Podcasts about blessed john paul ii

An excerpt from a teaching by Pope Benedict XVI on St. Hildegard: 1. A “light for her people and her time”: in these words Blessed John Paul II, my Venerable Predecessor, described Saint Hildegard of Bingen in 1979, on the occasion of the eight-hundredth anniversary of the death of this German mystic. This great woman truly stands out crystal clear against the horizon of history for her holiness of life and the originality of her teaching. And, as with every authentic human and theological experience, her authority reaches far beyond the confines of a single epoch or society; despite the distance of time and culture, her thought has proven to be of lasting relevance. The post St. Hildegard von Bingen, Part 1 – The Doctors of the Church: The Charism of Wisdom with Dr. Matthew Bunson – Discerning Hearts Podcast appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

"We're going through a tough time in the church, in academics and the entire world right now," said Father Ed Broom, OMV, is Associate Pastor of St. Peter Chanel Church in Hawaiian Gardens, California. He is a member of the Oblates of the Virgin Mary and was ordained by Blessed John Paul II on May 25, 1986. Fr Ed's teaches Catholic Ignatian Marian Spirituality through articles, podcasts, a radio show, retreats and spiritual direction. "Like Peter, we have to make sure we don't lift our gaze from Christ. We focus more on the problems than the problem-solver, who is Jesus Christ who is the way, the truth and the life."  In his article, Five Ways to Seek Grace in your Life, Father Broom reminds us that "off all of the gifts that we can receive on earth, as pilgrims traveling towards our eternal home, the grace of God is by far the greatest treasure. It is the pearl of infinite price!" Follow Fr. Broom at http://fatherbroom.com

Acclaimed author and speaker, George Weigel, delivered a lecture to students and faculty at Christendom's Rome campus on March 7. The lecture, entitled “The Achievements of Blessed John Paul II,” was held in the Rome campus' academic center, Istituto Maria Santissima Bambina, located directly next to the Vatican.He discussed the Pope's formation as a young man in Poland and his journey to the priesthood. John Paul II attended a clandestine seminary due to the Nazi occupation of Poland. Archbishop Sapieha, who ran the seminary, left a lasting impression of what it meant to be a priest.George Weigel, a Distinguished Senior Fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, is a Catholic theologian and one of America's leading public intellectuals. Weigel is the author of over twenty books, including: Letters to a Young Catholic; The Cube and the Cathedral: Europe, America, and Politics Without God; Witness to Hope: The Biography of Pope John Paul II; and his most recent work on Pope John Paul II, The End and the Beginning. He is a frequent guest on television and radio and is the Vatican analyst for NBC News. His weekly column, “The Catholic Difference,” is syndicated to sixty newspapers around the United States. His scholarly work and his journalism are regularly translated into the major European languages. Weigel is a long time friend of Christendom College and a member of its Advisory Board.

Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle BLink to Mass Readings Link to Cover ArtNotes: I made a mistake with the recorder and the initial 3 minutes are missing. I think the essence of the homily is still in tact in the  recording above. HOMILY OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVIChurch of the Charterhouse of Serra San BrunoSunday, 9 October 2011Venerable Brothers in the Episcopate,Dear Carthusian Brothers,Brothers and Sisters,I thank the Lord who has brought me to this place of faith and prayer, the Charterhouse of Serra San Bruno. In renewing my grateful greeting to Archbishop Vincenzo Bertolone of Catanzaro-Squillace, I address this Carthusian Community, each one of its members, with deep affection, starting with the Prior, Fr Jacques Dupont, whom I warmly thank for his words, while I ask him to communicate my grateful thoughts and my blessing to the Minister General and to the Nuns of the Order.I am first of all eager to stress that this Visit of mine comes in continuity with certain signs of strong communion between the Apostolic See and the Carthusian Order, which became apparent in the past century. In 1924, Pope Pius XI issued an Apostolic Constitution with which he approved the Statutes of the Order, revised in the light of the Code of Canon Law. In May 1984, Blessed John Paul II addressed a special Letter to the Minister General, on the occasion of the ninth centenary of the foundation by St Bruno of the first community at the Chartreuse [Charterhouse] near Grenoble. On 5 October that same year my beloved Predecessor came here and the memory of him walking by these walls is still vivid.Today I come to you in the wake of these events, past but ever timely, and I would like our meeting to highlight the deep bond that exists between Peter and Bruno, between pastoral service to the Church's unity and the contemplative vocation in the Church. Ecclesial communion, in fact, demands an inner force, that force which Father Prior has just recalled, citing the expression “captus ab Uno”, ascribed to St Bruno: “grasped by the One”, by God, “Unus potens per omnia”, as we sang in the Vespers hymn. From the contemplative community the ministry of pastors draws a spiritual sap that comes from God.“Fugitiva relinquere et aeterna captare”: to abandon transient realities and seek to grasp that which is eternal. These words from the letter your Founder addressed to Rudolph, Provost of Rheims, contain the core of your spirituality (cf. Letter to Rudolph, n. 13): the strong desire to enter in union of life with God, abandoning everything else, everything that stands in the way of this communion, and letting oneself be grasped by the immense love of God to live this love alone.Dear brothers you have found the hidden treasure, the pearl of great value (cf. Mt 13:44-46); you have responded radically to Jesus' invitation: “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me” (Mt 19:21). Every monastery — male or female — is an oasis in which the deep well, from which to draw “living water” to quench our deepest thirst, is constantly being dug with prayer and meditation. However, the charterhouse is a special oasis in which silence and solitude are preserved with special care, in accordance with the form of life founded by St Bruno and which has remained unchanged down the centuries. “I live in a rather faraway hermitage... with some religious brothers”, is the concise sentence that your Founder wrote (Letter to Rudolph “the Green”,

Full Text of ReadingsSaturday of the First Week of Lent Lectionary: 229All podcast readings are produced by the USCCB and are from the Catholic Lectionary, based on the New American Bible and approved for use in the United States _______________________________________The Saint of the day is Blessed Maria Caridad BraderMother Maria Caridad Brader was born into a pious family in Kaltburn, Switzerland, in 1860. Maria was unusually intelligent and her mother, a widow, went through great pains to give her a good education.Despite her mother's opinion, Maria entered a Franciscan convent in 1880. She made her final vows two years later and began teaching at the convent school.At the end of the 19th century, it became permissible for cloistered nuns to work as missionaries. Maria volunteered to be one of the first of six sisters to work in Ecuador. Maria served as a teacher and catechist in Ecuador.In 1893, she was transferred to Colombia to attend to the sick and rejected.In response to an urgent need for missionaries, Maria founded the Congregation of the Franciscan Sisters of Mary Immaculate in 1893 in Colombia. Maria served as the congregation's superior general until 1919 and again from 1928 to 1940.Maria urged her sisters to combine contemplation and action with great care. Her congregation also emphasized good education for both the sisters and their students.Do not forget that the better educated, the greater the skills the educator possesses, the more she will be able to do for our holy religion and the glory of God, Maria told her sisters. The more intense and visible her external activity, the deeper and more fervent her interior life must be.Maria died in 1943 in Colombia and her grave immediately became a popular pilgrimage site. She was beatified by Blessed John Paul II in 2003. Saint of the Day Copyright CNA, Catholic News Agency

Full Text of ReadingsThursday of the First Week of Lent Lectionary: 227All podcast readings are produced by the USCCB and are from the Catholic Lectionary, based on the New American Bible and approved for use in the United States _______________________________________The Saint of the day is Blessed Maria Adeodata PisaniBlessed Maria Adeodata Pisani was born into a noble family in Naples, Italy in 1806. Her father was an alcoholic and was exiled after being involved in a revolt. Maria's grandmother raised her. When her grandmother died, the 10 year-old was sent to a boarding school until she was 17.During these years, Maria declined several marriage proposals because she preferred to lead a quiet life of prayer.When she turned 21, she entered the Benedictine Community in St. Peter's Monastery and took the name Maria Adeodata. She made her solemn profession two years later.In the cloister, Maria was a seamstress, sacristan, porter, teacher and novice mistress. Her fellow nuns and many people outside the cloister benefited from her charity.Maria Adeodata wrote various works, the most well-known of these is a collection of her personal reflections between the years 1835 and 1843 titled The mystical garden of the soul that loves Jesus and Mary.She was an abbess from 1851 to 1853 but had to retire from her duties because she suffered from heart problems.On Feb. 25, 1855, at the age of 48 and in poor health, she dragged herself to the chapel for Mass, against her nurses advice. After receiving Communion, she had to be carried back to bed where she died soon afterward. She had a simple funeral and was buried in the monasterys crypt the following day.Maria was remembered for her sanctity, love of the poor, self-imposed sacrifices, and ecstasies so complete that she was seen levitating. She was beatified by Blessed John Paul II in 2001. Saint of the Day Copyright CNA, Catholic News Agency

Full Text of ReadingsMonday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 335All podcast readings are produced by the USCCB and are from the Catholic Lectionary, based on the New American Bible and approved for use in the United States _______________________________________The Saint of the day is St. Claude de la Colombire On Feb. 15 the Catholic Church honors Saint Claude de la Colombiere, the 17th century French Jesuit who authenticated and wrote about Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque's visions of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.When he canonized St. Claude in 1992, Blessed John Paul II upheld him as a model Jesuit, recalling how the saint gave himself completely to the Sacred Heart, 'ever burning with love.' Even in trials he practiced forgetfulness of self in order to attain purity of love and to raise the world to God.Born in the south of France during 1641, Claude de la Colombiere belonged to a family of seven children, four of whom entered the priesthood or religious life. He attended a Jesuit school in his youth, and entered the order himself at age 17.As a young Jesuit recruit, Claude admitted to having a horrible aversion to the rigorous training required by the order in his day. But the novitiate of the Society of Jesus focused and sharpened his natural talents, and he would later take a private vow to obey the order's rules as perfectly as possible.After completing his order's traditional periods of study and teaching, Claude became a priest in 1669. Known as a gifted preacher, he also taught at the college level and served as a tutor to the children of King Louis XIV's minister of finance.In 1674, the priest became the superior of a Jesuit house in the town of Paray-le-Monial. It was during this time, in his role as confessor to a convent of Visitationist nuns, that Claude de la Colombiere became involved in events that would change his own life and the history of the Western Church.One of the nuns, later canonized as St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, claimed to have experienced private revelations from Christ urging devotion to his heart as the symbol and seat of God's love for mankind. Within the convent, however, these reports met with dismissal and contempt.During his time in Paray-le-Monial, Father la Colombiere became the nun's spiritual director, giving careful consideration to her testimony about the purported revelations. He concluded that Sister Margaret Mary had indeed encountered Jesus in an extraordinary way.Claude la Colombiere's writings and his testimony to the reality of St. Margaret Mary's experiences helped to establish the Sacred Heart as a feature of Western Catholic devotion. This, in turn, helped to combat the heresy of Jansenism, which claimed that God did not desire the salvation of some people.In the fall of 1676, Father la Colombiere, was called away from Paray-le-Monial to England. During a time of tension in the religiously torn country, he ministered as chaplain and preacher to Mary of Modena, a Catholic who had become the Duchess of York.In 1678, a false rumor spread about an alleged Catholic plot against the English monarchy. The lie led to the execution of 35 innocent people, including eight Jesuits. La Colombiere was not put to death, but was accused, arrested, and locked in a dungeon for several weeks.The French Jesuit held up heroically during the ordeal, but conditions in the prison ruined his health before his expulsion from England. He went back to France in 1679 and resumed his work as a teacher and priest, encouraging love for Christ's Sacred Heart among the faithful.In 1681, Claude de la Colombiere returned to Paray-le-Monial, the site of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque's revelations. It was there, during 1682, that the 41-year-old priest died from internal bleeding on the year's first Sunday of Lent, Feb. 15.St. Claude de la Colombiere was beatified in 1929 nine years after the canonization of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque and canonized 63 years later. Saint of the Day Copyright CNA, Catholic News Agency

This episode is an interview of Monsignor Boccafola conducted in January 2021. Each year the Canon Law Society of America presents its distinguished Role of Law Award to an individual considered to be outstanding in the field of canonical science. The By-Laws of the Society directs the Board of Governors to select a person who demonstrates in his or her life and legal practice the following characteristics: Embodiment of pastoral attitude, commitment to research and study, participation in the development of law, response to needs or practical assistance, facilitation of dialogue and the interchange of ideas within the Society and with other groups. These  qualifications  are  a  concise  re-statement  of  the  constitutionally-expressed purposes of the Society. The person to whom this award is given is viewed by us as one who embodies all that we, as members of the Society hold dear, as one to whom we can look for guidance and inspiration. Such an official statement alone is perhaps the greatest honor that can be bestowed on anyone – to be selected by one's friends and peers as outstanding among them. The  canonist  we  honor  today  has  been  a  good  and  faithful  servant  of  the Church and of the Law for many years. Born and educated in the Empire State, our recipient was ordained to the priesthood in 1963. Having received his doctorate in Canon Law from the Gregorian University in 1975 – his thesis was “The Requirement of Perpetuity for the Impediment of Impotence”. He has been an active member of our Society since 1976. Although  many  know  of  our  recipient's  canonical  expertise,  few  here  are aware of his affection for golf. One of his friends relates the story of playing one day and his bragging to the opponent how well he was playing. The opponent told our friend “not to count his money before the match was over.” Our awardee announced, “I am not counting my money, I'm counting yours!” After a variety of pastoral assignments in his diocese, our recipient was named by Blessed John Paul II as a Judge of the Roman Rota on April 3, 1986 where he served for twenty-six years, becoming a Prelate Emeritus on October 9, 2012. Through the years our distinguished colleague has authored numerous articles such as The Special Penal Norms of the United States and Their Application,; Deceit  and  Induced  Error  about  a  Personal  Quality;  Invalid  Convalidation: A Legitimate Autonomous Ground of Marriage Nullity? While serving in the Rota, he also worked with the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments on the Commission for Ratum et  Non  Consummatum  cases,  and  on  the  Commission  for  dispensations  from the obligations of the priesthood. He is a Consultor of the Congregation of the Clergy, and was a member of the Disciplinary Commission of the Roman Curia until he became a Judge of the Court of Appeal of Vatican City State in 2004. During his time in Rome, he was an invited Professor at the Pontifical Gregorian University and at the University of the Santa Croce. By now I am certain that everyone here knows the identity of our honored recipient  and  undoubtedly  many  are  familiar  with  his  many  sentences  coram Boccafola. Please join me in thanking this eminent canonist for the work he has done for our Society and for the universal Church. As president of the Canon Law Society of America, it is my honor to present the 2013 Role of Law Award, on this our 75th anniversary, to Monsignor Kenneth Everett Boccafola.

Role of Law Award Citation 2013 Delivered by CLSA President Reverend John R. Vaughan Each year the Canon Law Society of America presents its distinguished Role of Law Award to an individual considered to be outstanding in the field of canonical science. The By-Laws of the Society directs the Board of Governors to select a person who demonstrates in his or her life and legal practice the following characteristics: Embodiment of pastoral attitude, commitment to research and study, participation in the development of law, response to needs or practical assistance, facilitation of dialogue and the interchange of ideas within the Society and with other groups. These  qualifications  are  a  concise  re-statement  of  the  constitutionally-expressed purposes of the Society. The person to whom this award is given is viewed by us as one who embodies all that we, as members of the Society hold dear, as one to whom we can look for guidance and inspiration. Such an official statement alone is perhaps the greatest honor that can be bestowed on anyone – to be selected by one's friends and peers as outstanding among them. The  canonist  we  honor  today  has  been  a  good  and  faithful  servant  of  the Church and of the Law for many years. Born and educated in the Empire State, our recipient was ordained to the priesthood in 1963. Having received his doctorate in Canon Law from the Gregorian University in 1975 – his thesis was “The Requirement of Perpetuity for the Impediment of Impotence”. He has been an active member of our Society since 1976. Although  many  know  of  our  recipient's  canonical  expertise,  few  here  are aware of his affection for golf. One of his friends relates the story of playing one day and his bragging to the opponent how well he was playing. The opponent told our friend “not to count his money before the match was over.” Our awardee announced, “I am not counting my money, I'm counting yours!” After a variety of pastoral assignments in his diocese, our recipient was named by Blessed John Paul II as a Judge of the Roman Rota on April 3, 1986 where he served for twenty-six years, becoming a Prelate Emeritus on October 9, 2012. Through the years our distinguished colleague has authored numerous articles such as The Special Penal Norms of the United States and Their Application,; Deceit  and  Induced  Error  about  a  Personal  Quality;  Invalid  Convalidation: A Legitimate Autonomous Ground of Marriage Nullity? While serving in the Rota, he also worked with the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments on the Commission for Ratum et  Non  Consummatum  cases,  and  on  the  Commission  for  dispensations  from the obligations of the priesthood. He is a Consultor of the Congregation of the Clergy, and was a member of the Disciplinary Commission of the Roman Curia until he became a Judge of the Court of Appeal of Vatican City State in 2004. During his time in Rome, he was an invited Professor at the Pontifical Gregorian University and at the University of the Santa Croce. By now I am certain that everyone here knows the identity of our honored recipient  and  undoubtedly  many  are  familiar  with  his  many  sentences  coram Boccafola. Please join me in thanking this eminent canonist for the work he has done for our Society and for the universal Church. As president of the Canon Law Society of America, it is my honor to present the 2013 Role of Law Award, on this our 75th anniversary, to Monsignor Kenneth Everett Boccafola.

Full Text of ReadingsMemorial of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Priest and Doctor of the Church Lectionary: 320All podcast readings are produced by the USCCB and are from the Catholic Lectionary, based on the New American Bible and approved for use in the United States _______________________________________The Saint of the day is St. Thomas AquinasOn Jan. 28, the Roman Catholic Church celebrates Saint Thomas Aquinas, the 13th century theologian who showed that the Catholic faith is in harmony with philosophy and all other branches of knowledge.Blessed John Paul II, in his 1998 letter Fides et Ratio, said St. Thomas had the great merit of giving pride of place to the harmony which exists between faith and reason, knowing that both the light of reason and the light of faith come from God Hence there can be no contradiction between them.Thomas was born during 1225 into a noble family, having relatives among the rulers of the Holy Roman Empire. His father Landulph was the Count of Aquino, and his mother Theodora, the Countess of Teano. At age five, Thomas was sent to study at Monte Cassino, the abbey founded by St. Benedict.The boy's intellectual gifts and serious disposition impressed the monks, who urged his father to place him in a university by the time he was 10. At the University of Naples, he learned philosophy and rhetoric while taking care to preserve his morals against corruption by other students.It is said that a hermit, before Thomas' birth, told Theodora that she would have a son who would enter the Dominican Order and so great will be his learning and sanctity that in his day no one will be found to equal him. In his adolescence, Thomas' friendship with a holy Dominican inspired him to join them.His family, however, did not envision the brilliant young man as a penniless and celibate preacher. His brothers kidnapped him from the Dominicans, took him to the family's castle, and at one point even sent a woman to seduce him whom Thomas drove out by brandishing a poker from the fireplace.Under pressure from both the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor, Thomas' brothers allowed him to escape from captivity. He traveled to Rome and received the Pope's blessing upon his vocation, which would soon take him to Paris to study with the theologian later canonized as Saint Albert the Great.Thomas' silent demeanor caused other students to nickname him the Dumb Ox. Albert, however, discovered that the young man was a brilliant thinker, and proclaimed: We call him the Dumb Ox, but he will give such a bellow in learning as will be heard all over the world.By the time he was 23, Thomas was teaching alongside his mentor at the university of Cologne. During 1248, he published his first commentaries on the pre-Christian Greek philosopher Aristotle, whose insights on nature, logic, and metaphysics would inform Thomas' approach to Catholic theology.Around the middle of the century Thomas was ordained to the priesthood, in which he showed great reverence for the liturgy and skill as a homilist. In keeping with the Dominican order's charism for preaching, he strove to bring his own family to a sincere practice of the faith, and largely succeeded.St. Thomas' best-known achievements, however, are his works of theology. These include the Summa Contra Gentiles, the Compendium Theologiae, and the great Summa Theologica which was placed on the altar along with the Bible at the 16th century Council of Trent for easy reference during discussions.In December 1273, however, the scholar proclaimed that he could write no more, following a mystical experience in which he said he had seen things that make my writings look like straw. But he complied with a request to attend the Council of Lyon to help reunite the Latin and Greek churches.On his way there, however, Thomas became ill and stopped at a Cistercian abbey. The monks treated him with reverence, and it was to them that he dictated a final work of theology: a commentary on the Old Testament's Song of Songs.The saint did not live to finish this commentary, however. Nearing death, he made a final confession and asked for the Eucharist to be brought to him. In its presence, he declared: I adore you, my God and my Redeemer for whose honor I have studied, labored, preached, and taught.I hope I have never advanced any tenet as your word, which I had not learned from you, he told God, before making his last communion. If through ignorance I have done otherwise, I revoke everything of that kind, and submit all my writings to the judgment of the holy Roman Church.His last words were addressed to one of the Cistercians who asked for a word of spiritual guidance. Be assured that he who shall always walk faithfully in (God's) presence, always ready to give him an account of all his actions, shall never be separated from him by consenting to sin, he declared.St. Thomas Aquinas died on March 7, 1274. He was canonized in 1323, and made a Doctor of the Church in 1567. In 1965, the Second Vatican Council taught that seminarians should learn under the guidance of St. Thomas, in order to illumine the mysteries of salvation as completely as possible. Saint of the Day Copyright CNA, Catholic News Agency

Full Text of ReadingsFeast of Our Lady of Guadalupe Lectionary: 690AAll podcast readings are produced by the USCCB and are from the Catholic Lectionary, based on the New American Bible and approved for use in the United States _______________________________________The Saint of the day is Our Lady of GuadalupeIn 1531 a "Lady from Heaven" appeared to Saint Juan Diego, a poor Indian from Tepeyac, a hill northwest of Mexico City. She identified herself as the Mother of the True God and instructed him to have the bishop build a church on the site. As a sign for the bishop, she left an image of herself imprinted miraculously on his tilma, a poor quality cactus-cloth. The tilma should have deteriorated within 20 years but shows no sign of decay after over 470 years. To this day it defies all scientific explanations of its origin.In the eyes of Our Lady of Guadalupe on the tilma, we can see reflected what was in front of her in 1531. Her message of love and compassion, and her universal promise of help and protection to all mankind, as well as the story of the apparitions, are described in the "Nican Mopohua," a 16th century document written in the native Nahuatl language.There is reason to believe that at Tepeyac Mary came in her glorified body, and her actual physical hands rearranged the roses in Juan Diegos tilma, which makes this apparition very special.An incredible list of miracles, cures, and interventions are attributed to Our Lady of Guadalupe. Each year an estimated 10 million people visit her Basilica, making her Mexico City home the most popular Marian shrine in the world, and the most visited Catholic church in the world after Saint Peters Basilica in the Vatican.Science cannot explain the tilma, to this day.There is no under sketch, no sizing and no protective over-varnish on the image. Microscopic examination revealed that there were no brush strokes. The image seems to increase in size and change colors due to an unknown property of the surface and substance of which it is made. According to Kodak of Mexico, the image is smooth and feels like a modern day photograph. Produced 300 years before the invention of photography.) The image has consistently defied exact reproduction, whether by brush or camera. Several images can be seen reflected in the eyes of the Virgin. It is believed to be the images of Juan Diego, Bishop Juan de Zummaraga, Juan Gonzales-the interpreter and others.The distortion and place of the images are identical to what is produced in the normal eye, which is impossible to obtain on a flat surface. The stars on Our Lady's Mantle coincide with the constellation in the sky on December 12, 1531. All who have scientifically examined the image of Our Lady over the centuries confess that its properties are absolutely unique and so inexplicable in human terms that the image can only be supernatural.Altogether 24 popes have officially honored Our Lady of Guadalupe. His Holiness Blessed John Paul II visited her Sanctuary four times: on his first apostolic trip outside Rome as Pope in 1979, and again in 1990, 1999 and 2002.The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe is celebrated on December 12th. In 1999, Blessed John Paul II, in his homily given during the Solemn Mass at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, his third visit to the sanctuary, declared the date of December the 12th as a Liturgical Holy Day for the whole continent. During the same visit Pope John Paul II entrusted the cause of life to her loving protection, and placed under her motherly care the innocent lives of children, especially those who are in danger of not being born.Patronage: Americas, Central America, diocese of Colorado Springs Colorado, diocese of Corpus Christi Texas, diocese of Dodge City, Kansas, Estremadura Spain, diocese of Gallup New Mexico, Mexico, diocese of Nashville Tennessee, New Mexico, New World, diocese of Orange California, diocese of Phoenix Arizona, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, diocese of Sacramento, California, diocese of Sioux City Iowa, Spain. Saint of the Day Copyright CNA, Catholic News Agency

Full Text of ReadingsWednesday of the Second Week of Advent Lectionary: 183All podcast readings are produced by the USCCB and are from the Catholic Lectionary, based on the New American Bible and approved for use in the United States _______________________________________The Saint of the day is St. Juan DiegoOn Dec. 9, Roman Catholics celebrate St. Juan Diego, the indigenous Mexican Catholic convert whose encounter with the Virgin Mary began the Church's devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe.In 1474, 50 years before receiving the name Juan Diego at his baptism, a boy named Cuauhtlatoatzin -- singing eagle -- was born in the Anahuac Valley of present-day Mexico. Though raised according to the Aztec pagan religion and culture, he showed an unusual and mystical sense of life even before hearing the Gospel from Franciscan missionaries.In 1524, Cuauhtlatoatzin and his wife converted and entered the Catholic Church. The farmer now known as Juan Diego was committed to his faith, often walking long distances to receive religious instruction. In December of 1531, he would be the recipient of a world-changing miracle.On Dec. 9, Juan Diego was hurrying to Mass to celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. But the woman he was heading to church to celebrate came to him instead.In the native Aztec dialect, the radiant woman announced herself as the ever-perfect holy Mary, who has the honor to be the mother of the true God.I am your compassionate Mother, yours and that of all the people that live together in this land, she continued, and also of all the other various lineages of men.She asked Juan Diego to make a request of the local bishop. I want very much that they build my sacred little house here -- a house dedicated to her son Jesus Christ, on the site of a former pagan temple, that would show him to all Mexicans and exalt him throughout the world.She was asking a great deal of a native farmer. Not surprisingly, his bold request met with skepticism from Bishop Juan de Zumrraga. But Juan Diego said he would produce proof of the apparition, after he finished tending to his uncle whose death seemed imminent.Making his way to church on Dec. 12, to summon a priest for his uncle, Juan Diego again encountered the Blessed Virgin. She promised to cure his uncle and give him a sign to display for the bishop. On the hill where they had first met he would find roses and other flowers, though it was winter.Doing as she asked, he found the flowers and brought them back to her. The Virgin Mary then placed the flowers inside his tilma, the traditional cloak-like garment he had been wearing. She told him not to unwrap the tilma containing the flowers until he had reached the bishop.When he did, Bishop Zumrraga had his own encounter with Our Lady of Guadalupe through the image of her that he found miraculously imprinted on the flower-filled tilma. The Mexico City basilica that now houses the tilma has become, by some estimates, the world's most-visited Catholic shrine.The miracle that brought the Gospel to millions of Mexicans also served to deepen Juan Diego's own spiritual life. For many years after the experience, he lived a solitary life of prayer and work in a hermitage near the church where the image was first displayed. Pilgrims had already begun flocking to the site by the time he died on Dec. 9, 1548, the 17th anniversary of the first apparition.Blessed John Paul II beatified St. Juan Diego in 1990, and canonized him in 2002. Saint of the Day Copyright CNA, Catholic News Agency

Laura Knaus, Associate Superintendent of Catholic schools for the Archdiocese of Detroit discusses moving from Nebraska to Detroit, her passion for Catholic education, and eggs benedict. Rapid Fire Questions and Discussion 03:45 She worked as a soccer ref, had a profound encounter with God in Broomtree South Dakota, hung with some rock dudes and continues to seek the truth of Jesus Christ in these confusing times. Testimony 10:31 Danielle kicks this segment off by asking about Laura's move to Detroit in July of 2019 from Lincoln, Nebraska. She talks about an influential retreat right after high school and the beginnings of seeing how God was working in her life. A trip to Rome, seeing Blessed John Paul II and World Youth Day in Toronto all solidified her faith. Working at a Catholic summer camp turned her thoughts to Catholic education and working with children. Fr. Steve asks about her Catholic school background and goes on to share his. Laura goes on to talk about studying spiritual formation and Theology of the Body and how through the spiritual practices of Lexio Divina and Praying the Hours she has begun to learn who she is and how much she matters to God. Unleashing the Gospel 26:49 After 8 years as a high school principal in Lincoln, Nebraska, Laura was offered an opportunity to come to Detroit. After her initial skepticism, she was sent a copy of the Unleashing the Catholic Schools document and later, the Unleashing the Gospel Pastoral Letter. Unexpectedly moved, she applied for the job and was hired by the Archdiocese of Detroit. Danielle asks Fr. Steve and Laura what they hope this generation can recieve from their Catholic education. Laura continues talking about the importance of teaching children to make the radical decision to follow Jesus and help others to do the same. Reflection 43:39 Laura talks about these times of isolation and quarantine and how important it is to reach out to others. Danielle finishes with a word of encouragement for us all.

Laura Knaus, Associate Superintendent of Catholic schools for the Archdiocese of Detroit discusses moving from Nebraska to Detroit, her passion for Catholic education, and eggs benedict. Rapid Fire Questions and Discussion 03:45 She worked as a soccer ref, had a profound encounter with God in Broomtree South Dakota, hung with some rock dudes and continues to seek the truth of Jesus Christ in these confusing times. Testimony 10:31 Danielle kicks this segment off by asking about Laura's move to Detroit in July of 2019 from Lincoln, Nebraska. She talks about an influential retreat right after high school and the beginnings of seeing how God was working in her life. A trip to Rome, seeing Blessed John Paul II and World Youth Day in Toronto all solidified her faith. Working at a Catholic summer camp turned her thoughts to Catholic education and working with children. Fr. Steve asks about her Catholic school background and goes on to share his. Laura goes on to talk about studying spiritual formation and Theology of the Body and how through the spiritual practices of Lexio Divina and Praying the Hours she has begun to learn who she is and how much she matters to God. Unleashing the Gospel 26:49 After 8 years as a high school principal in Lincoln, Nebraska, Laura was offered an opportunity to come to Detroit. After her initial skepticism, she was sent a copy of the Unleashing the Catholic Schools document and later, the Unleashing the Gospel Pastoral Letter. Unexpectedly moved, she applied for the job and was hired by the Archdiocese of Detroit. Danielle asks Fr. Steve and Laura what they hope this generation can recieve from their Catholic education. Laura continues talking about the importance of teaching children to make the radical decision to follow Jesus and help others to do the same. Reflection 43:39 Laura talks about these times of isolation and quarantine and how important it is to reach out to others. Danielle finishes with a word of encouragement for us all.

An excerpt from a teaching by Pope Benedict XVI on St. Hildegard: 1. A “light for her people and her time”: in these words Blessed John Paul II, my Venerable Predecessor, described Saint Hildegard of Bingen in 1979, on the occasion of the eight-hundredth anniversary of the death of this German mystic. This great woman truly stands out crystal clear against the horizon of history for her holiness of life and the originality of her teaching. And, as with every authentic human and theological experience, her authority reaches far beyond the confines of a single epoch or society; despite the distance of time and culture, her thought has proven to be of lasting relevance. The post DC28 St. Hildegard pt 1 – The Doctors of the Church: The Charism of Wisdom w/ Dr. Matthew Bunson appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

An excerpt from a teaching by Pope Benedict XVI on St. Hildegard: 1. A “light for her people and her time”: in these words Blessed John Paul II, my Venerable Predecessor, described Saint Hildegard of Bingen in 1979, on the occasion of the eight-hundredth anniversary of the death of this German mystic. This great woman truly stands out crystal clear against the horizon of history for her holiness of life and the originality of her teaching. And, as with every authentic human and theological experience, her authority reaches far beyond the confines of a single epoch or society; despite the distance of time and culture, her thought has proven to be of lasting relevance. The post DC28 St. Hildegard pt 1 – The Doctors of the Church: The Charism of Wisdom w/ Dr. Matthew Bunson appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

Divine Mercy Sunday 2011

This is the third episode of this three episode series on some of the themes in the pontificate of Blessed John Paul II. This episode focusses on the 'World Youth Days'.  The first episode looked at the 'New Evangelisation' and the second on the 'Culture of Life'.

Dr Andrew Foong discusses the meaning of life based especially in the teachings of Blessed John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI, and how the answer to the meaning of life leads to true happiness. The post The Meaning of Life appeared first on Cradio.

This is the second episode of this three episode series on some of the themes in the pontificate of Blessed John Paul II. This episode focusses on the 'Culture of Life'. The first episode looked at the 'New Evangelisation' and the third on the 'World Youth Days'.

This first episode is part of a three episode series on some of the themes in the pontificate of Blessed John Paul II. This first episode focusses on the 'New Evengalisation'. The second episode will be on the 'Culture of Life' and the third on the 'World Youth Days'.

How can Blessed John Paul II's example help us to proclaim the Gospel effectively in the 21st Century? The post Giving Witness to Christ in the 21st Century appeared first on Cradio.

It's not easy to be with someone who is suffering. You might find yourself lost for words, feeling guilty, frustrated or uncomfortable. What can we learn from Blessed John Paul II on how to approach these situations? The post How to be Present to Your Suffering Friend appeared first on Cradio.

