiah for the mass for this linton weekday yeah isaiah one verse 10 hear the word of the lord princes of sodom listen to the instruction of our god people of gomorrah wash your yourself's clean.

[296] Put away your misdeeds from before my eyes.

[297] Cease doing evil.

[298] Learn to do good.

[299] Make justice your aim.

[300] Address the wrong.

[301] Hear the orphans plea.

[302] Defend the widow.

[303] That is not sugar -coding.

[304] And that is the challenging truth.

[305] And as it mentioned, Sodom and Gomorrah, certainly that mentions or highlights the sins, the sexual sins that those cities were destroyed over homosexuality and others, but it really reminds us of simply the evil of sin in whatever form.

[306] And to sugarcoat the gospel is to pretend that the truth isn't there and that, oh, the truth has changed or to just ignore it.

[307] That probably happens the most of all is just, well, we'll just leave out those verses, and we won't talk about that.

[308] But that isn't what Christ did, and that's, that takes all the power away from the truth.

[309] When you take out the hard part, it leaves you with some nice platitudes that don't change people's hearts, that don't change the world.

[310] and the world has always needed to change and be configured more closely to the truth of God.

[311] Well, I'll tell you one who's not sugar -coding the gospel as Sister Byrne, you tweeted about her saying, thank God for sister granting a religious exemption to COVID shots by D .C. court.

[312] This is good news that she, I mean, this is a nun who's a doctor.

[313] She spent time in Afghanistan.

[314] helping our soldiers, and everybody's seen her.

[315] I think she was at, it was some event where she was just pointing out the sacredness of life that she would not compromise.

[316] Yeah, I think she was at the Republican convention.

[317] Oh, there she was.

[318] Okay, yeah.

[319] The bottom line is this nun, fully habited, is just telling what it is, not sugarcoat anything.

[320] And I think you just said, thank God for her.

[321] And that's an example that inspires us lay people when we see religious like that, Bishop Strickland.

[322] Yeah, she's great.

[323] Yep, yep.

[324] Bishop Strickland, I want to get this in on the catechism of the Catholic Church on marriage.

[325] You've been commenting on the sacrament of marriage here on your show, and I had a quote here that I'd like to pull out from the catechism, and let me just get my right quote out here.

[326] It just talks about how the catechism talks when you're married.

[327] And I'll tell you what, paragraph 1625 on the matrimonial consent.

[328] This is so important that I think people sometimes misunderstand.

[329] Sometimes a marriage that is performed isn't a valid marriage.

[330] There are requirements that need to be very clearly enunciated or, hey, there's no deal.

[331] so to speak.

[332] I mean, but here's what the paragraph 1626 said.

[333] All right, I'll say 1625 first.

[334] The parties to marriage covenant are a baptized man and a woman, free to contract marriage, who freely express their consent to be free means.

[335] And then it says, not being under constraint.

[336] Also, second one, not impeded by any natural or ecclesiastical law.

[337] Can you share what that means on that paragraph, Bishop Strickland?

[338] Yeah, that studying canon law and studying, certainly I worked in the tribunal for 15 years, consent makes the marriage.

[339] That's what they drilled into us.

[340] And it has to be free consent.

[341] That's what this is talking about.

[342] If you're not free, you can't make a commitment of any kind.

[343] And certainly, you can't make the commitment of marriage.

[344] And then it helpfully breaks down.

[345] to two different forms of that lack of freedom.

[346] Tell me. You can't be forced.

[347] You can't be under constraint.

[348] You can't, you know, like, you know, it probably doesn't happen much, but a shotgun wedding is not a wedding at all.

[349] Nope.

[350] If somebody's being forced to say, I do, then they, it doesn't happen.

[351] Like you said, I mean, that it's an approach to marriage that a lot of people find, well, we said the word.

[352] So doesn't it mean it happened?

[353] But just saying the words doesn't mean that the real consent took place because it has to be truly free.

[354] And then the second, not impeded by any natural or ecclesiastical law, that's basically what the marriage tribunal is looking at.

[355] And there's a lot of confusion.

[356] A lot of people say, oh, well, it's just Catholic divorce.

[357] But really, what a decree of nullity is looking at?

[358] I like to use that term rather than calling it an annulment, because it's an annulment sounds like we're doing something.

[359] A decree of nullity simply points out what the truth is from the moment of that lack of consent.

[360] If a marriage, like for your marriage to your wife, that moment of consent when you both exchange your vows and said, I do take this woman and she said, I do take this man. That is when the marriage happened.

