06 Sep 22 – Encore: Life of Christ

[0] Welcome to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[1] My name's Terry Barber.

[2] I'm with Virgin Most Powerful Radio, and I have the honor each week to interview and have Bishop Strickland talk about his tweets and then open up the catechism of the Catholic Church to share the good news.

[3] Bishop Strickland, thanks again for taking the time to share the gospel with our listeners.

[4] Thank you, Terry.

[5] Hey, Bishop Strickland, I got a quote here.

[6] You know, Scott Hahn, Dr. Scott Hahn, is someone I go back 30 some years ago I recorded his original conversion story and I've listened to everything that man has ever done it's given me a great education on the faith and you tweeted something that he said on the Eucharist I just want to share it with the listeners and then tell me why you did it Scott Hahn said in every Eucharist we reenact that Easter Sunday at Emaeus Jesus reveals himself to us in our journey.

[7] He speaks to our hearts in the scriptures.

[8] Then at the table of the altar and the person of the priest, he breaks the bread.

[9] The disciples begged him, stay with us.

[10] So he does.

[11] Though he had vanished from our sight in the Eucharist as at Emaeus.

[12] We know him in the breaking of the bread.

[13] Your thoughts?

[14] Well, I shared that.

[15] because I share your appreciation of Dr. Scott Hahn and just that really needs to be, we need to constantly remind ourselves of that, that really every Mass, as we know, is a little Easter and that whole experience of the risen Lord that the early part of the Acts of the Apostles speaks of, that we have a lot of those readings for the octave of Easter.

[16] That really needs to be constantly revisited and prayed over and just absorbed that that's what we're doing.

[17] The mass isn't just another ritual.

[18] It's not as has been promoted in our lifetime so much.

[19] It's not primarily a family meal.

[20] It's a sacrificial offering of the Son of God to the Father for all human beings.

[21] humanity.

[22] And that's what every mass is.

[23] It's the capturing the power of the resurrection on that altar at every single mass. And we just have to keep emphasizing that.

[24] For me, as a bishop, for priests and deacons, and for all of the laity to really, Terry, the more we can emphasize that, the more we will be reverent, be focused.

[25] be God -centered, be everything that we should be at Mass, the more we enhance that Eucharistic faith.

[26] Just recently, I was encouraged once again in my work as a bishop to focus on Christ in the Blessed Sacrament and on His Sacred Heart.

[27] And to know that His Sacred Heart is a living heart present with us in the great mystery of the Son of God, now having returned to the Father.

[28] He's at the right hand of God, the Father, with the Holy Spirit.

[29] But he's also here, the same Jesus that was conceived in the womb of Mary, born in Bethlehem, all the stories of the gospel, all of those, the Amaya story.

[30] The New Testament, Jesus is with us, and we need to just deepen our faith and deepen our commitment to live in his light.

[31] If we really know him, I can speak for myself, Terry.

[32] The more deeply I know him, I'm still a sinner.

[33] I'm still weak and can be tempted.

[34] But it does make it easier.

[35] The more, it's like he's a Lord and a friend that you, you personalize it.

[36] You don't want to offend him.

[37] It's not just, oh, I don't want to break the rules.

[38] It's just like I'm sure that we had relationships.

[39] My parents weren't perfect.

[40] I'm an imperfect son.

[41] They weren't perfect parents.

[42] But they were the kind of parents that I didn't want to disappoint.

[43] And that's the personal relationship we need to have with the Lord, that we don't want to disappoint him.

[44] Look at all he's done for us.

[45] And I do disappoint him.

[46] And I humbly return to confession and say, Lord, forgive me. And we need to.

[47] I need to.

[48] We all do.

[49] But that quote from Dr. Hahn just reminds us of the reality that he's there.

[50] And we need to deepen that and reinforce it in every way that we can.

[51] There are different things that really deepen our faith for each of us.

[52] But we need to look for those things, the power of God's word, the imagery of the sacraments.

[53] celebrating them reverently.

[54] And I would encourage the people that are listening to us now, if you're disheartened by the lack of reverence of people around you, or even by the priest or deacon that's there at the Mass, we're all human.

[55] We can all lose that focus.

[56] Know that you can minister to them by demonstrating, not in some showy way, but simply being reverent, dressing well for mass. It's not about how expensive it is, but are you there to greet the king, your Lord and Savior?

[57] Your royal master, that is Christ.