Sister Bernadette Pike explores man's call to communion, core to much of Blessed John Paul II's thinking and teaching. The post Made For Love: JPII & Our Call to Communion appeared first on Cradio.

In this third episode of Sister Bernadette's Living the Legacy series we explore Blessed John Paul II's message, 'man is the way of the Church, and Christ is the way of man'. The post Blessed John Paul II and the Study of Man appeared first on Cradio.

In this second part of the introduction to Living the Legacy we look at the context of Blessed John Paul II's theological anthropology - or simply, how Blessed John Paul II has helped us to rediscover who we are in the light of Christ. The post Who is Man, Why Should We Care? appeared first on Cradio.

In this introductory episode of our brand new Living the Legacy series Sister Bernadette sets the scene for the contribution and charisms of Blessed John Paul II... The post A Pope for Our Times: Blessed John Paul II & Contemporary Thought appeared first on Cradio.

October 17, 2013 This week’s episode: “Blessed are They”: St Ulphia “Among Women” Guest: Genevieve Kineke This week we look at the 25th anniversary of Blessed John Paul II’s apostolic letter, Mulieris Dignitatem. My guest is author-blogger Genevieve Kineke who has long studied this document and who recently released a commemorative book edition of John Paul’s letter with commentary and ways you can study this ground-breaking document for women. Also of note, this past week the Pontifical Society for the Laity in Rome invited over 100 women from around the world to meet to study this document anew and discuss its ramifications today. We’ll also look at the life of a little-known 8th century hermit, St Ulphia of France. Links for this episode: Genevieve Kineke’s books: On the Dignity and Vocation of Women, 25th Anniversary Edition, with reflections and commentary by Genevieve Kineke The Authentic Catholic Women Set Free: The Authentic Catholic Woman’s Guide to Forgiveness The Feminine Genius blog by Genevieve Kineke Mulieris Dignatatem – online at the Vatican website Articles on the Pontifical Council for the Laity’s seminar on Mulieries Dignitatem: From Vatican Radio From Pontifical Society Press Release From New.Va – Pope Francis’ remarks Among Women Podcast Facebook page Blessed Beautiful and Bodacious on Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble. Pat Gohn’s Speaking Events Other shows of related interest: AW 122:   What I Love About the Rosary AW 155: A look at the feminine genius AW 31: On the dignity of women   Reminders: Enter our free drawing to possibly win a copy of Genevieve Kineke’s book on Mulieris Dignitatem. Send your comments to Pat Gohn at amongwomenpodcast@me.com, or to the Among Women podcast facebook page. The contest will close on Oct, 31, 2013.

Summary of today's show: Scot Landry and Susan Abbott discussed the news headlines of the week, including the ordination of a former Anglican priest to the Catholic priesthood in Beverly; progress reported on the causes of canonization for Blessed John Paul II and Archbishop Oscar Romero; and the appointment of a new principal for Lawrence Catholic Academy. Also, the Spring fund drive for WQOM has started this week. To support the work of WQOM and The Station of the Cross, which brings Catholic programming like The Good Catholic Life to the Boston area, please be as generous as your means permit with . Listen to the show: Watch the show via live video streaming or a recording later: Today's host(s): Scot Landry and Susan Abbott Links from today's show: Some of the stories discussed on this show will be available on The Pilot's and The Anchor's websites on Friday morning. Please check those sites for the latest links. Today's topics: Ordination of former Anglican priest; progress on canonizations; new principal for Lawrence Catholic school 1st segment: Scot Landry Welcomed everyone to the show and noted that producer Rick Heil has a birthday today but we can't celebrate with him with cake because he is in Buffalo for the Station of the Cross's spring fund drive. They said the size of Rick's cake will depend on how much people give to the fund drive this hour. Scot said in the Pilot this week is the story of a new priest in the Archdiocese of Boston, Fr. Jurgen Liias, who was an Anglican priest for 40 years and this past Saturday he was ordained by Cardinal Seán a Roman Catholic priest in the Anglican rite. Susan Abbott said in her own parish they have Fr. Richard Bradford who was an Episcopal priest who was ordained for the Church in the late 1970s, and served in her parish. Scot quoted Cardinal Seán at the seminary: “Jurgen, we thank God for your generous response to this second calling and commend you to the loving care of the Mother of the Divine Shepherd, so that your ministry as a Catholic priest will draw people closer to the Lord and to one another, as we strive for the unity that Christ prayed for at the Last Supper, and so that we will experience the fellowship of those first disciples who were of one mind and one heart,” he said. Scot quoted Fr. Jurgen and then Fr. Jurgen's wife. She noted he retired for about five minutes from the Episcopal church and then felt God tell him that the time was right for his conversion. “He is a bundle of energy and vision. He is a wonderful preacher. He is a great pastor, and I am excited for him. He retired for about five minutes, from the Episcopal Church and thought he might garden, and travel, and hike, but then he thought that this is something he has been wanting to do. God told him the time was right,” she said. Scot said Fr. David Barnes and the people of the Catholic parishes in Beverly were eager to welcome Fr. Jurgen to the priesthood. Break for Fund Drive Appeal. To support the work of WQOM and The Station of the Cross, which brings Catholic programming like The Good Catholic Life to the Boston area, please be as generous as your means permit with . 2nd segment: Scot said two stories this week are about two causes for canonization, including Bl. John Paul II. Earlier this week, it was reported that some Vatican doctors concluded that a healing attributed to his intercession had no natural explanation, meaning it's a miracle and if this report is true, it clears the way for him to be canonized as St. John Paul II. Susan talked about all the talk at the time of his funeral in 2005 of his sanctity. While the Church usually moves slowly in such causes, this process has moved rapidly. There is some hope to have the ceremony during the Year of Faith and in October, which is the 35th anniversary of his election to the papacy. Scot said he feels a little like the Year of Faith has lost a little attention because of all the other events, like the election of Pope Francis. He thinks a canonization would bring the attention back to it. Also, related to canonization, the cause for Archbishop Oscar Romero was “unblocked”. The Congregation for the Causes of the Saints had to determine if he was martyred or not, given that he was assassinated by a government death squad in the cathedral in El Salvador. Scot said in his opinion that the question is ridiculous. He also thinks that the fact that Pope Francis is from Latin America and is himself a fan of the archbishop might have had something to do with it. Susan recommended the movie “Romero” as an introduction to the archbishop. Break for Fund Drive Appeal. To support the work of WQOM and The Station of the Cross, which brings Catholic programming like The Good Catholic Life to the Boston area, please be as generous as your means permit with . 3rd segment: Scot said a big appointment was made this week. Jorge Hernandez, one of the assistant superintendents in the Catholic Schools Office, was hired as the new principal of Lawrence Catholic Academy. Susan said in the article in the Pilot, Fr. Paul O'Brien, pastor of St. Patrick's Parish, said Jorge will be respected by the people in the area because he is one of them. Scot said he wishes he could clone Jorge because of his talents that will be missed in the Pastoral Center and will serve him well in Lawrence. Susan said Jorge was previously a dean of admissions at Merrimac College. Scot noted that the students at Lawrence Catholic Academy do very well in school compared to their public school counterparts and one of the reasons is that the Catholic schools can care for the whole person. Break for Fund Drive Appeal. To support the work of WQOM and The Station of the Cross, which brings Catholic programming like The Good Catholic Life to the Boston area, please be as generous as your means permit with .

Summary of today's show: Today, April 2, marks the anniversary of the death of Blessed Pope John Paul II in 2005 and Scot Landry, Michael Lavigne, and Domenico Bettinelli discuss the legacy of the late Holy Father for the “John Paul generation,” including some of their personal memories of the pope they knew for their whole lives. Listen to the show: Watch the show via live video streaming or a recording later: Today's host(s): Scot Landry Today's guest(s): Michael Lavigne and Domenico Bettinelli Links from today's show: Today's topics: Reflections on Blessed John Paul II 1st segment: Scot Landry welcomed everyone to the show and noted that today is the anniversary of the death of Pope John Paul II and we'll talk about the impact of this Pope on what's called the John Paul Generation. Scot welcomed Michael Lavigne and Domenico Bettinelli to the show. He said in the past couple months we've talked about Pope Benedict and Pope Francis a lot but there hasn't been a lot of mention of John Paul and we'll talk about him today. Scot, Michael, and Dom first related the times they first became aware of or encountered Pope John Paul II. Michael did through the book “Crossing the Threshold of Hope”; Dom remembered the visit of Pope John Paul II to Boston in 1979; and Scot remembered when Pope John Paul II was elected and how joyous his Polish neighbors in Lowell were at the election. They talked about his encounter with more than 1 billion people during his pontificate and the millions of who came to see him in Rome. Scot, Dom, and Michael all talked about the saints that Blessed John Paul named, including Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati. 2nd segment: Scot discussed his three personal encounters with John Paul II as did Michael. Dom then talked about the story of his brother John and his family meeting the Holy Father, especially his two-year-old nephew. They discussed John Paul as the youth minister par excellence and how he preached to all as if they were themselves youth with profound hope. Scot and Michael and Dom discussed their favorite works by John Paul II: , , , and . The latter was on the proper formation of priests.

Summary of today's show: The Feast of St. Joseph this year was marked by the inauguration of the Petrine ministry of Pope Francis. Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O'Connor discussed the Holy Father's newly unveiled coat of arms, which are very familiar, and then talked in detail about his homily for today's Mass in which he invoked the example of St. Joseph as a protector who acts with tenderness to encourage all of us to protect one another and all of creation. Listen to the show: Watch the show via live video streaming or a recording later: Today's host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O'Connor Links from today's show: Today's topics: Pope Francis' Homily for the Mass Inaugurating His Petrine Ministry 1st segment: Scot Landry welcomed Fr. Chris O'Connor to the show and they discussed the treacherous weather and how there's often a bad snow storm at this time of year. Scot said today our focus will be on the Mass of Inauguration of Pope Francis this morning. Scot said we'll also discuss the Pope's coat of arms and papal motto. Fr. Chris said the star represents the Blessed Mother and the plant, nard, represents St. Joseph. The star and IHS is a common representation of the Jesuits, which Pope Francis has been. He noted that the crest is bright blue, which represents both the Blessed Mother, but also particularly the icon of Mary that all Argentinians revere. Scot said both the crest and motto of bishops represent much of who the bishop wants to be. Scot said the motto comes from the Gospel of St. Matthew, when Matthew was called by Jesus: “Miserando atque eligendo”. It refers to Jesus calling Matthew in mercy. When he was 17, Pope Francis heard this reading at Mass, and feeling unworthy himself felt called by God and that was his vocational call. Pope Francis seems to be telling others that even if they feel unworthy, God is calling them to bring His love and mercy to others. Fr. Chris said Caravaggio shows this in a beautiful image with darkness and light. Matthew is shown surrounded by his ill-gotten tax collector gains and then the hand of Christ coming in and calling St. Matthew. Caravaggio modeled the hand of Christ on the hand of God in the Sistine Chapel, thus saying that a new creation begins in the call of Christ. Scot said the only people who might not like what Pope Francis is doing is the security people because the Holy Father so often goes off script and out into the crowds. It's notable that this morning he was riding in the open-air popemobile. At one point he got out of the car to give a kiss to a disabled man he saw in the crowd. Fr. Chris said he was struck by the news that Pope Francis called his former cathedral in Argentina before the Mass today and had a message relayed to the crowds gathered outside to watch the Mass. He said one of Pope Francis' first acts was to ask for prayer and he's reminding us of the efficacy of prayer and that even the pope needs prayers. Scot said it reminds him of the need to ask others to pray for him in the normal course of his day. He should also be assuring others of his own prayers and doing it. Fr. Chris said one of the important parts of Good Friday is praying for the world by name, atheists and agnostics, Jews, Muslims, and everyone. The Holy Father is showing us the importance of praying for our needs, our daily bread. 2nd segment: Scot said St. Joseph's Day is special especially for fathers and grandfathers. Fr. Chris also wished a happy feast day to the Sisters of St. Joseph. Scot started reading Pope Francis' homily: Dear Brothers and Sisters, I thank the Lord that I can celebrate this Holy Mass for the inauguration of my Petrine ministry on the solemnity of Saint Joseph, the spouse of the Virgin Mary and the patron of the universal Church. It is a significant coincidence, and it is also the name-day of my venerable predecessor: we are close to him with our prayers, full of affection and gratitude. Scot said the name day, the ‘onomastico', is very important in Italy. In fact, many Italians celebrate the name day instead of their birthday. Fr. Chris said Pope Francis mentions Pope Benedict by name once again. He's scheduled to meet Benedict on Saturday and Fr. Chris said it shows Pope Francis' humility in going to see the former pope. In the Gospel we heard that “Joseph did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took Mary as his wife” (Mt 1:24). These words already point to the mission which God entrusts to Joseph: he is to be the custos, the protector. The protector of whom? Of Mary and Jesus; but this protection is then extended to the Church, as Blessed John Paul II pointed out: “Just as Saint Joseph took loving care of Mary and gladly dedicated himself to Jesus Christ's upbringing, he likewise watches over and protects Christ's Mystical Body, the Church, of which the Virgin Mary is the exemplar and model” (Redemptoris Custos, 1). Scot said St. Joseph is the Patron and Protector of the Universal Church. Fr. Chris said it's a reminder of intercessory prayer. He said he's known as the silent saint because no words of his are recorded in Scripture. We see the care, love, and dedication he gave to Mary and the Child Jesus. How does Joseph exercise his role as protector? Discreetly, humbly and silently, but with an unfailing presence and utter fidelity, even when he finds it hard to understand. From the time of his betrothal to Mary until the finding of the twelve-year-old Jesus in the Temple of Jerusalem, he is there at every moment with loving care. As the spouse of Mary, he is at her side in good times and bad, on the journey to Bethlehem for the census and in the anxious and joyful hours when she gave birth; amid the drama of the flight into Egypt and during the frantic search for their child in the Temple; and later in the day-to-day life of the home of Nazareth, in the workshop where he taught his trade to Jesus. Scot said Joseph is a man of action, a man of formation. It shows what a faithful holy man should be about. Fr. Chris said the reasons he's such a great patron for dads is that his holiness doesn't come from anything flashy or extravagant, but the day to day work of being a father. Scot recalled a talk he heard once encouraging men to raise their own children in the model of St. Joseph. It is a sacred work to be a dad. Fr. Chris said he sees the choice of this day is Pope Francis giving over his ministry to St. Joseph. How does Joseph respond to his calling to be the protector of Mary, Jesus and the Church? By being constantly attentive to God, open to the signs of God's presence and receptive to God's plans, and not simply to his own. This is what God asked of David, as we heard in the first reading. God does not want a house built by men, but faithfulness to his word, to his plan. It is God himself who builds the house, but from living stones sealed by his Spirit. Joseph is a “protector” because he is able to hear God's voice and be guided by his will; and for this reason he is all the more sensitive to the persons entrusted to his safekeeping. He can look at things realistically, he is in touch with his surroundings, he can make truly wise decisions. In him, dear friends, we learn how to respond to God's call, readily and willingly, but we also see the core of the Christian vocation, which is Christ! Let us protect Christ in our lives, so that we can protect others, so that we can protect creation! Fr. Chris likes the image begin developed that in order to live out our vocation, we have to follow the example of St. Joseph who protected Christ. It's a reminder to protect what's most important, our relationship with Christ, and to keep away from sin and anything that would violate that relationship. We protect time to pray to Christ. How am I protecting Christ in my life? Scot said it brings him back to the Martha and Mary story, where Martha was busy doing, while Mary was at the feet of Jesus. The vocation of being a “protector”, however, is not just something involving us Christians alone; it also has a prior dimension which is simply human, involving everyone. It means protecting all creation, the beauty of the created world, as the Book of Genesis tells us and as Saint Francis of Assisi showed us. It means respecting each of God's creatures and respecting the environment in which we live. It means protecting people, showing loving concern for each and every person, especially children, the elderly, those in need, who are often the last we think about. It means caring for one another in our families: husbands and wives first protect one another, and then, as parents, they care for their children, and children themselves, in time, protect their parents. It means building sincere friendships in which we protect one another in trust, respect, and goodness. In the end, everything has been entrusted to our protection, and all of us are responsible for it. Be protectors of God's gifts! Scot said in 20 years when people come back to this homily, they will come to this paragraph. Fr. Chris said anyone who comes to Assisi understands the beautiful images and vistas and the wonder of creation that St. Francis loved. Pope Francis is reminding us that all of creation is something sacred and bestowed on us by God, entrusting us with it. Scot said Cardinal Seán speculated that Pope Francis chose this name to emphasize that we are brothers and sisters in Christ, which comes with the responsibility to love and care for one another. Fr. Chris said he thinks it's no coincidence that he mentions husbands and wives here, their first duty to one another and being the instrument of their sanctification. Scot said in this age of social media it's much easier to add new “friends” but sincere friendships require deeper trust and protecting them with trust, respect, and goodness. Fr. Chris asked us to imagine a world marked by such friendships. Whenever human beings fail to live up to this responsibility, whenever we fail to care for creation and for our brothers and sisters, the way is opened to destruction and hearts are hardened. Tragically, in every period of history there are “Herods” who plot death, wreak havoc, and mar the countenance of men and women. Please, I would like to ask all those who have positions of responsibility in economic, political and social life, and all men and women of goodwill: let us be “protectors” of creation, protectors of God's plan inscribed in nature, protectors of one another and of the environment. Let us not allow omens of destruction and death to accompany the advance of this world! But to be “protectors”, we also have to keep watch over ourselves! Let us not forget that hatred, envy and pride defile our lives! Being protectors, then, also means keeping watch over our emotions, over our hearts, because they are the seat of good and evil intentions: intentions that build up and tear down! We must not be afraid of goodness or even tenderness! Scot said we've certainly seen “Herods” in our lifetime. Scot noted that there were many people there who are not Christian and who watch who aren't and he was telling all of us to protect each other and nature. Fr. Chris said we have to watch our hearts and emotions because so often that's where the protection breaks down. Forgiveness is a choice. We choose to forgive. We can acknowledge our emotions and still choose to forgive. We need to integrate the heart and mind, but have the mind and intellect which elevate us above creation, rule over the emotions. Here I would add one more thing: caring, protecting, demands goodness, it calls for a certain tenderness. In the Gospels, Saint Joseph appears as a strong and courageous man, a working man, yet in his heart we see great tenderness, which is not the virtue of the weak but rather a sign of strength of spirit and a capacity for concern, for compassion, for genuine openness to others, for love. We must not be afraid of goodness, of tenderness! Scot said so many men he's known have thought the way to love, particularly kids, was with tough love and discipline. Scot said tenderness and toughness are often put at opposite ends of a continuum. Pope Francis said one way to be a good protector and provider is to show a tender form of love too. He protected Jesus in a tender way. Somewhere along the way we came to believe that the way to be a man is to show tough love and the Holy Father is saying the opposite. Fr. Chris said he was also tender with the Blessed Mother, like when he decided to spare Mary by setting her aside quietly. And then you continue to see the tenderness along with great obedience and strength in responding to God's will. Today, together with the feast of Saint Joseph, we are celebrating the beginning of the ministry of the new Bishop of Rome, the Successor of Peter, which also involves a certain power. Certainly, Jesus Christ conferred power upon Peter, but what sort of power was it? Jesus' three questions to Peter about love are followed by three commands: feed my lambs, feed my sheep. Let us never forget that authentic power is service, and that the Pope too, when exercising power, must enter ever more fully into that service which has its radiant culmination on the Cross. He must be inspired by the lowly, concrete and faithful service which marked Saint Joseph and, like him, he must open his arms to protect all of God's people and embrace with tender affection the whole of humanity, especially the poorest, the weakest, the least important, those whom Matthew lists in the final judgment on love: the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick and those in prison (cf. Mt 25:31-46). Only those who serve with love are able to protect! Scot said this might be the second-most quoted. He's describing authentic Christian leadership through service. Fr. Chris said Pope Francis tells us why the Church exists because of the holiness and sanctification of all its members. The what of the Church is the Pope, bishops, priests, and deacons and their reason for existence is to serve. If we lose sight of the call to service, that is not of Christ. Christ is found with the poorest of the poor, the sick and lame. Fr. Chris said Bishop Libasci of Manchester, NH, gave a homily at St. John's Seminary yesterday in which he described a fire-and-brimstone seminarian who was taken aside and told that before you can save the world, you have to love it. We're reminded of this on Holy Thursday when the priest washes the feet of others in service. Scot said we need to be willing to lay down our lives so we can serve others in tangible, concrete, faith-filled ways. Fr. Chris said only those who serve with love are able to protect. That's the Pope's job: the protect the unity of the Church, to protect the holiness of the Church, to protect the catholic nature of the Church spread across the globe and making manifest the fullness of the teachings, to protect the apostolic faith passed down by the apostles and guided by the Holy Spirit. In the second reading, Saint Paul speaks of Abraham, who, “hoping against hope, believed” (Rom 4:18). Hoping against hope! Today too, amid so much darkness, we need to see the light of hope and to be men and women who bring hope to others. To protect creation, to protect every man and every woman, to look upon them with tenderness and love, is to open up a horizon of hope; it is to let a shaft of light break through the heavy clouds; it is to bring the warmth of hope! For believers, for us Christians, like Abraham, like Saint Joseph, the hope that we bring is set against the horizon of God, which has opened up before us in Christ. It is a hope built on the rock which is God. Scot said he can't not think of how much hope Pope Francis has brought to the Church. He's heard from people who tell him that Pope Francis makes them want to return to church. Fr. Chris said of the light of hope that in a dark room, one little match is stronger than the darkness and cannot be swallowed by that. Just a little hope in our lives gives us the grace to carry on even in dark and difficult experiences. To protect Jesus with Mary, to protect the whole of creation, to protect each person, especially the poorest, to protect ourselves: this is a service that the Bishop of Rome is called to carry out, yet one to which all of us are called, so that the star of hope will shine brightly. Let us protect with love all that God has given us! I implore the intercession of the Virgin Mary, Saint Joseph, Saints Peter and Paul, and Saint Francis, that the Holy Spirit may accompany my ministry, and I ask all of you to pray for me! Amen. Scot said he will remember about this homily, like he remembers about the balcony of St. Peter's last Wednesday, is that he ends by asking us to pray for him. Fr. Chris said he's reminding us that we are on flock and that the shepherd relies on prayers just like the sheep. He talks of protecting all the gifts in our life, but also the gift we have been given in Pope Francis. Scot noted that in the Congregation meetings, Cardinal Bergoglio gave an impassioned talk that we need to reform and purify the Church. Scot said that won't be easy, especially with the reform of Roman Curia. Scot said harder than starting a business is a reforming a business even while it continues to do its work and that's similar to what Pope Francis is doing. Fr. Chris said Cardinal Seán in his own inaugural address in Boston in 2003 recalled the San Damiano Cross where Christ called Francis to rebuild the Church. He said he believes Pope Francis has a clear idea of what needs to be done. Scot noted that tomorrow is Fr. Chris' birthday. He said tomorrow is their annual St. Patrick's dinner and that's where they'll celebrate. He noted the celebrate on Wednesday instead of Sunday because so many of the deacons and faculty are out in parishes on Sunday. The one thing that Fr. Chris has loved so far from Pope Francis is the emphasis on the protector. Scot said he's loved that he preaches from the pulpit like a pastor and not so much like an academic.

