Episode Transcript
Speaker 0 00:00:01 We're lambing. We checked to use regularly for little people here. Use them as a mama sheep. And if a you, as in labor for more than an hour and things weren't going well, my dad would put clean straw down and part of the barn floor and drop a fence panel on the straw. Then he'd go in the house, get a stainless steel pale fill with hot water and some sterilizing. So he'd get a safety razor scalpel, scrub brush for noodles that were threaded with a couple of feet of gut thread, put them on the pale and grabbed some shaving soap, a hypodermic needle, the Novacane and penicillin. And he'd get my kid sister to come and help. They'd live at sheep down on her side and tired of the panel. So she couldn't move at all. Then my dad, what he do is measure down from the backbone six inches.
Speaker 0 00:00:52 And then from the point of the hip, you measure forward six inches. And right at that, right at that point, he just sheer, but eight inch, 10 inch patch, right around that point. And then put on latex gloves, shaved the area with a safety razor, and then scrub it with sterile salt. When he got all that done, then he'd give two or three shots around to dead. And the pain after that, he'd make an incision about four inches long through the Otter skin, and then down to the next layer of tissue. There's the muscle. And then there's another layer of tissue. And then you'd get ahold of the uterus. Uterus for little people. Uterus is kind of a sack, the lamb or lambs, because a lot of the time they're actually twins, but they're inside of that. So get ahold of the uterus and cut that open with a four inch incision.
Speaker 0 00:01:38 Now he had to keep a hold of the uterus. So wouldn't slap slip back in and get everything contaminated and then reach inside and pull out the lamb or lambs. And then he pulled them out and hand it to my sister and she'd have to get them. Their motor started when they're born. They have mucus plugs in there in their nostrils and whatnot. And so she'd have to get that all cleaned up and get them fired up. After getting the lamb out of the uterus dead would have my sister hand him one of the threaded needles. And then he'd so the uterine incision shuts. So it's smooth on the inside cause he wanted to land the next year. When it, when it's done, it looks a little bumpy on outside. It looks like when you put the tips of your fingers together as to what it looks like from the outside, and then he'd still the outer layers of tissue muscle just by pulling together, the outside skin had to be stitched.
Speaker 0 00:02:24 So it was smooth on the inside and bumpy on outside too. Then he'd give you a shot of penicillin to prevent infection and put in one of the lambing pins. We call them jugs, but it's a pen in the barn. It has a heat lamp and water and feed. And then you make sure the lamps get claustrum claustrum is this first milk. It's a different color. It's really high in fat and has a lot of antibodies. And in ruminants like a lamb, it's really critical that they get that it's a little bit different than humans cause their digestive system is different, but that's where they get all their immunities right then. And so it's important to get claustrum and dad tells me he never had a, you die from this procedure. Let's what you call us Azarian or C-section, that's what it is. The whole procedure is pretty traumatic for any poor sheep that has to undergo it since they can't understand what they're going through. They do. All they can do is be terrified and they are one minute, the poor sheep is standing there. Ailing, just not doing very well at all. Next minute, it's being tackled ground and tied onto a fence, a panel then being cut open.
Speaker 0 00:03:33 Another point to keep in mind is all of his pain is being inflicted by someone who actually cares about the sheep. It's a good shepherd. Someone who's actually deliberately doing all this. And if it hadn't been done that you hadn't been tied up and cut open it's essential bet that the lamb or Lance would have died. And that mommy, you might have died as well. So the sheep man, isn't trying to torment his sheep. He cares enough about him that he's willing to go ahead and tie them to a fence panel, a shave, stab them with needles, cut them open. All these things are just instruments used by the sheep man for the benefit of the sheep and to bring forth a new life, a good shepherd wouldn't dream of inflicting pain for the sake of pain. Cause he doesn't want to hurt a sheep. Now, if that's true with respect to just the ordinary sheet, man, how much more is it true with respect to our good shepherd? If the ordinary sheep man wouldn't dream of inflicting pain on a sheep, unless it were really necessary. How much more true
Speaker 1 00:04:42 You said of our Lord?
Speaker 0 00:04:47 Our Lord is the good shepherd, the very best of all possible shepherds. And of course we know, and we know what the certainty of faith, which is means we absolutely certain that he wants each and every one of us to be saved just as we celebrate it. Good Friday. And just as he said in today's gospel, he so loves us. He so loves his sheep, that he actually laid down his life for them. And so all of it's true that he does allow pain in this life and sometimes an immense amount of pain. We need to see that suffering through the eyes of faith and recognize that even though we might not be able to grasp right then why we're suffering, whatever the particular reasons for this suffering are, this suffering will increase our glory in heaven. If only we let it, that is essential to keep in mind. It's not meaningless. Even if we can't see or understand why it is that we're undergoing it. It has a very deep meaning. The saints had a clear understanding of this principle. For example, when speaking of the troubles and sufferings and pains in this life, Saint Francis of Assisi said, quote so great is the good which I expect in the next life. That all pain to me is a delight.
