(LifeSiteNews) — On this week’s two-part episode of The Bishop Strickland Show, Bishop Joseph Strickland says those in the Vatican who want to change Catholic teaching should just create their own church, explains why the message of the Gospel should make us uncomfortable, what the Church teaches on the obligation to vote, and more.

Bishop Strickland begins the first part of the episode by offering commentary on Luke 11:37-41, in which Our Lord called out the Pharisees for fixating on washing before dinner when their interior souls were filthy.

Strickland highlighted that in this Gospel, Our Lord makes clear that He is willing to speak to anyone, but He will also call them out if they aren’t living or open to the truth. The bishop reminded listeners that there are several times in the Gospel where Christ could be labeled as harsh or judgmental for calling out people’s sins, like in this Gospel when He said, “You fools!” to the Pharisees.

The bishop then emphasized that this Gospel reading shows Christ making the Pharisees uncomfortable, not willing to distort His message to make them feel comfortable, which is the opposite of what we see in the Church and society today. 

“Too many in the Church and in the state and in every aspect of society, people want the kingdom right here. And too many in the Church want to build a ‘this world’ kingdom, and they’re willing to distort the message of the kingdom of God in order to build this earthly kingdom,” he said. “It sounds like those apostles that didn’t understand. Judas Iscariot built a kingdom of this world and ultimately betrayed Christ because that’s what he thought Jesus was about. … But we’ve got to be very clear that Jesus came to bring a different kingdom, a kingdom that brings challenges.”

Strickland noted that if the Gospel doesn’t make us uncomfortable, then we’re probably not really listening. “We need to be uncomfortable with our own sin, our own tendency to be comfortable in this world. Of course, Jesus is always bringing His mercy, but the mercy that Jesus brings is only unlocked when we approach Him in humility and say, ‘Lord, forgive me, I’m a weak sinner.’”

Later in Part 1, host Terry Barber asked the bishop about why he posted on X that those in the Vatican who long for a new church should create their own rather than continue to corrupt the Catholic Church. Strickland emphasized that he posted this because he’s disgusted with the ongoing Synod on Synodality, namely the Catholic prelates in attendance and those saying there are no moral absolutes.

“That’s not the Church, that’s simply not the Church. … If they want a different church, then follow the path of Martin Luther, Zwingli, Calvin; there’s a long, long list. And these days, you can basically just say, ‘Okay, I’m starting a church.’ Go for it! People have done it many times before; there are thousands of different Christian denominations. Go for it, start another one! Start a church that embraces all the values that you think people need to wake up to,” he said.

Strickland added that what’s really disgusting to him is that these Vatican clerics don’t want to start their own church because that would cost them their money flow and the enormous influence they enjoy.

A bit later, the bishop cited Galatians 1:6-8, in which St. Paul says those who preach a different Gospel are a curse. “All of the people at the Synod, from Pope Francis down, frankly, need to read that writing of St. Paul and try to reconcile what they’re doing with what he says, because they’re trying to rewrite the Gospel. I mean, they said they’re ‘dreaming a new church,’ go ahead dream a new church, but leave the one that Jesus Christ established alone.”

Bishop Strickland began the second part of the episode by offering commentary on Luke 11:42-46, in which Our Lord calls the Pharisees and scholars hypocrites for imposing strict laws on the people but not living the faith themselves. The bishop emphasized that this Gospel reminds us that we need to live our faith authentically, as we see Jesus urging the Pharisees and scholars to do in this Gospel.

“What Jesus is saying in this passage: Do the little things and the big things, be perfect in everything. And none of us can achieve that without God’s grace working in us. But we’re all called to continue to strive for that perfection,” he said.  

Strickland then underscored that what Our Lord is really getting at in this Gospel passage is that we’re called to do our best to live out the truth He’s revealed to us, although He knows we will fail.

“He knows that we’re weak, but His mercy is there to allow us to pick ourselves up again and strive again to do the best we can. But I think what He’s getting at with the scholars and Pharisees of the law is if we don’t even try, then we’re lost. Woe to us if we’re not even attempting to be just to others, to care for those who are outcasts, to do all the things that the beatitudes speak of. We’re called to do that, and it’s not easy,” he said. 

A bit later, the bishop stressed that ultimately we need to strive to live the best we can with the help of God’s mercy through His Son. “But what we’re hearing now too often in the world and in the Church is, ‘Quit striving, quit trying, you’ll never be perfect, so don’t try.’ And that is not what Christ said.”

Later in Part 2, Barber asked Strickland about Catholic’s duty to vote in light of the upcoming U.S. election. The host noted that one candidate is promising to enshrine abortion “rights” and emphasized one of the bishop’s previous statements that Catholics cannot support Democrats because they are the “party of death,” asking him to clarify those comments. 

Strickland explained that the Democratic Party is the party of death because of their support for abortion and other threats to life that are contrary to the faith, including the current so-called Catholic President Joe Biden. The bishop highlighted that in all elections, Catholics are called to vote for candidates that share more Catholic values than their opponents.

“We have an obligation to put as many candidates who share the truth and the values of our Catholic faith as possible, to elect them and get them into office,” he said. “Whether they’re Catholic or not, I mean, some of the Catholics are the least supportive of Catholic teaching. So that’s what we need to look at: What are they supporting? And does it correspond with Catholic teaching? From president to governors to senators and Congress… we need as many people as possible [in office] who are supporting and standing for Catholic values.”

To hear more from His Excellency, tune in to this week’s episode of The Bishop Strickland Show.      

To watch all previous episodes of The Bishop Strickland Show, click here to visit LifeSite’s video page dedicated to The Bishop Strickland Show.