Summary of today's show: After emerging from the silence of the conclave that elected Pope Francis, Cardinal Seán O'Malley of Boston met with reporters from Boston and beyond to discuss voting in the conclave, his impressions of the new Holy Father, and what he takes away from the experience. Also, Scot Landry provides his perspective on the events as a pilgrim in St. Peter's Square. Finally, we look at the upcoming Sunday Mass readings. Listen to the show: Watch the show via live video streaming or a recording later: Today's host(s): Scot Landry Today's guest(s): Cardinal Seán O'Malley Links from today's show: Today's topics: LIVE From Rome: Cardinal Seán's first press conference after the conclave 1st segment: Thank you Rick. Welcome everyone, those listening in Boston and in these weeks of papal transition, those listening to the Station of the Cross from upstate New York and on iCatholic Radio. The world is learning so much more about our New Holy Father, Pope Francis. We are hearing reactions from Cardinals who participated in the Conclave to his election. We are also learning from his actions and from his first homily to the Cardinals in the Sistine Chapel a little bit more about his priorities as Pope. We will hear Cardinal Sean's reactions in the first half of the show and then reflect on Pope Francis' first homily as our Holy Father in the second half of the show. But first, have you ever wondered what it would be like to be standing in Saint Peter's Square to see the white smoke, to hear “Habemus Papam” and the new Pope's former name, and then to receive the Apostolic blessing. Until Wednesday night in Rome, I wondered about that too. But I had such a privileged opportunity to be there for the surprise of an earlier election than most anticipated and then to see, hear and experience what it was like. At around 7pm, when the smoke appeared, it was raining heavily in Piazza San Pietro. So you needed to move around the umbrellas to see the sightlines. Here is how I reacted: Then after a period of waiting, here is what it sounded like in St. Peter's Square when they announced who the next Holy Father would be. [audio src=http://media.thegoodcatholiclife.com/2013-03-14-Habemus-Papam-Announcement.mp3] Then about 10 minutes later, we heard the first words from Pope Francis. [audio src=”http://media.thegoodcatholiclife.com/2013-03-14-Pope-Francis-Remarks.mp3”] Then our New Holy Father gave us his first Apostolic Blessing. The whole experience was tremendously moving. For a complete description of what it was like, please visit TheGoodCatholicLife.com and see . We'll be back after this and we'll listen to Cardinal Sean's press conference yesterday with the Boston Media. You are listening to The Good Catholic Life. 2nd segment: Welcome back to the Good Catholic Life on our 2nd full day of the papacy of Pope Francis. Yesterday at the Pontifical North America College, Cardinal Seán greeted the press from Boston. It was a packed room just of Boston journalists. There asking questions were Lisa Zoll from the Associated Press, Joe Mathieu from WBZ radio, Lisa Hughes from WBZ-TV, Kim Khazei from WHDH, Heather Unruh from WCVB, Patricia Thomas from Associated Press TV, Lisa Wangness and David Filipov from the Globe, plus their camera operators and producers. In my brief conversations with Cardinal Seán before and after the media events, it was very apparent that he rejoiced in the election of Pope Francis and that he was extremely happy he would be returning to Boston to celebrate the liturgies of Holy Week. We'll begin with his opening statement and then you'll hear questions from the journalists around the room. Cardinal Seán: Well obviously, for everyone in the Church, that decision of Pope Benedict to resign was a shock, and in some ways, a crisis for us. To be without a Pope is being [spiritually] orphaned. So, the Conclave has given us a new Holy Father, a new representative for the Church, and a new Vicar of Christ. So it's obviously a moment of great joy for the whole Catholic world. Being a part of it was a very humbling and moving experience. The Conclave is a very prayerful experience. It's almost like a retreat. I know that when you read the Italian papers, it seems like it a political campaign, or like the primaries or something. [Laughter] It really is a spiritual and prayerful experience of discernment. When you walk up with a ballot in your hand and stand before the image of the Last Judgment and say, “with Christ as my witness, I am voting for the one whom I feel is the one God wants to do this [Petrine Ministry]. This is a great responsibility. Obviously, we're delighted that the Holy Spirit moved us to elect Pope Francis. I certainly approve of the name! [Laughter] It is a great thing for us to have a Pope from the New World. I won't say he's the first non-European [Pope], because early on there were African Popes in the Church. He's the first one from our hemisphere and obviously that's a part of the world where half of the Catholics live. Also, almost half the Catholics in the United States are also Hispanic. The Pope is everyone's Holy Father, but it's a wonderful connection for him to have that cultural and linguistic tie with so many of the faithful. We're also happy to see the interest of the press. [Laughter.] So many have been credentialed to cover this event. Last night, from the loggia looking down at the multitude in the Square, listening to the roar of enthusiasm, seeing all the flashes going off, hearing the papal anthem being played, and listening to the Holy Father's words, and asking the people to pray with him and praying the very simple prayers that all Catholics know: The Our Father, The Hail Mary, The Glory Be. It was very moving. Rachel Zoll from the Associated Press: Could you talk a little bit about how you got to know Pope Francis? How long have you known him? Cardinal Seán: Well, I first met him in different meetings over the years. A couple years ago I was his guest in Argentina. I have always known of him and been an admirer of his. He's very close to a number of the Capuchins in Argentina, who are the members of my order. [Followup] Rachel Zoll from the Associated Press: Would it be fair to say you know him very well? Cardinal Seán: Yes. Joe Mathieu from WBZ radio. Good morning and thank you for spending time with us. We appreciate you for being so generous. Your name has been thrown around in the Boston press, Italian press, International press for some many days with so much speculation. I am wondering if you feel a sense of relief this morning that you have the same job? Cardinal Seán: As I told someone this morning, if the only prerequisite for being Pope was not wanting the job, I would have been the most qualified Cardinal in the Conclave. [Laughter.] So, of course, I was gratified by the warmth of the Italians in their enthusiasm for me. But that's because they love St. Francis. They got a Pope Francis anyway, so I hope they're satisfied. [Laughter.] Lisa Hughes from WBZ-TV. When we were here last night, Your Eminence, Cardinal Dolan described the moment when Pope Francis said “accepto.” He said that there wasn't a dry eye in the house. Can you describe that moment when former Cardinal Bergoglio accepted this honor? Cardinal Seán: Well, obviously, we were all hoping that he wouldn't decline. [Laughter.] It was a very moving moment. Afterwards, each one of us went up and kissed his ring, hugged him, and congratulated him. It was a very moving experience, truly. Kim Khazei from WHDH. I wanted to just ask that about the popularity. Even though you said you bought a round trip ticket, a lot of people thought that you would be a great fit for the job. Your humility. What else is there about you that you might have been able to bring to the table? You also spoke about Pope Francis, particularly you talked about reforming the Church being a priority. Do you expect to see more the same or change in the Catholic Church? Cardinal Seán: Pope Francis is coming out of Latin America where there is such a contrast of rich and poor, and so many very grave social problems. He is a man who is very much impassioned by the desire to make the Church present to people in their suffering, relieve the suffering of the poor, and make them feel that it is their Church. I think that is going to have repercussions in this pontificate. [Followup] Kim Khazei from WHDH. With some of the pain people have felt back home in Massachusetts and in the United States, with the scandal, do you think there will be healing there? Cardinal Seán: I'm confident that there will be. This is a man who has a great sense of mission. He values transparency. I have great confidence that he will further the process of healing in our Church. Heather Unruh from WCVB - It's great to see you. Thanks for having us today. Can you tell me your reaction when you realized that this was would be the first Jesuit Pope? What does he significantly and uniquely bring to the Papacy? Cardinal Seán: The Jesuit order is one of the most important orders in the Church. I make a lot of jokes about Franciscans and Jesuits [laughter]. Their educational ministry and their presence in our missions is so great. They are known for their discernment. We need a wise and discerning leader in the Church at this time. I'm sure that he will help to re-energize the Catholic identity of Jesuit education and be a great source of encouragement to the Jesuit order throughout the world. It's been a long time since we've had a religious as Pope. I think having somebody in the consecrated life as Pope is also a way of lifting up this vocation in the Church, of men and women religious, who so often around the frontlines throughout the world. We're very, very pleased that we have a Jesuit Pope. Patricia Thomas from Associated Press TV - A Jesuit priest said to me this morning that Pope Francis came out without the mozetto on top of his vestments. This is a Pope who's not going to fit in with the ‘silk and fur atmosphere' of the papal court? Do you agree with that? Also, Thursday he is supposed to go to Castel Gandolfo. How do you think his relationship with the Pope Emeritus is going to work? Cardinal Seán: I'm sure that he will have a very great relationship with Pope Benedict. In fact, I was touched that one of the first things he did [last night] was to ask people to pray for Pope Benedict, and he expressed gratitude for his ministry. Obviously, as a Latin American, he doesn't have the same weight of European history that people from this continent have. So I think he's probably to be a little freer to perhaps jettison some of the traditional things. Those traditions are important to our people too, so there has to be a balance between what is appropriate in the 21st-century and what is a holdover from the past. Scot Landry from TheGoodCatholicLife.com and The Pilot- Cardinal Seán you mentioned you like the name Francis that he took. St. Francis had a mandate to rebuild the Church, primarily spiritually. Do you think that's the significance of him choosing the name Francis, that he thinks he has a mandate to rebuild the Church? Cardinal Seán: I think that there are three themes in St. Francis that he's identifying with. I haven't spoken with him about this, so I'm sort of reading his mind. Certainly , he rebuilding the Church, the reforms of government in the Church and so forth [is one]. Also, certainly Francis as a universal brother. Francis wanted to be a brother to everyone. We have the famous “Brother Sun, Sister Moon.” Yesterday he spoke about the brotherhood, the fraternity, that he wants to reign in the Church and in the world. That people look at themselves as brothers and sisters. That's a very Franciscan theme. Also, St. Francis's love for the poor. For St. Francis the poor person was the Sacrament of Christ. Christ emptied himself, took on the form of a slave, and embraced the cross for love of us. For Francis, the poor person was a sacrament of Christ. That's the vision that Pope Francis has and that's why he chose that name. He was very clear right from the beginning. He said this is in honor of St. Francis of Assisi, not Francis Xavier who was the Jesuit. [Laughter]. Rachel Zoll from the Associated Press: Can you talk a little bit about the stability and some the challenges ahead for this Pope? There was some surprise about age. There were expectations and built up that perhaps somebody younger would be chosen as Pope, so that the Pontificate would be a little bit longer. Can you talk about that a little bit? Was that assumption wrong? Cardinal Seán: Obviously the assumption was wrong. [Laughter.] I think age was a consideration, but there were other considerations that weighed more heavily I think on the discernment process. Whether the Pope's reign is long or short is not particularly important. Pope John XXIII was older when he was elected and so was Pope Benedict. I think the experience that he has and the gifts that he brings to the ministry are so precious and wonderful. Joe Mathieu from WBZ Radio - Cardinal Seán, it's been reported many times over the past 12 to 24 hours that Cardinal Bergoglio rejected many of the luxuries that are enjoyed by many Cardinals across the world: no limousines; no mansions; he lived in a small apartment; cooked his own meals they say; took the bus to work. I'm wondering to what extent you relate with that lifestyle and whether this is going to be a change in lifestyle for all Cardinals around the world. Cardinal Seán: I'm not sure what the impact will be. Certainly, the simplicity with which he has lived [is a example for all]. I think he's been very faithful and has tried to live his religious life even as a Bishop and as a cardinal. That's a good example that we hope will have an impact. Lisa Hughes from WBZ-TV. Your Eminence, what do you want to people in Boston to know about Pope Francis today? Cardinal Seán: Well, just that is a very good man, and that he's going to be a good leader for the Church. His experience of coming out of Latin America is also very important to us in the New World, and particularly, in the growing immigrant populations in Boston. I think there will be a great sense of joy and identification with the Holy Father. I'm curious to see what will happen this Summer at World Youth Day. They were already talking about 2 to 3 million young people in Rio. But that was before they counted on all of Argentina coming, [laughter] and the rest of Latin America. It will be quite a wonderful event. [Followup] Lisa Hughes from WBZ-TV. Will you go? Cardinal Seán: Yes. Kim Khazei from WHDH: Cardinal Seán, when you first walked into the room and made your opening remarks, you said you were moved when Pope Francis asked people to pray. It brought you close to tears. What specifically where you were reflecting on that made you so emotional? Cardinal Seán: They were simple prayers that all Catholics know. From children to old people, to those who have university education, and those who are illiterate. Those prayers unite us all in the same family of faith. It was beautiful to see how he was able to hush hundreds of thousands of people who were cheering and so enthusiastic. He was able to bring them to the moment of prayer, to be in God's presence. [Followup] Kim Khazei from WHDH: Did this whole experience end up being one of the most important moments of your life? Cardinal Seán: I never imagined as a child that someday I would be a part of the Conclave. Some of you may be old enough to remember there was a movie out – “The Cardinal” - many years ago. Although the storyline was not the most edifying, they were famous for the way they replicated the scene in the Sistine Chapel. I never imagined that someday I would be in that Chapel, taking that oath before Christ the Judge of the world, and being part of choosing a new successor to Saint Peter. Heather Unruh from WCVB: I know you've made it clear, Cardinal Seán, that you looked forward to that round-trip ticket home. What are you most looking forward to? I know that if you had been as Pope, you would give up the entire life that you've known so far. So now that you know if you're returning to Boston, and the things you love, what are you most looking forward to? Cardinal Seán: During Holy Week, we have the Chrism Mass, which to me is one of the most important moments of the year. I gather with all the priests, we renew our vows to serve God's people, we bless the oils that are used as our tools for baptisms, confirmations, and anointing of the sick. That's always a very important moment for priests. I look forward to sharing that moment with my priests each year. [Followup] Heather Unruh from WCVB: Are you also looking forward to some of the smaller things in life, the things that you like to do? Maybe you could elaborate on if you have a favorite street you walk on. Cardinal Seán: Well I think just being able to go out and walk. [Laughter]. People talk about the palace that the Pope has and everything. He's a prisoner in a museum. [Laughter]. It's not a wonderful life. In fact, I read Cardinal Dziwisz's book about his experience being Pope John Paul II's secretary for so many years. In that book, he reveals that John Paul II used to sneak out [of the Vatican] to go skiing. Nobody knew about that. I was so happy, [laughter] because the Italian government, The Gendarmes, the Army and everyone else would have had a fit. But they used to put him in the backseat of the car and go out and go skiing. I hope Francis will be able to sneak out occasionally, to go to a tango show or something. [Laughter.] Patricia Thomas from Associated Press TV - Last night I was standing at the obelisk just like I was when Cardinal Ratzinger came out in 2005. It was taking longer. I was standing with a lot of Italian photographers who were joking around saying, “it's taking so long, he must be panicking back there because he doesn't want to do it.” Why was it taking so long? Was he doing the tango? [Laughter.] What was going on back there? Cardinal Seán: Well, there was such a crowd of people. Just getting him through took a long time because everybody wanted to congratulate him. A lot of the workers came in at that time. Also I think that they also wait to give people the time to get to the Piazza. I think he could have gone out earlier. The Sistine Chapel is right near the loggia. From the Sistine Chapel, we first prayed the Te Deum, a hymn of Thanksgiving. Then we greeted the Holy Father individually. Then we started walking over toward the big window. Then there was a big crowd out there [in the loggia] that kind of slowed things down. [Overall] I think the plan is always to give enough time for people to get to the Piazza once the word gets out that there is white smoke. Scot Landry from TheGoodCatholicLife.com and The Pilot- Cardinal Seán, you've just gone through a week of General Congregation meetings and a couple of days in the Conclave. You've been a priest for more than 40 years, a Bishop for more than 25, and a Cardinal for 7 years. What have you learned new, over the last week or so, that has helped you appreciate the beauty of the Catholic Faith more, that you look forward to sharing with Catholics in the Archdiocese of Boston? Cardinal Seán: The catholicity of the Church. Being with the Cardinals from all over the world and listening to them talk about the experience of the faith and their people in Asia and Africa and South America and North America and Europe. The mission that we share as Catholics. Our fraternity in the Church, as brothers and sisters in the Lord, through our baptism. It's a very moving experience. Lisa Wangsness from the Boston Globe. Could you talk about the kind of relationship you expect to have as Cardinal Archbishop of Boston with the new Pope. Do you expect to invite him to Boston? Do you think because you share a love for Latin America and the Spanish language, that you'll have any particular mission or projects that you'll be working on? Cardinal Seán: It's a little early to forecast. Certainly, as Cardinals, we are at the disposition of the Holy Father and are his advisors. I told him that whatever we can do to help, we stand ready. We would look forward to inviting him someday to Boston. It would be good. It's been a long time since we've had a Pope there. John Paul II was there in 1979. So we're due. [Laughter.] David Filopov from the Boston Globe. We have heard snippets of things that the Pope has said that portray a humility and a sense of humor. Where you there at the toast, for example, when he said “may God forgive you all” [for electing me]. How does he come across as a person? Is he really the soft-spoken, self-deprecating man that was seen glimpses of? Cardinal Seán: He is. He's very disarming. I had lunch with him yesterday before the vote [laughing]. At that point, he seemed very weighed down by what was happening. Last night, I think that was at peace in his heart that God's will has been accomplished in his life. He's very approachable. He's very friendly. He has a good sense of humor. He's very quick and a joy to be with. [Followup] David Filopov from the Boston Globe. Father Lombardi told us that he didn't use the papal car but rather he rode back on the bus with the other Cardinals. How was the atmosphere? Were you surprised that he rode back on the bus? Did you expect that? Cardinal Seán: That's what I would've expected. Lisa Wangsness from the Boston Globe. Can you talk a little bit about the time you spend with him in Buenos Aires in 2010? Cardinal Seán: I was there on business for the USCCB, the Bishops conference, and I was his guest. We did have the time to visit and talk a lot about this situation of the Church in Latin America. We spoke a lot about our some of our mutual friends. He gave me a great CD that I enjoy very much. It is the Misa Criolla, which is Argentine music for a Mass arrangement. It was a very pleasant and very informal visit, because my business for the USCCB was not precisely with him. With him, it was more of a social visit. [Followup] Lisa Wangsness from the Boston Globe. Were you at his house? Cardinal Seán: Yes. [Followup] Lisa Wangsness from the Boston Globe. Did you visit his apartment? If so, can you describe it? Cardinal Seán: He lives in the part of the Chancery, which is a church office building. There's an apartment in there and perhaps his secretaries. I'm not really sure who is in the other apartments. Those are Cardinal Sean O'Malley's remarks at the press conference yesterday with Boston media. I'd like to highlight 7 points from his remarks that stood out to me. Cardinal described the Conclave as a very prayerful experience. It's almost like a retreat. It really is a spiritual experience of discernment. When you walk up with a ballot in your hand and stand before the image of the Last Judgment and say, “with Christ as my witness, I am voting for the one whom I feel is the one God wants to do this [Petrine Ministry]. This is a great responsibility. He also mentioned it was so easy to pray looking at the ceiling and the frescoes in the Sistine Chapel. Cardinal Sean was thrilled that he took the name Francis and he made sure to emphasize that Pope Francis took the name to emulate St. Francis of Assisi. He speculated that he did it for 3 reasons – Because of St. Francis' mission to rebuild the Church. Because of St. Francis' emphasis that we all are brothers and sisters in the Lord. And because of St. Francis' love of the poor. Cardinal Seán expressed his happiness at coming home to Boston soon and clarified that he didn't want the job with his typical humor: “As I told someone this morning, if the only prerequisite for being Pope was not wanting the job, I would have been the most qualified Cardinal in the Conclave. [Laughter.] So, of course, I was gratified by the warmth of the Italians in their enthusiasm for me. But that's because they love St. Francis. They got a Pope Francis anyway, so I hope they're satisfied.” [Laughter.] Cardinal Sean became emotional when he described the experience looking at the crowd in Piazza San Pietro and Francis calling them to prayer. He said “Last night, from the loggia looking down at the multitude in the Square, listening to the roar of enthusiasm, seeing all the flashes going off, hearing the papal anthem being played, and listening to the Holy Father's words, and asking the people to pray with him and praying the very simple prayers that all Catholics know: The Our Father, The Hail Mary, The Glory Be. It was very moving. They were simple prayers that all Catholics know. From children to old people, to those who have university education, and those who are illiterate. Those prayers unite us all in the same family of faith. It was beautiful to see how he was able to hush hundreds of thousands of people who were cheering and so enthusiastic. He was able to bring them to the moment of prayer, to be in God's presence. Cardinal Sean said that age was a consideration, but there were other considerations that weighed more heavily I think on the discernment process. He commented that whether the Pope's reign is long or short is not particularly important. Pope John XXIII was older when he was elected and so was Pope Benedict. I think the experience that he has and the gifts that he brings to the ministry are so precious and wonderful. Cardinal Sean said that he's most looking to returning to Boston for Holy Week. He said “During Holy Week, we have the Chrism Mass, which to me is one of the most important moments of the year. I gather with all the priests, we renew our vows to serve God's people, we bless the oils that are used as our tools for baptisms, confirmations, and anointing of the sick. That's always a very important moment for priests. I look forward to sharing that moment with my priests each year. In describing Pope Francis personally, Cardinal Sean said that he knew him well and mentioned that Pope Francis is very approachable, very friendly, has a good sense of humor, he's very quick thinking and a joy to be with. Next on the Good Catholic Life, we'll discuss Pope Francis' first homily to the Cardinals and to the world. Please stay tuned. 3rd segment: Yesterday, Pope Francis met with the Cardinals in the Sistine Chapel at 5pm for the Celebration of Mass. He preached without written remarks and he did it from the pulpit instead of sitting in a chair. It was very different from what we've seen over the last couple of decades. It was impressive to me, given all he's been through over the past few days, to hear him deliver such an eloquent homily off the cuff. Here is a translated version of what he preached, courtesy of There is something that I see that these three readings have in common: movement. In the first reading it is the movement of a journey; in the second reading it is the movement in building the Church; in the third, the Gospel, it is the movement of confession. Journeying, building, confessing. First, Journeying. “House of Jacob, come, let us walk together in the light of the Lord” (Isaiah 2:5). This is the first thing that God said to Abraham: Walk in my presence and you will be blameless. Journey: our life is a journey and when we stop it does not go on. Journey always in the presence of the Lord, in the light of the Lord, seeking to live with that blamelessness that God asked of Abraham in his promise. Second, Building. Building the Church. Stones are spoken of: the stones have a consistency, but they are the living stones, stones anointed by the Spirit. Building the Church, the Bride of Christ, upon that cornerstone that is the Lord himself. Building is another form of movement in our life. Third, confessing. We can journey as much as we want, we can build many things, but if we do not confess Jesus Christ, the thing does not work. We will become a welfare NGO but not the Church, the Bride of Christ. When we do not journey, we stop. When we do not build upon the stones, what happens? Everything collapses, loses its consistency, like the sandcastles that children build on the beach. When we do not confess Jesus Christ, I am reminded of the words of Léon Bloy: “Whoever does not pray to the Lord, prays to the devil.” When we do not confess Jesus Christ, we confess the worldliness of the devil, the worldliness of the demon. Journeying, building-constructing, confessing. But it is not that easy, because in journeying, in constructing, in confessing, there are problems, there are movements antithetical to the journey: they are movements that take us backward. This Gospel continues with an important moment. The same Peter who had confessed Jesus Christ said to him: You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. I will follow you, but let's not talk about the cross. This is not a part of it. I will follow you in other directions, but not to the cross. When we journey without the cross, when we build without the cross and when we confess a Christ without the cross, we are not disciples of the Lord: we are worldly, we are bishops, priests, cardinals, popes, but not disciples of the Lord. I would like for us all, after these days of grace, to have courage, precisely the courage, to walk in the Lord's presence, with the cross of the Lord; to build the Church upon the blood of the Lord, which was poured out on the cross; and to confess the only glory there is: Christ crucified. And in this way the Church will go forward. It is my wish for all of us that the Holy Spirit – through the prayer of Our Lady, our Mother – bestow upon us the grace of journeying, building, confessing Jesus Christ crucified. Amen. Those are the words from the first homily of Pope Francis yesterday in the Sistine Chapel. A few things struck me. He's a talented preacher to do this off the cuff. We are in for some great homilies during his pontificate. He used down to earth analogies, such as sandcastles on the beach that get washed away. He used powerful, striking language. He said if we don't confess Christ and put him at the center of our mission, we become a welfare NGO. He said we need to confess Christ with the Cross. And to his brother bishops – and through them to us – he challenged us by saying “without confessing the cross, we are not disciples of the Lord: we are worldly, we are bishops, priests, cardinals, popes, but not disciples of the Lord. That's tough. I loved how he described that we are always moving. We are either moving forward in the spiritual life or if we're just trying to stay in place we'll regress. He implored the bishops and the entire Church to walk with courage proclaiming the Cross of Christ. The last thing was that he ended his homily calling on the Blessed Mother. I believe Pope Francis will be known someday for his Marian Devotion just like Blessed John Paul II was. I can't wait until his next homily at his installation Mass on Tuesday morning. We'll take a look forward at this Sunday's Mass readings next. You are listening to the Good Catholic Life. 4th segment: Welcome back to The Good Catholic Life here from Rome. For our new listeners, we often try to end our week by turning toward the Sunday readings. Hearing them on Friday gives us the chance to reflect on them before we join our Brothers and Sisters at Mass on Sunday. Thus says the LORD, who opens a way in the sea and a path in the mighty waters, who leads out chariots and horsemen, a powerful army, till they lie prostrate together, never to rise, snuffed out and quenched like a wick. Remember not the events of the past, the things of long ago consider not; see, I am doing something new! Now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? In the desert I make a way, in the wasteland, rivers. Wild beasts honor me, jackals and ostriches, for I put water in the desert and rivers in the wasteland for my chosen people to drink, the people whom I formed for myself, that they might announce my praise. Gospel for the Fifth Sunday of Lent, March 17, 2013 (John 8:1-11) Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. But early in the morning he arrived again in the temple area, and all the people started coming to him, and he sat down and taught them. Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery and made her stand in the middle. They said to him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” They said this to test him, so that they could have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with his finger. But when they continued asking him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again he bent down and wrote on the ground. And in response, they went away one by one, beginning with the elders. So he was left alone with the woman before him. Then Jesus straightened up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She replied, “No one, sir.” Then Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin any more.” Now some reflections (courtesy of ): Last week, Jesus preached to us the parable of the Prodigal Son, which stressed the Father's undying love for his wayward child, the meaning of genuine repentance and the sadness of the older brother who couldn't share his father's joy. In today's Gospel, that STORY (parable) about God's forgiveness becomes REALITY, in the encounter of Jesus with the woman caught in adultery and with all the “older brothers” who were trying to get her killed rather than trying to bring her to mercy. Just as Jesus wanted us last week to see ourselves as the prodigal son, who acted as if his father were dead and squandered the inheritance of love, so he wants us to see ourselves in the woman caught red-handed. Moreover, just as the Lord wants us to recognize that often we can behave like the older brother in the parable who resents mercy given to sinful siblings, so, too, the Lord wishes us to drop whatever stones are in our hands and use even other's sins as a reminder of our own. The Church gives us this reading on the fifth Sunday of Lent to remind us, first, of the horror and the just consequences of sin; second, of the incredible gift of God's mercy; and third, of what we need to do to receive that mercy. The first big lesson in today's Gospel that the Church wants us to grasp this Lent. Each of us is like that woman caught in adultery, whether or not we've been captured by others in the act of committing such a sin. In the revelation God gave us in the Old Testament, He revealed that every sin is really adultery, because it is being unfaithful to the covenant of love we have entered into with God. He referred to Israel as his adulterous bride, and, in some ways, each of us are part of that adulterous bride. Each of us merits to be stoned. But, as we see in St. Paul's letter to the Ephesians, Christ laid down his life to make his bride holy and spotless. He, the only one who fully merits to be able to cast a stone, took the stones, the bullet, intended for us and died out of love so that his bride wouldn't have to. Such great love is supposed to lead to three reactions on our part: The first is to have a just horror for our sins and to recognize how deadly they are The second thing is to come to receive his mercy The third reaction is to stop judging others and begin to extend God's merciful forgiveness to them That will conclude today's episode of The Good Catholic Life. For recordings of today's show and all our previous shows, please visit our website, TheGoodCatholicLife.com. We encourage you also to follow our daily blog from Rome which is also available at TheGoodCatholicLife.com and to view George Martell's photos on BostonCatholicPhotos.com. For our production team of Rick Heil, Dom Bettinelli, George Martell and Karla Goncalves, this is Scot Landry saying so long from Rome, God Bless You and Have a wonderful weekend!

Summary of today's show: Continuing our live coverage from Rome, Scot Landry welcomed Fr. Roger Landry to discuss how the cardinals will be discerning who they will choose to be the next pope; Fr. Chris O'Connor and Mary Jo Kriz to reflect on being pilgrims in Rome at this time and on their pilgrimage in honor of Blessed John Paul II; Fr. Dennis Gill on Pope Benedict's legacy through his emphasis on the liturgy as a catechism of our faith; and Lisa Hughes of WBZ-TV on how the Boston news station plans to cover the conclave. Also, a series of reflections from those involved in The Good Catholic Life on it's two-year anniversary. Listen to the show: Watch the show via live video streaming or a recording later: Today's host(s): Scot Landry Today's guest(s): Fr. Dennis Gill, Mary Jo Kriz, Fr. Chris O'Connor, Fr. Roger Landry, Lisa Hughes Links from today's show: Today's topics: LIVE from Rome: Conclave date set; In the Footsteps of John Paul II; Liturgy as Catechism; Two-Year Anniversary 1st segment: Scot Landry welcomed everyone to the show coming from Rome. It's our two-year anniversary show. He welcomed Fr. Roger Landry to the show. Scot said the Vatican press office had announced earlier today that the date for the conclave would be set today. Fr. Roger said that focuses the attention of the cardinals on their immediate preparations to whittle down their lists for who they will vote for on the first ballot. It helps us to expedite our own prayers to help them in their discernment. Every Catholic has a role to play in asking the Holy Spirit to guide them Scot said Cardinal Seán had said he'd hoped the cardinals would choose to spend as much time as they needed in the general congregations to discern who they would vote for. Fr. Roger said he thinks the cardinals will pray for a way to discern out of 115 potential candidates the one choice. They have to get beyond the acquaintance stage to really get to know one another so they are comfortable entrusting the future of the Catholic Church to one man. They're looking for someone to teach, to sanctify, and to govern. Fr. Roger has been in Rome for four days now. Scot asked him what he's been up to. Fr. Roger said for EWTN he was filming a lot of small segments connecting Church history with the present conclave. Much of the churches of Rome provide the context for the papacy. He shows the meaning of the things that we all see, like the obelisk in St. Peter's Square, the façade, the statue of Christ, the inscriptions regarding St. Peter in the building. He said the Altar of the Chair has an inscription that “You the Shepherd of the Sheep, Shepherd the Sheep of God,” which is actually directed to Jesus as the True Shepherd by the Pope. Fr. Roger asks listeners to pray that the Holy Spirit to give the cardinals the light whom they should choose and then to give them patience. The process is long and stressful with two votes in morning and then afternoon. We should also pray that whomever is elected that we can embrace as Peter's successor and Christ's Vicar, even if we don't really know him yet. Trust in God's work through the cardinals and follow him. Scot said a lot has been made in the media about the clash of cultures between the American cardinals sharing in the media versus the curial cardinals who didn't like it. Does that signal a long conclave? Fr. Roger thinks it will be a conclave. After the first few days of voting, they will pause for a day of meditation. He thinks no cardinal will get more than a handful of votes in the first few ballots and it will take time to whittle them down. But we can be assured that there will be a pope eventually on that balcony. Scot asked Fr. Roger what he would say about the importance of Catholic radio. Fr. Roger said Catholic radio helps us to live the good Catholic life. It's not enough just to know the truth, but how to live it. Each Thursday, when he's on the show, we look at the news headlines through Catholic lenses. Sometimes it's bad news, sometimes it's great news. Regardless when we look at the news with the eyes of faith, there's always hope. The Lord is always trying to bring good out of evil. It's been a great joy for him to examine current events through Catholic lenses on this show. 2nd segment: Scot welcomes Fr. Chris O'Connor back to the show. He said Fr. Chris celebrated a Mass at the tomb of Bl. John Paul II. He said he is half-Polish and he is full of joy to see the good that this native son of Poland has done for the world. To be at the tomb of this holy man is to be inspired. It makes you want to deepen your prayer life. Scot said more than half of the popes are buried in St. Peter's but John Paul's tomb is special to us. Fr. Chris said he called us to a greater sense of holiness and a greater respect for human life. He recalled an anecdote in which Mikhail Gorbachev called John Paul II the moral authority in the world today. Fr. Chris said he was stubborn in the best sense of the word and bulldozed through any obstacles placed in the way of freedom for his homeland. He had great confidence in Christ giving him the strength to overcome the scourge of communism. Scot noted that when John Paul was shot in St. Peter's Square, he turned to the Blessed Mother. He asked Fr. Chris what he saw in Poland that exemplified that devotion. He said the shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa is a sign of the country's identity and devotion. The Poles are extremely devoted to her and every August millions of them walk dozens or hundreds of miles in pilgrimage to her shrine. In a period waiting for the conclave, Scot asked Fr. Chris about wanting to have the next pope be of such quality that he is called “The Great” immediately after he goes home to God someday, just like with John Paul in 2005. Fr. Chris said as they've walked around Rome the last few days, people have engaged in the guessing game, but his sense is that whoever walks out on the balcony we're all going to embrace and love. Scot asked Fr. Chris about his favorite moments participating in the show the past two years. He said he's impressed by the number of people who tell him they listen to the program and find it rewarding. He said he admires and respects the work Scot is doing to get the Catholic message out. Fr. Chris said it's like we're holding conferences every day with incredible topics. He said you're always hearing people share their faith and how it's impacted their lives. Scot said one of the moving moments for him was Fr. Chris sharing how he visits Norfolk state prison and hears how many men there listen to the show. Scot said he heard from a firefighter who plays the show in the firehouse and turns it up to help evangelize his brother and sister firefighters. Fr. Chris said of the men in Norfolk that many of them are saints. He hears from them that this is another resource for their faith. Christ said “when I was in prison, you visited me” and “when I was sick you visited with me” and Catholic media is a way of doing that. Scot asked Fr. Chris' hope for the Church with this opportunity to share with others in this media scrutiny. Fr. Chris said the Church has a long tradition and people will see that in the coming days, the grandiosity and beauty of Rome. In the midst of the chaos of the Church, we can witness that we are one, holy, catholic, and apostolic. Jesus governs the Church through its visible head, the Pope. The Church can be seen to pray together in Masses. She is apostolic through the many trips of the pope throughout the world. We are catholic by the diversity of cardinals coming to Rome and the pilgrims see in the city. The media will focus on the power of the papacy, but we focus on the service of the papacy, which serves us in every way. Scot said we can see the disagreements in the Church and the different cultures, with an example in the different approaches to the media by the different groups of cardinals. Christ called us to love one another and we do see that love ultimately despite the differences. Fr. Chris said it's a blessing to be in Rome to see it all play out. The Church is like any human family, with strengths and weaknesses. He has the conviction that whomever walks out on that balcony, we will embrace him with great joy. We trust the decision is made by the cardinals with the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit. 3rd segment: Scot welcomed Mary Jo Kriz, who's been part of the St. John Seminary Master of Arts in Ministry pilgrimage in the footsteps of Pope John Paul II. Mary Jo said it's been an amazing time. She said today they had a beautiful Mass at the altar of Bl. John Paul II with Fr. Chris O'Connor, Fr. Jonathan Gaspar and Fr. Eric Bennett. The message was to “be not afraid” in this time of transition. Scot said it was clear in Fr. Chris' homily how close he was to John Paul and many of us feel the same. Mary Jo said praying by the tomb made her feel like he was there. She met him in 1995 in Rome and she had the same feeling again. Scot said more than half of all the popes are buried in St. Peter's and that makes it awesome to pray in that place. John Paul leaves a great legacy for the Church. For those who haven't been to Rome, he asked her to sum up what it means to be in Rome. She said they had the opportunity to pray Vespers in Assisi and before that with the cardinals in St. Peter's. No matter where we go in the world, it's the same prayers and the same Mass. The Lord affirmed her faith. If you can get to Rome, you will feel at home. Scot asked Mary Jo about a story of a family member who was stunned to hear her voice on the radio yesterday. She's originally from Buffalo and a family member from the area sent her an email saying she turned on the Catholic radio station there and heard her voice. That's the power of Catholic radio. Scot said when people tell him they hear the show, he asks them how often they listen. Some heard it while surfing the dial and others don't miss it. He asked Mary Jo if she's disappointed that the election of the pope didn't occur while she was there and she agreed she was, but Providence provides. 4th segment: Scot welcomes Fr. Dennis Gill, a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and a former professor at the North American College. He said he is a professor of liturgy but is also an expert in the conclave. He said he has no idea when it will start, but it appears the cardinals are taking the preparation time very seriously. Scot asked if he thought it would be a short conclave. Fr. Gill said he thinks it will go quickly because the cardinals have had this lengthy preparation time and they will know early on the man they think should be the Vicar of Christ. Scot asked his hopes for the focus on liturgy. Fr. Gill said it will take years for us to assess the affect that Pope Benedict had on the liturgy. He has a profound understanding of the liturgy as a divine event. He brought new light to a reading of Sacrosanctum concilium and his writing has helped clarify and reorient the Sacred Liturgy and that will endure. He thinks the next Holy Father will have to continue what Pope Benedict has done, which is an ongoing presentation of what the Vatican Council did. He said much of what Pope Benedict said and did was not fully accepted worldwide and so he hopes the next Holy Father will be even more proactive. Scot said the liturgy teaches us so much about our faith. Fr. Gill said the liturgy is the principal catechism of the Church, in the way it's celebrated as well as its content in the prayers and Biblical content. It's important to highlight the liturgy in this Year of Faith. 5th segment: Scot welcomed Lisa Hughes of WBZ-TV to the show. He asked her how she got this assignment. She said she got very lucky. She was there when Cardinal Seán was made a cardinal. Scot asked what it's like to cover a story in Rome versus a story in Boston. She said the Internet connection isn't as good, the streets are a bit more mysterious to them, but there's something so exciting in being there, hearing the languages and the excitement. The Vatican is the epicenter of it all. Scot said it's like a journalist convention with more than 5,000 credentialed. Lisa said they see cameras everywhere they go. She said they went to , which is the tailor that makes the pope's vestments, and there were already many cameras there, and she's sure there will be many more wherever they go. It is such a big city that they're not on top of each other yet. Lisa said their reports will start airing Sunday night during the 6:30 broadcast, and when the conclave starts they will be on live on the 5 and 6pm shows Monday through Friday and live whenever the announcement comes. Scot said as we close the show that he is happy to relay the news that the date for the conclave has been set by the cardinals to begin on Tuesday, March 12. He asked everyone to redouble their prayers for them as a group and to pray for the man who is elected who is taking on a significant ministry of service. Scot reflected on being host of the show for the past two years.