[58] In the Psalm for today, the psalmer spring speaks of our glorious king.

[59] and he is king of the universe, and we have the chance to encounter him.

[60] You know, I get carried away with the need for Eucharistic faith and Eucharistic reverence.

[61] Amen.

[62] And that's why I quoted Dr. Hahn, because he reminds us of some essential things that we can't let go of.

[63] Whatever form the mass takes, it needs to be centered on Christ and his offering to God, Father, with great reverence and love and awe.

[64] We need to be an awe of everything that happens from the beginning of the Mass to the end, because Christ is there in different ways and in his Eucharistic presence.

[65] He becomes physically present on that altar.

[66] We need to just deepen that faith and live according to what we know to be the truth.

[67] Well said Bishop Strickland, And that kind of sets up your next tweet.

[68] You're quoting Bishop Athanasia Snyder, who's been on your show a couple times.

[69] He wrote a book called The Catholic Mass, Steps to Restoring the Centrality of God in the Liturgy.

[70] And I've read the book, and I've been promoting it, and if people want to get a copy of it, they can go to vmpr .org.

[71] It's on our website.

[72] It really is a beautiful book on reverence and also explaining what the mass is.

[73] you quote it on April 23rd in a tweet a Catholic Mass by Bishop Snyder you quote a cardinal way back in 1512 it was a it was a interesting was at the council letter and council the fifth one and I love the quote it's very simple but it's profound it says man must be changed by sacred things and not sacred things by men And that seems like it was written for us today, 500 years later.

[74] And I love that quote as well, Terry, because like you just said, 1512, that predates the Protestant Reformation.

[75] And he's already, this cardinal is feeling the need to emphasize that.

[76] So, yes, we get concerned, deeply concerned about the lack of reverence and the attempts to reshape the sacred in our image instead of recognizing, we have to look to God to know who we really are because we're created in his image and likeness.

[77] What that cardinal said all those centuries ago, like you said, it could be a cardinal speaking now, and I'd be applauding him for saying that, because it needs.

[78] needs to be said.

[79] But I think it gives us some consolation and hopefully strength to stay with the truth that even in 1512, long before, or decades at least before the Protestant Reformation, a cardinal of the church is still feeling the need to emphasize, sacred things are about changing and shaping us to be more in the image and lightness.

[80] that God created us to be in, in a sense, really in the light of that, quote, we can say that sin distorts that image and likeness that we're originally created to be.

[81] That's why the Immaculate Virgin Mary is such a wonderful model.

[82] Because she never had to endure the distortion of humanity.

[83] the distortion of a human woman.

[84] She is protected from that distortion, which is sin.

[85] And so she is full of grace because she did what that cardinal is warning that we need to be aware of.

[86] She was changed by the sacred.

[87] We need to do the same.

[88] And thankfully, we have the same potential.

[89] We're all sinners.

[90] that will always be part of our reality, part of the description of who we are.

[91] Hopefully, repentant sinners.

[92] That's the kind of sinners we need to be, constantly repenting more and more deeply.

[93] But the Immaculate Virgin Mary is the model of being changed by the sacred.

[94] And it is, I'll say it.

[95] It is diabolical, whether it's in 1512 or 22, It is of the devil to be changing the sacred to look more like us.

[96] That is not what it's about.

[97] We are meant to be changed by the sacred that touches us to be more like we've been created to be, to be children of God.

[98] Well, said, when we come back, we've got a pro -life tweet.

[99] Can't do it every week.

[100] We have to have something on the pro -life side.

[101] This quote, I think, will touch your heart.

[102] Stay with us, family.

[103] You're going to be blown away when you hear this.

[104] Welcome back to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[105] Mary Barber here with Virgin Most Powerful Radio.

[106] I've got one more tweet, and then we're going to run into the catechism.

[107] What are we going to do?

[108] We're going to go to paragraph 1691, part three, the life in Christ.

[109] So if you can get your catechism out in a few minutes, we'll be going to that.

[110] Bishop Strickland, there's two things you speak about every week, and I really respect you for this, the Holy Eucharist and defense of unborn babies.

[111] and Our Lady you talk about all these things and it's not like it's brilliant insights it's fundamental teachings about our Catholic faith and I think it's just what we need so you tweeted this and I remember for the first time reading this years ago and I was like wow look at the way God designed this wow okay here's what it is in your tweet you said some of the cells of a baby remain in the mother's body even after delivery.

