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January 14, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – In this episode of The Bishop Strickland Show, Bishop Joseph Strickland focuses his attention on the importance and need for Christians to prepare for martyrdom in whatever form and whenever it may come.

Strickland and host Terry Barber talk about the proclamation from President Trump last month on the 850th anniversary of the martyrdom of Saint Thomas Becket. Bishop Strickland called the proclamation from the president a form of “true leadership.” 

Bishop Strickland states that Thomas Becket “was willing to die rather than buckle under any other authority, anyone who was denying Christ and denying the ability for the human person to be free, and [have the] conscience to pursue the life that Christ offers us.” 

His Excellency proceeds to highlight the need for Christians in today’s society to be ready and willing to suffer for Jesus Christ, as many martyrs of the Church have done throughout history. 

Strickland calls on Christians “to be ready for a new age of martyrdom. A martyrdom of giving up some freedoms…[and] to at least suffer the white martyrdoms of whatever suffering it means, whatever ostracizing it means…in order to be faithful to Jesus Christ.” 

Strickland says that we have to pray to be “guided by the wisdom of God and the Holy Spirit” in order to discern when martyrdom is necessary. If it comes to that point, “we can’t deny the truth and we should resist,” he says. 

Lastly, in describing the story of another martyr, Saint Thomas More, Bishop Strickland said that “we should be wise and crafty, even if we have to use the laws and every means available to legally challenge any limitation on our ability to proclaim the truth of Jesus Christ, the Ten Commandments, [and] the teachings of the Church.” 

Watch The Bishop Strickland Show, co-hosted by Terry Barber of Virgin Most Powerful Radio, on LifeSite’s YouTube channel. Click here to watch all past episodes.