Speaker 0 00:06:03 So great is the good that I expect in the next life. All painted me as a delight. He realized clearly, much more clear than we do the reward that was associated with suffering virtuously. It's a great reward besides there's no escaping it. This life we're going to suffer, but suffering is much easier to bear. If we bear in mind that it will increase our glory in heaven. If only we let it, we sure don't have to look for sufferings. They are going to come our way. We're all going to suffer to some degree, especially living, trying to live godly lives in this degenerate and wicked society. How many of us have been harassed for just trying to keep Sunday, Holy, maybe not go shopping or refuse to look at some image on someone's iPhone or been mocked from bodice dressed or department or asked where did all those children come from? Don't you know how to prevent them given a bad time, cause you're not sterilized and contraceptive or being revile for homeschooling your children. How many of you have converted from more worldly way of living and then only to find yourself having to take abuse from your old friends and your family.
Speaker 0 00:07:21 This regard our Holy patron, Saint Peter has some encouraging, inspired words. She consider them quote. But the time that has passed suffice for doing what the Gentiles, he means the pagans, but at the time that his pacifies for doing what the Gentiles like to do, living in licentiousness passions, drunkenness, rebels, crowding, and lawless idolatry, they are surprised that you do not, not join them in the same wild profligacy and they abuse you, but they will give an account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead close quote. The pagans are surprised. Do you not join them in the same wild partnering, lust, drunkenness, crowding the like, and they abuse you, but they will give an account to him. Who's ready to judge living in the dead. The Haydock commentary explains his first thing. That is as if st Peter said you were Gentiles have already lived too long advices before your conversion so that they are not yet converted Marvel at the change they see in.
Speaker 0 00:08:29 You make a jest of you talk against you for you're not running on with them, the same wicked and shameful disorders, but they shall render an exact account of all that to the, just judge, the living, the dead it's consoling, especially for people that have had a major conversions, but all the realization that our suffering will increase our greater glory in heaven. If we let it is a great help and bearing the pain, another very important way to bear our suffering is to come to a deeper understanding of the various reasons. Our Lord has permitted a particular suffering in our lives, regardless to a deeper understanding those reasons. I like to recommend a really good little book. It was written published in 1935. It's back in print, but as an easy title to remember why must I suffer? The name of the book is why must I suffer?
Speaker 0 00:09:22 It's by father F J rambler. I have insentient priest. Why must I sell her first published in 1935? It's back in print in this book, the author places before the reader, 15 different reasons why the good shepherd permit suffering and each one of those 15 reasons is worthy of prayerful consideration. It's something that you could meditate your way through today, given the state of our society. And because we're limited by time, we'll only consider one of the reasons otherwise we'd be here all day. I mean developing, but one reason for suffering and that's for the expiation of public and national sins, the expiation of public and national sin. I'll quote. The second reason why you must suffer, especially in times of general, calamity is this as a member of society and citizen of your country, you must unite with the rest and making a tongue.
Speaker 0 00:10:20 Now for little people taunted me making a reconciliation between God, man, you must unite with the rest and making the torment reparation, which divine justice requires for the public and national sins committed in the community in which you live. It's really important as a member of society and a citizen of your country. You must unite with the rest and making a Talmud and reparation, which divine justice requires for the public and national sins community in the community, in which you live by public and national acts. We understand certain sins of a graver nature, which are committed on so largest scale by so many persons in a community, be it a city or a province or an entire nation. They are attributed to the community as a body and not merely to this or that individual. Okay. Now he's got a list. I want you to listen carefully as we go through this list of typical public and national sins and ask yourself if any of these can be found committed on a large scale by many persons here in our beloved country.
Speaker 0 00:11:28 And keep in mind, this is written in 1935 sense of this kind are apostasy from the faith irreligion and forgetfulness of God, godless education of the young prophet nation of God's Holy name, cursing, blasphemy, and perjury, the desecration of the Lord's day, immodest and scandalous fashions, immoral art, immoral literature, immoral, amusements, divorced, and adultery sanctioned by iniquitous state laws, dishonesty, injustice, oppression of the poor outsourcing jobs to Chinese prisoners. Other third world workers, murder and race suicide. This is before the decriminalization of abortion before doctor prescribed suicide, widespread contraception and sterilization, even among Catholics. And of course planned Parenthood, deliberately targets Blatz and Hispanics, and they target every Catholic or they could figure out how finally those wild orgies of gross immorality unrestrained license, which periodically disgrace, public festivities and celebrations or occur in connection with balls, dances, banquets, and the like could have even concede a modern high school prom or spring break with a rock and roll culture with modern nightclubs.
