16 Apr 24 – Bishop Strickland Explains His Letter to the Baptized

[0] Welcome to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

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

[2] Every week we get to talk about what's most important, how to get to heaven.

[3] Okay.

[4] Bishop Strickland, thanks again.

[5] I know you're on the road, and thanks for taking the time to be with us for this day.

[6] Thank you, Terry.

[7] Thank you.

[8] Bishop Strickland, before we get to the gospel, I just want to tease people.

[9] And I want to tease them because you wrote another letter, which I really love these letters because with social media, and all the ways we can communicate this, you're really speaking about walking with Jesus through the liturgical year.

[10] And that's how the liturgical year is set up.

[11] And I just think it's great that we're in this octave of Easter, and now we're passing through that, and we've got 50 days from Easter to Pentecost, and we're still in the Easter season, and just remind us to walk that liturgical year.

[12] So we'll be talking about that.

[13] And also much, much more.

[14] got an article from Crisis Magazine saying that Catholicism is all about swords.

[15] What's that all about?

[16] Basically, the article, I'll just give you a teaser, it gives examples of the saints standing up to the culture of death and how we can imitate them in our age.

[17] All right, well, Bishop Strickland, today's gospel is, oh, my gosh, it's right from the gospel of John, chapter 6, verse 30 to 35.

[18] So if you could be so good to proclaim that, that'd be grand.

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

[20] The crowd said to Jesus, What sign can you do that we may see and believe in you?

[21] What can you do?

[22] Our ancestors ate man in the desert, as it is written.

[23] He gave them bread from heaven to eat.

[24] So Jesus said to them, Amen, amen, I say to you.

[25] It was not Moses who gave me. you the bread from heaven.

[26] My father gives you the true bread from heaven.

[27] For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.

[28] So they said to Jesus, sir, give us this bread always.

[29] Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life.

[30] Whoever comes to me will never hunger and whoever believes in me will never thirst.

[31] The gospel of the Lord.

[32] Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

[33] Well, really, Terry, this gospel simply reminds us once again of how essential our, the gifts of our Catholic faith are.

[34] The man in the desert that Christ speaks of is often talked about as a foreshadowing of the bread that becomes his body, the wine that becomes his blood, the Eucharist.

[35] And I think what strikes me as we look at this gospel, especially continuing the Easter season, we have, unlike the people who were talking to Christ at this time, as it was still in his public ministry, before he went through the drama of his passion and death and resurrection, here we are, having seen the greatest sign of all, Jesus Christ, who died and rose.

[36] That sign is what lit the spark that lit the fire of the church and of Christianity.

[37] So we live in a time when, as we read these passages from the gospel, we have seen the greatest sign of all.

[38] and yet faith is weak.

[39] Faith seems to be diminishing.

[40] I've just been reading today a book that is sort of a litany of everything that's been lost and the decline of Catholicism, the decline of Christianity.

[41] It can really, and I know it takes a lot of people down a dark path, and it makes us despondent to.

[42] easily.

[43] But I think this gospel reminds us that the world hasn't changed that much.

[44] And the sign that changed the world, that changed humanity, changed human history when Jesus Christ came to us and then ultimately suffered, died, and rose for us, here we have the greatest sign of all.

[45] And people are still looking for the sign, looking for the answers.

[46] I mean, we just recently and, you know, really the nation, but especially in the area of Tyler, everyone was caught up in the eclipse.

[47] And it's interesting.

[48] Yeah.

[49] It's an amazing manifestation of the power of nature and the mystery of what God has given us.

[50] And I encourage people to realize as we look for those signs, that's another sign that God is Lord of the universe.

[51] I mean, And we have scientific understanding, and they can tell us so much about things like an eclipse that not that long ago, people were frightened when they saw in that kind of manifestation of nature and thought the world was coming to an end.

[52] We know scientifically what's going on better, but even in our age, the signs of faith people are still looking for and often ignoring.

[53] ignoring.

[54] So I think this gospel passage is very pertinent, and it reminds us, as Catholics, I mean, I think both of us can be accused of constantly repeating the same, being broken records.

[55] But as we talk about the sanctity of life, we need to be.

[56] We need to just keep repeating these basic truths.

[57] And for us as Catholics, it doesn't get much more basic.

[58] than our belief that in here in this chapter 6 of John's gospel, as it continues, he'll go deeper and deeper into what the Eucharist means.

