04 Aug 2020 – Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it Holy

[0] Welcome to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

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

[2] I'm honored to be with you.

[3] Thank you for joining us.

[4] Today's topic is going to be the Third Commandment.

[5] And then we're going to cover that and also a letter that Bishop Strickland wrote to his own diocese about the Lord's Day and our day.

[6] And I thought it was very beautiful.

[7] Bishop Strickland, welcome to your show.

[8] I'm just moderating it, but glad to see it again.

[9] Good to see you.

[10] And you know, Bishop, I wanted to talk.

[11] for the first segment about an article I read in the National Catholic Register about saying, and they're talking about you, a U .S. Bishop, Bishop Strickland, discovers the traditional Latin Mass. Now, it's the extraordinary form, just to get everybody on the same page.

[12] We have the ordinary form of the Mass that Pope Benedict said, talks about.

[13] That's our Novus Ordo Mass that was promulgated, I believe, April 4th, 1969.

[14] And then we have the extraordinary form of the Mass, the Latin Mass, that we call the trinantine mass for some of us.

[15] And Bishop Strickland, I wanted to ask you, because you said this, you did this mass on the 11th of June, Corpus Christi Sunday, and I'm going to assume that you're my age that maybe you didn't have much of an experience with the Latin Mass, so this is kind of interesting.

[16] What made you do this?

[17] Well, I guess it's kind of a long story, but I'd have to, say really getting deeply into adoration of Christ and the Blessed Sacrament.

[18] That was a start of it.

[19] One of the major steps was when in the diocese here, the Diocese of Tyler, I called for this liturgical year, beginning the first Sunday of Advent to be the year of the Eucharist.

[20] And as that all developed, I just thought that an appropriate thing for me to do during this year of the Eucharist would be to celebrate one of the forms of the Latin right in the church today that I had no knowledge of, really.

[21] I grew up, as I say briefly in that article, I grew up in a small town.

[22] mission in East Texas, and I have no memory of the Latin Mass. I'm sure I was there as a kid, but the first masses I remember were Nova Zordo.

[23] Maybe as things, I know there was a lot of experimentation going on.

[24] And, you know, the masses we had were literally in the city hall of the town.

[25] Oh, my gosh.

[26] Temporary space.

[27] They folded up the altar after my...

[28] It was just...

[29] It was a very missionary kind of experience.

[30] And so it may have been in Latin, but I don't remember that.

[31] I just had no memory of that.

[32] You know, as a kid, maybe I wouldn't pay in too much attention.

[33] I remember going to Mass because I remember kneeling there in the city hall.

[34] We, of course, didn't have kneelers.

[35] Wow.

[36] It was like an old auditorium.

[37] Sure.

[38] And so we would, I remember kneeling on the carpet, like in the aisles, we'd come out of the seats and kneel in the aisle.

[39] Yes.

[40] And I remember kneeling next to my father.

[41] That's one of my earliest memories of going to Mass. And now there's a little church built there that that's where I grew up and learned how to serve Mass and everything.

[42] But certainly serving Mass, which I started about second grade.

[43] so it would have been right around that time when it was all changing but we had missionary priests and I have an idea they were you know quick to adopt the changes whatever whatever those were but you know as a kid I really had no memory of it so I had to start from scratch learning the prayers that's powerful you know Bishop Strickland you said something very powerful for mom and dad you said that you saw your dad at church kneeling down at mass. I had the same experience.

[44] I'm just a couple years older than you.

[45] And you know what made me think when as a young boy what that said?

[46] You mean there's someone bigger than dad?

[47] Yes, that's a, no, really, as a little boy, I saw that.

[48] And I understood that God is the father of all of us.

[49] And it was a very teaching moment to see my dad.

[50] He would put his hands in his face, Bishop, and kneel down and pray intensely to our Lord.

[51] And that touched me as a young boy.

[52] As a matter of fact, Bishop Strickland, when I read your article, it reminded me as a young person, I was 14 years old, and I fell in love with the Mass because of Fulton Sheen.

[53] I listened to his retreat tapes, cassette tapes, and he talked about what the Mass is.

[54] And when I realized it was a reenactment of Calvary that I was present at that one eternal sacrifice.

[55] At age 14, I got on my bike, and I made an effort to go to Daily Mass. I'm 63 years old now, and I've been going to Daily Mass ever since because somebody introduced me, his name was Bishop Sheen, to explain the Mass. And I said, well, why would I not want to be there every day?

[56] If that's what it is.

[57] But, you know, Bishop Strickland, I'm so impressed that you called 2020 the year of the Eucharist, because I believe that as the council taught and as the church teaches, the Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life.

[58] And by you pointing out that this year we're going to dedicate, you know, the diocese and Tyler to the Holy Eucharist, I'm sure many of your flock are going to have time to realize what the mass really is and fall deeper in love with the person of Jesus Christ.

[59] So I really appreciate you doing that.

[60] And people can read that article, Bishop Strickland, from just going on the internet under the National Catholic Register.

[61] But Bishop Strickland, you have such a powerful love for Jesus in the Holy Eucharist.

[62] In that article, you talked about visiting Jesus, trying every morning to visit Jesus, and at the end of the day, visiting Jesus.

[63] Kind of like bookmarks and your day.