Summary of today's show: Continuing our coverage from Rome, Scot Landry talks with Fr. Roger Landry about celebrating Mass in St. Peter's Basilica in the early morning, the latest developments as the College of Cardinals continue their daily meetings, and what criteria he thinks the cardinals are using to discern who they will vote for to become the next pope. Then Scot is joined by Francesco Cesareo, president of Assumption College in Worcester, who just opened a Rome campus and who gave his impressions of where the Church is heading in this time of transition. Listen to the show: Watch the show via live video streaming or a recording later: Today's host(s): Scot Landry Today's guest(s): Fr. Roger Landry, Francesco Cesareo, George Martell Links from today's show: Today's topics: Latest Developments LIVE from Rome; Celebrating Mass in St. Peter's; Criteria for the Next Pope; Assumption College in Rome 1st segment: Scot Landry welcomed Fr. Roger Landry to the show. Fr. Roger is in Rome to provide expert commentary for EWTN and others. Scot said he and Fr. Roger rose early this morning to go to St. Peter's where Fr. Roger celebrate Mass. Fr. Roger said he spent his first year as a priest in Rome and was a guide in St. Peter's Basilica and his tomb, so anytime he has a chance to celebrate Mass in St. Peter's is a great thrill for him. It brings him back to his one, holy, catholic, and apostolic faith. Scot asked how it works for a Mass to celebrate Mass in St. Peter's. Fr. Roger said usually a priest has to show a document that shows he's in good standing to celebrate Mass in another diocese, but at St. Peter's if the priest speaks Italian and appears to know what he's doing, he's given the benefit of the doubt. But any priest can walk into the sacristy and ask to say Mass. They have many altars and the appropriate books in many other languages. They are brought out to one of the available altars and today they were brought to the altar of the Sacred Heart. Scot said this altar is to the left of the main altar. Fr. Roger said you can always request a particular altar if it's free, but today he just let them choose it for him. He said his preferred altar is that of Pope St. Leo the Great to whom Fr. Roger has a special devotion. Scot said he loves when traveling to Rome is get in St. Peter's by 6:45am so he can be there before it becomes what he calls a “holy museum”. At 7am it is used for what it was mainly built for, which is to be a house of prayer. Fr. Roger said Jesus said His Father's house must be a house of prayer and so that time between 7 and 9 in the morning when only Mass is allowed is what it is. Tours and tourists aren't allowed in that time. Fr. Roger said in 2000, whenever Pope John Paul II was having an event in St. Peter's Square, the church was empty and so Fr. Roger would come in by a back door and many times he was the only priest in the basilica. Every time he returns to the basilica those sentiments from the beginning of his priesthood come flooding back. Scot asked how someone who happens to be in Rome might be able to find a Mass at St. Peter's at 7am. Fr. Roger said many people wait outside the entrance to the sacristy and wait to see priests come out and ask, “Mass in English?” Or they could go into the outer sacristy and ask the sacristan at the desk if there was a Mass in English. Fr. Roger is a pastor of St. Bernadette Parish in Fall River, but he was asked by Raymond Arroyo of EWTN to come and be one of his three color commentators for all the events. They began their broadcasting earlier today with a prayer service with the cardinals at the basilica and every day until the first Mass of the new Holy Father. He's also doing a lot of writing while in Rome for the Diocese of Fall River's newspaper, The Anchor, as well as a daily column for the . He's been asked to be on TV on some of the local Boston stations as well as some of the national networks for some ad hoc interviews so that people back home can understand what's happening and so someone at home can be connected through him to the events in Rome. Scot said three events happened today. First, the cardinals met in their General Congregation this morning. They decided at that meeting that cardinals will not speak to the media or through their Twitter accounts or blogs until the end of the conclave. And then there was a prayer service at 5pm Rome time. Fr. Roger said the cardinals themselves are praying individually and as a body are praying. What they will be doing in the Sistine Chapel is primarily an act of discernment to determine who it is that God wants to be Benedict XVI's successor. First they pray to the Holy Spirit for discernment, but also every Catholic has a similar responsibility to pray for the Holy Spirit to illumine the cardinals. The cardinals explicitly asked for our help. He said Pope Benedict in his weekly teachings this past year talked about the Church being in prayer together. The Church in every continent should be united in prayer asking for God to give us the successor to St. Peter. Scot said many of the Boston media will be arriving later this week, but with the lack of cardinals' availability they will be looking for stories now. Scot asked Fr. Roger why he thinks there's so much interest from secular media from around the world. Fr. Roger said he thinks most media organizations, whether conscious of it or not, recognize that the new pope isn't just important to Catholics, but is enormously important to the whole world. He is the recognized moral leader of the world. In the midst of so much injustice and poverty, a holy pope makes a big difference in bringing justice, peace, and material and spiritual well-being to the world. Many commentators mentioned that it was Blessed John Paul II's influence that led to the fall of Communism. He asked Fr. Roger what he thought Benedict's non-religious contribution to the world was. Fr. Roger said he gave four tremendous addresses on the proper role of politics and religion in helping political deliberations guided by the light of the truth of the human person. Those were given in London, Berlin, and Washington, DC. It clarified for many statesmen what their vocation is. The second thing he will be credited for is his tremendous concern for the natural environment. He focused the lenses of the world on that issue and motivated many in the Church to take it seriously because previously many Catholics were turned off by the pantheistic tendencies in the Green movement. Scot said the work of the General Congregations continues. He asked what is happening as the cardinals prepare for the conclave. Fr. Roger said in these daily meetings, the cardinals have certain business of running the Church, then some speeches that are supposed to be five minutes and they share their thoughts about the real issues facing the Church. It's also a time for certain figures to shine and others to fade a bit as cardinals whittle down the number of candidates to a few. Fr. Roger said the custom is that they will first listen to the elder cardinals, but any cardinal could speak even more than once. Anyone who wants to share his thoughts is permitted. It's one of the reasons they are sworn to secrecy so they can pour out their hearts. This all continues until the date they set for the conclave to begin. The American cardinals said this week that one of the general topics is the issue of governance of the Vatican. Scot asked what other issues they'll discuss. Fr. Roger said it will be the spreading of the Gospel in the context of secularism or official atheism or religious suppression; the explosive growth of the faith in developing nations; and how the Church will be most effective in caring out the mission Christ entrusted to us. All other issues are derivative of this issue. Scot asked how the list of papabile has evolved, both the public list and what the cardinals themselves might be thinking. Fr. Roger said in 2005 the list put together by pundits varied greatly from the list of those the cardinals themselves were talking about. This time, the pundits have most of the names that are being considered because the criteria this time are pretty clear in terms of who is needed. First, he has to a devout disciple and ardent apostle; affable and amiable; enthusiastic about proclaiming the Gospel; someone people could look to as a model of holiness. Fr. Roger said in any organization there are those who fully live it and those who fall short. He said he doesn't think it will be a very shy person. They want someone who can explain the faith in ways most Catholics can grasp. Someone who has temper or anger issues probably wouldn't be considered. It is the character of the man in his virtues and strengths to be looked at first. This is more important than his race or national origin. Second, he has to have many languages. Fr. Roger thinks he has to have Italian, English, Spanish, French. Scot asked how many speak those languages and Fr. Roger said about 40, most of them Europeans or biblical scholars. Among those 40, some would not have the other criteria. The third criterion is that he be physically vigorous, probably someone under 72. After John Paul's illness and Benedict's retirement and the brutal daily schedule, the next pope needs to be more vigorous. The fourth criterion is someone who is capable administratively of governing the Vatican and capable of creating a model for the Church and so someone who's worked in a diocese someplace and demonstrated an effectiveness in those area. This follows on the various administrative scandals in the Vatican and so they want someone talented enough that he could choose the right collaborators and effectively carry out his governing duties so it wouldn't suck up all of his time. Scot said these are fairly knowable characteristics, apart from the first one. So how many of the 115 cardinals based on these are serious candidates. Fr. Roger thinks there are 15 candidates who are likely to be chosen. Fr. Roger said it's okay to root for someone you know who would be good provided it's not excessive. We want to be able to cheer and be grateful for whomever the cardinals select. He noted that no one was rooting for Pope John Paul II and never even believed he could be chosen. He said there might be someone even better than the one we are rooting for. Fr. Roger will be live on EWTN starting at 2pm Eastern and re-aired each night at 9pm. 2nd segment: This week's benefactor card raffle winner is Jeanne Clancy from Methuen She wins If you would like to be eligible to win in an upcoming week, please visit . For a one-time $30 donation, you'll receive the Station of the Cross benefactor card and key tag, making you eligible for WQOM's weekly raffle of books, DVDs, CDs and religious items. We'll be announcing the winner each Wednesday during “The Good Catholic Life” program. 3rd segment: Scot welcomed Francesco Cesareo, president of Assumption College, as they stood outside St. Peter's Square. Francesco said the college just opened a new campus in Rome as a study abroad program. he said all students regardless of major will be able to come study there. They will be steeped in the history of the Church a few steps away from St. Peter's. He said their hope is that the students will come home with a greater appreciation for their faith. Francesco gave a brief history of the college and a summary of the breadth of education and how they emphasize the formation of the whole human person. Scot noted that there are 11 colleges in Worcester. Francesco said the city has about 35,000 college students and offers many cultural, work, and educational opportunities for students. He said he's been president for six years and talked about his priorities of re-focusing education on the liberal arts and to integrate into the Catholic intellectual tradition so students learn how to live out their faith in all aspects of their lives. Scot asked his sense of what it's like to be in Rome this week. He said it's a time for Catholics to come together and pray for the cardinals. What strikes him is the continuity of the life of the Church and how the Church has always gone through transitions. In those transitions the Church has focused on what is needed by the Church in this particular moment and the Holy Spirit gives to the Church the right man for the right time. The Church has gone through trials and always comes through stronger and formed in a way that makes the Church a true light in the world. Scot asked how the resignation of Benedict XVI changes things for the next Pope. Francesco said the open question is how one leads the Church when his predecessor is still living. Will it affect his decision-making when he decides to move in a way that is perceived as moving away from the emphasis of his predecessor. He said there hasn't been a real papal resignation since Pope St. Celestine in 1294. It's too early to tell what this resignation means. What it does is place an emphasis on the institution itself. It shows the work of the institution is greater than any one man. Francesco said he hopes that the next pope continues the emphasis on the New Evangelization in order to reverse the decline especially in the West. He hopes he will continue the liturgical reforms of Benedict because our liturgical life needs to be done with a sense of mystery and beauty. He hopes he will bring the message of the Gospel to all the ends of the earth, someone who's visible and who excites the young people who are the life of the Church in a particular way. Francesco said the secular press looks at the Church from the lens they understand, which is secular governments, and so they focus a great deal of attention on governance of the Vatican, but the Holy Father's principal duty is to be a teacher and shepherd of the flock. Francesco said he doesn't think any American truly has a chance because the moral authority of the Holy Father could be compromised if he came from the United States. While there are some wonderful US cardinals, but the USA's prominent position in the economic and political life of the world, it could compromise his ability to speak as he must. 4th segment: Scot welcomed George Martell to the show. George said it was awesome to return to St. Peter's. He had been there with his wife a few years ago. Before Mass he was able to walk around and reminisce and take some special pictures from angles you can't usually get and without any people in them. Many of the photos are available on Scot reminded listeners in Boston that The Light Is On For You is tonight where every church and chapel will be open for confessions from 6 to 8:30pm. Check out:

Summary of today's show: Pope Benedict XVI shocked the world with his announcement that he would resign the See of St. Peter later this month. Scot Landry talks with a panel of guests—Fr. Roger Landry, Domenico Bettinelli, Chris Kelley of WQOM, and Rocco Palmo of Whispers in the Loggia— about the implications of this unprecedented action, what it means for the near-term future of the Church, and the legacy that the Holy Father leaves behind. Listen to the show: Watch the show via live video streaming or a recording later: Today's host(s): Scot Landry Today's guest(s): Rocco Palmo, Fr. Roger Landry, Chris Kelley, Domenico Bettinelli Links from today's show: Today's topics: Pope Benedict XVI's resignation 1st segment: Scot welcomed Rocco Palmo to the show. Rocco talked about how he first heard about the news of Pope Benedict's resignation, being woken this morning by his mother to the surprise news. He noted that there's a lot of talk about names today, but the cardinals he's talked to today have been too stunned to even process this event. Scot asked Fr. Roger Landry for his reaction. He said Pope Benedict XVI talked about he'd prayed about this very much. This isn't an abdication of his responsibilities, but another Yes in a lifetime of Yeses by Joseph Ratzinger. The Pope is trying to say that with the amount of time has left in the morning is that he's prioritizing prayer even more than the responsibilities of the papacy. It's a lesson about just how important prayer really is for all of us. Scot said today is the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, the World Day of the Sick, and anniversary of the signing of the Lateran Accords. Rocco said all three have significance today. The Lateran Treaty was signed in 1929 with Italy that made the Vatican a sovereign and neutral entity and guaranteed the pope temporal freedom. He said over the last several months the Pope has been noted as becoming ever more frail. He thinks the Pope was keen not to put the Church in a state of suspended animation again. The last years of John Paul were very moving, but Benedict saw himself as a transitional pope and to do things in a quiet way. The modern papacy outlives the demands the papacy puts on the officeholder's body. He doesn't believe that John Paul could have done this, but Benedict will be entering a cloistered monastery behind the Vatican walls. Before his election in 2005 he had wanted to retire to his home in Germany and write books. Scot asked Fr. Roger what to make of the comparison between John Paul at the end of his life and Benedict at the end of his. Fr. Roger said they were both saying yes to what was being asked of them by the Lord at the time. Benedict isn't running away from the cross at all. He's embracing it. There is a lesson of what the pope is capable of doing by his own presence. Think of an 85-year-old doing 12-14 hours per day, not to mention the grueling work of Holy Week and Easter in seven weeks or the international travel to World Youth Day. Rocco said it is a fact that the cardinals didn't know. The pope had a little noticed meeting on Friday with Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the retired Secretary of State, and the Dean of the College of Cardinals, who leads the Church until a new pope is elected. He won't participate in the conclave because he's over 80 years old. Rocco has talked with a bishop who was in the room at the Vatican when the Pope made the announcement in Latin and how stunned everyone was. Rocco said this is unprecedented and so much of what happens when a pope dies isn't going to happen. We don't know what his title will be nor what his prerogatives. He noted that this shows his humility in not calling a press conference, for instance. He wants to be remembered through his recent books for helping to bring simple people to faith, not writing deep theological treatises. He noted that Benedict is older than John Paul was when he died by two years. 2nd segment: Scot read Pope Benedict's statement: Dear Brothers, I have convoked you to this Consistory, not only for the three canonizations, but also to communicate to you a decision of great importance for the life of the Church. After having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry. I am well aware that this ministry, due to its essential spiritual nature, must be carried out not only with words and deeds, but no less with prayer and suffering. However, in today's world, subject to so many rapid changes and shaken by questions of deep relevance for the life of faith, in order to govern the barque of Saint Peter and proclaim the Gospel, both strength of mind and body are necessary, strength which in the last few months, has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me. For this reason, and well aware of the seriousness of this act, with full freedom I declare that I renounce the ministry of Bishop of Rome, Successor of Saint Peter, entrusted to me by the Cardinals on 19 April 2005, in such a way, that as from 28 February 2013, at 20:00 hours, the See of Rome, the See of Saint Peter, will be vacant and a Conclave to elect the new Supreme Pontiff will have to be convoked by those whose competence it is. Dear Brothers, I thank you most sincerely for all the love and work with which you have supported me in my ministry and I ask pardon for all my defects. And now, let us entrust the Holy Church to the care of Our Supreme Pastor, Our Lord Jesus Christ, and implore his holy Mother Mary, so that she may assist the Cardinal Fathers with her maternal solicitude, in electing a new Supreme Pontiff. With regard to myself, I wish to also devotedly serve the Holy Church of God in the future through a life dedicated to prayer. From the Vatican, 10 February 2013 BENEDICTUS PP XVI Scot said it's a moving and personal message to the cardinals gathered there and to the worldwide Church. Fr. Roger what stands out for him about consulting the Lord in his conscience repeatedly. He thinks the phrase “to govern the barque of St. Peter and proclaim the Gospel” is significant because how much work it takes to do all that including, proclaiming the Gospel throughout the world. We all feel a bit of a kick to the gut. But we need to remember that it is Christ's Church and that we have a King and High Priest who never leaves us. Scot talked about the practice of bishops who resign and retire from the dioceses, while in Rome, the Pope doesn't generally retire. Fr. Roger said it used to be that once you were a bishop, you never resigned, but with the advance of medicine you had the phenomenon of men living well into old age where they could not serve effectively. That's why the Code of Canon Law implemented mandatory resignations at 75, the pope exempted. It was always foreseen that the Pope could resign. Scot welcomed Chris Kelley to the show. Scot said this is a humble act by the Holy Father. Chris said the humility of this pope, we've seen from the beginning of his pontificate and even before. We see it in his first encyclical, for example, Deus Caritas Est, God is Love. He has a great way of breaking down theological concepts into every day speech. Chris noted that it was in his preaching that Benedict seemed most alive and youngest. Scot said he was most shocked today, not about the resignation, but that he resigned with two weeks notice, having just launched a major Twitter initiative, in the middle of the Year of Faith, and with his next great encyclical on Faith unpublished. Some speculate that there is some health crisis that precipitated such a short period between his announcement and resignation. Fr. Roger said the Pope knows a long lame duck session would make things worse. He likely saw the grueling Lent and Holy Week coming up as well as World Youth Day and saw that he could not fulfill them. He talked about the eyewitness of people in the room when the Pope made the announcement and they felt Cardinal Sodano had been prepared for the announcement. Dom talked about the ability to go to the Catholic media versus the secular media which is often cynical and ill informed and looking for scandal and conflict in their coverage. Fr. Roger said on our part we can live our faith more fully and when we do, we don't approach this as a massive crisis for which there is no answer. He said whoever is elected will have big shoes to fill and will need all the prayers of the Church. The world needs most from the Church is that we're not looking at it in terms of political ideologies or that the next pope will be chosen based on nationalities, but instead we're basing our talk on what really matters. We need to assure others to have faith in Christ. Scot said the Archdiocese of Boston released two statements, the first from Bishop Deeley: “We have received the Holy Father's announcement that, having prayerfully discerned that due to physical limitations he is no longer able to fulfill the responsibilities of his office, he will resign effective February 28th. At this time we give thanks to God for the gift of Pope Benedict XVI's faithful leadership of the Roman Catholic Church during the past 8 years of his papacy. We assure the Holy Father of our prayers and fidelity during these final weeks of his service as the Vicar of Christ. In particular I offer my personal gratitude to the Holy Father for the experience of working closely with him during my time in Rome with the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. I know of his deep and abiding love for the Church and for fulfilling the saving ministry of Jesus.” Cardinal Seán's statement said: “The Catholic community and the world today learned that Pope Benedict XVI, following deep prayer and reflection, announced that he will resign the papacy at the end of this month. We join the universal Church in offering prayerful gratitude for the Holy Father's faith, courage and his leadership as the successor of Peter. At this time it is appropriate for the Church and all people of good faith to reflect on Pope Benedict's legacy and achievements. He brought unique capabilities to the papacy as a highly qualified scholar and teacher, and as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, in service to Blessed John Paul II. His fidelity to maintaining the truth and clarity of the Catholic faith, to cultivating ecumenical and interfaith dialogue and in reaching out to inspire the next generation of Catholics have been great gifts to us all. It was a great privilege for me to be present as Pope Benedict met with survivors of clergy sexual abuse during his visit to the United States in April 2008. At that meeting the Holy Father's pastoral care for the survivors was clearly evident, as was his commitment and determination to heal the wounds of all persons impacted by the abuse crisis and to insure that the Church continues to do all that is possible to provide for the protection of children. During the coming weeks we will continue to pray for Pope Benedict XVI and will call upon the wisdom and guidance of the Holy Spirit as the Church moves forward to choose the next successor to Saint Peter.” Chris talked about the legacy he'll remember from Pope Benedict in the future. He said the Year of Faith is a time to learn more about the Petrine ministry. Dom talked about the Pope's legacy as the “new media” Pope. Fr. Roger described how the conclave works and why we trust that the Holy Spirit works in the election of the Pope. All the cardinals under 80 will gather in the conclave. Those over 80 can come to Rome and participate in consistories before the conclave. Those meetings will discuss the challenges facing the Church in the world today, led by Cardinal Sodano. He will lead a Mass to begin the conclave in which they will be locked in the Sistine Chapel and begin a process of two votes per day. They will pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit as they make their selection from among their number. He said it took courage to elect Benedict with the unfair reputation of the German Rottweiler and to elect John Paul, an unknown from Poland. The Holy Spirit gives the gift of courage. Scot said the Pope won't vote in the conclave and there's question as to what he will be called. Fr. Roger said the Vatican said today that he will be called Bishop-emeritus of Rome. The successor will have big shoes to fill and will clearly consult him. Pope Benedict is clearly saying that in order to be Pope and you need to be physically vigorous. We need someone of profound faith, someone who speaks English, Italian, Spanish, and French at least, and someone who's physically healthy. He encourages everyone to pray for Pope Benedict, for the cardinals, and for his successor.

"In the end my Immaculate Heart will triumph"; The Story of Fatima (Part 3): In the final instalment of his series on Fatima, Paul explains the third secret of Fatima revealed by Blessed John Paul II in 2000. We also hear from Brother Dominic Levak, a Conventual Franciscan who shares about the companionship of Our Lady in his work and prayer life. The post “My Immaculate Heart will triumph” appeared first on Cradio.

Summary of today's show: Cardinal Timothy Dolan set the tone for the semi-annual US Bishops Conference meeting in Baltimore this week in his president's address when he exhorted his brother bishops to greater personal conversion and reconciliation and maintained that the New Evangelization is dead in the water without personal conversion and a striving for holiness by all the people, led by our bishops. Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O'Connor take Cardinal Dolan's speech in-depth and discuss its implications, which include the newsworthy suggestion of the renewal of Friday abstinence throughout the year. Listen to the show: Watch the show via live video streaming or a recording later: Today's host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O'Connor Links from today's show: Today's topics: Cardinal Dolan calls his brother bishops to repentance for the New Evangelization 1st segment: Scot welcomed listeners to the show and thanked veterans for their service on the day after Veterans Day was observed. Fr. Chris O'Connor related his day yesterday, taking advantage of the beautiful weather. He said he will be at St. Julia in Weston tomorrow at 7pm talking about our faith and what it is we believe, based on the first part of the Catechism. Throughout the rest of the Year of Faith, there will be talks on the three other parts of the Catechism. They also discussed St. Julia's and the beautiful renovations they've done there. Scot said every November all the bishops of the US gather to vote and discuss current issues in the Church and administrative issues. This general assembly has been moderately newsworthy. Earlier today the bishop unanimously agreed to advance the cause of canonization for Dorothy Day. Fr. Chris said she epitomizes the struggle for holiness and the difficulties. She opened soup kitchens throughout the United States and pioneered the social justice movement. He said she showed how the poor that we care for may not be pleasant to our eyes, ears, or nose, but still are Christ among us. The bishops also approved a document on better preaching in our Sunday homilies and a new special collection for the Archdiocese of the Military Services. Scot said many of our servicemen and women can go months without seeing a Catholic chaplain and these mainly young people need to be able to receive the sacraments more often as they are separated from everything they know and love and are often confronted with the great questions of life. Scot said Cardinal Seán briefed his brother bishops yesterday on the defeat of Question 2 and assisted suicide in Massachusetts. The bishops were moved by the fact that despite very long odds, we are able to turn back assisted suicide. On Sunday about 45 bishops and about 50 or so Catholic bloggers talked about how new media and social media have changed how people receive information about the Church. One of the leaders of the event was Bishop Christopher Coyne, who is originally from the archdiocese. Many of the bishops had questions for the bloggers on how to start and what they as bishops should be doing themselves. How can they use Twitter and stay within the propriety of the office of bishop. Fr. Chris said this is part of a larger conversation where our society recognizes that people aren't watching TV or reading newspapers, but are getting information through new media. The message is the same—Jesus is Lord—but the way we spread it changes. The two most discussed addresses at the general assembly are those by the apostolic nuncio, the pope's representative to the US, and that of the president of the USCCB, who is currently Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York. Scot said he was surprised by the tone that Dolan took on the sacrament of penance as a wonderful tool for the New Evangelization. Fr. Chris said it's a return to the basics and the essentials. Cardinal Dolan laments in the decline in the sacrament of the Second Vatican Council. Now Scot played the beginning of his address to his brother bishops: My brother bishops, Yes, we have “a lot on our plate” as we commence our meeting, urgent issues very worthy of our solicitude as pastors — the suffering in vast areas not far from here caused by the Hurricane of two weeks ago, the imperative to the New Evangelization, the invitation offered by the Year of Faith, and our continued dialogue, engagement, and prophetic challenge to our culture over urgent issues such as the protection of human life, the defense of marriage, the promotion of human dignity in the lives of the poor, the immigrant, those in danger from war and persecution throughout the world, and our continued efforts to defend our first and most cherished freedom — all issues calling for our renewed and enthusiastic commitment. But I stand before you this morning to say simply: first things first. We gather as disciples of, as friends of, as believers in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, “the Way, the Truth and the Life,” who exhorted us to “seek first the Kingdom of God.” We cannot engage culture unless we let Him first engage us; we cannot dialogue with others unless we first dialogue with Him; we cannot challenge unless we first let Him challenge us. Scot said that last line is one of the most quoted from this speech so far. Scot said this suggests that the first step of our ongoing conversion of the New Evangelization is to go deeper in our own relationship with Jesus Christ. Even the bishops. Fr. Chris said what's most convincing is not what people say, but how they live their lives. We want to see lives rooted in Jesus Christ and given over to Him. Scot said as the entire Catholic Church in the United States we need to seek first the kingdom of God and we're all called to be holy in our relationship with Jesus Christ. Fr. Chris said we are all on a journey as a Church moving toward the Lord. We're all called to sanctity. The Venerable Servant of God, Fulton J. Sheen, once commented, “The first word of Jesus in the Gospel was ‘come'; the last word of Jesus was ‘go'.” Fifty years ago, on October 11, 1962, Blessed John XXIII courageously convened the Second Vatican Council “the greatest concern of which,” he insisted, “is that the sacred deposit of Christian doctrine should be guarded and taught more efficaciously.” (Allocution on the occasion of the opening of the Second Vatican Council, Gaudet mater ecclesia). We gather for our plenary assembly in our nation's premiere see, at the close of the XIII Ordinary General Synod of Bishops, still near the beginning of the Year of Faith. Both occasions have the same origin, the same goal expressed by Blessed John XXIII: the effective transmission of the faith for the transformation of the world. A year ago we began our visits ad limina Petri et Pauli. I know you join me in expressing deep gratitude for the extraordinary affection, warmth and fraternal care with which our Holy Father welcomed us. But Pope Benedict did not stop with his gracious hospitality. No. He also gave us plenty of fatherly advice — for our ministry as pastors of the Church and our personal role in the New Evangelization. Here's an especially striking example from his first ad limina address: “Evangelization,” the Successor of St. Peter noted, “… appears not simply a task to be undertaken ad extra; we ourselves are the first to need re-evangelization. As with all spiritual crises, whether of individuals or communities, we know that the ultimate answer can only be born of a searching, critical and ongoing self-assessment and conversion in the light of Christ's truth.” Scot said he was surprised by the emphasis to his brother bishops that the bishops are the first to need to re-evangelization. Fr. Chris said he's making it clear that holiness is contagious but must start with the bishops. on the Fulton Sheen reference, Christ wants you to come to recognize the Lord and live like Him and then go and bring Christ to others. Scot said we can't be sent until we know Jesus Christ. Fr. Chris said Cardinal Dolan is reminding the bishops that people need to know the faith and the bishops are the premier teachers of the faith. As we bishops at the just concluded Synod of Bishops confessed in our closing message: “We, however, should never think that the new evangelization does not concern us as Bishops personally. In these days voices among the Bishops were raised to recall that the Church must first of all heed the Word before she can evangelize the world. The invitation to evangelize becomes a call to conversion.” “We Bishops firmly believe that we must convert ourselves first to the power of Jesus Christ who alone can make all things new, above all our poor existence. With humility we must recognize that the poverty and weaknesses of Jesus' disciples, especially us, his ministers, weigh on the credibility of the mission. We are certainly aware – we bishops first of all – that we can never really be equal to the Lord's calling and mandate to proclaim His Gospel to the nations. We… do not hesitate to recognize our personal sins. We are, however, also convinced that the Lord's Spirit is capable of renewing His Church and rendering her garment resplendent if we let Him mold us.” (Final Message of the Synod of Bishops to the People of God, October 28, 2012) The New Evangelization reminds us that the very agents of evangelization – you and me — will never achieve that abundant harvest Blessed John XXIII described unless we are willing and eager to first be evangelized themselves. Only those themselves first evangelized can then evangelize. As St. Bernard put it so well, “If you want to be a channel, you must first be a reservoir.” I would suggest this morning that this reservoir of our lives and ministry, when it comes especially to the New Evangelization, must first be filled with the spirit of interior conversion born of our own renewal. That's the way we become channels of a truly effective transformation of the world, through our own witness of a penitential heart, and our own full embrace of the Sacrament of Penance. Scot said Cardinal Dolan was one of the six principal drafters of the final document of the synod. He says right up front that “we do not hesitate to recognize our personal sins.” The bishops are calling on each other to recognize their own sins and Scot called on all listeners to recognize in humility our weakness and sin to be better prepared for the New Evangelization. Fr. Chris said every saint has a past and every sinner a future. Our sins do not define us. What defines us is the call to holiness. The synod was about the transmission of the faith for the transformation of the world. Dolan said the way we do that is through our own witness of a penitential heart and our own full embrace of the sacrament of penance. Fr. Chris said confession should be a regular part of our Christian life to reconcile us and tell us we are not defined by our sins. “To believers also the Church must ever preach faith and penance,” declared the council fathers in the very first of the documents to appear, Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy. (SC, n. 9) To be sure, the sacraments of initiation - - Baptism, Confirmation, the Eucharist - - charge, challenge, and equip the agents of evangelization. Without those sacraments, we remain isolated, unredeemed, timid and unfed. But, the Sacrament of Reconciliation evangelizes the evangelizers, as it brings us sacramentally into contact with Jesus, who calls us to conversion of heart, and allows us to answer his invitation to repentance — a repentance from within that can then transform the world without. What an irony that despite the call of the Second Vatican Council for a renewal of the Sacrament of Penance, what we got instead was its near disappearance. We became very good in the years following the Council in calling for the reform of structures, systems, institutions, and people other than ourselves.That, too, is important; it can transform our society and world. But did we fail along the way to realize that in no way can the New Evangelization be reduced to a program, a process, or a call to structural reform; that it is first and foremost a deeply personal conversion within? “The Kingdom of God is within,” as Jesus taught. The premier answer to the question “What's wrong with the world?” “what's wrong with the church?” is not politics, the economy, secularism, sectarianism, globalization or global warming …none of these, as significant as they are. As Chesterton wrote, “The answer to the question ‘What's wrong with the world?' is just two words:'I am,'” Vatican II called for a renewal of the sacrament of penance and what we got is a near disappearance. Fr. Chris said it's one of the most profound sacraments. Scot said after the Council we took our eye off the ball, losing sight of what's really important. We failed to recognize that the New Evangelization is a deeply person conversion within. Fr. Chris recalled instances in Scripture when we hear God say, I am. It is to the great I am that we return for forgiveness of our sins. I am! Admitting that leads to conversion of heart and repentance, the marrow of the Gospel-invitation. I remember the insightful words of a holy priest well known to many of us from his long apostolate to priests and seminarians in Rome, Monsignor Charles Elmer, wondering aloud from time to time if, following the close of the Council, we had sadly become a Church that forgot how to kneel. If we want the New Evangelization to work, it starts on our knees. Remember a few years back, when Cardinal Cahal Daly led us in our June retreat? Speaking somberly of the Church in his home country, he observed, “The Church in Ireland is in the dirt on her knees.” Then he paused, and concluded, “Maybe that's where the Church is at her best.” We kneel in the Sacrament of Penance because we are profoundly sorry for our faults and our sins, serious obstacles to the New Evangelization. But then we stand forgiven, resolute to return to the work entrusted to us - as evangelizers of the Gospel of Mercy. Scot said if we want the New Evangelization to work, it starts on our knees in utter humility before our God. Fr. Chris said Cardinal Sean when he came to Boston spoke of the life of St. Francis and how his ministry took off when he heard from his knees Christ call him to rebuild His Church. Scot said people tell him they love Cardinal Sean because he's so humble and prayerful. Scot said the Church is at her worst when she's arrogant and not acting out of love. The Church on her knees is at her best because she's in prayer and most connected with Christ in humility and open to being his vessel to the world. Fr. Chris said we kneel when we approach royalty. How much more should we kneel before our Lord. He said a priest told him that whenever he enters the church he kneels and prays an act of contrition. I recall a conversation about a year ago with one of our brother bishops, newly ordained, attending his first plenary assembly. I asked his impressions of the meeting. “Well organized, informative, enjoyable,” he replied, but he went on to observe that it was one moment in particular that had the greatest impact on him. It was during our closing Holy Hour, as he entered the large room next to the chapel, to see dozens and dozens of bishops lined up to approach the Sacrament of Penance. This new Bishop told me that he felt that moment had more of an influence upon him than anything else at the meeting. Who can forget the prophetic words of repentance from Blessed John Paul II, during the Great Jubilee, as he expressed contrition – publicly and repeatedly - for the sins of the past? He mentioned the shame of the slave trade, the horrors of the holocaust, the death and destruction wrought by the crusades, the injustices of the conquest of the new world, and the violence of religious wars, to name only a few. I remember during the celebration of the 50th International Eucharistic Congress in Ireland last June, when Cardinal Marc Ouellet, the Papal Legate, expressed this so forcefully as he spoke on behalf of the Holy Father at the penitential shrine of St. Patrick's Purgatory: “I come here with the specific intention of seeking forgiveness, from God and from the victims, for the grave sin of sexual abuse of children by clerics… In the name of the Church, I apologize once again to the victims, some of which I have met here in Lough Derg.” And so it turns to us, my brothers. How will we make the Year of Faith a time to renew the Sacrament of Penance, in our own loves and in the lives of our beloved people whom we serve? Once again, we will later this week approach the Sacrament of Penance. And we'll have the opportunity during this meeting to approve a simple pastoral invitation to all our faithful to join us in renewing our appreciation for and use of the Sacrament. We will “Keep the Light On” during the upcoming Advent Season! The work of our Conference during the coming year includes reflections on re-embracing Friday as a particular day of penance, including the possible re-institution of abstinence on all Fridays of the year, not just during Lent. Our pastoral plan offers numerous resources for catechesis on the Sacrament of Penance, and the manifold graces that come to us from the frequent use of confession. Next June we will gather in a special assembly as brother bishops to pray and reflect on the mission entrusted to us by the Church, including our witness to personal conversion in Jesus Christ, and so to the New Evangelization. We work at giving our people good examples of humble, repentant pastors, aware of our own personal and corporate sins, constantly responding to the call of Jesus to interior conversion. Remember the Curé of Ars? When a concerned group of his worried supporters came to him with a stinging protest letter from a number of parishioners, demanding the bishop to remove John Vianney as their curé, claiming he was a sinner, ignorant, and awkward, St. John Vianney took the letter, read it carefully … and signed the petition! Scot noted that Dolan mentioned dioceses would embrace a program like The Light Is On For You in the Archdiocese of Boston. Fr. Chris said we can't say to folks that confession is important and only offer it during 15 minutes on Saturday. That's why he's so grateful for places like St. Anthony Shrine in Boston for frequent confession. How great would it be to say that in every parish in the United States a priest is available on every Tuesday at the same time. One of the more newsworthy items has been the idea of re-instituting Friday abstinence every week of the year, not just Lent. When we lost this tradition, we lost a weekly reminder of our need for repentance. Fr. Chris said it also serves to make us one body, making a regular communal act of penance together. As I began my talk this morning, my brothers, so I would like to end it, with Blessed John XXIII. It was the Sunday angelus of October 28, 1962.The message the Holy Father delivered on that bright Roman afternoon never even mentions the phrase New Evangelization.But it strikes right at the heart of the mission entrusted to each of us as shepherds. “I feel something touching my spirit that leads to serenity,” Good Pope John remarked. “The word of the Gospel is not silent.It resonates from one end of the world to the other, and finds the way of the heart. Dangers and sorrows, human prudence and wisdom, everything needs to dissolve into a song of love, into a renewed invitation, pleading all to desire and wish for the establishment of the Kingdom of Christ. A kingdom of truth and life; a kingdom of holiness and grace; a kingdom of justice, love and peace.” How could we not see it alive in those holy men and women of every time and place, the heroic evangelizers of our faith, including most recently St. Kateri Tekakwitha and St. Marianne Cope? We have beheld it in the Church's unrelenting corporal and spiritual works of mercy, in the heroic witness of persecuted Christians, in the Church's defense of unborn human life, the care of our elders and the terminally ill, advocacy for the unemployed, those in poverty, our immigrant brothers and sisters, victims of terror and violence throughout our world, of all faiths and creeds, and in our defense of religious freedom, marriage and family. And, I have suggested today, that as we “come and go” in response to the invitation of Jesus, we begin with the Sacrament of Penance.This is the sacrament of the New Evangelization, for as Pope Benedict reminds us, “We cannot speak about the new evangelization without a sincere desire to conversion.” (Homily for the Opening of the XIII Ordinary General Synod of Bishops). With this as my presidential address, I know I risk the criticism. I can hear it now: “With all the controversies and urgent matters for the Church, Dolan spoke of conversion of heart through the Sacrament of Penance. Can you believe it?” To which I reply, “You better believe it!” First things first! Scot said it was classic Dolan. Despite the expected criticism, he knows the bishops and all Catholics need to hear it and to focus first on the spiritual, not temporal problems in the Church. Fr. Chris said people thronged to see Pope John Paul or Mother Teresa because people wanted to see and be near holiness. If we want to be evangelizers, then we need to seek holiness in ourselves first. Scot said he's not surprised that so many of the bishops recognize the need for confession but that they would make the time in their meetings to prioritize this communal act of repentance. Just like at men's or women's conferences where the organizers have created an opportunity for people to act on the movement of the Holy Spirit to repentance and confession. Fr. Chris said it was said that Pope John Paul was the most frequent visitor to reconciliation. The more that the saints became holy, the more they recognize their need to confess their sins. Fr. Chris said Cardinal Dolan wanted to use the opportunity to get all the bishops of the US to think about this topic and how central it is to the New Evangelization. Without repentance, the New Evangelization is dead in the water.