[59] I've talked to many non -Catholics that have become Catholic or that are still on their journey and haven't embraced the Catholic faith.

[60] But I've heard many Protestants acknowledge that they're pretty, I mean, they're well versed in Scripture, but there's a selectivity to that scripture that I think we all have to be cautious about.

[61] One of my favorite things from Ralph Martin, I know we've talked about it before, but he talks about the bracketing of scripture.

[62] And he speaks of it mainly as a tendency we've seen in the church, the Catholic church in the past 50 years.

[63] Very often the tough part, the really challenging words are bracketed out.

[64] Thankfully, we haven't reached the point where, and our Protestant brothers and sisters, even though they embrace some things that we don't embrace as we should, the truth of the Eucharist, they've kind of bracketed out.

[65] It's not something that they focus on.

[66] Because I can imagine that some of their ministers and the leaders of the different denominations are afraid, if people look at John 6 too much, they're going to start going down the path of the Catholic Church.

[67] They're going to believe he really means this, which we know he does.

[68] But I think all of this, it reminds me, Terry, that the gospel's never old.

[69] It's never an ancient document, like some people speak of it that needs to be updated or needs to just be disposed of.

[70] It's a living word speaking to humanity in every age.

[71] People look for a sign and there's Christ the one they're talking to.

[72] He is the sign of signs.

[73] He is the sign of God's love, God's eternal son becoming incarnate among us.

[74] People were looking for a sign and didn't welcome him.

[75] the same thing is happening in our time.

[76] But I guess what I would encourage all of us to do is, like we've said so many times, to keep going back to the basics, to be strong in the fundamentals of our faith and not get lost in the fog of so much false teaching and so much confusion that really isn't new.

[77] As I said, what I've been reading recently is a reminder that the, the derailing of the Catholic faith that we are experiencing more and more with more and more really ludicrous kinds of teachings and things that are just not of Jesus Christ and his church.

[78] But it's been happening for, you know, we kind of speak of ourselves as older guys.

[79] We're in our 60s.

[80] But Terry, what I've been reading, all of this erosion of the faith began long before 100 years ago.

[81] I've read books.

[82] They say it goes back to the French Revolution.

[83] Yeah.

[84] And that's basically what this is talking about right around the time.

[85] Because that's when humanity started to think the Enlightenment, starting to think we've got it all figured out.

[86] We don't need God.

[87] And science can feed that attitude if we don't keep a perspective of faith.

[88] And as we've talked about before, And it's one of the first things that struck me as I began to wake up to a lot of this.

[89] It's a loss of supernatural faith.

[90] And it's really putting all your fay, all your marbles in the natural basket and not believing in the supernatural.

[91] And that's what I say with the Eucharist as Catholics.

[92] That's one of the most beautiful gifts we have.

[93] Because if the Eucharist isn't supernatural, I don't know what it's.

[94] and it's become so routine for us, I think it's easy to not see the impact of the sign that every Mass is.

[95] I'm going to celebrate Mass with a family here that I'm visiting after we finish our conversations today.

[96] And I need to remember, all of us need to remember, the sign that we're longing for is there in every Mass because Jesus, Christ is the sign.

[97] He's the one we've got to keep looking to and knowing him more and more deeply.

[98] Well, said, when we come back, I have just a short story to emphasize what you just said about the Holy Eucharist Source and Summit of the Christian Life.

[99] Stay with us, family.

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

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

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

[103] Thank you very much.

[104] I made a teaser.

[105] I said I'd tell you a quick story about the Holy Eucharist.

[106] Last week, I was doing a three -day parish mission at a local parish where they're starting perpetual eucharistic adoration.

[107] So they said, would you give a talk on the apologetics of the Eucharist?

[108] So I said, oh, sure, we're happy to.

[109] Well, what I loved about the pastor is he installed communion rails back at the church.

[110] and most people 99 % will receive Holy Communion on the tongue because he told him this is Jesus Christ let's act like it and now they have adoration going at this parish in California and I just was so moved by the pastor's willingness to get people to meet Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist they actually got and I have a picture of it this is a fun story they got an altar from an Anglican church that closed on the East Coast.

[111] It was supposed to be $40 ,000.

[112] It's you know, wood gated.

[113] It's a beautiful high altar and the priest said, well, I don't have $40 ,000 to give you.

[114] He says, well, you pay for the shipping?

[115] And the priest says, yeah.

