Dr. Christine Bacon: Good morning, Breakfast with Bacon. It is 9 pm when I am, but morning where my guest is. It is His Excellency Bishop Athanasius Schneider. That is a mouthful there, Bishop. I am so excited to have the Bishop on the show because he is going to be talking about his newest book, The Springtime That Never Came. And I believe that is a reference to Pope Francis talking about the new springtime when he was ordained, but we will get into that. Bishop, Your Excellency, thank you again for being my guest on the Breakfast with Bacon show. Welcome. Can I start by asking you why you wrote this book?
Bishop Athanasius Schneider: It was not my idea to write this book. It was the journalist from Poland, Mr. Pavel Lishki. He approached me because he read my book Christus Vincit, my interview book with Diane Montagna. He was inspired and wanted to deepen some topics from Christus Vincit and asked me to grant him this book length interview. So I agreed, and so this book came out.
Dr. Christine Bacon: Well, I was excited to have you, especially considering this book. I ask for your forgiveness if I speak incorrectly or if I sound like I am disparaging anyone in our Catholic Church. In the circles of us orthodox Catholics, you are considered one of the good guys. I know that is not fair to say because no one knows the heart but God. When we say good guys, what we are referring to are those bishops and priests who are remaining orthodox to the teachings of the Catholic Church. What is happening right now, many of us are talking about, is that we are at the beginning of a schism. I know that Our Blessed Mother, correct me if I am wrong, at Fatima told the children that there would be cardinals opposing cardinals, bishops opposing bishops, and priests opposing priests. We look around, and we see that happen. Many of us disagree with our Holy Father. If you could first of all correct me if I have misspoken, and can you speak to what Pope Francis said about this being a new springtime, and why exactly you gave this book that title? Because I am pretty sure that is the reference you were making, kind of like this is no springtime. Am I correct about that?
Bishop Athanasius Schneider: First, I would like to correct something. What you spoke about regarding bishops against bishops and cardinals against cardinals was not spoken by Our Lady in Fatima. She did not speak this in Fatima. It was spoken in Akita, Japan. I say this only to be correct.
Dr. Christine Bacon: She did speak that to Sister Agnes Sasagawa in this private revelation.
Bishop Athanasius Schneider: The apparition in Akita was approved by the local bishop, so we can assume that this is an authentic apparition since it was recognized by the Church authority at that place. But it is so evident that we do not need a private revelation to state this, that bishops are against bishops and cardinals against cardinals. It is evident, especially in our day. It is a matter of fact.
Regarding the springtime, it was not Pope Francis who spoke about this. It was already Pope John the 23rd when he convoked the Second Vatican Council. After the first session in sixty-two and on other occasions, he spoke about a kind of new Pentecost in the Church. Pope John the 23rd spread this idea first, that the Second Vatican Council would be an occasion for the Church to have a kind of new springtime.
However, his successor, Paul the Sixth, spoke to the contrary because he saw, after the council, the chaos within the Church, in liturgy, in doctrine, in morals, and the apostasy of so many priests and religious men and women. Sisters abandoned monasteries and religious life. Priests, after the council, abandoned the priestly ministry publicly and asked to be reduced to the state of lay people in order to marry. This was unique in the history of the Church.
Paul the Sixth was honest enough to state the reality. He said in a famous expression, I believe in seventy-two or earlier, that we were thinking after the council would come a springtime, but instead came a winter with storms and confusion. He also spoke the famous expression that the smoke of Satan penetrated within the Church.
Unfortunately, Pope John Paul II also used this expression of the springtime of the Church, applying it to the current situation. In the first years of his pontificate, he was too optimistic and continued the idea that Vatican II brought us a new springtime of the Church.
But Benedict the Sixteenth was more realistic, and he denied these phantom or fantastic ideologies, impressions, or ideas. Our current Pope Francis sometimes also uses this expression, not so often, but I think it is used by Pope Francis more with ideological intentions. He uses it to show that this situation of liberalism within the Church, this adaptation to the spirit and the agenda of this world, is something good for the Church.
In this new era in the Church after the council, Pope Francis considers something positive, and he continuously rejects and condemns the tradition of the Church. He says we have to look back but forward. But forward to what? We have a concrete aim, a finality, and this is what Christ left us. So we have to look back to Jesus Christ always, to the apostles, to the saints who transmitted to us this treasure of divine revelation, the holiness of the liturgy, and the examples of the saints.