[112] Okay, we knew that.

[113] Check this out, folks.

[114] Research has shown that if a mother's heart is injured, fetal cells will rush to the sight of the injury and change it into different types of cells that specialize in mending the heart.

[115] What?

[116] Is that awesome?

[117] I love it, Bishop Strickland.

[118] I'm sure you saw that, didn't that just touch your heart?

[119] Oh, absolutely.

[120] That's why I tweeted it.

[121] It's such a beautiful reminder of how foolish, how foolish we are when we think we can do better than God and we can ignore his laws and just reshape things again, according to our image, according to what we've decided.

[122] And it's such a poverty.

[123] It's such a foolishness.

[124] We need to wake up to God's plan is light years beyond us as the very best plan because God is love.

[125] God's all of his commandments, all of his designs flow from his reality and God is love.

[126] And what what a beautiful, beautiful scientific fact that we've, because of the great science that God has allowed us and given us the talent to develop, we can know.

[127] something like that.

[128] I mean, it's just amazing.

[129] And there's so many amazing things that go on in the whole development of one child in the womb after conception.

[130] It's just the things, I don't see how anybody could study that and say they don't believe in God.

[131] This stuff doesn't just fall together.

[132] It's by design and it's beautiful.

[133] And I mean, to imagine, Imagine those cells of a baby that happened to be left in a woman's body, going into action to actually those, I mean, we hear about those pluripotent cells that scientists love to violate life and manipulate.

[134] Let's just allow God to be the Lord of life and be in awe.

[135] protect what he is doing and trust that his will is always flowing from his love for us, which is his very existence.

[136] It's just, it just blows you away to see that wonderful design of God.

[137] I love it.

[138] It made me think of what Fulton Sheen said in the quotable Sheen.

[139] The final form of hatred of religion is a wish.

[140] to defy God and to maintain one's own evil in the face of his goodness and power.

[141] If that's not abortion, then I don't know what else he's talking about.

[142] In other words, how somebody can kill an unborn baby and think that it's a good thing to do when it's so evil, it shows that they don't have a clue about goodness and the goodness and power of God.

[143] They've totally closed off to that.

[144] And so anyhow, thank you for that tweet because it's a powerful tweet.

[145] I'm actually going to use that at a men's conference this weekend.

[146] I'm going to add that into my talk because I just think that is so good.

[147] I'll be in, I'll be about an hour from Tyler, Texas.

[148] I'm going to be at St. Anne's Parish.

[149] And you can pronounce the city.

[150] Is it Coppell?

[151] Coppell, Texas, St. Anne's Parish.

[152] If you're in the air and all those people who already contact me and Tyler, who said they're going to come down and see me from California to Tech to Tyler, I'd love to see you at the men's conference.

[153] It's happening this week in April 30th.

[154] Bishop Strickland, I want to shift gears right now to open up the catechism of the Catholic Church to paragraph 1691.

[155] The section of the catechism is part three of the catechism and it's under the life in Christ.

[156] And it's going to cover context.

[157] It's going to cover the dignity of Christians, things that I think are so important for us but are fundamental to the faith.

[158] So I'm going to read paragraph 1691, folks, and then I'll have Bishop Strickland comment on it.

[159] Christians recognize your dignity.

[160] I love it.

[161] And now that you share in God's own nature, do not return to your former base condition by sinning.

[162] remember who is your head and of whose body you are a member oh my goodness never forget that you have been rescued from the power of darkness and brought into the light of the kingdom of god holy mackerel when i read that paragraph mr strickland i go man there's a lot in that short paragraph absolutely it is deep with meaning and powerful truth, a quote from St. Leo the Great.

[163] Yep.

[164] And it just reminds us of the significance of baptism and the responsibility of living that baptism.

[165] Christian, recognize your dignity from really what this emphasizes to me, Terry, is that what baptism does, it opens the door for us to share in the life -saving action of Jesus Christ.

[166] His life, death, and resurrection.

[167] Our baptism makes it all available to us.

[168] The balls in our court after our baptism.

[169] And as this says, do not return to you.

[170] you're a former base condition by sinning, but instead, live who you are.

[171] I mean, this, this paragraph really says so much.

[172] It really is a catechesis just in one paragraph on what baptism means.

[173] Yep.

[174] That recognize your dignity.