[116] So they got this beautiful altar where they're going to put the monstrance with the holding of the blessed sacrament and I just thought God provided for that parish and this is a parish in a very let's just say low -income area mostly Hispanic I don't speak Spanish but I most of the people you could tell are simple people who love the Lord and now they have adoration so this gospel that you just proclaimed I also I read the entire gospel of John to them why because hey it's that's the Eucharist why not So, okay, Bishop Strickland, before we get to a couple of items, especially your letter to your brothers and sisters in Christ, which I'm one of them, I wanted to kind of set the stage and say, thank you for reminding me personally, and I know a lot of our listeners would say thank you for this, to just keep our focus on Jesus Christ and on the truth of his gospel.

[117] Thank you for that.

[118] Well, really, yeah, Terry, I, with everything I read, everything that's going on.

[119] I think that that is more and more important because, you know, Catholic theology can be very complex and it can be very nuanced and, you know, a lot of, I guess I'm, you know, what I'm reading right now is all of these years of very intricate theological analysis of things.

[120] Certainly, God wants us to use.

[121] our intellects like St. Thomas Aquinas did.

[122] But I think for the church, we need to constantly refer back to Christ.

[123] And the message that he gives the Gospels and his witness, his actions.

[124] I mean, just like in the gospel that we just looked at for today, for this as we continue the Easter season.

[125] Christ responds simply to, I mean, like the people are looking for his sign.

[126] Christ doesn't, I mean, here he is the Lord of the universe.

[127] He could have gone so deep into a dissertation about what he wants to say that people would have said, oh, he's amazing, but they wouldn't have understood.

[128] I think it's very significant that Christ, Jesus Christ, the eternal word of God, God's own son, use simple stories and simple images that related to people.

[129] I think that's a reminder to us.

[130] Certainly, I know, I'm no great theologians, but the theologians can be helpful, but I think we've always got to stay rooted and ask ourselves, are these theologians taking us deeper?

[131] into the sacred heart of Christ, deeper into his truth.

[132] Many times they are.

[133] Yes.

[134] But if they're not, I mean, I think that's what the census vede that the church speaks of really is getting at.

[135] If we know Christ and we know him in the Gospels, then we'll be able to have a sense whether this deeper theology is taking us deeper into Christ or deeper into human answers.

[136] to all the mysteries.

[137] And I think, you know, we've always got to be very aware of that.

[138] I agree.

[139] Well, one thing you said back on June 25th, I've got it dated, that I think sets us with inspiration, because we've got to stay focused on that.

[140] You said, to be persecuted for speaking truth is an honor every Christian should be willing to embrace.

[141] Amen to that.

[142] It is walking with Jesus Christ who is truth incarnate.

[143] If we know Jesus, it is even, to speak his truth, no matter what forces oppose us.

[144] The opposition is temporary.

[145] Jesus is forever.

[146] Now, you wrote that months ago, but that really touched me, and I know it will touch our listeners, to remind us that, you know, let's stay focused, like you just said, on the truth of Jesus Christ.

[147] So each, it seems like every couple weeks or month, you're writing letters to the faithful.

[148] and I appreciate that.

[149] You came out with one last week, and I just got it this Monday.

[150] Actually, I just started to read it.

[151] I got it last week, but I'm sorry to say I hadn't read it yet.

[152] Well, I got a few things to read, but I got it.

[153] And I read it, and I'd like to go over some of the things you said in that letter, because you said it as we moved through this octave of Easter and then continue with the Easter season in this year, it's critical that we turn more deeply than ever before due to the truth that is Jesus Christ and I'm not going to read the whole article but you kept talking about the whole drama that we just read with the Passion Week and all the whole life of Christ and life, death and resurrection of Christ and you said it was essential that we see clearly that the rejection of Jesus Christ is ultimately His Christ.

[154] crucifixion and are in their very core rejection of truth.

[155] I thought that was very insightful because Bishop Sheen said something similar to that when he talked about people want a church without suffering.

[156] They just want a church that's nice.

[157] The church, you know, oh yeah, we're all going to get along.

[158] But suffering, no, no, no, no. Jesus suffered.

[159] We don't have any of that for ourselves.

[160] And you said that the core rejection of truth, we must read the gospel of his passion through this lens, that Jesus of Nathoris was rejected by both the religious, and I might add the civil authorities of his time, because he would not and could not deny the truth.