We have to look to them. We have to look back, and this will bring us forward. This is true progress, to be rooted in the tradition. This will bring us to a true springtime of the Church when we return to the constant, valid, and provenly fruitful tradition of the Church in doctrine, in the holy liturgy, and in the moral and spiritual life.
Dr. Christine Bacon: You are talking about several things. For instance, Pope Francis is, I would say unfairly, trying to minimize or shut down the tradition you are talking about in the Latin Mass. That is a starting place. Some other things seem to be going against this tradition passed on by the apostles, with this liberal ideology in terms of things like homosexuality specifically, and elevating the environment above life.
If we start with the first part I mentioned, the Latin Mass, that is part of what you were referring to, right? If we want to be in the springtime, we have to go back to that, because that is what has been passed on for two thousand years. That is where the actual growth in the Church is. People are going to the Latin Mass and leaving the Novus Ordo. Is that one of the truths you were just referencing?
Bishop Athanasius Schneider: Yes, this is a sign of a springtime of the Church. We can observe this for decades, but especially since Pope Benedict the Sixteenth in two thousand seven liberated the traditional form of the Holy Mass and gave freedom to celebrate and propagate this treasure of the Church.
Since that time, at least fifteen years, we could observe growth in these places, in the number of priests, and in new families, young families, and young people who are discovering more and more this treasure of the Church and living with great spiritual benefit, growing in their faith and love for God and for the Church by participating in this liturgy. This is a fact.
I would recommend, theoretically, Pope Francis to visit these places where the traditional Mass is celebrated with many young families, youth, teenagers, and children who participate in large numbers. I think he would be touched, I hope, in his soul and would change his prejudices against the traditional liturgy and these Catholics whom he often labels as rigid ones.
There is no rigidity. The rigidity is rather found in those cardinals and bishops who reject this treasure of the Church, this liturgy of the saints. They are closing their hearts to this beauty and to the graces which flow from this liturgical treasure.
This is a concrete example, as you mentioned, the holy liturgy, the traditional Mass, which will slowly bring the true springtime. Springtime means a new spiritual flourishing. We can already see this in many places, even though it is not the overwhelming majority. But in the kingdom of God, it is not a matter of numbers. God often chooses the little ones, even in number, for his victory over confusion and sin.
Therefore, we have hope. For me, this is a demonstration and proof that the Holy Spirit is working in the Church in the midst of the tremendous confusion of our day.
Dr. Christine Bacon: Well, praise God for that, because I have to tell you, and I feel like I am making a confession, though I know I am not alone. I get so angry, Your Excellency. I feel as if this is intentional, like there is an intentional decision not to look at what you just said. If the Pope went, if Francis went and just looked and saw, he would hopefully change his mind. But it seems intentional not to look, to want to destroy. I could be incorrect about that, but there is something beautiful that I think the Lord is doing. You mentioned young people, but it is not just young people; it is people like me.
I looked up your birthday, and you and I are approximately the same age. I was born in nineteen sixty-four. When COVID happened, and all the churches were closed, the Latin Church near me here in Virginia Beach was the one that let me in. I was able to go, and there was reverence and an overwhelming sense that God is here. I have been Novus Ordo my whole life, and I love the Lord, and I have felt God there.
But when I went to the Latin Mass, I thought this is so in touch with God that anyone who would want to shut this down, I have to be careful with my words because I do not want to say anything negative about our Holy Father or the other cardinals, but it feels vicious, like a vicious attack. I know I am not alone. Would you speak to that. Are you holding your tongue. Is there a chance this is intentional.
Because when we talk about the end of the Church and the Book of Revelation, and the apparition at Akita where Our Lady said we would see bishops against bishops and cardinals against cardinals, it makes me think we may already be there or heading there. Am I ahead of myself. Am I too far off base, Your Excellency.
Bishop Athanasius Schneider: Ultimately, only God knows the intentions because we cannot see into the hearts of Pope Francis or these bishops. But we can judge by their words and by their actions. These words and actions are clearly, and often, expressions of rejection and condemnation of tradition, even in some way a hatred of what was handed down to us in the holy liturgy itself. This is very serious and very sad for us.