[175] And we hear a lot about that in various circles of the dignity of people and how that needs to be guarded.

[176] But the greatest dignity is to be transformed, to have our sins washed away and given the life of God through baptism.

[177] And really what it reminds us of, Terry, is that door remains open.

[178] If there's anyone we know who has baptized but is not living in a Christ -like way, we can all make that choice.

[179] We all do, to some extent, we're all sinners.

[180] Just because we've been baptized, it doesn't make us immune to sin.

[181] Right.

[182] But it does make us able to constantly return to that state of grace, as we call it in the Catholic faith.

[183] To live in the state of grace is to return to that original place where we were when we were baptized.

[184] I love to think about, I mean, of course, as Catholics, we have infant baptism.

[185] You can be baptized later, but we believe that, as the Cana Law and the Catechism says, it shouldn't be delayed unnecessarily.

[186] I think I was baptized 10 days after I was born, and you were probably about the same.

[187] Because that was the norm back then.

[188] It needs to be more the norm once again.

[189] There's no reason to delay a baptism.

[190] There does need, I mean, the Canada law says, a well -founded hope.

[191] that this person will live it.

[192] And that's just reminding us, baptism isn't some sort of magic ritual, but it's a transformation sharing in the life of God, being freed from our sins and sharing in the life of grace.

[193] We need to constantly seek to return to that state of grace anytime we wander.

[194] That's the original place we need to come from.

[195] And, you know, when we sin, we wander down a dark path away from the light.

[196] But the great thing is, and what I want to emphasize to anyone and everyone listening, it's never too late to return to that state of grace and baptism.

[197] And for us as Catholics, we're blessed with the sacrament of confession.

[198] That returns us to that state of grace.

[199] I love to think about newly baptized infants.

[200] We talk about six or seven years old.

[201] I think the official number is seven, probably with your kids.

[202] I mean, I've talked to a lot of parents, and they're saying, Johnny's only five, but I think he's there.

[203] I'm with you.

[204] The age of reason.

[205] But what's that about?

[206] Are we mature enough to choose right and wrong?

[207] Definitely, a one or two -year -old child is not old enough.

[208] They're just beginning to figure out what life is and who they are, as we all are for the lifetime.

[209] But, you know, a two -year -old can't sin.

[210] And I love to, I mean, they could drive us crazy.

[211] They can be, you know, they can get into stuff.

[212] They can even do themselves harm.

[213] If we allow them to, they need our guidance.

[214] They're very vulnerable, but they can't sin.

[215] But at a point, everyone, of us reaches that age of reason where we begin to have our own personal responsibility.

[216] And we sin and we wander off at probably some of the earliest sins for all of us are breaking one of the commandments, hopefully not in the most serious of ways, but honor thy father and the mother, we break that because we get to be bratty kids that are not wanting to do what our parents tell us.

[217] And hopefully we learn to be respectful and to be obedient and to recognize that's not just good etiquette, but it's part of being, living our baptism.

[218] It's part of not returning to that former base condition.

[219] You got it.

[220] Well said, Bishop Strickland.

[221] I wanted to mention I have a two -year -old grandson, and it's so important to give them formation even at these early stages.

[222] They watch everything.

[223] We took them to the Good Friday session, you know, service at the church where we venerated the cross.

[224] When he went home, he picked up a crucifix like this and started processing and asking everybody to kiss the crucifix.

[225] Yeah, but you see, whatever good or bad, they pick it up.

[226] Now, my wife, and this is the last one I'll share it, why two years old, my wife treats my feet because that's all your nerves are in your feet.

[227] and she has this device that helps me with my circulation.

[228] And because I have painful feet, my grandson said, Grandma, I want you to treat Jesus' feet where he has wounds because he hurts too.

[229] And that's a two -year -old.

[230] Now, he's getting the idea who Jesus is at age two, and by the time I bet he's five years old, six years old, he'll be getting close to that age where he'll be able to receive Jesus in the Holy Communion.

[231] I'm already setting him up for it.

[232] Hey, stay with us.

[233] We'll be back before with the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[234] Welcome back to the Bishop Strickland Hour.

[235] We're talking about the catechism of the Catholic Church, but I just wanted to give a good news story.

[236] Bishop Strickland, I'm constantly asking mom and dad to stand up for their children in regards to the secular world that we're living in.

[237] And whatever is undermining the Catholic family, that's what we have to stop fending, stop supporting.