[64] And I just think that touched me, okay, as a layman.

[65] And my message is after listening to Bishop talk about his love for the Eucharist, I would encourage our listeners, make visits every day, even if it's just a few minutes to come in and say, hi, Jesus, this is Mike, this is Terry.

[66] I'm just coming in to say, thank you for the day.

[67] I have a little comment, a prayer that I teach people.

[68] We give thee thanks almighty, all merciful, and all loving God, for all the blessings that we have received from thy bounty through Christ, our Lord, amen.

[69] That's what I pray when I go to visit Jesus, because it's a blessing and an honor to visit him.

[70] Bishop Strickland, you also tweeted something that touched me about A year ago I got this book, Sineu Jesus, it's a book by a Benedictine monk for priests.

[71] And it was called When Heart Speaks to Heart, a journal of a priest at prayer.

[72] And you quote this comment about the Holy Eucharist, and I'd like you to expand on it.

[73] He says, more good can come, no, more good can be done in a single hour of adoration than in a hundred days of uninterrupted preaching.

[74] and apostolic labors, for when you are with me, I am working for you.

[75] Can you comment on that?

[76] Absolutely.

[77] That really, in a lot of ways, captures the message of that book in St. Giusu.

[78] That really is, as I've read it and I continue to read it, just going back to read a brief portion of it at a time now.

[79] but what really impacted me is that the best message of the book is that priests especially, and as a bishop, I'm a priest.

[80] But priest should absolutely spend as much time as they can with Christ.

[81] He's really there.

[82] And I think that that's what we've lost so much.

[83] We've talked about it before on this show that, you know, it's just absolutely horrendously tragic that Catholics have any doubt, any lack of fervor, any lack of awe at the greatest gift that we have.

[84] We have the same son of God that we read about in the gospel that's going toe to toe with the scribes and the Pharisees or curing somebody of an illness or raising from him from the dead or carrying his cross, the very same Jesus is in that tabernacle.

[85] You said that's 60 feet away where you are.

[86] And it's just down the hall.

[87] I was just there because, you know, with our conversations at 5 o 'clock, my schedule changes a bit.

[88] And to make sure I had some time this evening, I was just in our chapel.

[89] Pray before Christ and the Blessed Sagina.

[90] He's really there.

[91] And so absolutely.

[92] I think priests especially, there's a, we're in a crisis of the priesthood.

[93] Too many priests are not happy men and they're, they're wondering and they're not feeling supported.

[94] I urge every priest and everyone that's listening that knows and loves a priest, encourage that priest to pray before the Blessed Sacrum, whether in the tabernacle or in exposition, you know, and like adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, but talk to Jesus.

[95] He's the boss.

[96] Amen.

[97] He is the Lord.

[98] And I really think the world and the church can be transformed if priests will remember, like the Curie of Ars and Padre Pio and so many of the great saint priest, that's what they did.

[99] And it's the same ancient faith that they lived.

[100] I mean, Padre Pio was not that long ago.

[101] He was in the 20th century.

[102] St. John Vianney centuries before that, but stretching through the history of the church, saintly priest, spend time with the Lord because he's the Lord.

[103] And you know, Bishop Strickland, you're echoing Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, if you've ever heard his priest retreats, we've given 60 ,000 of them away, his Korakura retreat, he talks about the daily holy hour.

[104] He says, every priest needs to make a daily holy hour.

[105] And I'm convinced that Fult and Sheen got it right, Bishop Strickland.

[106] Absolutely.

[107] You bet.

[108] And when we come back, I hear the music, when we come back from the break, we're going to talk more about the Third Commandment, but also about a letter that Bishop Joseph Strickling wrote to the dioces of Tyler that I think will inspire you because it inspired me. You're listening to the Bishop Strickland Hour on Virgin Most Powerful Radio.

[109] We're all about helping you get to heaven.

[110] That's why we're We'll be right back with much more on the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[111] We got Ernesto from Long Beach.

[112] You know, I just wanted to comment, you know, and I just wanted to thank you guys.

[113] And I kind of want to encourage people that are listening, maybe they are not donating, you know, because honestly, I got to be honest.

[114] I used to think you guys were a little.

[115] Too over the top time, you know?

[116] You know, yeah.

[117] That's right.

[118] If God gave us a lot, you know, and I'm at the blessing of listening to all this, I just want to call all the people.

[119] You know, I've got five kids, you know, and I don't make a lot of money.

[120] and I'm still donating to you guys.

[121] God bless you, brother.

[122] You're amazing.

[123] We got to.

[124] We have to do this.

[125] We have to do the extra.

[126] And is that even the extra?

[127] People see it like it's extra.

[128] Needing for communion.

[129] Staying your rosary.

[130] Staying the Divine Mercy chocolate.

[131] It is not extra.

[132] It's what the church tells us to do.

[133] Amen.

[134] You're a good man, brother.

[135] 30 years old, 29 years old, five kids.

[136] And I thank you guys.

[137] But everybody else, man, get on fire.

[138] Fight for the truth, man. I know what I'm telling you guys.

[139] I love it.

[140] All here.

[141] Syrac 1124 says, Do not say I am self -sufficient.

[142] What harm can come to me now?

[143] According to St. Catherine of Sienna, presumption is like vermin, burrowing at the root of the tree of our soul.