November 9, 2012 This week’s episode: Our 150th episode!! “Blessed are They”: Blessed John Paul II “Among Women” Guest: Sarah Reinhard Just how do the rosary and pregnancy go together? Well, they both nurture new life in us, both spiritually and biologically! This week, our “Blessed are They” segment is a departure from our usual discussions about a woman saint, as we open Rosarium Virginis Mariae, the Apostolic Letter of Blessed John Paul II on the Most Holy Rosary, in honor of October, the month dedicated to the Rosary (when this podcast was originally slated to be released. But, given the superstore “Sandy”, our timeline was delayed.) In our guest segment, I talk with longtime friend of AW,  Sarah Reinhard, and we share themes from her new book, A Catholic Mother’s Companion to Pregnancy: Walking with Mary from Conception to Baptism.  We talk about how the Blessed Mother assists and inspires a woman during the stages of pregnancy, and in preparation for having a child baptized. See below for our free drawing to win a copy of Sarah’s book. Be sure to listen all the way to the end of the podcast to join me in praying for the storm victims in the Northeast.                 Links for this episode: Rosarium Virginis Mariae, an Apostolic Lettter on the Most Holy Rosary Sarah Reinhard’s website, Snoring Scholar Sarah Reinhard’s book A Catholic Mother’s Companion to Pregnancy: Walking with Mary from Conception to Baptism.  Sarah Reinhard’s other titles. Other shows of related interest: AW 135: with Sarah Reinhard on Catholic Family Fun AW 116: with Sarah Reinhard on prepping for Advent with children AW 11: with Sarah Reinhard on her first visit to AW — one of our earliest episodes from 2009! Reminders: Enter our free drawing for Sarah Reinhard’s book by sending your name to Pat Gohn at amongwomenpodcast@me.com, or to the Among Women podcast facebook page. image

Summary of today's show: As we close in on Election Day, we celebrate our 400th episode by beginning in earnest our formation as Catholics in the public square. Scot Landry and Michael Lavigne start by tackling the 1998 document from the US bishops called “Living the Gospel of Life”, which Archbishop Charles Chaput calls “the best tool anywhere for understanding the American Catholic political vocation”. Scot and Michael look at the first half of the document today and Scot will continue on Tuesday with Fr. Chris O'Connor. Listen to the show: Watch the show via live video streaming or a recording later: Today's host(s): Scot Landry Today's guest(s): Michael Lavigne Links from today's show: Today's topics: Living the Gospel of Life 1st segment: Scot Landry noted that today is the 400th episode of The Good Catholic Life and he congratulated and thanked everyone involved with the show, including the listeners. Today is also the official feast day of Blessed John Paul II and our studio is named in his honor. He read the prayer from Mass for this feast. The reason it's his feast day is because it was the inauguration of his papacy in 1978. Scot said we also welcome two newspaper editorials today from the Boston Herald and the Worcester Telegram & Gazette opposing Question Two on assisted suicide. Scot said there was also a great StandUp for Religious Freedom rally in West Roxbury over the weekend. He said he also spoke at St. Mary's in Dedham on a panel to discuss the topic of religious freedom and the intersection of faith and public life. On today's show, we begin in earnest our formation as we prepare for the election on November 6. In preparing over the weekend, Scot said he was reading Archbishop Charles Chaput's book , which recommended the US bishops' document “Living the Gospel of Life” as a blueprint. Scot quoted from the introduction to the book: A very good guide to Catholic citizenship and public leadership already exists . The pastoral statement Living the Gospel of Life, issued in 1998 by the U.S. Catholic bishops—though it had to survive a great deal of internal friction and wrangling first—remains, in my view, the best tool anywhere for understanding the American Catholic political vocation. “Catholics already know that politics exists to serve the common good. But what is the common good? It's a thorny question. Some problems are more complicated than others. Some issues have more gravity than others. Some methods to achieve a good end are wrong in themselves. We can never choose them without coarsening the society we inhabit. Public officials have a special responsibility in sorting these things out. This is why the health of our public life requires men and women of strong moral character in political service. No community understands this better than the Catholic Church, from centuries of both good and ugly experience. The genius of Pope John Paul II's great 1995 encyclical, Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel of Life), is not that it gives us a specific, sectarian blueprint for building a moral society. It doesn't. Rather, it offers a common architecture for humane political thought and boundaries for government action that cannot be crossed without brutalizing human dignity. When the U.S. bishops issued Living the Gospel of Life, they applied the best of John Paul's encyclical to the American experience. Not surprisingly, no other document ever issued by the American bishops on political responsibility has the clarity, coherence, and force of Living the Gospel of Life. The only sadness is that so few Catholics seem to know about it. In fact, if this book does nothing more than lead more people to read and act on Living the Gospel of Life, it will have partly served its purpose. Scot welcomed Michael Lavigne and they discussed how they were surprised by this document from the bishops that they'd never heard of before reading the Archbishop's book. Today and tomorrow on TGCL they will discuss this document to help form us how to balance the things we hear from our faith and from the public square and prioritize what's most important. Michael said part of our responsibility as Catholics is to be educated and informed and use whatever we can get our hands on to help us as we vote on Election Tuesday. 2nd segment: Scot moved right to the first part of the document: “Your country stands upon the world scene as a model of a democratic society at an advanced stage of development. Your power of example carries with it heavy responsibilities. Use it well, America!” Pope John Paul II, Newark, 1995 When Henry Luce published his appeal for an “American century” in 1941, he could not have known how the coming reality would dwarf his dream. Luce hoped that the “engineers, scientists, doctors … builders of roads [and] teachers” of the United States would spread across the globe to promote economic success and American ideals: “a love of freedom, a feeling for the quality of opportunity, a tradition of self-reliance and independence and also cooperation.”1 Exactly this, and much more, has happened in the decades since. U.S. economic success has reshaped the world. But the nobility of the American experiment flows from its founding principles, not from its commercial power. In this century alone, hundreds of thousands of Americans have died defending those principles. Hundreds of thousands more have lived lives of service to those principles — both at home and on other continents — teaching, advising and providing humanitarian assistance to people in need. As Pope John Paul has observed, “At the center of the moral vision of [the American] founding documents is the recognition of the rights of the human person …” The greatness of the United States lies “especially [in its] respect for the dignity and sanctity of human life in all conditions and at all stages of development.” This nobility of the American spirit endures today in those who struggle for social justice and equal opportunity for the disadvantaged. The United States has thrived because, at its best, it embodies a commitment to human freedom, human rights and human dignity. This is why the Holy Father tells us: “… [As] Americans, you are rightly proud of your country's great achievements.”3 But success often bears the seeds of failure. U.S. economic and military power has sometimes led to grave injustices abroad. At home, it has fueled self-absorption, indifference and consumerist excess. Overconfidence in our power, made even more pronounced by advances in science and technology, has created the illusion of a life without natural boundaries and actions without consequences. The standards of the marketplace, instead of being guided by sound morality, threaten to displace it. We are now witnessing the gradual restructuring of American culture according to ideals of utility, productivity and cost-effectiveness. It is a culture where moral questions are submerged by a river of goods and services and where the misuse of marketing and public relations subverts public life. The losers in this ethical sea change will be those who are elderly, poor, disabled and politically marginalized. None of these pass the utility test; and yet, they at least have a presence. They at least have the possibility of organizing to be heard. Those who are unborn, infirm and terminally ill have no such advantage. They have no “utility,” and worse, they have no voice. As we tinker with the beginning, the end and even the intimate cell structure of life, we tinker with our own identity as a free nation dedicated to the dignity of the human person. When American political life becomes an experiment on people rather than for and by them, it will no longer be worth conducting. We are arguably moving closer to that day. Today, when the inviolable rights of the human person are proclaimed and the value of life publicly affirmed, the most basic human right, “the right to life, is being denied or trampled upon, especially at the more significant moments of existence: the moment of birth and the moment of death” (Pope John Paul II, The Gospel of Life [Evangelium Vitae], 18). Scot said the document refers to the book by Henry Luce on “The American century”. So much happened in the US after World War II, but not everything was good. The con was a growth of American cultural that was tied to utilitarianism and the decline of individual rights in the face of productivity and cost effectiveness. Scot said we are human beings, not human doings, and what we can do has no bearing on our value. We are loved by God just for being. Michael Lavigne said Aquinas said we love the good in the other. Scot said the document could not have been blunter about who are the losers in this ethical sea change. This group has no voice of their own and we have to be their voice, not just Catholics, but all Catholics of good will. Michael said he and his wife do that in a small way by giving a name to their unborn children to talk about them as living persons even before birth. How can we be the voice of all these people in whatever of life we are in at this time? Scot said we talk a lot about human rights in our society, but we have to include the right of the unborn and the right of those with terminal illness. Michael said no other rights matter if we don't protect the right to life from conception to natural death. He said he used to use Evangelium Vitae when he taught high school students. It tells us that the world should be a place where the gift of life is defended at all moments. The nature and urgency of this threat should not be misunderstood. Respect for the dignity of the human person demands a commitment to human rights across a broad spectrum: “Both as Americans and as followers of Christ, American Catholics must be committed to the defense of life in all its stages and in every condition.”4 The culture of death extends beyond our shores: famine and starvation, denial of health care and development around the world, the deadly violence of armed conflict and the scandalous arms trade that spawns such conflict. Our nation is witness to domestic violence, the spread of drugs, sexual activity which poses a threat to lives, and a reckless tampering with the world's ecological balance. Respect for human life calls us to defend life from these and other threats. It calls us as well to enhance the conditions for human living by helping to provide food, shelter and meaningful employment, beginning with those who are most in need. We live the Gospel of Life when we live in solidarity with the poor of the world, standing up for their lives and dignity. Yet abortion and euthanasia have become preeminent threats to human dignity because they directly attack life itself, the most fundamental human good and the condition for all others. They are committed against those who are weakest and most defenseless, those who are genuinely “the poorest of the poor.” They are endorsed increasingly without the veil of euphemism, as supporters of abortion and euthanasia freely concede these are killing even as they promote them. Sadly, they are practiced in those communities which ordinarily provide a safe haven for the weak — the family and the healing professions. Such direct attacks on human life, once crimes, are today legitimized by governments sworn to protect the weak and marginalized. It needn't be so. God, the Father of all nations, has blessed the American people with a tremendous reservoir of goodness. He has also graced our founders with the wisdom to establish political structures enabling all citizens to participate in promoting the inalienable rights of all. As Americans, as Catholics and as pastors of our people, we write therefore today to call our fellow citizens back to our country's founding principles, and most especially to renew our national respect for the rights of those who are unborn, weak, disabled and terminally ill. Real freedom rests on the inviolability of every person as a child of God. The inherent value of human life, at every stage and in every circumstance, is not a sectarian issue any more than the Declaration of Independence is a sectarian creed. Scot said in paragraph 5 the bishops outline the many ways that today we tamper with the inviolability of the dignity of human life, but they outline abortion and euthanasia as the worst because they go after the weakest of them all. He thinks the bishops are talking to self-proclaimed social justice Catholics who aren't opposed to abortion or euthanasia. Michael said they outline all the areas of social teaching, but the queen of all of them is dignity of human life. The rest are meaningless if you don't stand for life. Scot said the bishops aren't asking us to choose between them, but to be for all of them. But there are Catholics over the past four decades who've said they are personally opposed to abortion but don't want to stand for them in public life. Michael said they remind us that these actions which were once crimes and are now legal are opposed to the divine law. Scot said many Catholics say that it's what the priests or religious in their parishes or schools told them. The document isn't pointing fingers, but calling us to change and to find our way again. Michael said the bishops are acknowledging how bad formation has been in recent decades and calling us anew. In a special way, we call on U.S. Catholics, especially those in positions of leadership — whether cultural, economic or political — to recover their identity as followers of Jesus Christ and to be leaders in the renewal of American respect for the sanctity of life. “Citizenship” in the work of the Gospel is also a sure guarantee of responsible citizenship in American civic affairs. Every Catholic, without exception, should remember that he or she is called by our Lord to proclaim His message. Some proclaim it by word, some by action and all by example. But every believer shares responsibility for the Gospel. Every Catholic is a missionary of the Good News of human dignity redeemed through the cross. While our personal vocation may determine the form and style of our witness, Jesus calls each of us to be a leaven in society, and we will be judged by our actions. No one, least of all someone who exercises leadership in society, can rightfully claim to share fully and practically the Catholic faith and yet act publicly in a way contrary to that faith. Our attitude toward the sanctity of life in these closing years of the “American century” will say volumes about our true character as a nation. It will also shape the discourse about the sanctity of human life in the next century, because what happens here, in our nation, will have global consequences. It is primarily U.S. technology, U.S. microchips, U.S. fiber-optics, U.S. satellites, U.S. habits of thought and entertainment, which are building the neural network of the new global mentality. What America has indelibly imprinted on the emerging global culture is its spirit. And the ambiguity of that spirit is why the Pope appealed so passionately to the American people in 1995. “It is vital for the human family,” he said, “that in continuing to seek advancement in many different fields — science, business, education and art, and wherever else your creativity leads you — America keeps compassion, generosity and concern for others at the very heart of its efforts.”5 That will be no easy task. Scot said section 7 is one of his favorites. It states clearly that every Catholic is called by the Lord to proclaim his message, some by word, some by action, but all by example. We're all, as Catholics, at times the spokesman for the Catholic Church as people ask us about the Church's teachings. We're called to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, not our own beliefs. Michael related how he ran for school committee in his town at 23 years old and how he worked to make sure his Catholic faith added to his work as a school committeeman whatever the topic, whether on the subject of busing or the distribution of birth control to students. Scot said in section 8, we hear how the US influences the world. He said many pro-life groups point out how the US exports abortion around the world. He mentioned the example of the Philippines which is very Catholic and has very low levels of adultery, sexually transmitted disease, and unwed pregnancy, yet the US is trying to get into that country to bring birth control there. He said that in the US, 51% of the population is pro-life, and he argues it's because of the increase of scientific data and efforts, like better ultrasounds. “In our time, political speech and writing are largely the defense of the indefensible.” George Orwell, Politics and the English Language Nations are not machines or equations. They are like ecosystems. A people's habits, beliefs, values and institutions intertwine like a root system. Poisoning one part will eventually poison it all. As a result, bad laws and bad court decisions produce degraded political thought and behavior, and vice versa. So it is with the legacy of Roe vs. Wade. Roe effectively legalized abortion throughout pregnancy for virtually any reason, or none at all. It is responsible for the grief of millions of women and men, and the killing of millions of unborn children in the past quarter century. Yet the weaknesses of the Supreme Court's 1973 reasoning are well known. They were acknowledged by the Supreme Court itself in the subsequent 1992 Casey decision, which could find no better reason to uphold Roe than the habits Roe itself created by surviving for 20 years.6 The feebleness and confusion of the Casey decision flow directly out of Roe's own confusion. They are part of the same root system. Taking a distorted “right to privacy” to new heights, and developing a new moral calculus to justify it, Roe has spread through the American political ecology with toxic results. Roe effectively rendered the definition of human personhood flexible and negotiable. It also implicitly excluded unborn children from human status. In doing so, Roe helped create an environment in which infanticide — a predictable next step along the continuum of killing — is now open to serious examination. Thanks ultimately to Roe, some today speculate publicly and sympathetically why a number of young American women kill their newborn babies or leave them to die. Even the word “infanticide” is being replaced by new and less emotionally charged words like “neonaticide” (killing a newborn on the day of his or her birth) and “filicide” (killing the baby at some later point). Revising the name given to the killing reduces its perceived gravity. This is the ecology of law, moral reasoning and language in action. Bad law and defective moral reasoning produce the evasive language to justify evil. Nothing else can explain the verbal and ethical gymnastics required by elected officials to justify their support for partial-birth abortion, a procedure in which infants are brutally killed during the process of delivery. The same sanitized marketing is now deployed on behalf of physician-assisted suicide, fetal experimentation and human cloning. Each reduces the human person to a problem or an object. Each can trace its lineage in no small part to Roe. Obviously Roe is only one of several social watersheds which have shaped the America of the late 1990s. But it is a uniquely destructive one. In the 25 years since Roe, our society's confusion about the relationship of law, moral reasoning and language has created more and more cynicism in the electorate. As words become unmoored from their meaning (as in “choice” or “terminating a pregnancy”), and as the ideas and ideals which bind us together erode, democratic participation inevitably declines. So too does a healthy and appropriate patriotism. At Baltimore's Camden Yards, Pope John Paul spoke prophetically when he said: “Today the challenge facing America is to find freedom's fulfillment in truth; the truth that is intrinsic to human life created in God's image and likeness, the truth that is written on the human heart, the truth that can be known by reason and can therefore form the basis of a profound and universal dialogue among people about the direction they must give to their lives and their activities.”7 Scot said the idea o a nation as an ecosystem is new to him and that there's a relationship between law, language, and moral reasoning that affects how the ecosystem works. That has a lot of upstream and downstream consequences. Roe v. Wade had a lot of effects on our ecosystem. Michael said it's a very prophetic statement by the bishops in the late 90s that as we continued to erode the foundation of our country, then nothing else will matter. The destruction we see in families is an example. As we devalue life in the womb, we see child abuse, broken families, divorce, teen pregnancy and all that has gone up after we legalized abortion. Scot said he took a great class in college from a survivor of the Holocaust whose aim in life was to teach everyone he could the strategies the Nazis employed. What he took most from the class was the use of language by the Nazis to dehumanize the Jews, to scapegoat them for problems. They devalued a whole group of people by the use of language. Some of things we see in the abortion debate or in assisted suicide do the same. When we call it a fetus or a clump of cells rather than a baby, we dehumanize that baby. Proponents of assisted suicide don't call it suicide, but death with dignity. As it was described on the ballot, it's described with the euphemisms. Michael said when you use euphemisms you're usually covering up for something that was morally wrong. “For the power of Man to make himself what he pleases means, as we have seen, the power of some men to make other men what they please.” C.S. Lewis, The Abolition of Man We believe that universal understandings of freedom and truth are “written on the human heart.” America's founders also believed this to be true. In 1776 John Dickinson, one of the framers of our Constitution, affirmed: “Our liberties do not come from charters; for these are only the declaration of pre-existing rights. They do not depend on parchments or seals, but come from the king of kings and the Lord of all the earth.”8 The words of the Declaration of Independence speak of the “Laws of Nature and of Nature's God,” and proceed to make the historic assertion: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness …” Today, more than two centuries of the American experiment have passed. We tend to take these words for granted. But for the founders, writing on the brink of armed revolution, these phrases were invested not just with their philosophy but with their lives. This is why they closed with a “firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence.” The words of the Declaration of Independence illuminate the founding principles of the American Republic, principles explicitly grounded in unchanging truths about the human person. The principles of the Declaration were not fully reflected in the social or political structures of its own day. Then human slavery and other social injustices stood in tension to the high ideals the Founders articulated. Only after much time and effort have these contradictions been reduced. In a striking way, we see today a heightening of the tension between our nation's founding principles and political reality. We see this in diminishing respect for the inalienable right to life and in the elimination of legal protections for those who are most vulnerable. There can be no genuine justice in our society until the truths on which our nation was founded are more perfectly realized in our culture and law. One of those truths is our own essential creatureliness. Virtual reality and genetic science may give us the illusion of power, but we are not gods. We are not our own, or anyone else's, creator. Nor, for our own safety, should we ever seek to be. Even parents, entrusted with a special guardianship over new life, do not “own” their children any more than one adult can own another. And therein lies our only security. No one but the Creator is the sovereign of basic human rights — beginning with the right to life. We are daughters and sons of the one God who, outside and above us all, grants us the freedom, dignity and rights of personhood which no one else can take away. Only in this context, the context of a Creator who authors our human dignity, do words like “truths” and “self-evident” find their ultimate meaning. Without the assumption that a Creator exists who has ordained certain irrevocable truths about the human person, no rights are “unalienable,” and nothing about human dignity is axiomatic. This does not make America sectarian. It does, however, underline the crucial role God's sovereignty has played in the architecture of American politics. While the founders were a blend of Enlightenment rationalists and traditional Christians, generations of Jews, Muslims, other religious groups and non-believers have all found a home in the United States. This is so because the tolerance of our system is rooted in the Jewish-Christian principle that even those who differ from one another in culture, appearance and faith still share the same rights. We believe that this principle still possesses the power to enlighten our national will. Scot said the Michael that learning the history of an organization forms the culture that helps you to work together without having the reinvent the wheel. These founding documents help us to fight for the principles on which our country was founded. Michael said the Declaration of Independence was based on nature's law, what we can know with just our human brains, that is the value of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Scot noted that the HHS mandate violates our first freedom in the Bill of Rights, our right to live our religion in the public square in our social service agencies, our hospitals, and our ministries. The right to define what our religion requires of us comes from God, not the state. Michael noted that Blessed John Paul lived under the threat to religious freedom.

In this episode of Our Queen, Our Mother, Paul looks at Blessed John Paul II's great devotion to Our Lady, exemplified in his motto 'Totus Tuus'; 'completely yours, Mary'. Paul also speaks to Tony Grace, a convert from the Anglican Church, who shares how developing a personal relationship with Mary has helped to deepen his faith. The post The Great Marian Pope appeared first on Cradio.

Summary of today's show:Tom Nunan and Mary Grassa O'Neill join Scot and Susan Abbott to discuss the newest Catholic high school in the Archdiocese of Boston - St Joseph Preparatory High School. Tom, as the Head of School, explains his hopes and dreams for this merger of Mount Saint Joseph and Trinity High Schools, and how he hopes they will grow and educate in the future. Today's host(s): Scot Landry and Susan Abbott Today's guest(s): Tom Nunan and Mary Grassa O'Neill Links from today's show: Today's topics: New school profile: St Joseph Preparatory High School 1st segment: Scot welcomed Susan back for a non-Thursday show - Susan said that with back to school happening, the beginning of the year shouldn't be January 1st but rather Labor Day! Scot said that Catholic schools are a central part of the Archdiocese's mission, and welcomed Thomas Nunan, the Head of School of the newest Catholic high school in the Archdiocese, St Joseph Preparatory High School, and Mary Grassa O'Neill, Superintendent of Schools and Secretary for Education for the Archdiocese of Boston. Scot asked Tom to give a snapshot of St Joseph Prep. Tom explained St Joseph Prep was formed on the tradition and legacy of Mount St Joseph Academy for girls in Brighton and Trinity Catholic High School in Newtown. What's fascinating, Tom said, is that the Sisters of St Joseph are engaged not only with the new St Joseph Prep but were the sponsors of Mount St Joseph and a vital part of Trinity Catholic. Tom concluded by saying that while the sisters have several sponsored ministry, having the sisters a stone's throw from the motherhouse and being joined by five sisters on the faculty is healthy for all. Scot asked how many students are enrolled in the new freshman class - Tom replied that the enrollment is approximately 280 students. While the freshman class is a bit smaller than before, Tom continued, it was recruited by people who didn't work for a school that didn't yet exist! The senior class is more than 90 students this year, and Tom said they have been blessed by contributions by the administrative team to create good classes all around. Scot asked Tom to talk about the priorities since he was named this past April, especially considering there is so much history between the two communities. Tom said he was hired during Holy Week, and they think of themselves as an Easter people with the new schools in a very real way. Tom explained the only other option from combining was to lose both schools, but there is tremendous new hope with the school's combination and re-opening. Taking a tour of the building was an interesting start, Tom said, and finding things like a bathtub on the 5th floor of the building by the library. Other challenges have been setting up master schedules for all the students, figuring out what the mailing address of the school is (they are 30 yards into Boston rather than Brighton), and most importantly putting the people in place. Tom concluded by saying that any institution relies heavily on its people, so they've put much time and prayer into finding the right faculty, staff, and administrative teams - about one third from Mt St Joseph, a third from Trinity Catholic, and a third new faculty members from as far as California and as close as down the street in Brighton. The mascot for the new school's sports, Scot said, is a phoenix. Tom explained that the students from both schools got together at a workshop at Boston College in the spring for team building, and one exercise was to pick a mascot. Tom said he usually says three things about the phoenix: first, the bird comes out of the ashes of a funeral pyre of it's own making; second, it is a resurrection symbol, sometimes our own views and timelines forget that loss and suffering have the last word and the phoenix shows that isn't quite the case; third, legend says there can only be one phoenix at any time in history. Tom explained each faculty member and student should feel they are unique and called to be at the school at that very time. 2nd segment: Scot commented that what Tom is going through at St Joseph Prep is not necessarily unique in the world of Catholic schools today - some schools are hanging on the edge of being viable. Mary said the first thing the Catholic Schools Office looks for schools to be excellent in faith formation, academics, and financial practices. Scot said over the last few years at the Archdiocese many grade schools have combined and come together for excellence, and asked Mary about the planning process for something like this. Mary replied that a strong leader, like Tom, is critical to facilitate the transition. The leader must understand first the Catholic part of Catholic schools, strive for excellence in education, have a strong sponsor, and recruit strong partners. Mary commented that Tom has facilitated partnerships with Boston College, major donors, and even an international program to recruit students from around the world. Mary expressed confidence that St Joseph Prep, under Tom's leadership, will produce well-formed and well-educated young adults. She also explained that this was one of the first high school integrations. Announcing the merge a year ahead of time allowed for planning and allowed students and parents to be brought further into the process. Scot asked Tom what he took away from his time on the board of Trinity Catholic Academy in Brockton. Tom replied that he learned a vibrant, active, thoughtful and engaged board is important, from recruitment to fiscal sustainability. Catholic schools need partners of many kinds, and board members can provide those partnerships Tom said. Scot mentioned that many people seek excellence, and that Tom is leaving St Sebastian in Needham, a school many people consider very excellent. Tom replied that he was attracted by the excitement of opening a new school, first - it's like working at a start-up company, sitting around a giant conference table planning to get a school going. The second thing Tom said attracted him to St Joseph Prep is the opportunity and even obligation to provide the same excellence St Sebastian's offers into the heart of Boston. The third thing Tom said he finds exciting about opening the new school is a new challenge to provide education to students and the challenge of bringing people together around the table. Scot asked what Tom has done since he was hired in April to get ready for the new school and new school year. Tom answered that he has a very "people first" approach, responding to email and phone calls from parents to acknowledge that a school is a partnership between parents and the faculty. Tom said he also tries to keep his focus on the high goal, to serve parents and students always and everywhere. The only reason the school exists, Tom said, is the students. The school is not about the adults (parents, faculty, staff, or administrators), but about the students they serve and nurture. When people come to the table at St Joseph Prep, Tom said, they will see a level of professionalism and care that no other school has ever offered them before. Scot asked how Tom plans to inspire school pride, which is an important part of the culture of St Sebastian's. Tom said that students have told him they want what every student should want - meaningful assignments, challenging and invested teachers, a positive morale, a nurturing community. This starts with a culture in the faculty, Tom said, teaching from bell to bell, putting up on the board what the objective is for the day, and implementing best practices for teaching. 3rd segment: Susan asked Tom about the challenges of moving from a single gender school at Mt St Joseph. She commented that both she and Mary are the product of single gender schools, and have spoken about how meaningful that experience was. Tom said coming from 27 years of an all-boys school to a merger with a school that is all girls is an interesting change! He explained that his initial response is that he has a teenage daughter who will be a senior in high school, so he does have some experience with girls that age in education. The first mission of preparing students for college is mostly gender blind in his opinion, Tom said, and that the new school will be opening with almost 65% girls in the school. There was an argument a long time ago about girls not taking advantage of the opportunities for leadership and more that schools offered if boys were in the same classes. Tom said he does appreciate the argument, but any guidance counselor these days will say it is harder to get girls into colleges than boys because their grades tend to be stronger, resumes more complete, and GPAs higher. Tom expressed confidence in the incoming senior class, and that they'll put St Joseph Prep on the map with their college placements. He hopes that the student body is able to take advantage of all the benefits of co-educational rather than single-sex education, even though retreats and such might be separated. Susan mentioned that Tom has had involvement in theater before, and asked what arts programs might carry over from the two schools. Tom said that Mt St Joseph had a strong theater tradition they hope to continue, and that freshmen and sophomores will have fine arts courses built in. Eventually, Tom said, the hope is to prepare students to take the AP Studio Art exam, which involves a significant amount of work preparing a portfolio. Scot said there are many parents who struggle with the decision of where their child should go to high school. Mary said that students at Catholic high schools are expected and have proved themselves as better candidates for better colleges, as well as have been formed into good Catholic young adults. Students perform community service, learn about their faith, and give back to others. Studies from Notre Dame have shown that Catholic school students vote more often, are more involved in their community, and are more stand-up citizens. Tom added that integrity is another critical part of the St Joseph Prep mission - they ought to be taught by people of high moral character in order to become people of high moral character. Blessed John Paul II said that young people don't learn from teachers, Tom continued, but they learn from witnesses. Scot asked Tom to provide some stats on the student body for the upcoming year at St Joseph Prep. Tom said they represent neighborhoods from West Roxbury to Hyde Park to Melrose and even around the corner in Brighton. Economically, the diversity is wide as well - families who are partnered with foundations who can reduce tuition down to only $1,000, and some who have no financial aid. In four years, Tom said he would like to grow the student body from the 280 or so that it is now to upwards of 400 students, where everybody could know everybody else's name in the school. This will also help with the structuring of the long-term financial planning, and encourage foundation partners to invest in the school as well as parishes and families. Right now, Tom said, there are about 50 international students with host families in the area, and he'd like to see students continue to come from all over Boston and all over the world. Susan pointed out that parents are sometimes scared by the idea that they are the primary educator of their children, and that what she hears from Tom about St Joseph Prep's model of welcoming parents is a fantastic way to involve parents in the pivotal years for their children's formation. If you can partner with a school who shares your values, Susan said, the odds are a lot better that the child will be a better formed, happy, and holy adult. Tom replied that he's been in high school education for most of his adult life, and people tend worry about dangerous places in high school - parties, gangs, and worse. But at the same time, Tom said, it is just as bad to be alone. St Joseph Prep will constantly strive, he said, to be a place where no one is alone. Another piece that they talked about their faculty meeting last week, Tom said, is no more "them," only us. "Us includes everyone" is the new mantra among faculty, staff, and students.