[238] Well, Disney loses $50 billion in stock value as its pro -LGB activism intensifies.

[239] Mom and dad, I've talked to the parents, they're stopping their subscriptions, they're not supporting videos or movies that they're going to buy from Disney, and they're shutting them down because they're undermining their kids.

[240] And I think this is a good thing that parents are standing up to things that are going to undermine their children by boycotting them.

[241] Now, I'm not much a big guy on this boycott, but I think it's a good thing to stop supporting companies that undermine the family.

[242] Well, Terry, I agree.

[243] Parents, as the catechism teaches us, and it just makes sense besides being Catholic teaching, it's just good common sense.

[244] Parents are the primary educators.

[245] And just like you're talking about with your two -year -old grandchild, children are made by God to be like sponges they pick up on everything and the good and the bad and parents need to be very aware that they think oh Johnny's only two he's not here in this horrible language or he's not here seeing these images that don't fit with nature and creation we parents need to be aware and we need to support them.

[246] The children are picking up on things.

[247] I mean, we were kids once.

[248] Of course.

[249] And I remember, you know, seeing things that probably were, I mean, not, you know, pornography or anything, but just inappropriate things for a five -year -old to see.

[250] And you remember it.

[251] And maybe something violent or something just beyond that age that they just don't need to see.

[252] Parents, and I know it's exhausting.

[253] for good parents because there's so much out there, but they need to be vigilant.

[254] And I applaud the parents that are saying, you know, it's not about boycotting Disney.

[255] It's about guiding your children in the way of truth.

[256] Amen.

[257] And really, really loving them.

[258] As a mother and a father, really loving your children, as I say so often, the greatest charity, the greatest love is the truth.

[259] And you're not going to, allow that two -year -old grandson or daughter to just do whatever they want because, you know, they've got to be, even at that age, guided in the truth.

[260] And as they get older, it gets a little more complicated, and they're asking more questions.

[261] And their free will kicks in.

[262] All that a parent can do or a grandparent is try to guide them and to shape them in the right direction.

[263] Ultimately, we all have to make our own choices.

[264] And these parents are helping their children to know the dignity of the person, just like the Catechism talks about, to live your dignity.

[265] And what Disney is promoting is the greatest lack of dignity in a devastation for the human person, because it's not the truth.

[266] And we can get away with ignoring the truth for a while.

[267] but it catches up with us.

[268] Loving parents are going to do everything they can to help their children know what the truth is so that when they get old enough, they're saying that that's what I want.

[269] I want to follow Jesus.

[270] I want to live his truth.

[271] They make it their own.

[272] That's the challenge and the joy of being parents.

[273] Great advice for mom and dad.

[274] Thank you, Bishop Strickland.

[275] Let's move back to the Catechism, paragraph 1692 under the part three life in Christ the symbol of faith confesses the greatness of God's gifts to man in his work of creation and even more in redemption and sanctification what faith confesses the sacraments communicate by the sacraments of rebirth Christians have become children of God partakers in the divine nature coming to see in the faith their new dignity Christians are called to lead henceforth a life of worthy of the gospel of Christ they are made capable of doing so by the grace of Christ and the gifts of His Spirit which they receive through the sacraments and through prayer Wow I just Bishop Strickland when I read these people paragraphs.

[276] It's so rich that, you know, this is why I encourage people to get the catechism because they're getting more in that paragraph.

[277] I'm sorry to have to say that all week probably have catechesis in their life.

[278] This is really good stuff.

[279] What are your thoughts on that paragraph?

[280] Well, I totally agree.

[281] It's in so many of the paragraphs of the catechism, I mean, you can really break it down sentence by sentence, sometimes phrase by phrase, and very significant truth that we need to hold on to for our dear life.

[282] It strikes me, it says the symbol of faith confesses.

[283] And some people may say, what are they talking about?

[284] What's the symbol of faith?

[285] And we know that that is one of the ways that a creed or proposed.

[286] profession of faith is spoken of, a symbol of faith.

[287] And I think it's a great reminder that we really need to listen to what we're saying.

[288] And I mean, parents could make it a very simple thing to just every Sunday at Mass when we make that profession of faith, every week take one of those phrases and talk to their children about what does that mean?

[289] I know a lot of parents are overwhelmed because we weren't well catechism.

[290] At least I wasn't as a kid because it was not the time of good catechism.

[291] I went to public school.