[361] And if something was missing there, that's when the marriage didn't happen.

[362] And no matter what you do afterwards, if the consent was not present or was drastically flawed, then a marriage didn't take place.

[363] And so that's what the second part gets into.

[364] And it gets rather complicated.

[365] And it's it takes a lot.

[366] It takes a a lot of looking at the situation, but just another pretty clear example, from the Catholic Church's perspective, you have to be open to having children for a real marriage to take place.

[367] Amen.

[368] It doesn't mean, you know, people might say, well, what about this married couple that it's childless because for whatever reason they were infertile or they simply couldn't have children.

[369] That doesn't mean it has to be an openness to children.

[370] It's not they have to have children in order for the consent to be valid.

[371] But for the consent to be valid, they have to be open to having children.

[372] And there are numerous other facets to a free consent to marriage.

[373] So that's what this is talking about.

[374] And beyond all of those details, Terry, I think what I think it really emphasizes that people need to be aware of.

[375] young and old.

[376] I mean, we all have people, whether we're, I mean, like yourself, you've been married for years.

[377] You have children that are hopefully in good marriages, but they have children.

[378] I mean, marriage is an issue for all of us.

[379] There are always people that are potentially looking to get married.

[380] And what this section on marriage and the catechism emphasizes, is it's a very important decision.

[381] It's not just something you do lightly.

[382] It's not something you do with a temporary mindset.

[383] Well, we'll give it a try.

[384] If you're only so committed to that person that you think, well, we'll give it a try.

[385] Then don't do it.

[386] You need to be fully, because I'm sure you and your wife can testify that even when you are fully committed, it's still challenging.

[387] They're rough days and there are things that you, when you say for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer and sickness and and health, that's a lot to deal with.

[388] And what that's illustrating is that whatever happens, we're married.

[389] And we'll face it together.

[390] That's the beauty of marriage is that you have a life partner that you'll face the illness, you'll face the worse, you'll face the poorer.

[391] But also, you can celebrate the riches, you can celebrate the blessings, you can celebrate the goodness.

[392] That's what the partnership of marriage is about.

[393] Wonderful.

[394] Just a quick note before I ask for your blessing, the church makes it clear that a marriage is between a baptized man and a woman.

[395] For those in the church who try to persuade people that homosexual marriage is an expression of marriage, it contradicts.

[396] It doesn't, it's not what the Catholic Church teaches, and it's very clear in that paragraph 1625 that are baptized man and women are those qualifying to be married.

[397] There's no marriage with two men or two women.

[398] The church teaches that very clearly, correct?

[399] Absolutely.

[400] All right.

[401] Bishop Strickland.

[402] Not up for debate.

[403] No, it's not, that's the thing.

[404] When the church makes it clear, we should just accept it and move on and say, okay, it's clear, because that's what Christ taught.

[405] all the way back in the book of Genesis, too, about a man and a woman.

[406] Bishop Strickland, I want to give a plug to your St. Philip Institute.

[407] I know it's during Lent.

[408] There's some jewels there for this.

[409] Listeners can find out about how do they do that?

[410] Yeah, just go to St .Philip Institute .org, Philip with 1L.

[411] There are a lot of great resources.

[412] There's a companion book to take through Lent that, I mean, you could get now that is a scripture for every day written by Dr. Luke Aredondo.

[413] Oh, good.

[414] And just go to the website, and you can go to the store and order that.

[415] They have some great rosaries and other books and a lot of articles, a lot of videos.

[416] There's a section on family life and marriage.

[417] And we're really working in the diocese to provide some marriage enrichment to help marriage is not just survive, but really flourish and evangelize other marriages and bring people either to the church that have never been in the church or maybe back to the church or into a deeper relationship with the church.

[418] Because a deeper relationship with the church is a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ.

[419] It's his body.

[420] How about a blessing for our listeners, Bishop Strickland?

[421] Sure.

[422] The Lord be with you.

[423] with your spirit.

[424] Almighty God, we ask your blessing for everyone listening that we may all continue this journey of Lent, full of joy at the opportunity to turn from sin, to be freed from the burdens and the brokenness that sin causes in our lives, and to grow closer to the Lord of Life, Jesus Christ, to be more joyful in his presence.

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

[426] Amen.

[427] Thank you very much, Bishop Strickland.

[428] Folks, you can listen to any of these podcasts by going to vmpr .org.

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[432] May God bless you during this Lenton season, and God willing, we'll see you again next week, same time.

[433] Thanks again for listening to Virgin Most Powerful Radio.