Therefore, we must pray for the Pope and for these bishops that the Lord may touch their hearts and illuminate their minds. I think in this case there is a defect, a lack of a supernatural view or supernatural vision. In my opinion, there is this lack, and therefore we must pray that the Lord will open their minds again to the supernatural view, to see everything with the eyes of God and of eternity.
They are perhaps too focused on earthly things and temporal affairs. Pope Gregory the Great, the holy Pope Gregory the Great, who lived at the end of the sixth century, made a similar observation. In his time, he criticized bishops who were too occupied with temporal affairs and earthly matters. He said that the dust of earthly things blinded the eyes of these bishops.
I would apply this expression today. The dust of preference for earthly realities and temporal issues, like climate change and similar concerns, blinds the eyes.
Dr. Christine Bacon: Physical health, right. When the pandemic came, physical health over our eternal health.
Bishop Athanasius Schneider: Exactly. This preference, the primacy of the body over the soul, which we witnessed during the covid restrictions, blinded the eyes of many shepherds of our day.
Dr. Christine Bacon: Thank you for that, because I ask the Lord to keep my heart from becoming hard. You are right, only God knows their intentions. I am going to ask the Holy Spirit to remind me to keep my heart soft and to pray, as you said, that the dust be removed from their eyes. It is so easy, when you feel attacked, to want to attack back, even with words.
I would like to ask you, Your Excellency, about a couple of chapters in the book. This book came from an interview, and I would not say his name as correctly as you did, Pavel Lizaki.
Bishop Athanasius Schneider: Lisicky
Dr. Christine Bacon: When he interviewed you, the chapters of the book were laid out based on the questions he asked you. One of the things he mentioned was the illusion of progress. I lost my note about which book of the Bible it is in, but I believe it was one of the letters of John, a very short book. It basically said that progress is not always good if it pulls you away from the truth.
Do you know which book I am referring to. I should have looked it up before asking you. What do you think about the idea of progress in the world today. We can do things scientifically and medically. We can create children in a petri dish. We can supposedly change one’s gender, which you and I know we cannot do. What do you say about this, as your book chapter says, this illusion of progress.
Bishop Athanasius Schneider: Yes, I would say this is an illusion. This so called progress is an illusion, because progress by definition is something positive. To progress means to advance toward the good, the truth, and the beauty, because God is the supreme beauty, the supreme good, and the supreme truth.
The more we approach this in our works, deeds, and actions in society, the more we approach the truth that God has revealed to us and his will by observing his commandments, the more society will grow morally and spiritually in beauty. Then there will be a true progress, and even technical progress will become a true help for society.
If a society observes the commandments of God and accepts again the kingship of Jesus Christ in society and the revealed truth of the one true religion God wills, which is the Catholic faith and his Church, then the more people in society observe the commandments of God and accept his revealed truth and Jesus Christ, the more technical discoveries and advantages will truly benefit them.
Otherwise, as we are witnessing in our time, current society is at the height of technology, but at the same time it has never experienced such moral decay and degradation in history. It has never fallen so deeply in morality and spirituality as today. There is a great contrast between the highest achievements in technology and the deepest moral degradation.
We live in a society of cruelty, even a society of cannibalism. Cannibalism is covered with beautiful words such as health and health rights, but unborn children are abused through the use of fetal cells. We must state this clearly. A fetus is an unborn child. We cannot use other words. From the first moment of conception, it is already a child, a human being with an immortal soul, and therefore a person in the eyes of God.
Yet these children are abused on a massive scale in the fetal industry. We are witnessing a form of cannibalism, because these cells and cell lines are used for vaccinations, cosmetics, and other products. We must protest against this, even though it is widespread. This is only one example of the so called technological advancements and achievements of our society.
This is not progress. It can never be progress. True progress would be to have less technology but more progress in living the commandments of God and in preaching Jesus Christ. Then there would be more humanity in society and more true happiness.
Dr. Christine Bacon: That is the simplest definition I have ever heard, and it makes perfect sense. Progress is moving closer to God’s truth. Anything that takes us away from that means we are devolving as a culture and as a world. I appreciate that definition, and I am going to use it.