[161] Well, I hate to tell you, Bishop Strickland, but I see that happening right now in our own church and even in our culture here in America that when we stand for life, many people in the church reject that.

[162] Many people in the government, as high as the president of the United States, the church teachings on the sanctity of life.

[163] So I just want you to, I mean, you've been, you're beaten on a dead horse, but the point of it is that the truth is important.

[164] Ultimately, he's got a name.

[165] His name is Jesus Christ.

[166] So I just want to ask you, when you talked about the passion of Christ, why is it, again, summarizing that we need to understand, you know, as Bishop Sheen says, without good Friday, there's no Easter Sunday.

[167] well as we both know and every person knows suffering is woven into our human journey yeah for the atheist to the most ardent believer in Jesus Christ every human being is going to experience suffering you know a simple phrase that comes to mind i'm not even sure where it comes from but it just just speaks very basic wisdom into every life, a little rain must fall.

[168] Yeah.

[169] I mean, it's just another way of saying, we're all going to suffer.

[170] We're all going to have sadness.

[171] Yeah.

[172] Little kids have to learn that.

[173] You know, they have disappointments.

[174] Things hurt.

[175] They don't get their way.

[176] And in a sense, we live in a time where people, even adults, are acting like little kids.

[177] And just saying, you know, they don't want to admit suffering, even though they're suffering, they want to act as if they can just totally eliminate it.

[178] And they can't.

[179] No. And what, you know, the truth of Christ.

[180] And I think that's why the passion of Jesus Christ is so powerful.

[181] Because as I mentioned in that letter, and it's always intrigued me. And we experience it when we read the Passion Gospel with there's pilots standing before Christ asking the question that is very much the question of our age.

[182] Yes.

[183] What is truth?

[184] Or I would even go a little deeper, I think, into the problem of our time.

[185] A lot of people aren't just saying, what is truth?

[186] But they're saying or they're asking, is there any truth?

[187] at all.

[188] And I think sadly, the answer to about too many, and people like you said, even within the church, the answer is there is no, there is no basic truth.

[189] There is no essential, eternal truth.

[190] It's all just relative.

[191] It's all just kind of make it up as you go.

[192] It's something again that I was reading today, some of the the theologians of the time since the, the French Revolution, I have said that, oh, don't look to the past.

[193] Just look to now and try to figure things out.

[194] Because, and that makes sense, if there is no truth that's been discovered, if Jesus Christ isn't truth incarnate, then, yeah, just figure it out as you go.

[195] Every age is a new opportunity to figure out, okay, what's true for us?

[196] in the 21st century.

[197] But as I emphasize, and you often repeat what I emphasize, but what's true in the 21st century, what was true in the first century, and we've got to be strong in that truth, that people, they suffered.

[198] Suffering was real then, it's real now, but Jesus Christ gives us the answer to that suffering.

[199] there's always been a tendency to reject, I mean, even as Christ walked the earth, I mean, and his passion is ultimately the rejection of him, the rejection of his message, and the rejection of truth.

[200] And humanity has a tendency to do that over and over again.

[201] What we have to do as those who know Jesus Christ is truth incarnate.

[202] we've got to just stay strong and not let the confusions burden us too much or cause us to wander off into the confusion and to the darkness that too many are wandering off into.

[203] Well, said, we're going to be taking a break, but that is very important because people get depressed when they see weak leadership in the church.

[204] And they go, well, if he doesn't believe this, why should I?

[205] and what we're saying is no, no, no, no, don't think that, you know, this is who we follow Jesus Christ, this is who we worship.

[206] Bishop Strickland, I respect your office, but you're not God, okay?

[207] You're a bishop, a successor of the apostle, and if you're faithful, pray.

[208] If you're not, I'm going to pray for you either way, but the point I'm making is, don't let scandal take you away from the church, and that's what I think is a message.

[209] And the other message I like is there's no expiration date on the gospel.

[210] It's true today, tomorrow, and forever.

[211] Stay with us, family.

[212] We'll be back with more on the Bishop Strickland Hour on Virgin Most Powerful Radio.

[213] Thank you.

[214] Anna.

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

[216] Welcome back, indeed.

[217] We're talking about a letter that Bishop Strickland wrote last week to his brothers and sisters in Christ, which we are his brothers and sisters in Christ.

[218] We are his Christ.

[219] So it's so beautiful.

[220] And you're talking about the beauty of truth.