[292] I had a great family and that's where I learned the faith.

[293] But as far as formal catechetical classes, they weren't strong.

[294] They simply weren't.

[295] A good people trying to do their best, but they weren't being guided by the church well in the 1960s and 70s and beyond.

[296] So that poor catechesis that parents of today are dealing with and now grandparents, it puts them in a very vulnerable position and they feel inadequate.

[297] But really, the profession of faith, it's not, I mean, it expresses some very hard one and deep theology that took counsels to get it figured out fully God and fully man, Jesus Christ, who he is, but it's there.

[298] The profession of faith is a great catechetical tool that every parent can use.

[299] And if there's a phrase that you're really not sure what that's talking about, you can always do a little research.

[300] But I would encourage us.

[301] And what I try to do, even celebrating Mass, is really get a little louder, and a little more emphasis on, I believe in one God.

[302] I believe in Jesus Christ.

[303] I believe in the Holy Spirit.

[304] I believe in the one holy Catholic and apostolic church.

[305] We need to wake up to this is what we believe.

[306] This is the symbol of our faith.

[307] And it troubles me sometimes that, you know, it's easy.

[308] In our human reality, you get used to something.

[309] and it's easy to just drone through it.

[310] And if somebody just said, quick, did you make the profession of faith?

[311] And it's like, well, I think I did, but you have no recollection of it.

[312] Because you're daydreaming and you're thinking about the pot roast you're going to have for lunch instead of really focusing on.

[313] So, and that's part of what we have to do for reverence in the liturgy is really listen, really be engaged.

[314] Sure, we all get distracted.

[315] Even the priest's presider can get distracted, but discipline ourselves out of reverence for the Lord who is there to bring ourselves back into focus and to really listen to what we're saying.

[316] I mean, the catechism is great, but we can also simply praying the mass can be a great catechesis if we really listen to what's there.

[317] well said again and this paragraph again i i just want to encourage people to open up her catechism at least once a week i'm just going to make a quick comment that here i am in my mid -60s and i'm still reading the catechism on a daily basis and i'm telling you i get fed by that i get fed by good holy books the the diary of st faustina has great stuff i mean there's so many good books but i want to encourage our listeners to get into a good Catholic book and read it and get, you know, your scriptures that way, lives of the saints, because we're in competition with the world right now.

[318] What I mean by that is they're competing for your airtime.

[319] In other words, some TV show that's useless, right?

[320] You know, maybe I love Lucy reruns.

[321] I don't know.

[322] Maybe like the Three Stooges.

[323] What does that do for you?

[324] It entertains you.

[325] But I want to encourage you to spend that.

[326] it's time on things that will have eternal values of your soul for all eternity.

[327] So that's why I encourage people to open up the Bible and your catechism to really study your faith.

[328] And that's what Bishop Strickland does with us every week.

[329] If this is your first time you're listening to the show, we have lots of other shows on our website, vmpr .org.

[330] And Bishop Strickland, before, we have a minute and a half before the break.

[331] I want to promote also the Institute that you have, because I think people need to know about what your Institute has as resources.

[332] Yeah, thanks, Terry.

[333] It's the St. Philip Institute website is there on the screen, or if you're just listening, St .Philip Institute .org, fill up with one L. The only dot is between St. Philip Institute and dot org.

[334] A pretty easy website to access.

[335] There's some great resources there, some podcasts of discussing what it means to be Catholic, what the, what the catechism's talking about.

[336] What's it mean to live as a baptized member of the body of Christ as a child of God?

[337] So the Institute, we've got some great young people half my age that are doing a great job because they love the Lord and they love their Catholic faith so i encourage people to check out the st phillipus i also encourage you when we come back i want to ask bishops strickland about partakers of divine nature what's that all about here on the bishop strickland hour we're on paragraph 1692 and i love this pair this little sentence in there what faith confesses the sacraments communicate by the sacraments of rebirth christians have become children of God, partakers of the divine nature.

[338] Bishop Strickland, I just think that is so awesome to think about what baptism does for us.

[339] Your thoughts?

[340] Absolutely, Terry.

[341] It transforms us.

[342] And one thing that the church teaches is something I know you're very familiar with, but probably many of us kind of forget about.

[343] And I think that's what, it's not using the same language.

[344] But it's really talking about that indelible character that we are marked with in baptism.

[345] Really, it's another way of saying partakers of the divine nature.