Speaker 0 00:13:10 See, well, thank you. Need me to tell you that each and every one of these sins is committed on a large scale, but innumerable numbers of people here in our beloved country, God is exceedingly patient long suffering. He does not willingly inflect general chastisements however, richly, they may be deserved by a community. He rather desires it as offending children seek his pardon by means of a timely repentance and conversion. He waited a hundred years before he sent the daily age, which had commissioned Noah to announce he allowed 40 years to last between the protection of the destruction of Jerusalem made by our Lord and the fulfillment of that prediction by the Romans in the year 70, he spread the city of Nineveh altogether because its inhabitants immediately left off sinning and hastened to do penance at the preaching of Jonah's. Now listen to this carefully, God acts in this way.
Speaker 0 00:14:18 Still. He often waits a long time before we inflict on sin, sinful cities and nations, those more extensive chastisements, which they're multiplied inequities call for. He desires to spare them and therefore tries first and every possible way to recall them to a sense of their duty at a time repentance and conversion. But if in spite of these delays, the obstinately refuse to enter it in themselves and leave off sinning. If they continue in their wickedness. Sometimes even to the point of sending you more boldly because their evil deeds are not punished at once. Then the hour must come in which the measure of their inequity is filled to overflowing that hour will Mark. The beginning of some general visitation will fall heavily upon the guilty community as a just punishment of its long continued transgressions of God's Holy law, destructive floods or storms, conflagrations, earthquakes, seasons of scarcity, and found them epidemics and pestilences and especially the horrors of rebellion revolution and of civil and international Wars. Divine justice makes use of these evils for the punishment and correction of a sinful people much the same way a wise father uses the rod, the chastisement and betterment of a wayward child,
Speaker 0 00:15:54 Nor is it always necessary that God sends such chastisements for public sins. As he sent the deluge, which are the destruction of Jerusalem. There are many sins which contain in themselves the seeds of future public suffering just as the acorn contains the gigantic Oak. If such sins prevail for a sufficiently long time unchecked. And unrepented, they're bound to produce such conditions in the social order as to make certain calamities unavoidable take, for example, the sin of godless education that is education of youth without religion, where such a system has been adopted, the necessary results must be the following. He is writing in 1935. He's writing in 1935 where such a system has been adopted. The necessary results must be the following. After two or three generations, the knowledge of God will disappear more or less completely among the people. The sense of right and wrong will be lost.
Speaker 0 00:17:07 Good. We'll be called evil and evil. Good. There'll be no respect for the moral law. The depravity of youth will grow worse and worse dishonesty and corruption will prevail in business in the courts, in the legislature and in the government itself, taxes will be misappropriated or disappear in the pockets of grafters heavy expenses will be necessary to maintain the growing numbers of asylums juvenile courts, reform schools. And there'll be no security to honor property or life violence and bloodshed will become inevitable. Family life will be disrupted by adultery, divorce and free love national rivalries, jealousies and hatreds promoted by commercial greed grow more and more intense until they lead to international Wars with their unspeakable misery for millions nations. That so the whirlwind must reap the storm public and national sins must be expiated in this world for the very simple reason that cannot be excavated in the next that's an important principle.
Speaker 0 00:18:35 Nations are judged in this life. They don't have a future. Life. Cities are judged in this life. They don't have a future life. Public and national sins must be excavated in this world for the very simple reason that they cannot be expiated in the next in the world to come families, cities, provinces, and nations will have no continual corporate existence there. Men and women will exist merely as individuals without being United by the social, civil, political, and national bonds, which are necessary in this life for the welfare and preservation of the human race in eternity, they will individually enjoy the fruits of their life on earth. The Goodwill possess the kingdom of God and heaven while the wicked shall suffer for their evil deeds in the unquenchable fires of hell. But as public sins require public expiation. And as this expiation cannot be made in this next life, it is clear. It must be made on this side of the grave.
Speaker 0 00:19:38 A question which proves the sore temptation suggest itself in this connection. Why is it that the good and the virtuous are not exempt at such times, but are compelled to suffer like the rest. If God is just, how can you allow the innocent to be afflicted with the guilty? There are several reasons why God permits the good to suffer in times of public chest divestment. Number one is right, and just the good should lend a willing hand in offering to God. The torment made necessary by public sins because in normal times, they enjoy in common with their fellow citizens, the blessings of peace, tranquility and Nashville prosperity. Their temporal interests are common, both in times of prosperity. And in times of affliction, number two, those who are innocent of having actually taken part in public sins are not for that reason. Always wholly free from guilt and the sight of God.