[144] If we do not uproot it with great care and humility, it will eventually destroy the soul.

[145] May God keep us from all presumption of mind and heart and realize that we depend on him for everything.

[146] This is Terry Barber.

[147] I want to thank you for your support here at Virgin Most Powerful Radio.

[148] Here's an easy way to do it.

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[151] Call 877 -543 -3871.

[152] Thank you so much for you.

[153] your support.

[154] Welcome back to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[155] We're talking about the Third Commandment in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and I want to just express my thanks for Bishop Strickland to go to the fundamentals of the faith because so many people missed it in our generation for the last 50 or 60 years, we just haven't had a good catechesis.

[156] I'm being honest.

[157] I live through all those 60s in the 70s and the 80s.

[158] Remember the Third Commandment in the Catechism.

[159] Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy six days you shall labor and do all your work but the seventh day is the sabbath to the lord your god in it you shall not do any work now the sabbath was made for man not man for the sabbath so the son of man is lord even on the sabbath now paragraphs 2168 is where it starts in the catechism of the church but bishop strickland you sent me a wonderful letter from your from your diocese regarding instructing people how to celebrate Sunday not just Sunday Mass but the Day of the Lord can you first of all tell us why did you and why did you send this letter to your flock was there a need for that well I thought so as you we said earlier the Eucharist Christ in the Eucharist is the source and the summit of our Catholic faith And so the very heart of the faith is the Mass, the celebration of the Eucharist, that's the heart of the Lord's Day for us as Catholics.

[160] Keeping that commandment, remember, keep holy the Lord's Day.

[161] That's why the church has an obligation to attend Sunday Mass. That sort of seems outdated, but it's not.

[162] And it needs to be emphasized all over again.

[163] Ironically, we're in a time I would imagine where you are, Terry, and probably most diocese, that obligation has been lifted.

[164] That's correct.

[165] It is here at the diocese because people are encouraged to quarantine very often.

[166] We have had some priests that have had to quarantine because of exposure to the virus or because of being diagnosed as positive with COVID -19.

[167] So it's a strange time.

[168] I wrote this article back in 2016.

[169] But I think we've lost a lot as the Eucharist is the very heart of the church, because it is Jesus Christ, it's his church.

[170] He's at the very center of it.

[171] Sunday should be at the center of our calendar.

[172] It should be the rhythm of our days should revolve around Sunday.

[173] And for too many of us, even for believing people, Sunday's just another day.

[174] I remember as a kid, what we had in Texas were called Blue Laws.

[175] And Blue Laws meant certain things weren't open.

[176] And I remember as a kid going to Mass, that was automatic for us.

[177] We had one Mass, one little church, and it was, that's a kid.

[178] what we did.

[179] There weren't questions about are we going to Mass or what time even.

[180] We're going to Mass. It's still at 9 o 'clock on Sunday morning there in Atlanta, Texas, St. Catharines.

[181] But we would go to Mass and sometimes, you know, someone would need something from the store after Mass. And I remember in my earlier years, I remember at times you couldn't buy that on Sunday because some of those blue laws that were starting to be phased out even then.

[182] This would have been the late 60s, early 70s.

[183] Probably what I'm talking about probably happened in the early 70s.

[184] I don't know when the blue laws completely went away.

[185] But the blue laws were the society, even the civil government, reflecting God's commandment to keep holy the Lord's Day.

[186] Now we're so secularized that even, you know, people who go to church, to Mass or go to some other church, at least worship on the Lord's Day, the rest of the day tends to just be caught up in the world.

[187] I think it reminds me of tithing, you know, the scriptural basis of giving some a portion back, you know, a tenth is the typical, that's what tithe means, one -tenth.

[188] But I think, you know, what are our greatest treasures?

[189] Time is one of the greatest treasures that we have.

[190] Amen.

[191] This knows how much time we're going to be given.

[192] And to give, to tithe your week in a sense, to give a seventh of your days, one day out of seven to worship and Thanksgiving, to being with family, to praying, and to spending time, maybe reading scripture.

[193] I mean, there are all kinds of ways that individuals and families can keep holy the Lord's Day.

[194] But I think we really, that's what I tried to do with this letter that I wrote to the diocese back in 2016 to encourage people to really live the Lord's Day.

[195] I like to call it the Lord's Day.

[196] I like to call it the Lord Sunday, you know, is beautiful and the day of the sun, and Jesus Christ is the sun, so you can kind of play with those words.

[197] But I like to call it the Lord's Day, just as a reminder for myself, of keeping the whole day.

[198] Certainly, hopefully people worship very clearly at mass, our greatest prayer, our greatest worship for about an hour.

[199] But there's a whole lot of day left after that.

[200] Right.

[201] And to be wholly by focusing on family, focusing on caring for others, focusing on being a child of God on that day.

[202] And when you're busy with work and everything else, the rest of the week.

[203] Absolutely.

[204] Bishop Strickland, you mentioned COVID -19.

[205] I want to give credit to a doctor in your state in Texas.

[206] His name is Dr. Richard Bartlett.

[207] He has been treating COVID patients since March, and he has 100 % cure rate, because he's using a medicine that was used on me last year when I had pneumonia, and I just want to give him credit because it's Texas.