[346] We are marked as children of God.

[347] The book of Revelation speaks of those marked by the Lamb.

[348] And that is who we are with our baptism.

[349] Really, Terry, I'm so glad that you were wise enough.

[350] I didn't think of it, but these paragraphs are essential for our time for this very moment because there's a lot of darkness out there, a lot of evil and a lot of confusion and brokenness in the world and even in the church.

[351] As we talked about, you know, bishops writing a letter to the bishops of Germany, I feel compelled to sign a letter like that saying, live Christ.

[352] Basically, what these paragraphs are talking about is exactly what every man, woman, and child on the planet is called to.

[353] And for any leader of the church or a leader of any kind, any mother or father to be advocating a path that leads people away from this is simply wrong and needs to be spoken out of.

[354] That's the greatest love we can have, as I say so often.

[355] And I just feel the need to emphasize to people not to be fearful, but to be awake and to make clear decisions to follow in the light of Christ.

[356] And if they're corners of your life, which is true for all of us, I just went to confession yesterday.

[357] Not because, oh, he's a holy guy, because I'm not as holy as I need to be.

[358] And me too.

[359] We need to constantly seek a deeper holiness.

[360] And to know that's our greatest joy.

[361] It's our greatest fulfillment.

[362] But as we look at these paragraphs, I just urge people to really make their decision for themselves and for those who are responsible for families, for husbands and wives to make decisions together.

[363] Like those parents we were talking about with not so much boycotting Disney, but just because they're guiding their children and the truth of Christ, to live these paragraphs, to live their baptism, to say, no, not for me and my.

[364] house, we're going to serve the Lord.

[365] We're going to be true to Jesus Christ.

[366] People need to be aware that these are threatening times.

[367] We can't be complacent.

[368] We can't just say, oh, there's just a lot out there, but we're okay.

[369] We have to be strong in Christ.

[370] And whatever comes down the road, we need to be guided by the light of Christ and stronger than ever.

[371] If it's been a while, since you've been to confession, go.

[372] And if you don't have, if the priest in your area don't provide enough confessions, tell them, Father, please make it more available.

[373] We're sinners.

[374] We need the sacraments.

[375] Thankfully, many priests work very hard, but I wasn't well -formed as a priest in too many ways.

[376] I've grown, and we all, all of us can acknowledge that we're failed sinners, no matter what the formation we receive, and no matter what our background, but we can always do better.

[377] And I would urge people to what I keep praying constantly, repentance, reparation, and atonement, because there's much evil in the world.

[378] And we can't as Christians.

[379] I mean, what this is talking about, don't go back to that former based condition.

[380] That's pretty strong language.

[381] Yep.

[382] And a lot of people would say, oh, well, how dare they speak of human beings in a base condition?

[383] But that's what sin does to us.

[384] And that's what needs to be rejected with clarity and charity, as you always say.

[385] But with the clarity, we need to simply say no to Satan and who is the father of lives.

[386] We say no to his empty promises.

[387] We say, yes.

[388] We say, yes to Christ, and people need to seriously take their life in Christ as the treasure that it is and not take it for granted, because when we take things for granted, it's easy for it to be taken away from us.

[389] And I'm not talking about some conspiracy or some, you know, threat to prophecy or there's all sorts of stuff out there.

[390] I'm just saying, let us be aware.

[391] It's not just our time.

[392] When we talked about a cardinal from 1512, and he saw threats to the sacred, threats to the life in Christ that we're called to as the baptines, I just urge people to be awake and alert, just like St. Peter says in one of his letters, be awake because Satan is prowling like a serpent seeking the ruin of souls.

[393] that's the reality that we face that always has been and we need to be sober and alert amen there's a short paragraph we'll end the show with paragraph 1693 says Christ Jesus always did what was pleasing to the father and always lived in perfect communion with him here's the catch here it is likewise Christ disciples are invited to live in the sight of the father who sees in secret in order to become perfect as your heavenly father is perfect.

[394] Wow.

[395] Wow.

[396] And perfect as your heavenly father is perfect.

[397] Yeah.

[398] From Matthew 5, verse 48.

[399] Yep.

[400] It's so easy for us.

[401] And I think we live in a time, Terry, where people have said, ah, that can't be true.

[402] That can't be.

[403] He didn't really mean that.

[404] that we believe he did.

[405] Amen.