Homily given at the 8:45 a.m. Mass on Sunday, August 19, 2012, the Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, by Fr. Dennis Brown, OMV. Blessed John Paul II spoke of three aspects of the Sacrament: Sacrifice, Presence, and Communion. Fr. Brown, focusing on the aspect of Communion, discusses the importance of preparing ourselves well to receive the Blessed Sacrament and approaching Him with humility and trust, and then reviews the fruits of Holy Communion. Key words: Eucharist, Communion, Blessed Sacrament, humility, trust, love, union

Summary of today's show: Our Thursday panel of Scot Landry, Susan Abbott, Fr. Roger Landry, and Antonio Enrique look at the news headlines of the week, including Cardinal Dolan's declaration of the US as a mission territory; a survey that shows falling confidence in the Church and all organized religion; a slew of new priest assignments; a ministry that cares for ailing priests; new leadership for the Sisters of St. Joseph; and vocations retreats and pro-life boot camps in the Fall River diocese. Listen to the show: Today's host(s): Scot Landry and Susan Abbott Today's guest(s): Antonio Enrique, editor of the Pilot, the newspaper of the Archdiocese of Boston, and Fr. Roger Landry, pastor of St. Bernadette Parish in Fall River Links from today's show: Some of the stories discussed on this show will be available on The Pilot's and The Anchor's websites on Friday morning. Please check those sites for the latest links. Today's topics: US mission territory; low confidence in religion; ministry to priests; pro-life boot camp 1st segment: Scot Landry and Susan Abbott caught up on their week. Scot noted that his young sons, Christian and Dominic, are in the studio today. Dominic is six years old today. The Pilot has returned from its two-week hiatus and there's a lot of news to catch up on plus a provocative piece by Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York. 2nd segment: Scot and Susan welcomed Fr. Roger and Antonio to the show. Scot said Cardinal Dolan wrote a column that called the Archdiocese of New York and all of the United States is a mission territory. “I was raised – as were most of you – to think of the missions as ‘way far away' – and, to be sure, we can never forget our sacred duty to the foreign missions,” the New York archbishop wrote on his “Gospel in the Digital Age” blog. “But, we are a mission territory, too. Every diocese is. And every committed Catholic is a missionary. This is at the heart of what Blessed John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI call the New Evangelization.” Susan said she was reminded of a conversation with an Irish Holy Ghost Father 15 years ago who had just come from Africa. He told her that the US is a mission country needing a second evangelization, which is harder than the first. Susan noted how Cardinal Dolan spoke from the heart and warned that we've taken our Catholic faith for granted. He said we all need the Year of Faith. Cardinal Dolan was referencing a speech by Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia that his archdiocese is a mission territory. Antonio said many Catholics live their faith as if they just happen to be Catholic. He said the religious understanding of life doesn't go very deep anymore and hopefully we renew our focus on passing the faith onto the next generation. Scot quoted from the Cardinal's blog: Because, guess where we're at: We're with the apostles on Pentecost Sunday as we embrace the New Evangelization. No more taking our Catholic faith for granted! No more relaxing in the great things the church has accomplished in the past! Cynicism is replaced by confidence … Hand-wringing by hand-folding … Dullness by dare … Waiting for people to come back replaced by going out to get them … Presuming that people know the richness of their Catholic faith replaced by a realistic admission that they do not … From taking the Church for granted as a “big corporation,” to a tender care for a Church as small and fragile as a tiny mustard seed Jesus spoke about… Keeping our faith to ourselves to letting it shine to others! This is the New Evangelization! The Archdiocese of New York is a mission territory! The whole Church is! Our parishes are! Culture is! The world is! You and I are missionaries! No longer can we coast on the former fame, clout, buildings, numbers, size, money, and accomplishments of the past. As a matter of fact, all of this may have dulled us into taking our faith for granted. No more! We are missionaries. And, it starts inside. Fr. Roger said at the same time as there will be a Synod of Bishops from around the world on the new evangelization in the Vatican in October we'll be launching the Year of Faith for us to re-examine our own faith and re-found it in Christ in our daily life. He said he often talks about the New Evangelization in retreats and talks about the methods of the New Evangelization. Pope Benedict said in a Jubilee Year address that the first method of the New Evangelization is prayer. We need to be praying far more for people to come and experience the fullness of the Lord's love as we have in our own lives. Then we need to be docile to the Holy Spirit, who makes the converts to the faith. We must become more and more united to God. Pope Benedict is asking us to reflect more on our faith. Scot said the Holy Father has called the Year of Faith because of a crisis of faith in the West, as seen in a recent Gallup survey that shows a low in confidence in the Church by Catholics and in organized religion in general. Forty-six percent of Catholics express “a great deal or quite a lot of confidence” in the church and organized religion, compared to 56 percent of Protestants. Overall, 44 percent of Americans expressed that same level of confidence in church/organized religion. The percentage is slightly lower than what Gallup has found in recent years; in 2002, it was 45 percent and in 2007, 46 percent. “This follows a long-term decline in Americans' confidence in religion since the 1970s,” Gallup said. In 1973, 66 percent said they had a high level of confidence in religion. Antonio said it's not very surprising, given all the social unrest in the Sixties and movements to separate people from organized religion. He said maybe it's time to start the New Evangelization because we can see the effects of the last four decades which haven't been fulfilling to people. All the societal decline goes together with this decline in religion and so we can go out and announce the beauty of Christianity and the fulfillment found in God. Scot said a related finding is that American's confidence in other important societal institutions is also at an all-time low, so it's not just the church, but all institutions. Susan said it seems the whole country is in a funk. She said Scripture tells us we must always be ready to give reasons for our hope. (1 Peter 3:15) If we have no hope, where do we go? How do we more forward? The whole spiritual/not religious dichotomy shows the emptiness and loneliness when their is faith without community. She said we see it in our own Archdiocese when the pastoral planning proposal was made and was met by fear and suspicion. Scot said Cardinal Dolan said that cynicism needs to be replaced by confidence. Scot said when he sees that 46% of American Catholics have great confidence in the Church, he would have expected it to be a lot less. Fr. Roger said that number is about double weekly Mass attendance, so we have great reason to hope that there are a lot of people who could be ready to be invited back to Mass. He also noted that many institutions are much lower than the Church (like Congress which was in single digits), even though we really do want 100% to have total confidence in the Church. We are living in an anti-institutional, anti-authoritarian age. Confidence from top to bottom: military, small business, police, church/organized religion, banks, US Supreme Court, public schools, medical system, presidency, television news, newspapers, criminal justice system, organized labor, big business, HMOs, and Congress at the bottom. 3rd segment: This week's benefactor card raffle winner is Fr. Thomas Bouton of Dorchester, MA He wins a “Praying for our Priests” 3 Pack: “Praying for Our Priests” - A Book of prayers for the priesthood An audio CD of the Stations of the Cross and Divine Mercy Chaplet with meditations on the priesthood An audio CD of the Rosary with meditations on the priesthood If you would like to be eligible to win in an upcoming week, please visit . For a one-time $30 donation, you'll receive the Station of the Cross benefactor card and key tag, making you eligible for WQOM's weekly raffle of books, DVDs, CDs and religious items. We'll be announcing the winner each Wednesday during “The Good Catholic Life” program. 4th segment: Scot announced all the recent priestly assignments made in recent weeks: Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley, OFM Cap., has announced the appointment of Father Rodney J. Copp from pastor at St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Waltham, to pastor at St. Gerard Majella Parish in Canton. The effective date of this action is Aug. 28, 2012. Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley, OFM Cap., has accepted the request of Father Robert R. Kennedy to resign as pastor at St. Monica-St. Augustine Parish in South Boston. The cardinal has also granted Father Kennedy senior pries/retirement status. The effective date of these actions is July 31,2012. Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley, OFM Cap., has announced the appointment of Father Thomas J. Powers as pastor at Our Lady of the Assumption Parish in Lynnfield. This appointment is in addition to Father Powers' assignment as pastor at St. Maria Goretti Parish in Lynnfield. The effective date of this action is Aug. 1,2012. Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley, OFM Cap., has announced the appointment of Father George C. Hines from pastor at St. Mary Parish in Wrentham and from pastor at St. Martha Parish in Plainville, to pastor at St. Joseph Parish in Medford. The effective date of this action is Aug. 1, 2012. Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley, OFM Cap., has announced the appointment of Father Frank J. Silva from pastor at Corpus Christi-St. Bernard Parish in Newton, to pastor at St. Margaret Parish in Burlington. The effective date of this action is Sept. 4, 2012. Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley, OFM Cap., has announced the appointment of Father Robert J. Carr from pastor at St. Benedict Parish in Somerville, to pastor at Holy Trinity Parish in Quincy. The effective date of this action is Oct. 1,2012. Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley, OFM Cap., has announced the appointment of Very Reverend Thomas F. Nestor, V.F., from pastor at St. Eulalia Parish in Winchester, to pastor at St. Paul Parish in Hingham. The effective date of this action is Aug. 26, 2012. Scot, Susan, and Antonio discussed the priests they know and the affect it will have. Fr. Roger said anytime there's a change in pastors, it's a time for people in those parishes to bond themselves even more to Christ who sends the priests to serve in His name. Scot noted an article in the Pilot this week profiling Fr. Jim Flavin, a priest of the Archdiocese, who has been sent by Cardinal Seán to work at the St. John Vianney Center in Pennsylvania that provides pastoral care to priests and others in religious ministry who require spiritual and psychological care. He said the work he undertakes can restore a priest or a nun to ministry serving thousands of others in some cases. “If I get a priest healthy, that's a thousand people that get a priest, get the Eucharist, and get God in their lives. So, it's good work,” he said. Antonio liked Fr. Flavin's quote on the foolishness of youth which is also the gift of youth, that is that they think they can change the world. Scot thinks another quote relates to pastoral planning in the archdiocese: “We are getting to a point where we just give priests more work. Where there was one parish with four or five priests, now we are giving one priest four or five parishes,” he said. Scot mentioned Fr. Flavin's relationship with Dorchester native and movie actor Mark Wahlberg. Fr. Roger said the work of the Vianney Center is important because of the work they do for clergy who receive unique stresses in their work. How can a priest deal with the stress of hearing upsetting things in confession when they can't reveal it. So having a talented priest can minister to his brother priests, he can understand better than anyone else who isn't a priest. Fr. Roger said there are several centers like St. John Vianney Center around the country. Also in the Pilot is the 20th anniversary of the Archdiocese of Boston Black Catholic Choir. They had a Mass and gala dinner on June 30 at Boston College High School. Susan said it was pointed out in the article that their work is really a ministry of prayer. Scot said it can be difficult to start ministries but it's even harder to keep them going year after year. He said the choir does more than just sing in some churches, but travel all over to sing at conferences and other events as well. The Diocese of Fall River had its Quo Vadis high school vocation retreats days for young men to consider the call to the priesthood or to just be better formed as Catholic men whatever their vocation. They've had one of their largest gatherings this year and already some of the men entering the seminary now have been on previous Quo Vadis Days. Scot referred to another local story about the Sisters of St. Joseph, a local religious order, who have elected a new leadership team. Susan said Sr. Margaret Sullivan, one of the new leaders, used to work in the Pastoral Center and misses her terribly but wishes her well. In her reflections at the end of the liturgy, Sister Rosemary Brennan said, “Each transition of leadership dares us to dream we can co-create a future which ‘moves always towards profound love of God and love of neighbor without distinction.' The passion and enthusiasm we have for being Sisters of St. Joseph and Associates is what impels us to live - knowing that relationship is always at the heart of who we are; and when we find ourselves in situations which test our relationships we will always seek to live in and through our charism - a charism that is our unique gift to our Church and our world.” Also in the Anchor this week is a story about the pro-life boot camp taking place on the campus of Stonehill College in Easton. Fr. Roger said it was founded last year to help young pro-life Catholics to receive real training to be effective agents in the culture of life. Several years ago some members of the youth group wanted to set up a training program for them so they could then train others. The diocesan pro-life apostolate took on the program, sent a couple of young people to a boot camp in Texas, and then set up the first sold-out boot camp in Easton last year. Fr. Roger said he will be participating and a number of other pro-life leaders will be coming from around the country to help. Scot said Jaymie Wolfe has a great column on what she learned from her time serving three months on a grand jury, especially 16 particular findings.

Summary of today's show: The Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS) has been present on college campuses around the country for 14 years, reaching out to tens of thousands of Catholic students to introduce them to Jesus Christ. Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams talk with Curtis Martin, the founder of FOCUS, about the FOCUS difference, the intense training and strategic plan they give their missionaries, and how they call people to live heroically for something bigger than themselves. Also, they discuss Curtis' appointment as a consultor to the Pontifical Council for the New Evangelization in Rome. Listen to the show: Today's host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams Today's guest(s): Curtis Martin Links from today's show: from on . Today's topics: Curtis Martin, evangelizing on campus, and the New Evangelization 1st segment: Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams talked about the annual Middle School Harbor Cruise. They started at Our Lady of Good Voyage chapel on the harbor, where they had a catechesis on the Eucharist and a little bit of Adoration. He said toward the end of the evening the thunderstorms hit and the light show was pretty spectacular. Tomorrow is a youth ministry gathering, a beach day for those who work in ministry, starting with Mass at St. Thomas Aquinas in Nahant followed by a beach party. Scot welcomed Curtis Martin to the show. Curtis is founder and president of Fellowship of Catholic University Students, which has presence on several local college campuses, Boston University and MIT. They will be adding Harvard this fall. Scot said Curtis spoke at the Boston Catholic Men's Conference a few years ago. Curtis said there are a lot of exciting things going on in Boston. He said there is a great local parish near Harvard in St. Paul's, which helps their efforts greatly. Scot said FOCUS missionary is said to be the toughest job they will ever have because they have to raise their own funds and talk in sometimes hostile environments on college campuses. Curtis said being a missionary is awesome and you're paired with great people, but it's really tough. Curtis said they are right on the front lines and they don't pull punches. This young generation wants to do great things for great reasons. The New Evangelizations is a great cause. They just completed their training with 110 new missionaries to become part of 450 missionary staff around the country. Scot said FOCUS is about 14 years old. People often lower their expectations for young people. Do young people respond because Curtis sets expectations so high? Curtis said secular culture treats them like consumers and the Church is sometimes tempted to talk down to them too. Christ is calling us into a life of holiness and greatness. He sees young people making heroic decisions one after another and we need a nation full of young people like that. Fr. Matt asked what qualities does he see in the missionaries that makes them successful. Curtis said friendship and broke it down to friendship with Jesus Christ personally; friendship with peers, like the students on campus just a couple years younger than them; and friendship with leaders in the Church, like local pastors. Curtis said there are great Catholic colleges and Newman Centers around the country. What makes FOCUS different is that it's a lay outreach. Most are in their early 20s on campus engaged with students. They go out onto to campus to meet students in libraries, athletic fields, and everywhere to draw them back to the Newman Center. That's where they can engage a vibrant Newman Center. Scot said he's amazed at how the missionaries have to raise a significant amount of money themselves to support their mission. Curtis said they raise their basic living expenses from friends, family and parishioners. They raise about $2,000 per month. He said they don't want them going broke serving FOCUS. They ask for a two year commitment and the average is 3-1/2 years. When they raise money, they want them to talk about what's going on with the Church, what's going on with young people, and what's going on in the donors' lives. It's a form of evangelization. They also find the donors tend to pray for the missionaries in addition not giving money. Where your heart is, there is your treasure. Scot asked Curtis what inspired the idea. He grew up Catholic but drifted in his adolescence. He said he had a come to God experience his sophomore year in college. He came to know Jesus personally along with some Evangelical friends. As he grew in his faith, questions arose about his faith and it led him back to the Catholic Church. He realized then that there was no outreach on college campuses for Catholics like there were for Evangelicals. They build a new model and bishops wherever they've gone have been very receptive. Scot said they are receptive because FOCUS has a proven impact wherever they go. The witness of FOCUS missionaries on campus makes a difference. Curtis said they go wherever they are welcomed and so they serve both secular and Catholic colleges. They're even going to Baylor in Texas, which is the largest Southern Baptist college in the country. Ninety percent of Catholic college students don't go to Catholic schools and they pretty much have followed that ratio in their efforts. Fr. Matt asked why FOCUS is the place the Church should put its efforts. Curtis said there's not a part in the human lifecycle in this culture that isn't in desperate need for renewal in Christ, from before birth to death. If you have to go everywhere, where do you start? They think it's universities. You can go to 2nd graders, but they don't autonomy to serve. You can go to nursing homes, but they won't be able to serve long. University students have the rest of their adult life to serve and can begin immediately. No other institutions gathers young people in the numbers that universities do, 10,000 people, 20,000 or more. They can influence the next generation of parents, priests, and religious. Almost all of our future leaders will pass through universities. Scot said on the FOCUS website, they don't have a mission statement, but a “main thing”. Inviting College Students into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ and His Church. Inspiring and Equipping them for a Lifetime of Christ-centered Evangelization, Discipleship, and Friendships in which they lead others to do the same. Curtis said FOCUS launches college students in lifelong Catholic mission. Whether it's the new working document for the upcoming synod this October or the almost daily comments from Pope Benedict, there is a growing sense we have to talk about our faith in terms of our relationship with God. It is in real deep friendship that we love. The Church exists to people into right relationships with God, one another, and ourselves. The reason we need Christ, because we find ourselves desperately lonely without Him. If we don't have the ability behave how a friend would behave, we won't have friends. Young people today have thousands of “friends” on Facebook, but not many real, good friendships with people they share life with. They may come from a broken home and no or one sibling they are close with. The average young Italian doesn't have a brother, sister or first cousin because they are only children of only children. Fr. Matt said rules without relationship equals rebellion. Friendship with Christ helps us to understand his teachings.He said he downloaded the FOCUS app on his iPhone and asked him about it. Curtis said there is a website at with resources, including phone apps. He said St. Augustine asked one question: What will make me authentically happy? Pope John Paul II walked through the false ideologies of Nazis and Communists and asked what would satisfy people. It's Catholicism. Relationship gives us the why. You can give a doctoral dissertation on adultery, but we don't do it because we love our wives. John Paul II shared his friendship with Christ with those he spent time with. If we're friends then my friends become your friends. Not everyone is called to do soap-box evangelization, but everyone is called to friendship evangelization. Scot asked what things do well-meaning people do that doesn't help bring people to Christ. Curtis said he's met a lot of men in his ministry around the country, and men in particular tend to be successful at work because they are strategic, but in our faith we're not strategic. Good farmers outproduce bad farmers, but God always causes the growth. But he gave us rules to live by. You need a strategic plan: Win, Build, Send. Win people into relationship by going out and doing things you love to do with other people and do things they love to do. Build them up: what do you need to know to think like a Christian? What do you need to be formed in to act like a Christian? What skills do you need to be an effective leader? Now send them out to win more people. The most central form of leadership is self-control, to lead oneself. Curtis said one of the reasons they ask for a two-year commitment because that's how much time they need to train them. They start with a five-week training session from the very beginning. They are trained in prayer, leading bible study, apologetics, fundraising. After that five weeks, all of the missionaries serve on teams and for the whole next school year, they are mentored by a veteran missionary. In the following summer they come back for five more weeks of training. Only then do they consider the initial training is finished. At this pint they are committed lifetime learners. Scot asked about the resources it takes for the overall national organization. Howcan people support FOCUS or a particular missionary. Curtis said it's essential that people who work for the Church are cared for. Go to FOCUS.org and adopt a missionary or to support a particular project. Scot said Curtis is one of two Americans appointed to serve as consultors for the Pontifical Council for the New Evangelization in Rome. 2nd segment: This week's benefactor card raffle winner is Maria Ippolito from Reading, MA She wins a Glory Stories CD: Be Not Afraid, the Story of Blessed John Paul II and a “Gospel Champions” computer game. If you would like to be eligible to win in an upcoming week, please visit . For a one-time $30 donation, you'll receive the Station of the Cross benefactor card and key tag, making you eligible for WQOM's weekly raffle of books, DVDs, CDs and religious items. We'll be announcing the winner each Wednesday during “The Good Catholic Life” program. 3rd segment: Scot read the prayer for religious liberty from the Fortnight for Freedom campaign. He then said the Vatican has called a Synod of bishops for the New Evangelization in Rome this October as well as the Pontifical Council. He asked what it was like for him and Ralph Martin, no relation, to be two Americans called to assist the Pontifical Council. Curtis said he would never guessed when he was elected that Pope Benedict would make the new evangelization am ajar theme of his pontificate. Curtis said his major role will be to listen and to share it with others and when asked to give his two cents. The Pontifical Council has only been around for about a year. He said the synod will be an exciting time. After the synod, Pope Benedict will issue a papal document to the world on the New Evangelization that will give the marching orders for the New Evangelization, who is supposed to be involved and what we are supposed to do. Curtis said it's an exciting time in the Church's history when he vigor for the faith incoming back with tremendous power. Scot asked Curtis to compare evangelization in the US to what's going on around the world. Curtis said the message he's been receiving as a consultor is that there's a sense the Church is looking to America, North and South, for inspiration. In the Americas there is the family-centered devotional life of the Latino communities plus the entrepreneurial drive and if we could bring those together, we could bring about a major change in the New Evangelization effort. In Europe, they are looking for the Americas to re-evangelize Europe. There is a real Catholic wealth living in the two halves of our continents and if we can bring them together, we could be a real blessing to the world. Curtis said to look at the apostles. They lived with Jesus for three years, but even after the Resurrection, they were hiding in the upper room until the Holy Spirit was sent. Without the Holy Spirit we can't bring the faith to the world. We need to learn to rely on the Holy Spirit and to live in a state of grace. The Holy Spirit takes up residence in us to give us the power to live the life of Christ. In can't be about us, but God working through us. We have to be open to the Spirit's promptings. Scot asked for his hopes for the Year of Faith in the US. Curtis said it's a call to come back to the foot of the Cross to live a life for Christ. We don't live very differently from the rest oft he world as Catholics. If Christ lives within us, then we should living radically different lives. Many Catholics have allowed the secular culture to speak to them more loudly than the Church has. Faith is the gift that allows you to see things that aren't visible: the Trinity, grace, the Eucharist. If you have faith, you will live differently. Scot said one of FOCUS's two missionaries at Boston University has entered religious life. How important is that to FOCUS in terms of its impact? Curtis said it's wonderful to see people responding to their vocation. FOCUS is calling people to hear how Christi is calling them to live their lives. In 14 years, they've seen 75 women in their programs go on to religious life and 270 men have entered seminary, more than half of them in the last 4 years. There is snowball of people going on to live lives in which they are hearing God's call for them.

Summary of today's show: For three years, Fr. Israel Rodriguez has been the first and only priest ordained from Redemptoris Mater Archdiocesan Missionary Seminary, but this weekend he will be joined by Felipe Gonzalez. Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams talk with Fr. Israel, as well as Fr. Tony Gonzalez and Tom Noe, about the Seminary and the NeoCatechumenal Way, the ecclesial movement that is the spiritual engine of the seminary, as well as the missionary focus of the group that sends fired-up Catholics door-to-door in their neighborhood and around the world to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. Listen to the show: Today's host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams Today's guest(s): Fr. Tony Medeiros, Fr. Israel Rodriguez, and Tom Noe Links from today's show: Today's topics: NeoCatechumenal Way and Redemptoris Mater Seminary 1st segment: Scot welcomed everyone to the show and noted that there are two big events in the Archdiocese this weekend. The ordination Mass is Saturday and the big gala dinner to benefit Redemptoris Mater Seminary is Sunday. Scot said Fr. Matt hasn't been on the show in a while so he and Scot caught up. He said the Office for the New Evangelization of Youth and Young Adults is planning for the Middle School Harbor Cruise coming up as well as the Middle School and High School leadership retreats coming up this summer. He suggested people check out the office's website. Scot noted that Deacon Eric Cadin who will be ordained this weekend will celebrate his first Mass at the Life Teen Mass at St. Mary's Parish in Dedham, the Mass Fr. Matt celebrated for several years. He said youth ministry enervates the priest and his priesthood. He also said having a newly ordained priest there can be the nudge for a young man to consider the priesthood. Fr. Matt said they have had many seminarians assigned to the parish over the years, which is a twofold blessing for both the seminarian and for the young people, who are encouraged to consider their own vocations from God. 2nd segment: Scot and Fr. Matt welcomed Fr. Tony Medeiros, rector of Redemptoris Mater Seminary; Tom Noe, who is coordinator of the Neocatechumenal Way in the archdiocese. Tom said he grew up in Stoughton and works at St. Patrick's in Brockton. Also he welcomed Fr. Israel Rodriguez, who was the first priest ordained from Redemptoris Mater. He said his first assignment was in Immaculate Conception in Marlborough, which was a trilingual parish—English, Spanish, and Portuguese. Then he was transferred to St. Patrick's in Lawrence, a large parish with a large Hispanic population. Fr. Israel is from Granada, Spain, and is one of 12 children in his family. Scot said many of the priests from Redemptoris Mater Seminary serve worldwide and come from the Neocatechumenal Way. Fr. Tony said there are 86 Redemptoris Mater seminaries around the world. They are preparing almost 3,000 men. In Boston, they have 20 men, 15 in the house and 5 in mission, from 11 different countries. Fr. Matt asked about the Neocatechumenal Way. Tom said it started around the start of the Second Vatican Council with a Spanish artist, Kiko Arguello, who gathered others around him who were searching for truth. He found the answer in the Church. Fr. Tony noted that when John Paul II was a very young priest in 1947, he wrote a theological treatise on the importance of the catechumen ate for the 20th century. He had seen the effects of atheistic communism trying to wipe out the faith and saw how a return to the way of the early Church in initiating into the faith would combat that. Scot said one of things distinctive about the NeoCatechumenal Way forms people not just in their faith, but also forms them to be missionaries. Tom said one enters the community, there's no expectations put on you. Most people are looking for answers. What's important is Word, Liturgy, and Community. This is the basis of the NeoCatechumenal Way. This is lived out in small communities, because you can only really get to know people intimately in a small group. The Word of God is proclaimed and prepared by a member of the community who talks about what the Word means to them, but after an official presentation by the priest. They also have particularly intimate experiences of the faith. Tom said it happens in such a way that people's lives start to change. He recounted the story of his own marriage, where he and his wife were nominal Catholics at the time of their marriage ended up having a crisis in their marriage. At that time, they were told that the answers they were looking for would be found in Christ. They start going to the catechesis, then entered the community. Scot asked Fr. Tony about the blending of diocesan priesthood with missionary zeal. Fr. Tony said all the men in the seminary are ordained as diocesan priests, but they still have the idea of being sent out by the Lord into the world. This sense is strongly ingrained in the Way, including in the laypeople. All of these men have to be willing to go where the Cardinal sends them. Perhaps in the future, they could be sent somewhere else in the world to minister at the Cardinal's request, like in the Society of St. James. Scot asked Fr. Israel how this missionary heart enters into the way he serves as a priest. Fr. Israel said anyplace can be a mission. He looks around at the families, the problems, especially in Lawrence. He began to visit families, going door to door, sometimes accompanied by seminarians or sacristans. People are grateful to see the priest to give a word of encouragement or hope, even if they don't go to church. The fact that the Church is looking for the lost sheep is a sign of love. Many people will come back or even just start a conversation about baptizing children or the like. He finds a lot of joy in that kind of mission in the streets. This Saturday, Fr. Israel will have Fr. Felipe Gonzalez join him as another priest ordained from Redemptoris Mater. Felipe had served 4 years on mission in India and Pakistan and other places. He's very down-to-earth said Fr. Israel. Fr. Tony said Felipe comes from California where he grew up. He said Felipe's experiences have all prepared him for this ministry. Fr. Matt asked if Felipe visiting the foreign missions was part of his seminary. Fr. Tony said it is part of the seminary formation. Felipe started his seminary formation that the seminary in London, then went on his itinerancy for four years and then he was sent to Boston to provide maturity and experience to the men in formation here. Fr. Tony said at the second year of theology, the men are pulled out of St. John Seminary, where they are doing their academics, and sent to the missions where they serve with a priest and an itinerant family for three or four years. Fr. Matt asked how they and the families are prepared to be sent out on itinerancy. Fr. Tony said it is the Way. the seminaries are a shoot from the tree of the Way, which is a school for the missions, in whatever way they will live it out. Sometimes it is local and door to door and other times it is going very far away. The door-to-door ministry provides a presence and visibility in the community, where people begin to look for and ask for them. Tom said the the Way teaches them to be Christian, to have inside of you Christ's victory over death. The Church announces the Good News that death is overcome, and they bring this with them into the world. The members of the Way are given a formation in Scripture and Catechism to be able to share it. Eventually at one point some members of the community are identified as catechism, who are people who show evidence of a particular ability and charism for sharing the faith. When identified, they can be sent as part of a team to another parish to found a community there. Scot asked Fr. Israel what it's like to go thousands of miles away from his home to place he's never been to serve potentially for the rest of his life. Fr. Israel said it's like a wonderful adventure. Wherever you are, you set down roots. Scot asked Tom how the Way helps celebrate the ordination of one of their own. Tom said they are already part of a NeoCatechumenal Way community. Felipe is part of a community in Framingham and they are providing all kinds of logistical support, to take care of Felipe and his family coming into town this weekend. Scot said the Ordination Mass will be at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross this Saturday at 9am. 3rd segment: This week's benefactor card raffle winner is Josephine Muller from Gloucester, MA She wins 2 items for children: A Glory Stories CD: “Be Not Afraid, the Story of Blessed John Paul II” and the “Gospel Champions” computer game. If you would like to be eligible to win in an upcoming week, please visit . For a one-time $30 donation, you'll receive the Station of the Cross benefactor card and key tag, making you eligible for WQOM's weekly raffle of books, DVDs, CDs and religious items. We'll be announcing the winner each Wednesday during “The Good Catholic Life” program. 4th segment: Scot said big way to fund the operations of Redemptoris Mater Seminary is the upcoming Gala Dinner. It is the third annual dinner. Fr. Tony said it's the main annual fundraiser for the seminary. In the first year they honored Cardinal Sean and John McNeice. Last year, they honored Archbishop Pietro Sambi, the late apostolic nuncio who passed away just a month later after the event. They also recognized Jack Shaughnessy. Shaugnessy and McNeice have been big supporters of the seminary. Scot said Cardinal Sean has a missionary heart. Fr. Tony told the story of meeting Bishop Sean when he was bishop of Fall River and learning of the missionary heart of the Cardinal. He has the heart of a shepherd who has been assigned a portion of the flock and serves them in that place. Scot said both Pope Benedict and Pope John Paul II have both been very big supporters of these new ecclesial movements within the Church. Fr. Tony said it's an expression of the teaching of the Second Vatican Council which continues to unfold. Scot asked who this year's honoree is. Fr. Tony said they invited Rabbi David Rosen, one of the most prominent rabbis in the world who lives in Israel. He's director of inter religious dialogue for the AJC. He's most famous for his role as head of the commission of diplomats which negotiated full diplomatic relations with the Holy See. He was very close to Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI. One of the great gifts of the Council to the Church is the renewal of the centrality of the Word of God to faith. After the Reformation, the pendulum swung to highlighting the importance of the sacraments to detriment of the Word of God. Now the Second Vatican Council brought the emphasis back to Scripture. He hopes that Rabbi Rosen's visit and the inter religious dialogue, it will encourage Catholics to re-discover the Jewish roots of our Catholic faith. Fr. Tony said both Israel and the fathers of the Council have come to understand that the Church has a mission in the world, to serve humanity through what we have inherited. Fr. Tony said they have close to 400 people coming to the dinner on Sunday. People who want to support the seminary can contact Fr. Tony through the seminary's webpage on the Archdiocese's website. (Link above.)