[208] You're in Texas, and if people want to hear that interview we had yesterday, go to Virgin Most Powerful Radio .org and listen to the recording.

[209] It would have been done on the 20th of July 2020, and I was just blown away by it because he's a Christian man, very humble about it, but he said, look, we've got an, we don't need a cure for this.

[210] What do we call it, a vaccine?

[211] We don't need it.

[212] He said, I've been treating patients since March, and nobody dies, 90 -year -old ladies.

[213] So I just want to make a plug because I got excited to hear this that we now have medicine that this doctor has in Texas, who's been working with your governor of Texas.

[214] He's on that committee.

[215] And I, want the whole world to know because they're using this in Japan.

[216] They're using it in Taiwan and it's effectively killing COVID -19.

[217] But Bishop Strickland, I don't want to get political, but there's certain people who might not want to hear that.

[218] But you know what?

[219] I preach it because it's the truth.

[220] But Bishop Strickland, getting back to what you have to say about the Sunday worship, I just want to throw this at you that, yes, in California, we have a challenge because we still can go to mass outdoors okay but we've been given the permission by our archbishop saying we don't need you know the obligation especially if you're elderly not to go to mass and I get that because of the potential danger but here's my question I know at parishes where they have 3 ,000 families and a small percentage like one or two percent of the people are coming for outdoor masses and it's really challenging me as a layman because I find that it might be difficult, I really do, to bring these people back to the faith because if they didn't really have a great love for the Mass and an understanding of Mass, why would they come back?

[221] So I'm trying to scratch my head, Bishop Strickland, to say, what can we do to help bring our brothers back to church when this ends?

[222] And my comment on it is education, and also Archbishop Gomez has allowed us to make visits to the Blessed Sacrament.

[223] We just can't have Mass in the chapel.

[224] So I'm encouraging everybody to have a great hunger for the Holy Eucharist, and therefore, with that hunger, when mass is back to normal, they'll come back.

[225] But if they don't believe in the real presence, Bishop Strickland, why would they, why would they even want to come back?

[226] Absolutely.

[227] Well, and I mean, it's certainly been my mission, and we're experiencing the same thing that the numbers of people, we're able to have mass in the churches.

[228] with social distancing, but we're certainly not getting the congregations that we had a year ago.

[229] And I think there's a lot to study there.

[230] Because I think that sadly, like you said, Terry, if people don't really believe in what the mass offers and it's just another religious service, then they're not going to come back.

[231] And I don't want to be harsh, but I don't think they were ever really there.

[232] Exactly.

[233] I just posted something on my website, bishop strickland .com, just talking about spiritual communion.

[234] And we really emphasize that.

[235] A lot of people hadn't even weren't familiar with the term when we first closed down and we encourage people to really be aware of spiritual communion.

[236] it's an ancient part of the life of the church.

[237] But I guess what really struck me is I think what's happened sadly with the lack of catechises.

[238] And I'll take the blame.

[239] As a priest and a bishop, I mean, the lay people certainly can and I would urge them to learn on their own if they're not being taught.

[240] But, you know, we have an obligation to teach these basics of we talked about before in another segment about the fundamentals.

[241] It doesn't get more fundamental than knowing that that bread and wine truly become their transubstantiation through a great mystery, but they truly become the body and blood, soul and divinity of the eternal son of God.

[242] If people believe that, you're not going to be able to block them from coming to church.

[243] Amen.

[244] They're going to break down whatever barrier you put up and make sure they get there, just like we both heard stories through the ages and in communist countries and in the Nazi concentration camps.

[245] I mean, the beautiful stories about the lengths that priests went to to be able to celebrate a mass, finding a tiny amount of wine and a little piece of bread to be able to celebrate the mass. To take it for granted is sinful and tragic to not treasure the opportunity that we have.

[246] And I know that some have treasured it even more deeply because of the restrictions that have been there, and you can't go to Mass as easily as you could a year ago, but too many because we didn't teach them well enough, and they just don't have the faith.

[247] It's like you talked about Archbishop Sheen, really talking about an hour of prayer before the blessed sacrament.

[248] That is not just praying in an empty room with it, quiet.

[249] You are in a living presence there.

[250] And that's what people have to believe.

[251] And sadly, there is a lot of lack of faith, but there are a lot of people that believe as well.

[252] And I just think I've encouraged my people to be ambassadors of the Eucharist to go out with that faith because people are hungry for him.

[253] Amen.

[254] And he's here.

[255] He's here.

[256] He wants to feed us, but we have to make the effort.

[257] That's right, Bishop Strickland.

[258] I'm excited to tell a story about people going to Mass 50 years ago and what they went through.

[259] We'll be right back with more at the Bishop Strickland Hour.

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[274] Keep the faith.

[275] This is Terry Barber.

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[283] This is Terry Barber.

[284] I want to thank you for your support here at Virgin Most Powerful Radio.

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[290] Thank you so much for your support.

[291] Welcome back to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[292] Terry Barber with Virgin Most Powerful Radio.

[293] I promised after the break I'd tell a story that inspired me. Because out in California, we have to have all of our masses outside.

[294] Well, the weather was about 98 degrees outside, and I put up these big tents in our chapel for the Melkites, which is another right of the church, and the Anglican Ordinariots who came into our church.