Adding to what you said about fetal tissue, the culture that claims progress is not even trying to cover it up anymore. They are not even arguing about it. They are harvesting organs from fully formed babies in the womb, and even from babies who are born. I do not know if you have heard this, but here in America, in New York or New Jersey, recently more than five hundred babies were retrieved from an abortion clinic. At the bottom of the boxes, there were five fully formed babies who were approximately nine months in gestation.
What was discovered was that abortion clinics were selling these dead babies to an electric company, which was burning these children in furnaces for fuel to provide energy to homes in the city. Did you know that. Had you heard that.
Bishop Athanasius Schneider: No .
Dr. Christine Bacon: It is repulsive. To me, not only not progress, but something truly diabolical. That is why I appreciate your definition so much. Turning away from God is a lack of progress. We need to keep our eyes fixed on fulfilling the commandments.
I am skipping around some of the chapters, and for you viewers, His Excellency in his new book, The Springtime That Never Came, is being interviewed in a conversational format on various topics. I strongly encourage you to get this book. I read as many chapters as I could. Your Excellency, your answers were spot on, easy to understand, and you did not hold back. I appreciate your transparency.
One chapter talks about the difference between heaven and hell. Before I ask you directly about that topic, I want to share an experience. I live in Virginia, and last year I visited my sister in law in Florida. I attended a Catholic church there, and after Mass I spoke briefly with the priest. I do not remember exactly how the conversation started, but covid was still relatively new and the topic of God and Satan came up.
This Catholic priest said to me, I do not believe in the devil. That is just a theory. Your Excellency, my chin dropped. I thought, how can you be a Catholic priest and not believe in the devil.
We hear today that many people believe in heaven and angels, but they do not believe in hell, and they do not believe Satan is real. They think he is just an idea representing bad choices. What do you have to say about the existence of heaven and hell, and what we are meant to understand about this today. What is driving people away from understanding that these realities exist. It is a long question, but please speak to whatever part you wish.
Bishop Athanasius Schneider: This is the basic question, the question of heaven and hell. If there were no hell, then there would be no reason to observe the commandments of God. Everything would be meaningless. Our existence itself would become unserious, and even God himself would be reduced to something unreal.
This is the fundamental truth, that there is the possibility of a final separation from God. This is revealed by God himself. God came to save us from this danger. If this danger did not exist, then there would be no reason for Christ to suffer and die on the cross. He suffered and died to save us from evil, to save us from hell, from eternal condemnation and death, and to open for us the gates of heaven.
He opened the gates of heaven with his precious blood on the cross, through his sacrifice, through his resurrection and ascension into heaven. Heaven is not automatic. We do not automatically go to heaven. Heaven is given to those who observe his commandments.
Heaven is the state of being with God, in the eternal supernatural life of God, with God and in God. We will see God as he is, as Holy Scripture says. We will see God face to face. This is called the beatific vision. This will be our eternal happiness, but it is not automatic.
It would not be worthy of the plan and dignity that God gave to human beings if heaven were automatic. Therefore, he placed Adam and Eve, our first parents, in a position to freely choose life with God, communion with God, and the life of God. This is heaven. Unfortunately, Adam and Eve preferred their own decision and committed the first sin. From that moment, God excluded them from his personal supernatural life.
At the same time, in his unending mercy, God gave a sign of hope, Our Lady with her child, our Lord Jesus Christ. This was already the proto evangelium, the gospel announced after the sin, when God revealed that a redeemer would come.
This is a revealed truth from God, and it is also reasonable. God created us in freedom, with the possibility to choose, even the possibility not to choose him. This is what happens when people reject God.
Our Lord Jesus Christ and the entire Holy Scripture reveal clearly that there is hell, an eternal hell. Satan exists and he is a person, as are the demons. We read in Holy Scripture that there was a battle between Michael and Satan. Saint Michael was not fighting an idea. He fought a real spiritual person, Satan, Lucifer, and his fallen angels, who tempt people toward the path of damnation.
Therefore, when our Lord Jesus Christ came, as written in Holy Scripture, he came to destroy the reign of Satan and his works. This was a purpose of his coming and his redeeming work. This is also the task of the Church. Our Lord repeatedly said to the apostles, I give you power over all evil spirits, over the demons. This is written in the Holy Gospels.