Summary of today's show: Scot Landry delivered a talk on the push for physician-assisted suicide in Massachusetts, addressing the historical, ethical, and practical considerations as voters in the Commonwealth are confronted by this matter of life and death in the election this fall. Listen to the show: Today's host(s): Scot Landry Links from today's show: Today's topics: Physician-assisted suicide 1st segment: Scot Landry mentioned that he recently delivered a talk, co-written by his brother Father Roger Landry, entitled “A Matter of Life and Death: Defeating the Push for Doctor-Prescribed Suicide: Historical, Ethical and Practical Considerations.” As part of the Archdiocese of Boston's Suicide is Always A Tragedy educational effort, Scot recorded this talk for use on The Good Catholic Life. Information from materials on and from the USCCB webpage on Physician Assisted Suicide is used in the talk. A matter of life and death: Defeating the Push for Doctor-Prescribed Suicide Historical, Ethical and Practical Considerations Suicide is ALWAYS a tragedy. It's never a dignified way to die. Most in our society readily understand that when someone is contemplating suicide at any age of life, he or she is normally suffering from a depression triggered by very real setbacks and serious disappointments and sees death as the only path to relief. The psychological professions know that people with such temptations need help to be freed not from life but from these suicidal thoughts through counseling, support, and when necessary, medication. The compassionate response to teenagers experiencing a crushing breakup, to unemployed fathers overwhelmed by pressure, to unhappy actresses feeling alone and abandoned, to middle-aged men devastated by scandalous revelations, is never to catalyze their suicide. Heroic police officers and firefighters climb bridges or go out on the ledges of skyscrapers for a reason. Dedicated volunteers staff Samaritan hotlines around the clock for a reason. This same type of care and attention needs to be given by a just and compassionate society to suffering seniors or others with serious illnesses. We're now living at a time in which this clear truth isn't seen by all and where some are advancing that suicide, rather than a tragedy, is actually a good, moral, rational and dignified choice. A year ago, if you were exiting the Callahan Tunnel in East Boston, you would have been confronted with a billboard paid for by the Final Exit Network, with white letters against a black background proclaiming, “Irreversible illness? Unbearable suffering? Die with Dignity.” To die with dignity, the billboard advanced, was to commit suicide with the help of a doctor. We would never tolerate a similar sign in Harvard Square or at any university: “Failing your courses? Unbearable heartbreak? Feel like the “one mistake” the Admissions Office made? End your collegiate career with dignity. Take your life.” We would know that preying on the emotionally down and vulnerable is never an act of compassion but what John Paul II called a perversion of mercy. Yet, in Massachusetts, we now have a Citizens Initiative Petition called the Death with Dignity Act that seems to be headed to the ballot this November that will legalize suicide for a class of citizens.This would involve the active cooperation of doctors prescribing lethal overdoses of drugs. Such attempts to legalize physician-assisted suicide have been introduced here in Massachusetts and been rebuffed in 1995, 1997, 2009 and 2010, but this year seems to be the best chance for proponents of euthanasia to achieve their objective of making Massachusetts the East Coast Oregon and the North American Netherlands. A recent poll by Public Policy Polling showed that support for the measure is ahead of the opposition 43-37 percent. So there is much work to do and much at stake. It's literally a matter of life and death. Whether we become active in the fight against doctor prescribed suicide may make the difference between lives being saved or tragically ended. So in this address, in the brief time we have, I'd like briefly to do several things.First, I'll describe the cultural background for this push for doctor prescribed death. Next, I'd like to touch on Church teaching, in order to strengthen us in our conviction as believers. Third, I'd like to focus on the Death with Dignity Act, and what the problems with it are even from an agnostic, commonsensical point of view, to equip us with arguments that will meet citizens where they're at, regardless of their belief in the dignity of every human life and that intrinsic evil of suicide. Lastly, I'd like to describe what we're being called to do now, as Catholics, as Harvard students and alumni, simply as truly compassionate human beings. II. The Cultural Context The push for physician-assisted suicide isn't coming out of a vacuum. It's a natural consequence of several factors that we need to be aware of if we are going to be able to persuade those who may unwisely be prone to support it. A great fear of suffering and death and a desire to control it – Pope John Paul II pointed this out in his 1995 encyclical The Gospel of Life (64): “The prevailing tendency is to value life only to the extent that it brings pleasure and well-being; suffering seems like an unbearable setback, something from which one must be freed at all costs. Death is considered “senseless” if it suddenly interrupts a life still open to a future of new and interesting experiences. But it becomes a “rightful liberation” once life is held to be no longer meaningful because it is filled with pain and inexorably doomed to even greater suffering. USCCB 2011 document “To Live Each Day with Dignity,” said: “Today, however, many people fear the dying process. They are afraid of being kept alive past life's natural limits by burdensome medical technology. They fear experiencing intolerable pain and suffering, losing control over bodily functions , or lingering with severe dementia. They worry about being abandoned or becoming a burden on others.” An exaggerated notion of personal autonomy or selfish individualism - There is a notion that no one can tell me what is good for me.. EV 64: When he denies or neglects his fundamental relationship to God, man thinks he is his own rule and measure, with the right to demand that society should guarantee him the ways and means of deciding what to do with his life in full and complete autonomy. It is especially people in the developed countries who act in this way. There's a distinction to be made between a healthy individualism and an exaggerated one that excludes any real sense of duties owed to family members, to society, to others. Almost all the justifications for legalizing physician assisted suicide focus primarily on the dying person who wants it. Its harmful impact on society and its values and institutions are ignored. Euthanasia, we have to remember, is not a private act of “self determination,” or a matter of managing one's personal affairs. AsCardinal O'Malley wrote back in 2000 in a pastoral letter on life as Bishop of the Diocese of Fall River, “It is a social decision: A decision that involves the person to be killed, the doctor doing the killing, and the complicity of a society that condones the killing.” If personal autonomy is the basis for permitting assisted suicide, why would a person only have personal autonomy when diagnosed (or misdiagnosed) as having a terminal condition? [ Rita Marker]If assisted suicide is proclaimed by force of law to be a good solution to the problem of human suffering, then isn't it both unreasonable and cruel to limit it to the dying? A legal positivism that believes that there are no universal moral norms, but just the values we impose, either by courts and legislatures or ballot petitions - In yesteryear, the debate over euthanasia would take place within the context of moral and religious coordinates. No longer. There ceases to be common reference to anything higher than the debates that occur in the “secular cathedrals” of courthouses and legislatures. Believers have often abetted this secularization of discourse by allowing secularists to drive religious and moral values from normal discourse so that the public square becomes “naked” and our sacred scripture becomes court opinions and our prophets become the talking heads in the media. Materialism and consumerism - Our society has lost a sense of the sacred, of mystery of the soul. The body is looked at just as a machine and human life as a whole has become two dimensional. This abets the push for euthanasia because ideas that there is meaning in suffering, even in death, seems like outdated ideas and that we should treat these fundamental human realities of suffering and death the way we do cars, or pets, or other things that begin to break down. We dispose of them once their usefulness is no longer apparent. An anthropology based on scientific and mechanistic rationalism - Our scientific and medical progress, among other things in being able to produce life in test tubes and other practices, has led us to believe that if we can “create” life we should be able to manipulate it and end it, because life has lost its sense of mystery and its connection to a creator beyond us. We become what the raw material of human life becomes with time. We no longer are seen to be special in comparison with animals or robots. If we can euthanize our suffering pets, we should, so says Princeton's Peter Singer, be able to euthanize human beings and allow them to end their own lives. A misunderstanding of human dignity - American political scientist Diana Schaub says “we no longer agree about the content of dignity, because we no longer share … a ‘vision of what it means to be human'.” Intrinsic dignity means one has dignity simply because one is human. This is a status model — dignity comes simply with being a human being. It's an example of “recognition respect” — respect is contingent on what one is, a human being. Extrinsic dignity means that whether one has dignity depends on the circumstances in which one finds oneself and whether others see one as having dignity. Dignity is conferred and can be taken away. Dignity depends on what one can or cannot do. These two definitions provide very different answers as to what respect for human dignity requires in relation to disabled or dying people, and that matters in relation to euthanasia.Under an inherent dignity approach, dying people are still human beings, therefore they have dignity. Under an extrinsic dignity approach, dying people are no longer human doings — that is, they are seen as having lost their dignity — and eliminating them through euthanasia is perceived as remedying their undignified state. Pro-euthanasia advocates argue that below a certain quality of life a person loses all dignity. They believe that respect for dignity requires the absence of suffering, whether from disability or terminal illness, and, as well, respect for autonomy and self-determination. Consequently, they argue that respect for the dignity of suffering people who request euthanasia requires it to be an option We need to be aware of these aspects of our culture because we're really going to be able to change hearts and minds long term, to re-evangelize the culture of death with a culture of life, only when we're able to get to the roots of the ideas that find euthanasia not only acceptable, not only worthwhile, but in some cases obligatory. The moral worth of our society hinges on how we respond to these false ideas and fears. As the US Bishops wrote in To Live Each Day with Dignity: “Our society can be judged by how we respond to these fears. A caring community devotes more attention, not less, to members facing the most vulnerable times in their lives. When people are tempted to see their own lives as diminished in value or meaning, they most need the love and assistance of others to assure them of their inherent worth.” III. The teaching of the Catholic Church I presume most people listening to this presentation would be aware of the Church's teaching with regard to euthanasia and doctor prescribed death.We believe that human life is the most basic gift of a loving God, a gift over which we have stewardship not absolute dominion. As responsible stewards of life, we must never directly intend to cause our own death or that of anyone else. Euthanasia and assisted suicide, for that reason , are always gravely wrong. The fifth commandment applies to our actions toward ourselves and to others. For this reason, Blessed Pope John Paul II said in Evangelium Vitae : To concur with the intention of another person to commit suicide and to help in carrying it out through so-called “assisted suicide” means to cooperate in, and at times to be the actual perpetrator of, an injustice which can never be excused, even if it is requested. In a remarkably relevant passageSaint Augustine writes that “it is never licit to kill another: even if he should wish it, indeed if he request it because, hanging between life and death, he begs for help in freeing the soul struggling against the bonds of the body and longing to be released; nor is it licit even when a sick person is no longer able to live”. Even when not motivated by a selfish refusal to be burdened with the life of someone who is suffering, euthanasia must be called a , and indeed a disturbing “perversion” of mercy. True “compassion” leads to sharing another's pain; it does not kill the person whose suffering we cannot bear.Moreover, the act of euthanasia appears all the more perverse if it is carried out by those, like relatives, who are supposed to treat a family member with patience and love, or by those, such as doctors, who by virtue of their specific profession are supposed to care for the sick person even in the most painful terminal stages” (66). The CatholicChurch regularly teaches about importance of palliative care and emphasizes that we don't teach that we have to preserve life by all means no matter what the circumstances.Palliative care is a holistic approach to terminal illness and the dying process. It seeks to address the whole spectrum of issues that confront a person with a terminal diagnosis through information, high quality care and pain relief, dealing with the emotions, dispelling fear, offering spiritual support if required and including the family in every aspect of the patient's care. In Evangelium Vitae, John Paul II wrote that “Euthanasia must be distinguished from the decision to forego so-called “aggressive medical treatment”, in other words, medical procedures which no longer correspond to the real situation of the patient, either because they are by now disproportionate to any expected results or because they impose an excessive burden on the patient and his family. In such situations, when death is clearly imminent and inevitable, one can in conscience “refuse forms of treatment that would only secure a precarious and burdensome prolongation of life, so long as the normal care due to the sick person in similar cases is not interrupted” The US Bishops in To Live Each Day with Dignity stated that “Respect for life does not demand that we attempt to prolong life by using medical treatments that are ineffective or unduly burdensome. Nor does it mean we should deprive suffering patients of needed pain medications out of a misplaced or exaggerated fear that they might have the side effect of shortening life. The risk of such an effect is extremely low when pain medication is adjusted to a patient's level of pain, with the laudable purpose of simply addressing that pain (CCC, no. 2279). In fact, severe pain can shorten life, while effective palliative care can enhance the length as well as the quality of a person's life. It can even alleviate the fears and problems that lead some patients to the desperation of considering suicide. Effective palliative care also allows patients to devote their attention to the unfinished business of their lives, to arrive at a sense of peace with God, with loved ones, and with themselves.” This is the “infinitely better way” to care for the needs of people with serious illnesses,” what Blessed John Paul II called “the way of love and mercy.” These considerations are very important in terms of forming ourselves as Catholics, and they help all of us see more clearly and with greater confidence, thanks the help of Revelation, that doctor prescribed death is always wrong. These arguments won't necessarily work ad extra, in terms of the persuasion of the public as a whole, but they will be far more direct and persuasive to those who believe that they believe that God exists, that he speaks to us through Sacred Scripture and the Church he founded, to guide us to the truth in faith and morals. IV. National and International Survey of Doctor Prescribed Death Before we look at the situation in Massachusetts, I'd like to do a quick survey of the situation in our country and across the globe. I do this because euthanasia proponents sometimes give the impression that the advent of physician assisted suicide is inevitable. It's not. There is, in fact, the total reverse and negation of a “domino effect.” The state of Oregon made assisted suicide a medical treatment in 1994 and three years later legalized it outright. In 2008, Washington did the same. That same year courts in Montana said that patients have the right to self-administer a lethal dose of medication as prescribed by a physician and determined that the doctor would not face legal punishment for doing so. But in the time since 1994 in Oregon, there have been 124 proposals in 25 states. All that are not currently pending were either defeated, tabled for the session, withdrawn by sponsors, or languished with no action taken. Michigan defeated a Kevorkian led referendum in 1998. Maine defeated a referendum for physician assisted suicide in 2000 (51-49). California defeated the Compassionate Choices Acts in 2005. New Hampshire defeated an assisted suicide bill 242-113 in January 2010. Later that year, Hawaii's health committee unanimously rebuffed it. Earlier this month, the State of Vermont defeated it 18-11 in the Senate. The vast majority of times it has come up in states across the nation, it has been defeated. Doctor physician suicide remains an explicit crime in 44 states. The same thing has happened internationally. After the Netherlands legalized it, The Scottish Parliament overwhelming defeated an attempt to give “end of life Assistance” 85-16 in 2010. In the same year, the Canadian parliament defeated a bill that would have legalized euthanasia and assisted suicide by a vote of 228 to 59. In Western Australia, a major effort was launched to pass a euthanasia bill, and it was struck down 24-11 in September 2010.Since the beginning of 2010 five countries have defeated efforts to pass more radical laws enabling not just assisted suicide but Netherlands-style euthanasia, which allows medical professionals to kill very ill or depressed patients. The bottom line is that we should have hope. If euthanasia can be defeated in California, in Vermont, in Britain, in Canada, it can be defeated here. The reason is because fundamentally those fighting against euthanasia are not primarily conservatives or, even more restricted, religious conservatives. Most current opposition coalitions include many persons and organizations whose opposition is based on progressive politics, especially disability rights groups and medical associations . V. The Massachusetts Death with Dignity Act Let's turn now to the Death with Dignity Act that Attorney General Martha Coakley certified as a citizens initiative petition on September 7, 2011.Presently assisting suicide currently is a common law crime in MassachusettsThis petition allows a Massachusetts adult resident, who has been diagnosed with a terminal illness that will likely result in death within six months, to request and receive a prescription for a lethal drug to end his or her life. If passed, the petition would legalize physician-assisted suicide. Two physicians will need to determine the terminal diagnosis, the mental state of the patient, and that the patient is acting voluntarily. The patient must make two oral requests within no fewer than fifteen days of one another. A written request is also required with a minimum of forty-eight hours between the written request and the writing of a prescription for the lethal drug. Let's begin parsing what this is all about.First I'll describe technical issues with the actual petition and then discuss some of the larger issues involved. There are at least 5 technical issues with the actual petition. First, we see first the use of euphemisms to mask what's really involved. The US Bishops have stated that proponents … avoid terms such as “assisting suicide” and instead use euphemisms such as “aid in dying.” They note that The Hemlock Society has changed its name to “Compassion and Choices.” They state, “Plain speaking is needed to strip away this veneer and uncover what is at stake, for this agenda promotes neither free choice nor compassion.” Proponents scrupulously avoid the term suicide, instead opting for “compassion,” “dying with dignity” “humane” and “end-of-life care.” It's important for us to keep the term suicide in the forefront, because people, especially in our culture, recognize that suicide is wrong. A vote for doctor prescribed suicide is a vote for suicide. Cardinal O'Malley said in a powerful homily, “We hope that the citizens of the commonwealth will not be seduced by the language: dignity, mercy and compassion which are used to disguise the sheer brutality of helping some kill themselves.… We are our brother's keeper and our sister's helper. Cain who forgot he was his brother's keeper ended up becoming his executioner. “Thou shall not kill” is God's law and it is written in our hearts by our Creator.” Second, the petition uses a vague definition of terminally ill. There are many definitions for the word “terminal.” For example, when he spoke to the National Press Club in 1992, Jack Kevorkian said that a terminal illness was “any disease that curtails life even for a day.” The co-founder of the Hemlock Society often refers to “terminal old age.” Some laws define “terminal” condition as one from which death will occur in a “relatively short time.” Others state that “terminal” means that death is expected within six months or less, WITHOUT MEDICAL CARE. Even where a specific life expectancy (like six months) is referred to, medical experts acknowledge that it is virtually impossible to predict the life expectancy of a particular patient. Some people diagnosed as terminally ill don't die for years, if at all, from the diagnosed condition. Increasingly, however, euthanasia activists have dropped references to terminal illness, replacing them with such phrases as “hopelessly ill,” “desperately ill,” “incurably ill,” “hopeless condition,” and “meaningless life.” But it is extremely common for medical prognoses of a short life expectancy to be wrong. Studies indicate that only cancer patients show a predictable decline, and even then, it is only in the last few weeks of life. With every disease other than cancer, prediction is unreliable. Prognoses are based on statistical averages, which are nearly useless in determining what will happen to an individual patient. Thus, the potential reach of assisted suicide is extremely broad and could include many people who may be mistakenly diagnosed as terminal but who have many meaningful years of life ahead The third technical issue with the petition is that there is no mandatory psychiatric evaluation to determine the level of depression or a plan to handle depression. The petition only requires a determination that the person does not have impaired judgment (Section 6). In To Live Each Day with Dignity, the US Bishops remarked, “Medical professionals recognize that people who take their own lives commonly suffer from a mental illness, such as clinical depression. Suicidal desires may be triggered by very real setbacks and serious disappointments in life. However, suicidal persons become increasingly incapable of appreciating options for dealing with these problems, suffering from a kind of tunnel vision that sees relief only in death.” It is never rational to choose suicide. In 2010, the Oregon Public Health Division found that the leading reasons people gave for asking for death were loss of autonomy (94%), decreasing ability to participate in activities that make life enjoyable (94%), and loss of dignity (79%). It is not pain but fear that drives people to suicide. Fear of dependence. Fear of “being a burden.” Depression is one of the main factors that drives one to suicide. it's not pain. The latest figures from Oregon show that while 95% of patients requested euthanasia or assisted suicide for “loss of autonomy” and 92% for “loss of dignity” only 5% (3 people) requested it for “inadequate pain control.” It should be noted here that hospice care is not as well developed in Oregon as in other US states. The two professional associations representing oncologists in California wrote: It is critical to recognize that, contrary to belief, most patients requesting physician-assisted suicide or euthanasia do not do so because of physical symptoms such as pain or nausea. Rather, depression, psychological distress, and fear of loss of control are identified as the key end of life issues. This has been borne out in numerous studies and reports. For example, … a survey of 100 terminally ill cancer patients in a palliative care program in Edmonton, Canada,. .. showed no correlation between physical symptoms of pain, nausea, or loss of appetite and the patient's expressed desire or support for euthanasia or PAS. Moreover, in the same study, patients demonstrating suicidal thoughts were much more likely to be suffering from depression or anxiety, but not bodily symptoms such as pain. Fourth – there are multiple problems with criteria for witnesses and reporting structures. Witnesses can be strangers or those who seek to benefit from the death. Can be friends of the heirs. Under this Initiative [11-12], someone who would benefit financially from the patient's death could serve as a witness and claim that the patient is mentally fit and eligible to request assisted suicide. The Initiative [11-12] requires that there be two witnesses to the patient's written request for doctor-prescribed suicide. One of those witnesses shall not be a relative or entitled to any portion of the person's estate upon death. However,this provides little protection since it permits one witness to be a relative or someone who IS entitled to the patient's estate. The second witness could be the best friend of the first witness and no one would know. Victims of elder abuse and domestic abuse are unlikely to share their fears with outsiders or to reveal that they are being pressured by family members to “choose” assisted suicide. The US Bishops stated last year that “in fact, such laws have generally taken great care to AVOID real scrutiny of the process for doctor-prescribed death—or any inquiry into WHOSE choice is served. In Oregon and Washington, for example, all reporting is done solely by the physician who prescribes lethal drugs. Once they are prescribed, the law requires no assessment of whether patients are acting freely, whether they are influenced by those who have financial or other motives for ensuring their death, or even whether others actually administer the drugs. Here the line between assisted suicide and homicide becomes blurred.”In Oregon, in only 28 percent of the patient deaths has the prescribing physician been present at the time of patient ingestion of the lethal dose, and in 19 percent of the cases, no health care provider has been in attendance. The fifth technical problem is that the initiative doesn't do enough limit the possibility of elder abuse or a lack of consent. Criminologist Jeremy Prichard doubts that many people in the community will be able to give full and voluntary consent to ending their lives. He contends that the growing prevalence of elder abuse suggests that aged people could easily be manipulated.Most elder abuse is at the hand of a relative. We must recognize that the prospect of euthanasia and assisted suicide becoming law in this country could effectively be aiding and abetting elder abuse with extremely grave consequences.It's not hard to imagine that a relative who has been systematically abusing an elder emotionally and financially could see euthanasia as the final (and most profitable) card to play for personal gain.It's not hard to imagine someone who has been emotionally abused over time succumbing to the suggestion that they ‘do the right thing' once their frailty and ailments reach a certain point. VI. Larger issues involved Now I'd like to discuss 8 larger issues that are involved .There's a false compassion involved in this initiative.It's an explicit promotion of suicide. It will lead to a weakening of palliative care. It creates tremendous pressure on those who are ill and on their caregivers. It provides financial incentives toward euthanasia. It begins a slippery slope to many other possible abuses and evils. It creates legitimate fears in the disabled community. And It introduces a change in the nature of medical care. First, it's a false compassion – The US Bishops state that “the idea that assisting a suicide shows compassion and eliminates suffering is equally misguided. It eliminates the person, and results in suffering for those left behind—grieving families and friends, and other vulnerable people who may be influenced by this event to see death as an escape. The sufferings caused by chronic or terminal illness are often severe. They cry out for our compassion, a word whose root meaning is to “suffer with” another person. True compassion alleviates suffering while maintaining solidarity with those who suffer. It does not put lethal drugs in their hands and abandon them to their suicidal impulses, or to the self-serving motives of others who may want them dead. It helps vulnerable people with their problems instead of treating them as the problem.” Blessed Pope John Paul II wrote, “True ‘compassion' leads to sharing another's pain; it does not kill the person whose suffering we cannot bear.” Second - it's an explicit governmental promotion of suicide - Once government begins to say under certain circumstances suicide is not only permitted, but a public good, then others in situations — that are by no means severe — start to take their own lives.We've seen this in Oregon. In the first decade after Oregon legalized physician assisted suicide, the suicide rate - which had been declining - rose to 35 percent above the national average.And That 35 percent does NOT include doctor-assisted deaths in Oregon. By rescinding legal protection for the lives of one group of people, the government implicitly communicates the message—before anyone signs a form to accept this alleged benefit—that they may be better off dead. If these persons say they want to die, others may be tempted to regard this not as a call for help but as the reasonable response to what they agree is a meaningless life. Those who choose to live may then be seen as selfish or irrational, as a needless burden on others, and even be encouraged to view themselves that way Third - it will lead to a weakening of palliative care – The push for doctor prescribed death is a movement to kill not the pain a person suffers but the person with the pain. Euthanasia advocates have pushed to confuse everyone on the palliative care issue: They have conflated or fused palliative care — the medical alleviation of pain and other distressing symptoms of serious illness — with intentionally ending the life of the patient.The pro-euthanasia lobby has deliberately confused pain relief treatment and euthanasia in order to promote their cause. Their argument is that necessary pain relief treatment that could shorten life is euthanasia; we are already giving such treatment and the vast majority of people agree we should do so; therefore, we are practicing euthanasia with the approval of the majority so we should come out of the medical closet and legalize euthanasia. Indeed, they argue, doing so is just a small incremental step along a path we have already taken. The US Bishops in To Leave Each Day with Dignity wrote, “Even health care providers' ability and willingness to provide palliative care such as effective pain management can be undermined by authorizing assisted suicide. Studies indicate that untreated pain among terminally ill patients may increase and development of hospice care can stagnate after assisted suicide is legalized. Government programs and private insurers may even limit support for care that could extend life, while emphasizing the “cost-effective” solution of a doctor-prescribed death. The reason for such trends is easy to understand. Why would medical professionals spend a lifetime developing the empathy and skills needed for the difficult but important task of providing optimum care, once society has authorized a “solution” for suffering patients that requires no skill at all? Once some people have become candidates for the inexpensive treatment of assisted suicide, public and private payers for health coverage also find it easy to direct life-affirming resources elsewhere.” Fourth - it creates tremendous pressure on those who are ill and on their care givers - If voluntary euthanasia is introduced, every dying person capable of doing so would have to decide not just whether or not his own pain had become too much to bear, but whether or not the emotional, physical and financial burden was becoming too much for relatives and friends to bear. What are the dying to do when their children and grandchildren have to travel long distances, endure enormous emotional strain and go through wearing physical fatigue to be with them during an awkwardly long and unpredictable “dying period”? What are the poor, vulnerable dying to do when they are made to feel that their continued existence is an intolerable public burden? In cases where the dying elderly are not in a position to give formal consent to their own death, those legally vested with the right to make this decision on their behalf can never be sure that they acted out of the right motives. (In the worst case, one can wonder whether they were motivated by their dying relative's emotional strain or by THEIR OWN, by the interests of the patient or by the prospect of securing an inheritance sooner rather than later?, and so on). The legalization of euthanasia would put almost “humanly impossible” demands on the dying and their relatives, especially if they are poor. Where voluntary euthanasia is illegal, the timing and extent of medical intervention in the lives of dying patients is more a matter of “professional judgment” than of “personal choice” and this means that the health professions are able to protect the poor and vulnerable from pressures of this kind. Fifth – it creates financial incentives for euthanasia – In an era of cost control and managed care, patients with lingering illnesses may be branded an economic liability, and decisions to encourage physician assisted suicide may be driven by cost.I ask you, is it reasonable to assume that some government bureaucrats or some bottom-line-driven managed care decision makers would be motivated to encourage less costly assisted suicide pill prescriptions over more expensive longer-term treatments?The cost of the lethal medication generally used for assisted suicide is about $300, far cheaper than the cost of treatment for most long-term medical conditions. Many common-sense adults have already concluded that assisted suicide is a deadly mix with our challenged health care system, in which financial pressures already play far too great a role in many health care decisions. The U.S. Solicitor General in the Clinton Administration, Walter Dellinger, warned in urging the Supreme Court to uphold laws against assisted suicide: “The least costly treatment for any illness is lethal medication.” Patients in Oregon have already encountered that reality. In May 2008, 64-year-old retired school bus driver Barbara Wagner received bad news from her doctor. Her cancer had returned. Then she got some good news. Her doctor gave her a prescription for medication that he said would likely slow the cancer's growth and extend her life. It didn't take long for her hopes to be dashed.She was notified by letter that the Oregon Health Plan wouldn't cover the prescribed cancer drug. It also informed her that, although it wouldn't cover the prescription, it would cover all costs for her assisted suicide. Wagner said she told the OHP, “Who do you guys think you are? You know, to say that you'll pay for my dying, but you won't pay to help me possibly live longer?”Wagner's case was not isolated. Other patients received similar letters. Sixth - clearly this initiative would launch the Commonwealth down the slippery slope to involuntary euthanasia and other evils. The “slippery slope” argument, a complex legal and philosophical concept, generally asserts that one exception to a law is followed by more exceptions until a point is reached that would initially have been unacceptable We've seen the path the slippery slope has taken in Belgium and the Netherlands. In 30 years, the Netherlands has moved from euthanasia of people who are terminally ill, to euthanasia of those who are chronically ill; from euthanasia for physical illness, to euthanasia for mental illness; from euthanasia for mental illness, to euthanasia for psychological distress or mental suffering—and now to euthanasia simply if a person is over the age of 70 and “tired of living.” Dutch euthanasia protocols have also moved from conscious patients providing explicit consent, to unconscious patients unable to provide consent. Denying euthanasia or PAS in the Netherlands is now considered a form of discrimination against people with chronic illness, whether the illness be physical or psychological, because those people will be forced to “suffer”longer than those who are terminally ill. Non-voluntary euthanasia is now being justified by appealing to the social duty of citizens and the ethical pillar of caring for others [beneficence]. In the Netherlands, euthanasia has moved from being a measure of last resort to being one of early intervention. Belgium has followed suit, and troubling evidence is emerging from Oregon specifically with respect to the protection of people with depression and the objectivity of the process For many years Dutch courts have allowed physicians to practice euthanasia and assisted suicide with impunity, supposedly only in cases where desperately ill patients have unbearable suffering. However, Dutch policy and practice have expanded to allow the killing of people with disabilities or even physically healthy people with psychological distress; thousands of patients, including newborn children with disabilities, have been killed by their doctors without their request. The Dutch example teaches us that the “slippery slope” is very real.A recent study found that in the Flemish part of Belgium, 66 of 208 cases of “euthanasia” (32%) occurred in the absence of request or consent. The reasons for not discussing the decision to end the person's life and not obtaining consent were that patients were comatose (70% of cases) or had dementia (21% of cases). In 17% of cases, the physicians proceeded without consent because they felt that euthanasia was “clearly in the patient's best interest” and, in 8% of cases, that discussing it with the patient would have been harmful to that patient. Those findings accord with the results of a previous study in which 25 of 1644 non-sudden deaths had been the result of euthanasia without explicit consent The US Bishops Conference speaks about this: “Taking life in the name of compassion also invites a slippery slope toward ending the lives of people with non-terminal conditions. Dutch doctors, who once limited euthanasia to terminally ill patients, now provide lethal drugs to people with chronic illnesses and disabilities, mental illness, and even melancholy. Once they convinced themselves that ending a short life can be an act of compassion, it was morbidly logical to conclude that ending a longer life may show even more compassion. Psychologically, as well, the physician who has begun to offer death as a solution for some illnesses is tempted to view it as the answer for an ever-broader range of problems. This agenda actually risks adding to the suffering of seriously ill people. Their worst suffering is often not physical pain, which can be alleviated with competent medical care, but feelings of isolation and hopelessness. The realization that others—or society as a whole—may see their death as an acceptable or even desirable solution to their problems can only magnify this kind of suffering.” There is a moral trickle-down effect. First, suicide is promoted as a virtue. Then follows mercy killing of the terminally ill. From there, it's a hop, skip and a jump to killing people who aren't perceived to have a good “quality” of life, perhaps with the prospect of organ harvesting thrown in as a plum to society. Seventh – the disabled community is rightly concerned about this initiative – A Once concerns about the perception of one's quality of life come to the forefront, disabled advocates anticipate that the disabled will be among the first to be targeted under an anthropology focused on doing rather than being. These advocates tell us that many people with disabilities have long experience of prejudicial attitudes on the part of able-bodied people, including physicians, who assume they would “rather be dead than disabled.” Such prejudices could easily lead families, physicians and society to encourage death for people who are depressed and emotionally vulnerable as they adjust to life with a serious illness or disability. Although the debate about assisted suicide is often portrayed as part of the culture war—with typical left-right, pro-con politics—the largest number of witnesses at the most recent hearing on Beacon Hill were 10 disability-rights advocates who oppose the initiative. According to the National Council on Disability: “As the experience in the Netherlands demonstrates there is little doubt that legalizing assisted suicide generates strong pressures upon individuals and families to utilize the option, and leads very quickly to coercion and involuntary euthanasia.”This is a fear that many people living with a disability and their families express over the idea of euthanasia.They fear that misunderstandings and false compassion could result in them being considered ‘better off dead'; devalued and perhaps even killed. They also fear being treated as second class citizens in respect to their medical care. A policy of euthanasia will inevitably lead to establishing social standards of acceptable life. When “quality life” is more important than life itself, the mentally ill, the disabled, the depressed, and those who cannot defend themselves will be at risk of being eliminated. The prohibitions against both euthanasia and assisted suicide treat all citizens equally. Making exceptions for the hard cases while advantaging the very few, risks placing far more people at a decided risk of disadvantage. We would be implicitly suggesting that the lives of the sick or disabled are less worthy of the protection of the law than others. Will these ‘vulnerable groups' be heard In Massachusetts, the disability advocates call their opposition group “Second Thoughts.” They say that assisted suicide may sound like a good idea at first, but on second thought the risks of mistake, coercion and abuse are too great. Cardinal Seán O'Malley summed up this thought in a homily he delivered in September of 2011.“By rescinding the legal protection for the lives of a category of people, the government sends a message that some persons are better off dead. This biased judgment about the diminished value of life for someone with a serious illness or disability is fueled by the excessively high premium our culture places on productivity and autonomy which tends to discount the lives of those who have a disability or who are suffering or dependent on others. If these people claim they want to die, others might be tempted to regard this not as a call for help, but as a reasonable response to what they agree is a meaningless life. Those who choose to live may then be viewed as selfish or irrational, as a needless burden on others, and might even be encouraged to see themselves in that way. Many people with a disability who struggle for their genuine rights to adequate health care, housing and so forth, are understandably suspicious when the freedom society most eagerly offers them is the freedom to take their lives.” The eighth large issue is that this initiative if passed would bring about a massive change in the nature of medical care – The American Medical Association, the American College of Physicians, the American Psychiatric Association, the American Nurses Association and the Massachusetts Medical Society all oppose doctor-prescribed suicide and for good reason, because it changes the nature of medical care and corrupts the medical profession.The Hippocratic oath states: “I will not give a lethal drug to anyone if I am asked, nor will I advise such a plan.”The American Medical Association holds that “physician-assisted suicide is fundamentally incompatible with the physician's role as healer.” Once we allow doctors to start to kill patients with terminal illnesses, the meaning of the medical profession changes, from one that seeks always to save lives, to one in which it is possible to end them. Once that occurs, then it's a small step to allowing them to assist non-terminal patients in taking their lives and another to putting pressure on those who are in terminal illnesses to do family members and society a “favor” by ending their lives so that medical resources can be spent elsewhere. We've seen the consequences in terms of the doctor-patient relationship. In Holland, reports have been published documenting the sad fact that elderly patients, out of fear of euthanasia, refuse hospitalization and even avoid consulting doctors, because doctors and nurses become potential destroyers of life, rather than defenders. They become executioners. There would also be a fundamental change in the way doctors are formed. A fundamental value and attitude that we want to reinforce in medical students, interns and residents, and in nurses, is an absolute repugnance to killing patients. It would be very difficult to communicate to future physicians and nurses such a repugnance in the context of legalized doctor prescribed death. VII. Our mission in response to this challenge With regard to the citizens initiative petition, we need to know some facts. It's still in the “second quarter of the game,” but we are slightly behind and therefore we must work harder and better, both on offense and defense. The recent poll by Public Policy Polling showing that 43 percent are in favor of the petition at the present, and 37 percent are against. But we saw some breakdowns that will teach us particular areas that we can emphasize: There is a gender difference. Men were in favor of 48-34 percent.Women were opposed 41-38.Therefore we particularly need to work on men to become real protectors of the vulnerable and to accentuate woman's nature compassion. There are also generational differences. 65 and older were opposed with 44 percent against it. Those 46-65 were the most in favor, with 49 percent supporting the bill. It's clear that our seniors will be opposed if the specter of people making the decision for them is brought to them.We need to help the care giver generation to recognize there's a better way, a way of returning love for the love received, of the availability of good palliative care in hospices. The larger issue of how we should be getting involved was brought out by the US Bishops in To Live Each Day with Dignity. “Catholics should be leaders in the effort to defend and uphold the principle that each of us has a right to live with dignity through every day of our lives. As disciples of one who is Lord of the living, we need to be messengers of the Gospel of Life. We should join with other concerned Americans, including disability rights advocates, charitable organizations, and members of the healing professions, to stand for the dignity of people with serious illnesses and disabilities and promote life-affirming solutions for their problems and hardships. We should ensure that the families of people with chronic or terminal illness will advocate for the rights of their loved ones, and will never feel they have been left alone in caring for their needs. The claim that the “quick fix” of an overdose of drugs can substitute for these efforts is an affront to patients, caregivers and the ideals of medicine. When we grow old or sick and we are tempted to lose heart, we should be surrounded by people who ask “How can we help?” We deserve to grow old in a society that views our cares and needs with a compassion grounded in respect, offering genuine support in our final days. The choices we make together now will decide whether this is the kind of caring society we will leave to future generations. We can help build a world in which love is stronger than death.” This initiative petition is a time in which all citizens of the Commonwealth have the chance to choose the path of Cain and Kevorkian or the path of the Good Samaritan. It's the path of the executioner or of the truly compassionate care-giver, the life-affirming hospice nurse, the 24-hour operator at suicide prevention hotlines, and the heroic firefighter or police officer who climbs bridges, risking his life to save those who are contemplating ending their own. The path of the true brother's keeper will also be shown in the educational work of those who begin anew to educate others about the dignity of every human life and persuade legislators and fellow citizens to rise up to defeat soundly this evil initiative. It's a matter of life or death.

Dr. Chris and Fr. Andrew discuss that event which Blessed John Paul II described as "the great gift of the Spirit to the Church in our time..." The post https://www.sfcatholic.org/prc-episode-94-the-great-gift-of-the-holy-spirit-to-the-church-of-our-time/ (PRC Episode #94: The Great Gift of the Holy Spirit to the Church of Our Time) appeared first on https://www.sfcatholic.org (Catholic Diocese of Sioux Falls).

Dr. Chris and Fr. Andrew discuss that event which Blessed John Paul II described as "the great gift of the Spirit to the Church in our time..."