[295] So we had about 100 people show up for Mass, and we're on, you know, like a patio, and some of the folks, young people, I understand old people can handle, you know, they've got to have, it probably wouldn't be good for them to come out, but we had a young congregation, and And a young man came up to me and said, Terry, this is too much, man. This is way too hot.

[296] And so I pulled them over the side and I said, you know what?

[297] I'm your coach right now, partner.

[298] Let me give you a few pointers here.

[299] Dude, man up.

[300] I did.

[301] I told my man up.

[302] I said, get down on your knees, offer it up.

[303] Our lady said souls are going to hell because no one's there to make sacrifices and to pray for those people.

[304] You're on Team Jesus, man. You've got to offer that up because I'm going to tell you, A 60 years ago, when you were living in a communist country, Bishop Athanasia Snyder, who's been on our show many times, he told us how it was in a communist country where they were out at a church that had been blown up that was in damaged area.

[305] It's snowing.

[306] It's 20 below zero, and the people are at the mass, bundled up, kneeling down, and suffering while they're going to mass and offering up that sacrifice.

[307] So I think our 98 -degree weather is pretty much a lightweight.

[308] We're kind of lightweight.

[309] So he really looked at me and he says, oh, okay, I got the message.

[310] I'll offer it up.

[311] But sometimes you've got to talk to men like that, Bishop Strickland.

[312] That's how I go.

[313] Come me, I'm your coach.

[314] Come on, be a man. This is where we have to suck it up and say, we're going to offer it up for our love for God.

[315] And, you know, in your letter, Bishop Strickland, you said, while attending Mass should always be seen as a great privilege, the church knows that in our human weakness we may be tempted to put other things before God Bishop thank you for saying that because so many times I hear from especially men and we want men to man up and say look I got to go to the football game today I don't have time for Mass or I got to go do this and so Bishop Strickland what do you tell your flock about the priority for Holy Mass well I'm glad you you talked about men manning up because I would say every husband and father, every man listening, any man that you can talk to, man up and lead your family to church, lead your family in this celebration of the Lord's Day.

[316] Because I'm sure you've read it, Terry, the statistics tell us that a faithful man, leading his family, has a huge effect.

[317] That's right.

[318] Because that's God's plan.

[319] You know, the mothers are wonderful, and grandmothers praying for us, just like we were talking about the wonderful cloistered nuns.

[320] How could we survive without their prayer?

[321] Yes.

[322] So certainly the motherly prayers, the wifely prayers, the grandmother's prayers are wonderful and important.

[323] But the other side of that is men need to lead, especially in the area of faith.

[324] I mean, thankfully, I was blessed and to grow up in a family of six kids.

[325] And like I said, there was no question about going to Mass. And my father drove the car.

[326] My mother didn't drive.

[327] So he literally drove us to Mass. I love it.

[328] You know, in later years, we were teenagers, drove ourselves.

[329] or whatever, but I think that families, I really urge families, and especially dads, husbands and fathers, to just, like you said, just man up and make it a priority.

[330] God will bless any family that makes it a priority to follow his commandments, to keep holy the Lord's Day.

[331] And even the psychologists, the secular people will tell us, you know, they're all sorts of, I mean, you could Google books on silence and get all kinds of books to people saying, oh, you need some silence and you need some rest.

[332] You need quiet in your life.

[333] The Lord knows that.

[334] That's why he commanded us to keep one day reserved for worship and for prayer and to quiet things down a bit to be more reflective, to be more family oriented.

[335] And I urge the men to take the lead.

[336] well bishop i want to back you up on that i'm going to back you up with a study back in 1998 in europe there was a study that showed that if father led the family in the religion not just catholic christian just religion in general there was a 75 % chance a dance they said of kids continuing to worship with their father's example but if mom was the one who was practicing the faith are you ready for this only 25 % would father their faith.

[337] Now, I have nothing against moms.

[338] I love moms.

[339] I mean, I married a woman, okay?

[340] I love women.

[341] But the point of it is, dad's role is so critical when it comes to the worship and the practicing of their faith.

[342] That's why Jesse and I, Terry and Jesse show, we really do focus on, you know, we say real men pray the rosary on their knees every day.

[343] And we try to inspire people to say, hey, yeah, we want to inspire them to follow deep in love with Jesus Christ and his bride to church.

[344] But it's a manly approach.

[345] to a religion rather than especially, I don't know if you have a Hispanic, a large group of Hispanic people in Texas.

[346] We have them in California.

[347] Yeah.

[348] Yeah.

[349] Women seem to be, in the Spanish culture, the ones that go to church.

[350] And we try to change that at our men's conferences.

[351] We go, hey, don't be putting that on mom.

[352] You have to lead the church men, especially Hispanic men.

[353] And Jesse, being a Romero, he can talk to these guys.

[354] But getting back to your Sunday worship, In your letter, I like it that you had instructed people because I think people are unaware of what sin is, even basic sin, Bishop Strickland.

[355] And so going to Holy Communion, I've talked to guys who have said, yeah, I haven't been to church in three years, four years, and they go to church and they go to Holy Communion, but they've never done an examination of conscience.

[356] They have no idea about sin because they've been told, are you ready, been told that.