The task of the Church is to expel demons through preaching and especially through the Holy Mass, blessings, and sacramentals, to reduce the influence of evil spirits in the world and to bring true freedom to humanity, freedom from evil.
This is expressed in the last petition of the Our Father that our Lord gave us, free us from evil. In Latin it is libera nos, which means free us from evil, give us freedom again from evil. This is true freedom. The more we depart from evil and sin, and the farther we are from the devil and his influence, the closer we come to God, holiness, and the good.
Therefore, the Church must work and admonish people as a good mother and as a good physician, pointing out the poisons and dangers of sin and the influence of the devil, and not minimizing them. We must proclaim again the whole truth of divine revelation, as our Lord preached, as the apostles transmitted, and as the Church has always taught.
Dr. Christine Bacon: Yes, you said that this is the task of the Church. Yet we have bishops like Bishop Robert Barron saying, dare we all hope that hell is empty and that everyone is in heaven. We have seen exorcism rites taken out of the sacraments after the Novus Ordo and removed from the Latin Mass. We hear our Holy Father saying things like, who am I to judge, which gives the impression that allowing the LGBTQ ideology is not a serious issue.
Granted, he has not formally approved things like same sex marriage, but what we are seeing does not look like the Church fulfilling the task of teaching about heaven and hell. Many people are not hearing this from the pulpit, and many are not learning it at all. We even have priests who do not believe these truths.
This does not look like a springtime to me. It looks like a winter where what remains is being destroyed. Do you believe the responsibility lies with the Vatican and our Holy Father, or is it larger than that. Should I not be blaming only a small group of people.
Bishop Athanasius Schneider: This topic concerns the denial of the existence of the devil and of hell, or the claim that hell is empty. When bishops say such things, one must ask where this knowledge comes from. Who revealed to them that hell would be empty. This is their own idea, and it is a wrong idea.
Holy Scripture tells us very clearly that hell is not empty, because the devil is there. Our Lord says this in the Gospel when he speaks of the Last Judgment. He says to the condemned, go into the fire prepared for the devil and his followers. There are very clear indications in Holy Scripture and in the Apocalypse, the Revelation of John, the last book of the Bible, that hell is not empty. It is the place of evil spirits and of those who follow them.
Our Lady in Fatima, although this is not a public revelation, gave a demonstration and an explanation of public revelation. In Fatima, which the Church approved, Our Lady showed the children hell, and they saw human souls there. Hell was not empty.
If bishops who say such things were to witness a real exorcism and hear the devil speak and act during an exorcism, they would hopefully abandon the theory that the devil does not exist or that there is no danger and no hell. If there were no hell, there would be no demonic possession of souls. The devil seeks to possess souls in order to bring them into his kingdom, which is hell.
Our Lord came for this reason, to save souls from hell. This is the main task of the Church, the most important and urgent task of bishops and priests, to save souls from eternal damnation, or positively stated, to save souls for eternal life. Life for eternity, and therefore the saints made so many efforts and sacrifices, a life of sacrifice, even heroic sacrifice, to save souls from hell. We must restore this zeal for the salvation of souls, yes, of immortal souls.
Dr. Christine Bacon: I can hear the passion in your voice, because unquestionably the soul and eternity are more important than the body and the earth. I am going to change the subject a little from your book to you personally. Why did you become a priest in the first place.
Bishop Athanasius Schneider: Ultimately, it was not my choice. It is a vocation, a call from the Lord. The Lord calls those whom he chooses. It was not my first choice. It is a vocation, an election in the mysterious plans of God, in his wisdom and love, that he chooses some people from all eternity to be priests, to follow Jesus Christ in this way and to share in his eternal priesthood through the Catholic priesthood.
As Holy Scripture says in the Letter to the Hebrews, no one chooses to become a priest, but only those who are called by God, as Aaron was called. Even Jesus Christ did not take the dignity of priesthood upon himself, but accepted it from the Father, who said to him, you are my Son, you are a priest for all eternity according to the order of Melchizedek.
So even Jesus Christ did not take the priesthood for himself, but was called and constituted by God the Father as the eternal high priest for all humanity and for all eternity. In the same way, Christ calls and chooses those whom he wants. In the Gospel it is written that before he called the twelve and constituted them apostles, he called and chose those whom he himself wanted. This is very important, whom he wanted.