[221] And one of the points you brought up, and we've talked about this over and over again, of an encyclical, I think it was 1993, Veritatis splendor, the splendor of the truth by St. John Paul II.

[222] And you point out it's one of the finest examples of the treasury of truth.

[223] His opening words profoundly instruct us, and this is what I say I want to read.

[224] The splendor of the truth.

[225] forth in all the works of the creator, in a way, in a special way, in a man created in the image and likeness of God, Genesis chapter 1, truth enlightens man's intellect and shapes his freedom, leading him to know and love the Lord.

[226] Hence the psalmist prays, let the light of your face shine on us, oh Lord.

[227] And you said this.

[228] This phrase I highlight from St. John Paul 2 states that with regard to man, truth shapes his freedom.

[229] This is one of the most critical truths we must embrace anew as we counter the modern refrain that we can manipulate truth as we choose as this leaves us shackled to our own destruction and definitely not free.

[230] Before you respond, can I just ask a question?

[231] I thought this was timely.

[232] On Monday, the Vatican came out with another document about the dignity of the human person.

[233] And I love, yes, we have that.

[234] But one of the things I've noticed, and I'm not a theologian, you've got much, I mean, you're a priest, a bishop, you've got many, but what I read, and it made me realize I see the approach of the theology in that they even said this through the doctrine of faith department, that we're adding another dimension to our doctrine, and that is our experience as a people.

[235] In other words, our feelings.

[236] And so that's another element of how we come to know the truth.

[237] And it's human experiences.

[238] And I said to myself, where in the world did they come up with that?

[239] Because that to me sounds very dangerous, Bishop Strickland, because then we have my truth and your truth.

[240] And so if my feelings, like, for example, I'll give an example.

[241] I feel that homosexuality is a good thing.

[242] So therefore, it must be good.

[243] So I'm just shocked that they would take an approach of human experience and put it at the same level of divine revelation in the Word of God.

[244] Does that concern you?

[245] Because that concerned me. Well, as we've talked so many times before, and I think really that's why I believe it's important to just get to the base.

[246] because all of this is different ways of dressing up relativism.

[247] Yes.

[248] It's just, you know, truth is relative.

[249] It's relative to where we are in time or how we're feeling or what our culture is.

[250] It's relative to all this long list of things.

[251] No, it's not.

[252] It's truth.

[253] There are things that are relative to, you know, in the human reality.

[254] And I think really that highlights, Terry, something that I think is very important for us to remember.

[255] There is no other Lord than Jesus Christ.

[256] And what I specifically think is very important is that no human being should be followed as this wonderful leader, other than Jesus Christ.

[257] Amen.

[258] Every great leader, and, you know, Archbishop Sheen.

[259] There's one.

[260] Yeah.

[261] It's one greatest.

[262] I think Paul II was a great leader.

[263] I agree.

[264] Every human leader has their failings.

[265] Both of them have big failings.

[266] Has the aspects of their lives where they weren't as clear on the truth as they would have liked, as we would like.

[267] Yeah.

[268] And I think that's important because we're in a time where people either, it's like it's either someone is, you know, practically ready to be canonized or you reject everything they say.

[269] That's the human reality.

[270] Nobody's going to always get it right.

[271] And I think, I mean, like, you know, I think of Pope Paul the 6th.

[272] He got it right with Humani Vita.

[273] Oh, yeah.

[274] But as far as I'm concerned, he got it wrong on a lot of things as well.

[275] And what I think we need to always emphasize.

[276] I mean, you know, thankfully I get a lot of people supporting me and thanking me for speaking the truth the best I can.

[277] But people don't need to follow me. I don't want people to follow me. We all need to be together humbly following Christ and remembering there's no Pope, there's no leader, there's no human being, man or woman.

[278] And there have been great saints that we do celebrate, but we always remind ourselves.

[279] I mean, like just recently, Francis Cabrini.

[280] Yes.

[281] A wonderful woman, saint, a wonderful woman of God.

[282] But we're not Cabriniites.

[283] We're Christians.

[284] That's so important, especially, you know, and I don't think anybody's, you know, thinking of being a Cabriniite.

[285] I don't think the word even exists really.

[286] But what I'm getting at is the tendency to look to any human being, a pope of the past or a pope of the present is only a human being and if they're pointing to Christ praise God we applaud them if they're not pointing to Christ we pray for them and we call them back to Christ yeah he is the he's the answer he's the way the truth in the life he's truth incarnate and I think especially for us as Catholics because yes, we have his church as well.