[357] falsely, that God is all merciful and he doesn't care about how you act.

[358] God will forgive you without even asking.

[359] And I've heard that being said.

[360] And so here's my point.

[361] In your letter you talk about what we call committing a grave sin, mortal sin.

[362] Can you reflect on that and tell us what instruction would you give people before they receive holy communion?

[363] Well, absolutely.

[364] You already basically gave the instruction, Terry, a good good examination of conscience.

[365] And what really I've said in other places, a well -formed conscience is the best path to a good examination of conscience to learn, to learn the commandments and to really reflect on, and there's plenty to read in the Gaticism and other things, and just use your brain to think about, you know, okay, keep holy the Lord's Day.

[366] Well, how might that expand out, like with all these commandments?

[367] I mean, it becomes a way of life.

[368] And if you really start forming your conscience, which means reading and learning, sacred scripture and the teachings of the faith, then you're going to start feeling a little guilty that you've maybe not measured up in various areas.

[369] I hope so.

[370] me too i went to confession just last sunday and i need to go frequently to for the grace and for the forgiveness um and you know we pray in the mass lord i am not worthy that you should enter under my roof but only say the word and i shall be healed i am not worthy terry i hate to tell you you are not worthy i'm i'm agreeing nobody's worthy the lord is all merciful, but his mercy wants to free us from sin that, you know, a good way of talking about sin, I believe, is that it's poisonous for our lives, body, mind, and spirit.

[371] Sin poisons sometimes all three, sometimes just the body, sometimes the mind, sometimes the spirit, but sin poisons us.

[372] And it's just like if you take a small amount of poison, it may not kill you immediately, but it's damaging your health, and it eventually will kill you if you're ingesting poison on a daily basis.

[373] And that's what sin is.

[374] That's where God's mercy is misunderstood.

[375] God's mercy is about freeing us.

[376] That's what Jesus died on the cross, to free us from sin and death, because sin is a, poisonous to the human person created in the likeness and image of God.

[377] Sin eats away at it.

[378] It's like a spiritual cancer that gradually kills us.

[379] And so God is merciful.

[380] But His mercy is about pulling us away from sin.

[381] And look at, look at Mom.

[382] Look at the Blessed Virgin Mary.

[383] There's not a single apparition that where she doesn't say, turn away from sin and follow my son.

[384] I mean, that's, mom just keeps repeating herself.

[385] That's what the Blessed Virgin Mary does over and over and over again.

[386] And she needs to because it's too easy for her kids, all of us, not to listen.

[387] And when I sin, I'm not listening, but I try to come back and wake myself up and make a good confession after a good examination of conscience.

[388] And it's something, that's why, you know, I joke sometimes about being practicing Catholics.

[389] Yeah.

[390] Because we need to practice.

[391] Amen.

[392] It's something, it's like the great musicians, the great artists that play the piano beautifully or play some instrument beautifully, they'll tell you, they practice constantly.

[393] And that's what we need to do to be good disciples, to be good Catholics.

[394] We need to be constantly practicing our faith in getting better at it.

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

[396] I want to give a plug there.

[397] How can people plug into your institute?

[398] Well, just go to St. Philip Institute .org, St. Philip, Philip with one L. St. Philip Institute .org.

[399] There's actually an article on there about going to confession, just recently posted.

[400] Some great podcast about various topics that we're struggling with just all sorts of opportunities awesome and when we come back i want to talk a little bit in the last segment about how do we prepare again for holy communion many people would need a little bit more on the examination of conscience i include it we'll be right back mr stricklandauer help the helpless a minnesota st paul non -profit organization chaired by father of tier and volunteers is humbly asking you for your kind support to help the poor and the handicapped children in India and Ecuador.

[401] Through financial support from the help of the helpless benefactors, the children are provided with clothing, food, education, shelter, and the teachings of the Catholic Church.

[402] The mission is to help children thrive and become self -sufficient young adults leading productive lives.

[403] We also provide aid to poor families in Ecuador with food baskets, medicines, medical assistance, and help with funeral needs for the deceased.

[404] The work in India is done by Father Antonio's organization, St. Mary's.

[405] In Ecuador, the work is being done by the servant -sisters of the home of mother.

[406] You can call us at 877 -762 -8857.

[407] To learn more, please visit our website, www .helpthe -helpless .org.

[408] God bless you.

[409] Jesus said in Luke 17, When you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, we are unprofitable servants.

[410] We have only done our duty.

[411] According to St. John of the Cross, God is pleased with the little deeds we do in secret.

[412] He takes more pleasure in these than in a multitude of grand works that we may do out of the desire to be seen by others.

[413] May God help us to do the things that please him and not just to appear great in the eyes of others.

[414] This is Terry Barber.

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[421] much for your support.

[422] Welcome back to the final segment at the Bishop Strickland Hour and Virgin Most Powerful Radio.

[423] I asked the bishop to give us a little instruction regarding examination of conscience before we receive Holy Communion because I mentioned earlier that a lot of folks really haven't had good formation.

[424] So what we call sacrilegious communions, I'm not judging anybody.

[425] I'm just saying a lot of people are going in.

[426] not knowing what they're receiving and also not being told that they need to have a clear conscience and do an examination of conscience.

[427] Even an act of contrition, I've talked to people that don't even know that they should be saying that before they receive.