I see this in my own case. It is the choice of God. We are free to accept the call of God or not, and many do not accept it. As our Lord says in the Gospel, many are called, but not all respond or accept the call of God. I thank God that in his mercy he gave me the grace, which I did not merit, to accept his call.
When God calls, you feel it in your soul. In my case, I felt clearly that it was God calling me, even when I was still a boy, about thirteen years old. I was truly convinced that I had to become a priest. God guided me, and I thank him for his mercy and for the graces he gave me, unworthy as I am of them. No one is worthy of this dignity. We are all weak, but God chooses the weak for his works.
Dr. Christine Bacon: That is right, to shame the mighty, as Scripture says. As a woman, I never had that opportunity, but do you ever look at your hands and realize that God allows you, through your consecrated hands, to bring about his body and blood. Bread becomes his body and blood because of your priesthood. Do you ever stop and feel awe at such a great blessing and responsibility, that you are a priest of God, and that only a priest can do this?
Bishop Athanasius Schneider: Yes, there were saints, women saints, who sometimes saw that from the hands of the priests was coming light. This is ultimately the hands of Christ, because the hands of the priest are anointed with holy oil. As Christ is anointed, so what we do as priests, taking the Body of Christ in our hands, is an unspeakable privilege and should always fill our soul and attention with awe, faith, and love.
Every priest, therefore, during the Holy Consecration, the most holy moment of the Mass, must be fully concentrated. He should not look at the people or celebrate towards them, but truly focus on the altar in this holy moment, to take the Body of Christ in his hands. In the traditional liturgy, this is further stressed, as the priest’s fingers touch the divine Body of Christ. It was prescribed that after this, the priest should keep his fingers closed, to show reverence and awareness that his fingers touched the Lord, His holy Body. Only at the end of Mass, after washing his hands, would this awareness conclude. These small gestures helped the priest remain mindful of the sacredness of the moment. Unfortunately, these practices were abolished in the Novus Ordo, but they could be restored in the Church.
The laity can also participate by reminding the priest and asking for his blessings more frequently, because his hands are blessed and consecrated. The priest should bless people, material things, cities, and especially places where sins are committed, such as abortion clinics. These blessings are not his own, but the blessings of Jesus Christ, our Savior and eternal High Priest. In this way, the blessings of priests help reduce the influence of evil and the devil.
Even small exorcisms that a priest can perform are important. This demonstrates the greatness of the priesthood of Jesus Christ, our Lord and eternal High Priest. We must pray that God continues to call young men and boys to the priesthood, and that those who are called become true men of God, apostles, holy priests, and holy men. This will bring about the true springtime of the Church. Amen.
Dr. Christine Bacon: I think of Saint Faustina. She said when she was given the vision of hell she said it was horrible and she could see which ones were the priests because their hands would glow because they were consecrated. But I tend to think you know that was a very scary idea Your Excellency because to whom much is given much will be expected. And if as you know Saint Paul tells us I think it’s in Romans to work out your salvation with fear and trembling that once you are ordained a bishop and that responsibility was multiplied that if you were to make enough decisions to send yourself to hell how horrible it would be. But I’m the optimist when you make the right decisions and you go to heaven and your anointed hands forever. I mean I think the levels in heaven a priest who gets there a bishop who gets there because you have so many more people that you’re responsible for I think your blessings will be exponentially greater than someone like me who doesn’t have consecrated hands. And so it seems like you do I know you do but does that responsibility of being a bishop of God ever strike you in that way of wow I need to be doubly careful for everything I say because of that?
Bishop Athanasius Schneider: Of course of course I’m ever more aware of this and therefore I try at least not to be silent and to speak when it is necessary. And I’m ever more aware of this of the great responsibility before the judgment of God the more you are receiving the more you will have to answer for. And so therefore even those who are cardinals they will answer even more. And therefore the pope should not appoint cardinals those who are evidently undermining the faith those bishops who are undermining the truth with their words and deeds and then they will be appointed cardinals in some way they will be rewarded for their ambiguous behavior. So in this way their soul is in danger even so tomorrow they will be before the judgment of God and then they are poorer there. And therefore a pope should very much reflect when he is choosing cardinals not to put on their shoulders such a responsibility and not to make their judgment before God heavier.