[287] And, you know, frankly, a lot of the non -Catholic churches, as they keep splintering away, have been inspired by people saying, we want to just be purely for Jesus Christ.

[288] I think we need to do that, but always as Catholics with respect for, I mean, really, if you respect Jesus Christ, you're going to embrace the Eucharist.

[289] You're going to embrace the church that he established.

[290] You're going to take in all the things that he said and did.

[291] And I think that's what ultimately, what it means to be Catholic, is to be about the fullness of Jesus Christ.

[292] And again, the crosses behind you on that poster of Archbishop machine remind us We can't reject the cross.

[293] We can't just embrace this truth.

[294] We've got to continue to be seeking to be purified because I'm never going to be perfectly balanced or perfectly understanding everything.

[295] So I've always got to be humble enough to say, okay, this is what I'm thinking today.

[296] How does it measure up to what Christ said and to what Christ did?

[297] and to constantly be willing to readjust ourselves, not according to some theologian or to some religious leader or any human being, but always according to Christ.

[298] I think that's critical, especially for our time.

[299] I agree.

[300] Couldn't agree with you more on that.

[301] And, you know, there's another element that I think charity calls us is that when we do run into leaders of our church or our government, that rather than getting mad, we pray for them because they're children of God.

[302] And I'll give me an example of someone who I've been praying for for a long time.

[303] And he just passed away.

[304] He was an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Detroit.

[305] His name is Bishop Thomas Gumbleton.

[306] And he was a guy who just unfortunately compromised the gospel of life.

[307] And on women's ordination, he was always on the wrong side of what the church taught.

[308] and he scandalized souls but God called him home okay so he called him to his judgment now here's my take on that I would say this that we need to pray he died April 4th so that's just a couple days ago and we should be praying for his repose of his soul because he is a child of God now I don't know all the circumstances of his life I really don't and God does but when we see people who are leading souls away from Christ, don't get mad at them.

[309] Pray for their conversion.

[310] And I know now he's met God and he knows the truth.

[311] There's no question about it.

[312] So we pray that his soul will be purified from anything that he did that wasn't in line with the church.

[313] And it's pretty obvious from his life that I was watching.

[314] He was always on the wrong side of the church's teachings.

[315] And as a bishop, I think that kind of responsibility is even more on him than if it was for a layman.

[316] So we'll pray.

[317] Well, I couldn't agree more with that, Terry.

[318] And I think we do, I mean, I have to remind myself of that.

[319] Because humanly, you can get angry and you can get all heated up and all I've said.

[320] And we say things that, you know, people may say, oh, that's offensive or whatever.

[321] And I think we do have to be careful about that.

[322] Yeah.

[323] And always recognize, you know, what comes to mind for me is they will know we are Christians by our love.

[324] And I think that's used these days as some sort of a puffy, easy love.

[325] But to say, I think we should all embrace that.

[326] They will know we are Christians by our love because Christ is love incarnate.

[327] So we do need to be loving, but we need to remind ourselves what real love is.

[328] And when there's a bishop like Bishop Gumbledon, I've heard the name and that's about all.

[329] But you can say, oh, this bishop's teaching the wrong thing or leading people the wrong way.

[330] You pray for them.

[331] You speak up again with the truth.

[332] You know, we have to be willing to respectfully, but clearly the greatest respect is toward Christ and the truth that he has shared with us.

[333] And everyone is measured against that truth.

[334] I think we just, these are critical things that we need to remember because we can so easily get caught up in bashing this person or that person.

[335] When we need to bash the false things they're saying, but pray for the individual and remember all of us can get caught up in false messaging.

[336] Remember St. Thomas said, to will the good of the other, we love them.

[337] Stay with us.

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

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

[340] Welcome back, indeed.

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

[342] I know I've done that before.

[343] It's regarding Father Frank Pavone and the statement that he just put out.

[344] We talked about it on the Terry and Jesse show.

[345] It's regarding former President Trump on Monday, came out with his position on abortion, which basically is what he's been saying.

[346] that let the states decide who's going to approve abortion and what states aren't.

[347] And one of the controversies comes up, and that is we have a president right now, stating President Biden, who is very, very clear on his position that he wants abortion to be the law of the land, that no states can have any decision on the matter.