[428] And then Bishop Strickland, before we close the day, your last paragraph in your letter on the Lord's Day, the Third Commandment, you have something for mothers and fathers that you said that I thought was so beautiful.

[429] So first of all, the proper disposition for receiving Holy Communion on Sundays.

[430] Well, I think, and I know a lot of times people, we talk about a good act of contrition or a well -formed conscience, and people really, like we've talked about, have no concept, really, of what we're speaking of foreign language.

[431] I know.

[432] I would point people to, again, going back to the fundamental.

[433] Yeah.

[434] very often at mass, not every time.

[435] There are different options in the penitential right, but hopefully everyone knows the confidier, or in English, I confess to Almighty God.

[436] I would encourage people if you're saying, I have no idea where to start with an examination of conscience.

[437] I would say, go to the confidier.

[438] I confess to Almighty God and to you, my brothers and sisters that I have greatly sinned in my thoughts.

[439] So think about your thoughts.

[440] How could you have sinned in your thoughts, in your words, in what you've done, and what you've failed to do?

[441] I think that's a good, very basic, fundamental way of starting to think about what thoughts have I had that might be sinful thoughts?

[442] That thoughts of really, I can't stand that person or stronger, I hate their guts or whatever, and wishing even thinking, thinking harm for another person, that's something to start really saying.

[443] Maybe my thoughts have been simple because very often thoughts can become actions.

[444] Through my thoughts and words.

[445] I think there are a lot of words that we have to be more careful about, even with parents to their kids.

[446] Have you said things that your daughter or son that really coming from dad like you were talking about?

[447] I mean, kids naturally look up to their parents.

[448] And if a parent has said something that may be in anger or just, we're all imperfect, I mean, parents are sinners, kids are sinners.

[449] But an examination of conscience of what kind of words have I used.

[450] Have I taken the Lord's name in vain?

[451] So I think that would be the simplest beginner step that I would point to.

[452] It's right there in the mass, even if Father usually uses some other form.

[453] Hopefully, sometimes you're, here, the confidier, I confess to Almighty God.

[454] And to just go through that prayer, we pray it together, we acknowledge that we're all sinners.

[455] And I think really, Terry, that's one thing that just in my own experience, I continue to grow and try to grow as a Christian, as a disciple, I think a lot of times we need to do a better job of listening to what we're saying.

[456] I mean, if you listen to the infidier, you're, I confess to Almighty God and to all of you, my brothers and sisters.

[457] So I think to just really think about that prayer is, it certainly you can go into beautiful examinations of conscience.

[458] I think you mentioned one and another segment.

[459] Yeah, the fathers of mercy.

[460] Yeah, fathers of mercy.

[461] There, I mean, you can Google examination of good conscience and you're going to get pages of them.

[462] But for someone who's just beginning and saying, okay, I really want to do my best to receive the Lord, knowing that you're really receiving the body of blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ.

[463] And I want to do that as worthily as I can.

[464] I'll never be worthy, but the Lord gives himself to us as unworthy as we are.

[465] I think the confidier, I confess to Almighty God, is a great place to start for a basic examination of conscience.

[466] I love it.

[467] I love it.

[468] How basic is it?

[469] Yeah.

[470] You know, you said it well.

[471] If you're a baseball player, you want to work on the fundamentals to play baseball well.

[472] Well, if you're a follower of Christ, work on the fundamentals.

[473] Bishop Strickland, in your letter to your diocese regarding keeping the Lord's Day holy, you have a paragraph to mothers and fathers.

[474] Can you share that information?

[475] Because I thought it was beautifully stated how important Holy Mass is for mom and dad.

[476] Yeah, to the mothers and fathers' commitment to weekly participation at Holy Mass. especially in our world today is the most important thing you can do for your family.

[477] Wow.

[478] I think that really needs to soak in.

[479] I mean, moms and dads naturally love their kids and they want to do the right thing for them.

[480] And I think if moms and dads really think about it, if, I mean, it's all goes back to believing who's really.

[481] there.

[482] Yes, exactly.

[483] But one thing, it's a commandment of God that we worship him on the Lord's Day.

[484] How do we do that best as Catholics?

[485] We go to Mass. We worship.

[486] We go to the Father through the Son and the Holy Spirit.

[487] That's how the whole mass is structured.

[488] The sacrifice of Jesus Christ at the altar is the son offering his life to the Father for our salvation in the Holy Spirit there to, to bless and guide and strengthen us in the life of the church.

[489] So parents, if they really believe that, the most important thing they can do is make sure their kids don't just go to Mass, but understand who they're encountering at Mass and help them to really, from their youngest years.

[490] I think that that, and I see beautiful families.

[491] I mean, a lot of the young families are getting it and really working at bringing that faith to their children.

[492] That's, we call it the formative years, because that's when children are formed.

[493] And for both of us, I mean, things happen to us as children, seeing our fathers kneeling in prayer, seeing our mothers praying the rosary, without being told, hey, look, I'm praying the rosary.

[494] Kids just soak it up.

[495] but that leaves an indelible mark of God's grace and goodness.

[496] And I would imagine both of us would pray that we would be strong enough to be willing to die before we give up some of this stuff.

[497] Give up the basics of the faith in people like Bishop Schneider, the story you told.