And so we have to pray of course for the holiness of the priests of the bishops of the popes even because the pope has even more responsibility than the world. And therefore Pope holy the holy Pope Pius the tenth he was trying not to accept the papal election because he was seeing this immense responsibility of a pope. He was frightened and he tried not to accept but then ultimately he was convinced by the cardinals to accept as the will of God and he accepted his papacy as a cross. Then this was his answer I accept the selection I accept to be pope as a cross so the cross of the Lord to imitate our Lord on the cross. But it’s all in the hands of God.
We have to be docile in our life to the providence of God and to ask evermore that our intentions are purified that we will be moved all the clergy and faithful in every place where God has put us only to have the burning desire to glorify Him our Lord and to save immortal souls. We have no other aims no other glories no other ambitions. That’s your job to glorify the Lord that He will be more known and loved and served and to save souls.
Dr. Christine Bacon: Amen. I have two more not questions but fill in the blanks for you. The first one is, when I die, I will know my life has been a success if…
Bishop Athanasius Schneider: Yes, if I tried to fulfill the commandments of God this is the most important in our life to live to try at least to hope and to have confidence trust in the Lord in His holy heart. And when our Lord gave us this promise those who are venerating His Sacred Heart there will be heavy consolation in the moment of death. And also our Lady there is a saying that a servant of Mary a child of Mary will never perish. And so this is our hope that at the end of our life our Lady will be close to us our mother we will pass to eternity in her presence with the help of our Heavenly Mother.
Dr. Christine Bacon: Amen. I never end my shows without giving my viewers a task. So name one thing you would have our viewers or listeners do differently as a result of something they heard today, one task.
Bishop Athanasius Schneider: Well I cannot give a task I can only give advice. I will give this advice, to pray very much to the Lord that He may give to His holy church strong courageous holy Popes.
Dr. Christine Bacon: Yes, amen for that. I think a lot of us you know orthodox Catholics really will agree with that. And we’ll continue to pray for the Pope. I know sometimes our heart gets a little hard and we don’t want to do that but I think you’ve reminded me that we need to pray for the Pope and our cardinals especially the quote unquote bad ones only God knows who they are more fervently than we probably have.
Your Excellency, I appreciate you making time to come on my humble show. I just want to go to heaven one day I would love to see you there and we’ll both rejoice and praise God together. And that is my hope and hopefully this show has helped us bring some souls with us they can hear the great work that you are doing. Read your book The Springtime That Never Came. You can get this book on Amazon anywhere books are sold amazon.com. Is there any other website you want to direct people to Your Excellency or just let them know about the book or your other books are all sold on Amazon or other places as well.
Bishop Athanasius Schneider: Amazon and then Sophia Press Institute also. And I have a website also, gloriadei.io. There are my articles and it is also possible to read something there. And at the end of this conversation, thank you for your zeal to propagate the Catholic faith to be a good missionary of our Lord. And this is also for me a sign of the springtime of the Church, such people as lay people men and women who are really giving their effort to spread the beauty and the truth of the Catholic faith as you are doing. And I would like at the end of this conversation to give the blessing to you and to all the listeners and who are assisting our program this day.
Dominus vobiscum, et cum, spiritu tuo. Et benedictio dei omnipotentis, Patris et Filii et spiritus Santi descendant, super vos et maneat semper. Amen Jesus Christ.
Dr. Christine Bacon: Amen. Amen Your Excellency. It has been my honor. I thank you so much. For all of you watching go to gloria.de.io and you can see the bishop’s other articles. Go to Sophia Press and get this book and look at the other books that he’s written. They alone have fantastic books that will really feed the Catholic soul and your mind and empower you with the weapons that you need to get through this winter of the Church I would argue that we’re in.
So go to my website breakfastwithbacon.com. Please share this show with your friends and family. Anyone of them go look at some of the other shows I have done. The Lord has blessed me with great speakers on there as well Jesse Romero Michael Forrest I can’t even think Layla Miller some of the fantastic Catholic speakers. Go there and feed your soul. So I don’t want to talk much longer I just want to say I am Dr Christine Bacon. You’ve been watching Breakfast with Bacon and I’d like to remind you always to live your life sunny side up.