[348] Every woman should have the right to kill her child.

[349] and so the question comes up and I just want to get your take because for clarity purposes we have a choice to make in about eight months and I'm not asking you to be partisan I'm just saying objectively morally speaking I don't think anybody and this is my position and I'll say it right up front I can't see someone voting for President Biden knowing that he's hell bent on killing unborn babies now President Trump has what I call a better not perfect because Jesus and Mary aren't running, but he doesn't believe that the sanctity of life is from conception to natural death.

[350] He also believes that in vitro fertilization is a good thing, which is totally unacceptable to me. But the one thing I have to acknowledge, and I want to get your take on this, I saw four years of President Trump.

[351] I saw how he put judges in the Supreme court that were able to overturn Roe v. Wade, and just in this great state of Texas, tens of thousands of babies are alive today because Roe versus Wade got overturned, and it now goes to the state.

[352] So to me, I use my moral theology that says, who's going to move the football closer to a first down or a touchdown?

[353] And I got to think that President Trump's position is much closer to a Catholic position than President Biden.

[354] Your take on that.

[355] Well, I totally agree with what you just said, Terry.

[356] And I did watch Frank Pavone and his statement.

[357] Yeah.

[358] I agree with what he said.

[359] I think certainly we live in a very imperfect world.

[360] I mean, that goes without saying.

[361] And this election offers us very imperfect choices.

[362] Of course.

[363] I lament that there isn't a strong voice saying, you know, what we say, well, what we know.

[364] But it's, that's just not what we have.

[365] And that's strong a voice.

[366] If one of the candidates had that stronger voice, it's likely they couldn't get elected anyway.

[367] And so I think we, you know, and it's, it's something that we have to, it's not just, it's not easy.

[368] And it's something that I think we have to really think through.

[369] For one thing, I would say as we approach this election, and we're going to have to talk more and more about it, things will be in the news.

[370] And we really, as Catholics, I think we simply have to acknowledge that we don't have a candidate who truly represents Catholic faith.

[371] He can say he does all he wants.

[372] but President Biden pretends to, but he doesn't.

[373] At least President Trump doesn't pretend to be Catholic.

[374] He doesn't claim to be Catholic.

[375] So I think as Catholics, we just acknowledge that we don't have a candidate that really clearly represents our Catholic values.

[376] So acknowledging that, then what do we do?

[377] we look for the one that does the best that represents those values the best and i think that it's also important you know because sometimes even within the catholic world especially when it comes to catholicism and politics it's like well we it's almost like we're told and many seem to have the attitude that well we just have to settle for x we sell for we sell for for the best we can get.

[378] I guess what I would say is we can't vote for Biden.

[379] No. I'm not going to.

[380] No, they couldn't get me. No. I'll say that.

[381] I will not vote for Biden.

[382] He's a he's a terrible Catholic, but to me he's a terrible president.

[383] Yeah.

[384] And that's why for many reasons, I'm not going to vote for him.

[385] Does that mean Trump's the perfect answer?

[386] No. But if you eliminate Biden, and if you have the obligation to vote for somebody, I mean, yeah, you can have a writing candidate, but, you know, that's not very effective.

[387] But to really, I guess what I would encourage people and will continue, and if I need to be corrected, I'll definitely try to listen.

[388] But I think the best approach we can have to this election, which will happen in a few months is to make the best choice we can and continue to advocate for the things that we know are the truth of our faith that affect this nation.

[389] Certainly, as we've said before, and I'll continue to say, the whole abortion question, the killing of innocent unborn children is the preeminent issue, the preeminent sanctity of life issue, and the preeminent issue.

[390] Because it's such an evil.

[391] If we don't clearly eradicate that evil from our nation, and if we allow a party that says we want to install and codify in law the right to murder the unborn child, I mean, if we allow that to happen, you know, I hate to think.

[392] how dark things can get so i guess the the best i can do yeah and the best i can advise others is to say well we have one candidate we simply can't vote for we have another candidate who's very imperfect but let's say we elect let's say trump gets elected right then you and i and every catholic needs to continue to advocate for and it's not just up to the president but so you and certainly, if he does become president, he can once again have that significant voice for the sanctity of life.

[393] And we need to keep working with him and with all the politicians to say, we've got to, I mean, on the state level, we need every state to establish the sanctity of the life of the unborn child.

[394] And so we continue to advocate for what we know is the full truth of the sanctity of life.