[498] I mean, people have suffered for what we can so easily take for granted.

[499] So I would underscore that sentence in my letter to the faithful in the diocese to, for parents to make it for themselves a fundamental part of their life going to mass every Sunday and to transmit to that to their kids.

[500] It really is the most important thing they can do.

[501] Life is brief, and we're called to eternal life with God for the salvation of soul.

[502] That's what the church is built around, and we've lost that focus too often, but a mom and dad had the authority and the responsibility in their own home to simply say, as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

[503] And serving the Lord as Catholics is going to Mass on Sunday.

[504] And if you do that and you get that fundamental in place and it just becomes part of the rhythm of your family's life, then other good things can do.

[505] begin to fall into place, too.

[506] The whole Lord's Day can be kept holy, and it can become a time of family, a time to maybe turn off all that social media and just talk to each other, enjoy each other, play games, do things as a family, and insist, you know, maybe a family says, oh, it's impossible.

[507] These days, with the things that have changed, one of the good things is that family meals are back.

[508] But to make sure, I mean, that was, I would imagine in your family.

[509] Absolutely.

[510] Most people that go to Mass on Sunday as a family also follow up with a Sunday meal together after the spiritual meal of the Mass. And that was part of our Sunday routine.

[511] Me too.

[512] Sometimes it was pork chops.

[513] Sometimes it was fried chicken.

[514] Sometimes it was roast beef.

[515] But we would have a family meal together.

[516] And that's where, again, I mean, it's just a beautiful model that we need to encourage families to embrace if they're not.

[517] Because at those family Sunday dinners, we would, you know, I would hear my parents talking politics and talking about what was going on in the world and talking about important things and talking about this family and what they were struggling with.

[518] Kids soak that up like little sponges.

[519] They learn from those kind of conversations.

[520] And that happens at a family meal that happens after the spiritual sacrifice of the mass that a family attends together.

[521] So it all starts to fall into place.

[522] I love it.

[523] That's what I grew up with also, Bishop Strickland.

[524] You also talk about the practice of works of mercy.

[525] I remember when my kids were young on Sundays, we would have a little run to some of the families that didn't have food as much as we did.

[526] And so I would take the little kids in the van.

[527] And then we would bring bags of food to families.

[528] And I remember bringing the family to my boys, especially, they were young kids, and they would go into these little apartments where people, the refrigerator was completely empty.

[529] And they would say, Daddy, why don't they have food?

[530] You know, that was the kids.

[531] And so we explained, well, because they're not in a position to buy it right now, that's why we want to help our neighbor.

[532] So that's why we're doing this.

[533] And you know what?

[534] The light bulb turns on.

[535] They start realizing, wow, there's a people out there that don't.

[536] have basic, you know, shelter and food.

[537] And I hope and pray that that was instrumental in them having compassion when they're now adults to realize not everybody's as well off as you are.

[538] So I appreciate that comment in your letter.

[539] Bishop Strickland, we just have a few minutes.

[540] Do you mind again giving a blessing to all the families and everyone who's listening and watching on YouTube and Facebook and all the AM and FM stations that are listening?

[541] And before you give the blessing.

[542] I want to also recommend next week.

[543] We're going to talk on the Fourth Commandment, honor thy father and thy mother.

[544] And we're going to have a surprise guest at the first segment to come on.

[545] His name is Father Frank Provone.

[546] Now he's not a surprise.

[547] But we're going to talk about Spoiler alert.

[548] Yep.

[549] Spoiler.

[550] Priests for life.

[551] So if you could give us your priestly blessing or your bishop's blessing to our listeners, that'd be great.

[552] The Lord be with you.

[553] And with your spirit.

[554] Almighty God, we ask your blessing for all listening to this program that they may grow in faith, keep holy your day every Sunday, and be guided in the light and grace your son brings to us.

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

[556] Amen.

[557] Thank you so much, Bishop Strickland.

[558] For those who want to listen to the other shows, they're all podcast on virgin most powerful radio .org.

[559] or if you want to get it on YouTube, just type in Virgin Most Powerful Radio and you can get it on our YouTube channel.

[560] I want to thank Bishop Strickland for taking the time to teach us the fundamentals of the faith here on Virgin Most Powerful.

[561] I would say full sheen ahead at the Virgin Most Powerful Radio.

[562] May God bless you and your family and I hope this instruction is helping you get closer to Jesus Christ and his bride, the church.

[563] God love you.

[564] St. Faustina's Prayer for priests.

[565] O my Jesus, I beg thee on behalf of the whole church, grant it love and the light of thy spirit, and give power to the words of priests so that hardened hearts might be brought to repentance and return to thee, O Lord.

[566] Lord, give us holy priests.

[567] Thou thyself maintain them in holiness.

[568] O divine and great high priest, may the power of thy mercy accompany them everywhere and protect them from the devil's traps and snares which are continually being set for the souls of priests.

[569] May the power of thy mercy, O Lord, shatter and bring to naught all that might tarnish the sanctity of priests.

[570] For thou canst do all things.

[571] Amen.

[572] Virgin Most Powerful.

[573] Pray for us.

[574] Virgin Most Powerful Radio.

[575] Sharing the gospel with clarity and charity.

[576] You know.