Speaker 0 00:20:45 Very often, they guilty of sins in an indirect manner, accessory to them, as it is called thus, they may have connived at some form of immorality. They may have not protested against it. They may have neglected to use their authority or influence or right to vote, to hinder its introduction or to procure its removal. When already introduced in all this from indifference, human respect, fear of persecution, loss of business, and other similar unworthy reasons. Number three, the sufferings endured by the good have a much greater atoning value than those endured by the wicked. Hence the more good persons are to join and making the required atonement more quickly, will it be made besides God is easily moved out of consideration for the sufferings of the good greatly to mitigate his punishments and sometimes to cancel them all together. Number four, the sight of the good suffering for sins, which they did not commit is attribute to conversion and salvation of the wicked by vividly reminding them of the more rigorous chastisements inflicted for sin in the next life. If sin is punished so severely upon the good here on earth, how much more severely will it be punished upon unrepentant, sinners and eternity.
Speaker 0 00:22:08 Number five set sufferings afford the good opportunity of making full atonement for their personal sins for there's no one. So Holy and so confirmed a grace that he's not committed. Some sins such at least as are venial. We're accepting of course blessed mother,
Speaker 0 00:22:26 But it's an unchanging law that every sin, even the smallest must be fully expiated either here or in purgatory, but expiation made here is vast more profitable than that is, which has made after death. You merit here by your sufferings. Your glory increases. If you're suffering right, if you're suffering the state of grace, the reward, you get a reward for that suffering in the next life. There is no reward for suffering in purgatory purgatory. You're just getting clean, no merit and purgatory. All the merit is in this life. All the merit is in this life. That's essentially the real life. All the merit we are going to pay now or pay later. There's no way of getting out of it. Every single sin has a punishment associated with it. It's pay now or pay later, want to pay now because we get a reward for suffering. Now. Number six, finally, the patient enduring of undeserved suffering makes the good resemble Jesus Christ. Well, the perfectly innocent took upon himself. The task of making a Thomas for our sins and thereby opening heaven to us. If he had not made this atonement, we could not be saved besides innocent sufferings enable the good to reach the highest degrees of grace in virtual here, which will produce for them a correspondingly high degree of endless glory in the kingdom of heaven. That's from why must I suffer a book of light and constellation by father Jay rambler?
Speaker 2 00:24:03 Okay.
Speaker 0 00:24:05 Well, our beloved country has sewn the whirlwind and we are going to reap the storm. There is no escaping it barring direct divine intervention. We are going to suffer. Let us have no illusions about this. Let us not get too worked up about it either. What do you mean father? You get the grace that you need for every day. At the moment you need it. If we have suffering in the future, we don't have grace for the future. We have the grace for the right now.
Speaker 0 00:24:46 Just keep saying your prayers and do your duty, your state life. And you'll get the grace as you need, as you need them. Stay in the state of grace in regard to suffering. Saint Peter has some very consoling words. Beloved do not be surprised at the fiery or deal, which comes upon you to try you as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings for the time has come for judgment to begin with the household of God. And if it begins with us, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will do right and entrust their souls to a faithful creator, close quote. He's the good shepherd. If he's allowing us to suffer it's for a good reason, even if we don't understand it, come what may let's keep in mind that our Lord is the good shepherd he wants each and every one of us to be saved. Sophie permits us to suffer. It will not only decrease or completely eliminate our purgatory time. It will also increase our glory in heaven. If only we let it, let us pray for a deep immovable faith in Christ, our Lord, a faith so strong that each one of us can see what st. Francis so great as the reward, which I expect in the next life, that all pain is to me, a delay.
Speaker 0 00:26:39 And if times get really rough, we find ourselves getting he depressed through new art devotion to our lady and keep crying out to the good shepherd for help. There's wonderful, inspired words of Saint Peter there's. These are powerful scriptures to keep close at hand. Whenever we're suffering burdened by troubles st. Peter whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord
Speaker 4 00:27:05 Shall be saved. Burn that one into your mind.
Speaker 0 00:27:11 So whatever Chicago in the name of the Lord shall be saved by his wounds. You have been healed for you are a sheep going astray, but now have returned the shepherd and Bishop of your souls. Neither is there salvation in any other, so there's no other name under heaven given to man whereby we must be saved.
Speaker 4 00:27:34 Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved
Speaker 0 00:27:41 You a sheep gone astray, but now I've returned to shepherd.
Speaker 4 00:27:45 And Bishop of your souls, whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Whosoever shall call the name of the Lord shall be saved.