[395] But when it comes to elections, you're not likely to get that candidate who checks all the proper boxes.

[396] You can do the best you can and keep working for it.

[397] But I guess that's the point that I want to make is because sometimes you hear Catholics speak as if, well, we just have to be satisfied with someone who only wants a few abortions.

[398] We can't be satisfied with that.

[399] That may be the best.

[400] best we can get, and we need to go for it, but we need to continue to advocate for the fullness of truth in the sanctity of the life of every unborn child.

[401] And the other distinction between the two people, President Trump, former President Trump and Biden, is Biden wants to fund Planned Parenthood to the Hill to kill babies.

[402] And what Trump did is he took the funding away from planned parenthood.

[403] So to me, when I look at, you know, the weighing of the two, it's not very hard for me to see.

[404] I got one guy who's a Catholic, fellow Catholic.

[405] He's not a good Catholic, but I get it.

[406] But he's wanting to put everything his energies to killing unborn babies.

[407] Then you've got a Presbyterian who doesn't have the fullness of the faith, who's doing some good to protect the unborn.

[408] You notice I said some good.

[409] Not all of it.

[410] But you know what?

[411] It's clear to me that, and I'll just be honest if as a layman, I'm going to vote for Trump because he's the best out of the two candidates that have a potential being our president because I've seen their policies in action.

[412] It's not like what they think they're going to do.

[413] I've seen it.

[414] And to be honest with you, what I've seen by Biden, I want nothing to do with him.

[415] And Trump, I'm praying for him.

[416] And Terry, I think that's a great point for every American, you know, to really realize this is a unique election.

[417] We have two men who have been president.

[418] That's right.

[419] They both have a track record of what they did as president.

[420] We've never had that before.

[421] We've had Adam talk about what they're going to do.

[422] That's usually where we are or one trying to get reelected who has that track record.

[423] But both of these men have served at one term as president of the United States.

[424] I think that's a great point that we need to really look at what did they actually do?

[425] when they were president of the United States.

[426] We've never had that kind of comparison before.

[427] And when you look at what President Trump did in his four years for the life of the unborn, he was the most pro -life president in my lifetime, okay, since Roe v. Wade.

[428] And I have to say, President Biden has been the worst president on the pro -life issue in my lifetime, because he seems to be more bent on funding these abortions, is almost like it's a, it's like a passion for him.

[429] So I say, this is what I say on this, I can't tell you how to vote, but I can tell you as a Catholic vote that with your Catholic conscience, who's going to do, who's going to save the most lives?

[430] Are you kidding me?

[431] It's a slam dunk.

[432] Biden is all for killing babies.

[433] At least Trump is taking funding away and also giving the states a right to decide on who's going to live and who's going to die.

[434] It's not perfect.

[435] I don't like it.

[436] I wish we had no abortions.

[437] But you know what?

[438] Tell the tens of thousands of babies that are alive the last year and a half and ask which way they would vote.

[439] And if they're breathing, they're probably going to vote for the president who gave him that right to life by overturning Roe versus Wade.

[440] That's all I can say on that.

[441] Bishop Strickland, we're at the end of the show, a couple of minutes.

[442] I want to give a plug to your YouTube channel again and again.

[443] Tell us what you're doing with your YouTube channel.

[444] Well, just continue to have six or seven minutes videos talking about specific topics of the faith and in the life of the church and what's happening in the calendar, what feasts we're celebrating, what truth is being highlighted, what, you know, just very basic and short enough hopefully that people can get a chance to listen to it and just continue to grow together.

[445] in knowing Jesus Christ, truth incarnate, more deeply.

[446] Amen.

[447] How about a blessing for the end of the show, please?

[448] Almighty God, we ask your blessing for all of us to, as we continue this Easter season, to keep the light, the risen light of your son close to us and bright in our lives.

[449] Help us to humbly turn from sin and embrace that light more and more and help others who are wandering in darkness to see the light of your soul.

[450] son.

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

[452] Amen.

[453] Thank you very much.

[454] And for those who are brand new to the network, we have podcasts of all of our shows of Bishop Strickland.

[455] Go to vmpr .org.

[456] That effect, you get all of our podcasts there on our Virgin Most Powerful Radio's website.

[457] Thanks again for listening and tell your friends about Bishop Strickland Hour when you are with your friends.

[458] Thanks again.

[459] God bless you and your family.

[460] Oh,