[406] And of course, perfection is beyond us.

[407] That's why the church strongly reinforces our belief in purgatory.

[408] Because it says we must be perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect.

[409] Since we aren't, we should be grateful for that purging fire that ultimately brings us the perfection that we're not capable of.

[410] That's what we believe.

[411] We can choose and do our best and because we've just celebrated Divine Mercy Sunday.

[412] Because of the mercy of God, he's willing to fill in the gap in our lack of perfection.

[413] But it goes back to what partakers of the divine nature.

[414] We can't be partakers of the divine nature if part of us is not of God.

[415] And when we sin, we're that part of us is not of God.

[416] So we need to be perfected by God's grace.

[417] We have to cooperate with that.

[418] We have to make our choice to say, yes, Father, I want to live your grace.

[419] But ultimately, we trust in God's grace and his abundant mercy to forgive us and to guide us in the light of his son.

[420] Well, said, I was just thinking while you were teleking there, Bishop Strickland.

[421] about the book of revelation that says nothing but perfect and pure will enter the kingdom of God and so purgatory is very scriptural and saying that so I always joke with people I'd rather do my purgatory here because the saints have told us it's better to do our purgatory here than in the next world and I want to just give a comment and give me your response but we talk about self -denial as Christians and purifying our will and discipline you talked earlier in the show about.

[422] It seems to me that the Opus Day spirituality talks about walking away from a good dinner where you didn't add the second amount of potatoes that you really like, or maybe you didn't eat the dessert that you would really like the apple pie.

[423] And the principle is that you say no to yourself at every meal.

[424] In other words, moderation.

[425] Now, that's easy to say, hard to do.

[426] But I find that, these are sacrifices that make me stronger.

[427] Am I on to something, Bishop Strickland?

[428] Oh, absolutely.

[429] And what strikes me as you're talking, Terry, is that it's the best for our health.

[430] It is.

[431] It's best for every aspect of who we are to not overeat and to pay attention and to eat the right things.

[432] And to, you know, even, I mean, probably you were raised the way I was.

[433] If you put it on your plate, you need to eat it.

[434] Absolutely.

[435] Well, and that doesn't mean, well, I just pile as much as I possibly can fit on the plate.

[436] But once you do put it on your plate, you're judicious about what you choose, and then you don't waste it, but you eat it.

[437] And that's very simple.

[438] I mean, how many parents have tried to teach their kids that?

[439] But it is woven into Christian virtue.

[440] It is.

[441] until living as children of God means that we eat healthy and we sustain ourselves and keep ourselves healthy, but we don't gorge ourselves and certainly don't eat the things that ultimately are not healthy for our bodies.

[442] So it all fits together.

[443] It's one truth.

[444] Well said.

[445] Bishop Strickland, you mentioned divine mercy Sunday and we all went to confession over the weekend.

[446] Man, man, people were, I mean, at a parish I was at in Long Beach, the pastor has the priest in the confessional even during Mass. And he doesn't buy the idea that you can't celebrate two sacraments.

[447] In other words, people were in line.

[448] They want to go to confession, and he got him in.

[449] And he's just in his homily, he said, man, it's like starting all over.

[450] You need to take advantage of Divine Mercy Sunday.

[451] So here's my point before I ask for your blessing.

[452] It's not too late for people still to go to confession.

[453] and receive those graces.

[454] I understand it's like a week or nine days between the feasts.

[455] Is that still the case?

[456] How many days?

[457] It's never too late.

[458] There you go.

[459] Absolutely.

[460] All right.

[461] Could we get your blessing, please?

[462] Sure.

[463] Heavenly Father, we ask your blessing for all of us as we continue through this Easter journey.

[464] Help us to know that the light of your sun shines as brightly as ever and that your truth is a truth of love that guides every person to that perfection which is beyond us, but a perfection that you call us to live.

[465] We ask your blessing for all of us in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

[466] Amen.

[467] Thanks again, Bishop Strickland.

[468] Folks, you can listen to all of Bishop Strickland shows that are on podcasts at vmpr .org.

[469] And there's plenty other shows that Terry and Jesse show, Jesus 9 -1 -1, Gary Matrude's Practical Apologetics, and many other good shows that help build up the body of Christ.

[470] I want to thank you for listening.

[471] May God richly bless you and your family, and thanks for supporting here at PMPR Virgin, Most Powerful Radio.

[472] God love you and your family.