Summary of today's show: On Tuesday of Holy Week in the Archdiocese of Boston, Cardinal Seán celebrates the Chrism Mass with the priests of the archdiocese, blessing the holy oils used in sacraments for the next year and renewing their priestly vows. In a special broadcast from the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston, Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O'Connor, first, discuss the Mass and Holy Week with Fr. Jonathan Gaspar and the listen to and reflect upon Cardinal Seán's homily to the priests, which each year is the one he prepares for with the greatest reflection and prayer. Listen to the show: Today's host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O'Connor **Today's guest(s): Fr. Jonathan Gaspar Links from today's show: Today's topics: Cardinal Seán's homily at the Chrism Mass 1st segment: Today the show is being broadcast from the Cathedral of the Holy Cross following the celebration of the Chrism Mass. He is joined by Fr. Jonathan Gaspar and Fr. Chris O'Connor. Fr. Jonathan said it's always great to see so many priests turn out. Fr. Chris said many priests make a conscious decision to come from all over the Archdiocese in order to receive the oils used in sacraments and to renew their priestly vows. Many can't come because they are needed in their parishes. Scot said it seems the Cardinal puts extra time and effort into his Chrism Mass homily. Fr. Jonathan said the Cardinal loves to preach, but he spends a great of time preparing for this one in particular, offering the priests a message of hope and encouragement. He said the Cardinal has spent many nights over the past few weeks in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament and at his desk writing his homily. Scot said Cardinal Sean said the Chrism Mass is a sign of unity across the archdiocese in the sacred chrism consecrated today to be used in every sacrament of baptism, confirmation, and anointing. Fr. Chris said all of those sacraments are connected to this Mass today. Another element of unity is the presence of Greek Orthodox Metropolitan Methodios. Both the Metropolitan and the Cardinal spoke of the need for Christian unity. Scot said there is a luncheon for priests after the Mass at the cathedral and each year two priests received awards for their service. Fr. Jim Rafferty and Fr. Dave Palmieri were the recipients this year. Scot noted that Fr. Rafferty received unfavorable press coverage for a pastoral decision a few years ago at St. Paul's in Hingham and this was a chance to highlight his service and to reaffirm him as one who preaches the faith in season and out of season. Scot said Cardinal Seán also mentioned during his homily how many priests tell him they first had an inkling of their vocation from their childhood priests who mentioned the possibility for the call in their lives. Fr. Jonathan recalled his own childhood priest who planted the idea of a vocation in him as a boy. He said Cardinal Seán told priests that the first way to foster vocations was to just smile and show the joy of the priesthood. 2nd segment: Scot said the Chrism Mass is the second big event of Holy Week after Palm Sunday. In many places, Chrism Mass is on Holy Thursday morning, but in big dioceses they move it to another day because priests need to get back to the parishes for Holy Thursday evening for all the preparations that must be made. Fr. Chris said in Rome it will be held on Holy Thursday. He said Pope John Paul II used to publish a Holy Thursday letter to the priests of the world giving them something to reflect on. He's hoping Pope Benedict issues such a letter this year. Scot said priests at this Mass renew their priestly promises from ordination. After 14 years as a priest, Fr. Chris reflected on the renewal and he recalled the words, “Lord, I am unworthy.” In the midst of our own brokenness, Christ continues to call us to minister to his people. It also brought him back to his ordination day, being with his brother priests and celebrating the gift of his priesthood. The only large gathering of priests for Mass like this is the ordination Mass. The Cardinal asked three questions of the priests to renew their priestly vows. Fr. Chris said the Cardinal also asked the priests to pray him as a priestly leader. At another point, the vicar general kepis up and reads the names of all the priests who have died in the past year. About 25 priests were named this year. Scot said he reflected on how every priest present knew that one day their name would be read in this Mass. Fr. Chris said all Christians need to be cognizant of their own mortality and death, but the proximity of Easter reminds us of the promise of eternal life. Now we will hear from Cardinal Sean's homily for the Mass and we will stop periodically to comment on it: Good morning everyone. Your eminence, Metropolitan Methodius, Brother Bishops and Priests, Deacons, Fellow Religious, dear brothers and sisters in the Lord. I first learned about the great tradition of Boston when John Wright became our bishop when I was a seminarian and he would regale us with many stories about Boston. But my favorite story of his was about Mayor Curley. Once when he was running for mayor, he was opposed by one of his lieutenants, a big, garrulous red-haired Irishman who I think was the police or the fire chief at the time. When his opponent had a political rally he decided to go. When he got there, he asked to speak. He said, “You know, every great man in history has had a betrayer. Caesar had his Brutus, Washington had Benedict Arnold, and our blessed savior had Judas. And you know? They were all redheads. Once I was visited by a priest who was very discouraged. He thought he was a redhead… He said: “Bishop, I am the worst priest in the world.” I said to him, that is quite a distinction. I asked him about his ordination and first mass. I said, “Did you fight over who was going to be first in line at your ordination? Did you betray Christ for the collection? Did you chop off someone's ears with a machete? Did you then run away and hide? I was of course comparing the worst priest in the world with the first priests in the world, the apostles. The vocation of the apostles begins with the joyful discovery of Christ, and with the reckless abandoning of their boats, their nets and their families, to follow the Lord. It wasn't too long however, when they were soon in competition with each other and worried about their retirement benefits, like who was going to have the thrones on the right and the left. They spent most of the first Sacred Triduum locked in the Cenacle, while it was the women who followed Jesus through the Stations of the Cross and to Calvary. To me one of the most poignant scenes in the Gospels is the apparition of the Risen Lord on Easter to the 11 remaining apostles. They're hiding out in the Cenacle with the doors bolted. Suddenly, Christ is in their midst showing them his wounded hands as if to say: “See how much I love you.” The reaction of the apostles certainly must have been one of very conflicted emotions. First of all, they were overjoyed to see that Jesus was alive and in their midst. Secondly, they would have felt a profound shame and embarrassment because of their cowardly behavior. The apostles did not surface even to bury Jesus' body after the crucifixion. Had it not been for Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, Jesus' body would have been cast into a common ditch to be savaged by vultures and dogs. But Jesus' love and forgiveness is so great, He does not even remind them of how badly they have behaved, but instead gives them the gift of the Spirit so that these sinners could become wounded healers. I find immense consolation in the fact that the Gospels give us, not pious platitudes, but a gritty, realistic portrayal of our first priests, the apostles. They were ordinary men like ourselves, full of humanity and shortcomings and idiosyncrasies. They were entrusted however, to carry on the most important mission in the history of the world and despite all of their weaknesses, they did an extraordinary job. Scot said one the ideas that stood out to him was that the people entrusted by Jesus to spread the Gospel were not those who had the courage to follow the Way of the Cross and stand at the foot of the Cross. Fr. Chris said we only know for sure that the Virgin Mary and John the beloved apostle were there. He loved how he picked up on the flaws and foibles of the apostles because it shows that by Christ picking these flawed men we see that the Church's ministry is about reconciliation. He reconciles them to himself in order to send them out to tell about the power of forgiveness. Scot said the cardinal has immense satisfaction that the Gospels give us a gritty, real, intense view of the apostles. Our Church is a hospital for sinners, not a museum of saints. Fr. Chris said it goes back to the incarnation, that Christ became human so we might become divine. Christ is present to us and offering us an opportunity to die to self, so we might live in him. That's what he calls us all to, regardless of state in life. I'm sure that all of us at one point have felt a certain envy of the apostles. We imagine how wonderful it would be to be there and hear Jesus' voice, to see his miracles, to experience the closeness, the companionship and joy of being in his presence. It is ironic however, that the apostles' worst behavior came about while Jesus was still with them. They came into their own after the Pentecost experience. It's then that they go out boldly to proclaim the gospel and to share with the world what they have received. Though we have not had the privilege of walking over the hills of Galilee in Jesus' company, we have received the same Spirit that the apostles did on Holy Thursday, on Easter Sunday and on Pentecost. And now the mission must continue, despite our weaknesses and shortcomings and all obstacles. Christ is counting on us just as He counted on those simple fishermen to preach his gospel, calling people to conversion and discipleship, building a community of faith around the Eucharist. Like those first Christians in the Acts of the Apostles, we must be united in embracing the teachings of the apostles, fellowship and prayer, and the breaking of the bread. Holy Thursday is a very special day for us priests; indeed this very Chrism Mass is an extension of Holy Thursday. On that first Holy Thursday, Jesus washed the feet of his apostles and commanded them to love one another in the way that He loves us. He also commanded them to celebrate the Eucharist, “Do this in memory of me.” And later on that same evening, Jesus tells his first priests: “Watch and pray.” Today, 2,000 years later, Jesus is telling us the same thing: we must love one another, we must celebrate His Eucharist, and we must watch and pray. In Chapter 14 of the Acts of the Apostles, St. Luke reports how Paul and Barnabas gather the faithful at Antioch and they reported what God had done with them and how God had “opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.” Pope Benedict has lifted that beautiful phrase, “the door of faith,” “Porta Fidei,” for the name and theme of his letter announcing the year of faith beginning in the fall. It will mark the 50th Anniversary of the opening of the second Vatican Council, convoked by Blessed Pope John XXIII, and which also coincides with the 20th anniversary of the promulgation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, published by Blessed John Paul II. We are people of faith. Faith defines our identity and motivates our actions. Faith is our most precious gift. I am so grateful to have been born into a family of believers, the faith and example of my parents and grandparents and aunts and uncles was so life giving to me as child. And I am ever grateful to my uncle, Father Jerry Riedy, who baptized me into the faith. Scot said although priests today haven't walked with Jesus in Galilee, they have received the same Spirit the apostles did on Pentecost. Christ is counting on these priests just as He did on the apostles. Scot said the Cardinal has a passion for gathering the people of God around the Eucharistic table each week, because it is where we show our love for one another. Fr. Chris said the early Christians did this to show their love for Christ. There is an equality at that table. All are invited and equal in the eyes of God. We receive communion, we are brought deeper into the mystery of God and are meant to share it with our brothers and sisters in the faith. Scot said Cardinal Seán later told the priests to open the door of faith to people and how grateful he is to his family for opening the door of faith to him. We are all called to show people the beauty of our faith in our lives. Fr. Chris said we learn by imitation and example and so when we see the example of those who love the Lord and willingly give their life in service to the Lord we see the love for Christ conveyed and that faith is infectious. Preparing these reflections today, I decided to consult my concordance of the Bible. I found that the word faith appears four times in the Old Testament. However, in the New Testament, which is much shorter, the term faith appears over 250 times and the word believe also appears over 250 times. It is impossible to read the New Testament without appreciating how important faith is. Faith means not being an orphan, having a father who is our God and having many brothers and sisters. Faith is a home where we dwell and move and have our being, where we discover how much we are loved and who we are. Faith is a relationship with Christ, a loving and trusting and enduring friendship. Indeed the mission entrusted by Jesus to the apostles is not first of all to announce the gospel, but first of all to believe in him. As priests we are called to be men of faith, teachers of faith and witnesses of faith. The epistle to the Hebrews tells us that faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen. After a beautiful passage celebrating the faith of our ancestors throughout salvation history, the author of Hebrews exhorts us: “Therefore since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus the origin and crown of all faith.” A few weeks ago I was invited to give the opening talk at a retreat for 75 young Jesuits here in Boston. A Jesuit Father who is a missionary in Siberia had organized the retreat and invited me. Afterwards, he presented me with a beautiful Russian icon of Our Lady. He told me that in Russia it is said: You do not choose the icon, the icon chooses you.” A very interesting perspective. Well, faith is born of a glance. Not so much ours, but that of Christ. The account of the vocation of the Apostles begins by the assertion Jesus looking at them. Jesus saw Andrew and Peter. Jesus saw the sons of Zebedee. Jesus saw Matthew. And having seen them, having fixed his gaze upon them, Jesus calls them to a life of discipleship. We should ask ourselves: “when did we become aware that Jesus had set his eyes on us?” When did we recognize His voice, and His invitation – “Follow me.” Each of us has our own vocational story. For each of us, there is a precise moment for each of us where we became aware that Jesus was looking at us. Certainly, there were many other moments: moments of enthusiasm, moments of definitive choice, and moments of decision to renew ourselves in the face of trials and difficulties and trials in our ministry. Even moments of remorse and shame when we had to cast ourselves on the mystery of our Lord's mercy, like Peter in the courtyard of the high priest, when the Lord turns and fixes his gaze on Peter, who goes out and weeps bitterly. To be under the gaze of the love and mercy of Jesus and to put our eyes fixed on Him, this is faith and from that faith comes every call, every following and even our ministerial vocation which unites us to Jesus who with love, compassion and tenderness sees the crowd and is moved because they are like sheep without a shepherd. Seeing our people's needs, Jesus sends us. Indeed as priests, we must persevere in running this course with our gaze fixed on Jesus, the origin and crown of all faith. It is our own Boston Marathon with many a Heartbreak Hill. It is a long distance run, not the frenetic sprint of the person anxious to be everywhere, who feels indispensable, who never has time for smile, who is not capable of listening, and who does not have the capacity for a profound silence. We need to witness the faith not by adopting the rhythms and times of this world, but rather by responding to the urgency of the gospel. “Faith comes through hearing” (Romans 10, 17) and it is as men of faith, that we must build our lives on the Word of God. There are so many demands on our time and attention, and our energy is not limitless. It requires discipline in the organization of our time to guarantee that each day we can be nourished by listening to the Word of God. Our celebration of the liturgy is also a crucial contact with the power that comes from God's Word and from the Sacraments. Regardless of what one may feel about the new translation, the changes in the liturgy have been an opportunity for us to focus with greater attention to the words we are praying. The Chrism Mass allows us to glimpse the grace of belonging to a presbyterate. It is this in this presbyterate, united to Christ and one another that the gifts that we received by the imposition of hands can be stirred up and enlivened. Here all of our struggles and triumphs are melded into one. The hidden sacrifices heroically made by some of our brothers, the special graces, the pastoral genius, the tireless dedication come together to forge our presbyterate. We are a body that together regenerates itself. Together we share the responsibility to announce the Gospel and to build up the Christian community. You often hear the expression: “keep the faith.” But what we really need to do is not keep the faith, but spread it around. Our faith grows stronger when we share it with others. All of us remember fondly the priests who mentored us in the faith. Now it is our turn to share these treasures. We are earthen vessels bearing treasures. The world is being overcome with darkness. To me one of the most chilling phrases on Jesus' lips are the words: “When the Son of Man returns will he find any faith on the earth?” In great part it depends on us. We who are Christ's priests have a huge responsibility to announce his Gospel in season and out of season. Scot said this was news to him about faith and belief in the Bible. It's important for the growth of the Church to understand that faith and belief are fundamental. Fr. Chris said we have to remember that faith is a gift from God to us, which we can accept or reject. It's also important to remember how grateful the Cardinal was that his parents were believers that they imparted their faith to him. How grateful we should be to those in our lives who have imparted the faith to us. Sometimes when we're lacking faith, the best way to grow in faith is to tell the Lord and then to pray. We become a better athlete by practicing the motions of the sport, and we grow in faith by acting in faith. Scot said the Cardinal said our faith grows stronger as we share it with others. We all have a huge responsibility to preach the Gospel in season and out of season. Fr. Chris quoted the First Letter of Peter, “be prepared to give a reason for your hope,” for why we believe. What are the highlights of our own faith conveyed in 3 minutes that we would give to someone who asked? I often tell the Jesuits that I'm a little envious of them, since they have 35 craters on the moon named after Jesuit fathers. We Capuchins only have a cup of coffee…. One of the best spots to drink a good cappuccino is the Piazza of San Eustachio in Rome. If you have ever indulged yourself at one of the cafés there, you may have noticed the lovely church which looks like many other Italianate churches, except for the fact that on top of the church where one usually expects to find the cross, there is a huge set of antlers. I am sure that there is some pious explanation for the antlers, perhaps some story about San Eustachio running over a deer and miraculously providing venison for 4000 orphans. However, if you ask the Romans why there are antlers on the top of the church you may hear the story that I was told. Apparently, a young Roman nobleman married a beautiful bride in that church, but soon after the marriage she absconded with the best man. Today the man would have gone on the Jerry Springer show. The husband was disconsolate, and in his grief and rage had the antlers placed on the roof of that church. In Italian, a man who has deceived by his wife is referred to as “cornuto” which means having horns. I am told that ever since the antlers went up, there are very few weddings in that church. Accordingly, for many Romans, the antlers on the church betoken defeat and sadness. During this year of faith we need to climb up and pull the antlers down and lift high the cross, the triumphant, life giving cross. Our people need us to be confident and joyful teachers of the faith. Cardinal Dolan spoke of going to a conference by Cardinal Wright on Evangelization, expecting a deep theological treatise. The message of the eloquent Bostonian was simply – smile! Pope Benedict constantly dwells on relationship of faith with joy. The word joy appears sixty (60) times in the New Testament. The very word Gospel means glad tidings. We are messengers of that joyful news. Scot said when he lived in Rome, he never saw the church the Cardinal referred to. Fr. Chris said he is going to Rome this summer and he's planning to check it out. Scot said the Cardinal seemed to be saying that we should tear down anything distracting us from the faith and in its place to lift high the Cross. But the cross isn't about grief. The cardinal referred to Cardinal Dolan speaking of the joy of having received the Good News and letting it permeate out hearts, even before the cross. Fr. Chris quoted St. Theresa of Avila: “Lord, save me from long-faced saints.” We should see the cross as something beautiful and life-giving. Showing the joy of the love of Christ attracts people and is an invitation to the gift of faith. The people need to glimpse our own faith. They need teachers who are witnesses. In our priestly support groups and circles of priests, we need to talk about Christ and our love for the mission that He has entrusted to us. It is because the Disciples on the Road to Emmaus are talking about Jesus, that the Risen Lord draws near and breaks open the Scriptures for them. That experience made their hearts burn within them. Cleopas and his buddy never finished that dinner – they got up from that table probably without even paying the check and ran back to Jerusalem with the waitress chasing them down the road. They were filled with joy, and wanted to share that joy and good news with their brothers – “we have seen the Lord and we recognized him in the breaking of the bread.” Pope Benedict XVI, in Porta Fidei, writes “faith grows when it is lived as an experience of grace and joy.” He warns us not to grow lazy in the faith, and urges us to focus on Jesus Christ, because “in him all the anguish and longing of the human heart finds fulfillment.” At the Chrism Mass, I like to make an appeal, a challenge to my priests and to myself. In the past, I have asked us all to work harder on our preaching. I have asked that every priest make a serious retreat each year – I had to go down to St. Petersburg last year to make sure Bishop Hennessey was not offering the enneagram and reiki. Actually we are very grateful for the wonderful work Bob Hennessey is doing on those retreats. I have asked that each priest develop a personal rule of life to assure the balance we need to pray hard, work hard and play hard. I have asked that each priest join a priest support group to be able to build a truly spiritual fraternity with a deep sense of shared mission. This year I would ask that each priest, myself included, to recommit ourselves to our own ongoing formation. Each of us is ultimately responsible for his own ongoing formation, which needs to be spiritual, human, theological and pastoral so that we might be the teachers of the faith our people need. Pope John Paul II wrote in Pastores dabo Vobis: “Ongoing formation aims at increasing the priest's awareness of his share in the Church's saving mission”. “The priest's permanent formation appears not only as a necessary condition but also as an indispensable means for constantly refocusing on the meaning of his mission and for ensuring that he is carrying it out with fidelity and generosity. By this formation, the priest is helped to become aware of the seriousness and yet the splendid grace of an obligation which cannot let him rest, so that, like Paul, he must be able to say: “If I preach the Gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel”(1 Cor. 9:16). At the same time, the priest also becomes aware of a demand, which insistently comes from all those whom God is unceasingly calling to salvation. Scot said in the seminary it's important to remind the seminarians that formation doesn't end with ordination. Fr. Chris said none of us are finished products. The disciples on the road to Emmaus were on a journey and each priest has to grow theologically and pastorally. He said he was intrigued by the list of challenges the Cardinal gives each year to the priests for them to work on. It's helpful to look on all of them and see where they've grown. One year is was about working on homilies. Another year was about taking a serious renewing retreat each year. Another year, they were to form a spiritual fraternity. This year it's about ongoing formation. Fr. Chris said it's a good reminder to all of his priests. Scot recapped the end of the Cardinal's homily. For the Church, the Year of the Faith is to be the year of the New Evangelization. Our personal ongoing formation will help us as a diocese in our task of imbuing our pastoral planning with the new evangelization which means taking the Gospel to those who have grown cold, to reach out with a new ardor and with new methods, turning our parishes into communities of evangelizers where every parishioner feels a call to share their faith, to be a part of the mission to make Christ's Gospel loved, and to promote a civilization of justice and love. I am very grateful to Bishop Arthur Kennedy for his willingness to help us to equip our people for the challenges of the New Evangelization and for promoting our ongoing formation. I know that it seems daunting but I am confident that this Year of Faith will be great grace for our Church if we priests take advantage of this time to renew ourselves in an ongoing conversion that is a response to Christ's loving call. Spiritual writers speak of a second call, actually there are many moments when the Lord glances at us as He did to Peter, after Peter's fall and what I call the “Last Breakfast” when the risen Lord, having examined Peter in his love, says “Follow me” again. As we renew our ordination promises may we recommit our lives to Christ, to our brothers and sisters, in the service of the Gospel whose Heralds we are. May the Lord grant each of us a faith that bestows confidence and courage, generosity and joy, as together we work to build up Christ's Kingdom. Together we want to take down the antlers of sadness and defeat and weathervane of doubt and uncertainly and lift high the cross. What St. Francis calls the book that contains the greatest love story in the history of the world – and we priests are all part of that story. God bless you. Scot said it's his sense that the Cardinal's hope is that each parish will come alive and each Catholic will be motivated to share their faith. Fr. Chris said it's an insight that originates with Pope Benedict XVI, who is always talking about this new evangelization, re-presenting the Gospel to those who have grown cold in the faith, re-introducing the idea that Christ is the life and the Resurrection. Scot previewed the liturgies of the rest of the week. He said beautiful images from these liturgies taken by George Martell can be found at . Scot and Fr. Chris said the best way to prepare for Easter is to participate in all the liturgies and services of Holy Week. Fr. Chris reminded everyone that tomorrow night is the final light of The Light Is On For You for this Lent, where the sacrament of confession will be available in every church and chapel from 6:30-8pm.

Summary of today's show: Seven years ago today, Bl. John Paul II died on the eve of the Feast of Divine Mercy, the devotion that he did so much to promote. Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams are joined by Fr. Kazimierz Chwalek and Mary Kay Volpone of the Association of Marian Helpers to discuss this great message of divine love, in which we are called to approach the fountain of Divine Mercy with great trust and through it renew the face of the world. Listen to the show: Today's host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams Today's guest(s): Fr. Kazimierz Chwalek and Mary Kay Volpone of the Association of Marian Helpers Links from today's show: Today's topics: Divine Mercy 1st segment: Scot welcomed everyone to the show. He noted that today is the seventh anniversary of the death of Blessed John Paul II. They recalled where they each were on that day. Fr. Matt recalls being on a Life in the Spirit seminar in Maine. The day he died was the feast of Divine Mercy. Today we will be talking about Divine Mercy with Fr. Kaz and Mary Kay from the National Shrine of Divine Mercy in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. 2nd segment: Scot welcomed Fr. Kaz and Mary Kay to the show. Fr. Kaz said hearing about John Paul brings up all the wonderful memories. Mary Kay recalled hearing the news of the passing of John Paul, being with her nephews and nieces and explaining the importance of the moment and praying with them. Fr. Kaz said the Holy Father actually died at 3:37 pm our time, 9:37pm in Rome, not yet the feast of Divine Mercy. Fr. Kaz said they prayed for him during the hour of Divine Mercy of 3pm. He was in the church at the shrine praying when he heard. Scot said George Weigel has written that John Paul's love for the Divine Mercy was one of the 3 things that defined his papacy. Fr. Kaz said when John Paul was a laborer during World War II and he used to pass by the shrine of Sr. Faustina's convent and he was aware of the devotion even before he entered seminary. In 1965 many people wanted him to initiate the cause of Sr. Faustina as archbishop of Karakow, but the Church had banned the devotion. So at the end of Vatican II, he asked the prefect of the Holy Office what to do and he was told to begin. In November 1965, he initiated the cause. He asked one of his best theologians to write an analysis of the diary and the ban was lifted in 1978, six months before John Paul was elected pope. This allowed him to promote the cause, where before it would have been called favoritism. In 1980, he published his second encyclical on Divine Mercy, , where he provided the theological ground for our understanding of divine Mercy without mentioning Faustina. Fr. Kaz was born in Poland and came to the US at 13. Scot asked him to describe how central to Polish Catholicism was the Divine Mercy devotion. Fr. Kaz said once the ban was put in place, the devotion died down and nobody really knew about it in most of Poland. Prior to the ban in 1958, it was promoted and spread, especially during World War II and was a consoling message of hope. In fact, the Marians of the Immaculate Conception brought it to the United States in 1941 and it was spread more widely here. The message was given to the Marians by Faustina's spiritual director and they began to publish it immediately. The priest had asked the Lord that if he was able to get him out of Communist Poland, that he would do all he could to spread the message. Fr. Kaz said the Holy Father's second papal trip was to Poland and at the time Fr. Kaz was a graduate student there. The atmosphere was still oppressive without freedom. Fr. Kaz said he will never forget the day on Pentecost when they televised the Mass nationally and John Paul cried out “Let the Holy Spirit come and renew the face of this land.” Fr. Kaz said the students left their studies and followed him for 7 days throughout Poland. Fr. Kaz had a sense of freedom. They were not afraid. This was the beginning of Solidarity. So what this message means is seeing how God works, how merciful He is, how much He cares for us. He can remove the shackles of slavery. Later on, out of that Solidarity movement came the whole collapse of European Communism. Mary Kay said the key points of the devotion are the feast, the image, the hour, the chaplet and the hour of great mercy. She said it's not just a devotion but a message and way of life. It's a way of trusting in the Lord and forgiving people. She said it was essential in Poland for people to learn to forgive after the Nazi oppression and then the Communist oppression. Fr. Matt said the Gospel proclaims the abundance of God's mercy, so the Divine Mercy message through Faustina was not new. Yet, it beautifully unpacks and makes more accessible what we have received in the Gospel. Jesus is the first missionary. He was sent from the Father to redeem and save humanity. Fr. Kaz said the Lord in the messages wants us to know Him as He is. St. Faustina's spiritual director talked about how much in reading the diary of St. Faustina, he rediscovered the great love and mercy of Christ. It highlights the teachings of our Church, like a spotlight on the Old Testament and New Testament. More than half the Psalms reference mercy, but we overlook it so often. Scot said too often people see God as a tough judge, and it is true that God is our judge, but He also loves us and is merciful and wants to carry our burdens for us. Fr. Kaz said God has given us the ability to know Him and His will and when we go contrary to the commandments we know there are consequences, like the law of gravity. Even though we know, we are weak, in Original Sin, so God gave us the incredible gift of his Son, who has already freed us for eternity. He gave its the power to overcome brokenness. 3rd segment: Fr. Matt asked how we help others rediscover the sense of sin that brings us to repentance. Fr. Kaz said in our hearts we brokenness and disillusionment. While we may not be aware of the nature of sin, God in his mercy wants to heal us. Someone going through hopelessness and despair, call upon God who will come and rescue them. God does not hold grudges. He loves us so much he will takes us home if we acknowledge our need for him. Mary Kay said St. Faustina wrote in her diary about souls striving for perfection. Jesus says there that we fall because we rely too much on our selves and not enough on him. But realize that God doesn't provide just so many pardons. No matter how many times we turn to him with contrite hearts he will forgive us. It's when we stop turning to him, that's when we get in trouble. If the soul doesn't allow even a little flicker of him in there, he will respect that choice. We have that choice to let him in. At the crucifixion, when Jesus' heart is pierced and blood and water flow out, it means that there is nothing left to give. It is poured out for every single one of us. No one is ever lost. If someone needs prayers, pray for them because no one is ever beyond conversion. Fr. Kaz quoted, “I have opened My Heart as a living fountain of mercy. Let all souls draw life from it. Let them approach this sea of mercy with great trust (Diary, 1520). On the cross, the fountain of My mercy was opened wide by the lance for all souls — no one have I excluded!” Christ is our fountain so the minute we come to him in prayer, we ask him for healing for mercy and there is more. The Holy Spirit inspires us to pray. Once we are there in that moment, then he draws us to the sacraments. The person opens their heart even a little bit and the Lord comes in. It's not just Confession, but also the Eucharist. The Eucharist is the fountain of His Mercy. Our Lady is also the one who brings Mercy because she intercedes for us. Scot asked about St. Faustina, who was born in 1905 and died in 1938. Mary Kay said Faustina was the third of ten children in a peasant family. Her family didn't want her to enter religious life even though she felt a call at 7 years old. When she was 20 years old and attending a dance, she had a vision of the Lord standing before her and asking how long she was going to make him wait. She left the party, ran into a church, and asked for guidance. She was told to go to Warsaw. She got off the train and asked Our Lady for direction .She eventually ended up at the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy who took her in. She had little education and was a gardner, porter, and cook. A beggar came to the door one day and she gave him food. When she turned around she was gone. She started to see visions of Our Lord and write them in her diary. Her spiritual director, Blessed Michael Sopocko, had her examined by a psychiatrist and he later said that he was being so edified by the writings. Mary Kay said one of her favorite parts was Faustina talking about keeping control of an unruly tongue. At one time, she had tuberculosis and no one believed her. The other sisters thought she was stupid and careless and didn't know about her receiving her messages, yet she thanked God for the daily crosses and harsh way she was treated. And today as a saint she's interceding for those us who are struggling. Fr. Matt asked about the hour of mercy and how we can observe it. Fr. Kaz said as Catholics we used to have during Lent a remembrance of Christ's Passion at 3pm. The Lord wanted us to remember him every day in His Passion. Wherever we are we should immerse ourselves in His Passion and to remember what He did for us. Otherwise we go about the day immersed in our present moment, but this life, this world, this moment is not everything. We can experience his love and extraordinary graces by meditating on his passion for as long as we can. He said the Chaplet of Divine Mercy is particularly important in turning to the Father and asking for graces and mercy for everyone around the world. The chaplet is a unique prayer given by the Lord to St. Faustina which grants unimaginable graces to those who recite, especially when recited before one who is dying. He said it's especially useful to pray many chaplets while driving. It's a powerful prayer because we turn to the Father. Scot said the chaplet is broadcast every day at 3pm on WQOM and CatholicTV does so as well. Fr. Matt said it can bring comfort to those praying for loved ones who are separated from the Lord, especially when they are dying and don't have access to a priest. We can pray and the Lord has promised to come in His mercy to that person in the hour of his death. Fr. Kaz says to pray for the dying and trust in his mercy because they have the most need of trust and have it the least. Fr. Kaz said they often teach health care professionals, especially nurses, on the Divine Mercy because they are often the only ones who can pray for the dying. Scot said people are often familiar with the image of Divine Mercy with the motto of Jesus, I trust in you. It's the promise we all can have to be able to trust in Christ. This was Jesus' signature that he requested at the bottom of the image. Mary Kay said there are other versions of the image created by artists trying o capture exactly what St. Faustina saw. But instead of getting caught up on any particular image, we should ensure it captures our heart. This Friday begins the nine-day novena leading to the Feast of Diviune Mercy on the Sunday after Easter. Fr. Kaz said the Lord announced the feast before he asked for the novena and repeated it on numerous occasions His desire for this feast. The key element for the Lord was that it occur on the Sunday after Easter. The Eucharist is a key component of the novena as is a good confession. Fr. Kaz said learning this message 33 years ago was the most exciting gift he's ever received. It's a message of renewal. Mary Kay said everyone is welcome to the Shrine of Divine Mercy on April 15. It takes place outdoors on the ground and they get between 10,000 and 20,000 pilgrims each year.

Summary of today's show: As Pope Benedict addresses each group of US bishops making their way to Rome this year in their ad limina visits, he is really sending a message to all Americans with his pastoral eye on what we need most. Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O'Connell take up one of the most recent addresses in which the Holy Father discusses the importance of marriage and family to society, the causes for its weakening today, and the prescription for its renewal among the generation of the young today. Listen to the show: Today's host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O'Connell Links from today's show: Today's topics: Pope Benedict on Marriage and Family to the US 1st segment: Scot welcomed Fr. Mark back to the show. He said this has been a weather week for the ages. Fr. Mark said he has spring fever. Scot said he was outside at midday today at the Stand Up for Religious Freedom Rally at the State House in Boston today. It was put together in less than 48 hours and about 400 people showed. There were many good speakers. Scot spoke and reflected on Pope John Paul II's first visit to Boston and how he spoke about religious freedom and the need for us in the West to defend that religious freedom and now we're fighting for our own religious freedom here. Pope John Paul II could be our patron saint for religious freedom. Fr. Mark has been planning a meeting of the Catholic Lawyers Guild tomorrow. They're having a Day of Recollection, an annual event during Lent. It will have the theme of the Book of Genesis. All Catholic lawyers and judges are welcome to come to the Pastoral Center, 66 Brooks Drive, Braintree, tomorrow morning. 2nd segment: SCot and Fr. Mark said they will be discussing an address by Pope Benedict to the US bishops who were visiting Rome as part of their ad limina visits. Dear Brother Bishops, I greet all of you with fraternal affection on the occasion of your visit ad limina Apostolorum. As you know, this year I wish to reflect with you on certain aspects of the evangelization of American culture in the light of the intellectual and ethical challenges of the present moment. In our previous meetings I acknowledged our concern about threats to freedom of conscience, religion and worship which need to be addressed urgently, so that all men and women of faith, and the institutions they inspire, can act in accordance with their deepest moral convictions. In this talk I would like to discuss another serious issue which you raised with me during my Pastoral Visit to America, namely, the contemporary crisis of marriage and the family, and, more generally, of the Christian vision of human sexuality. It is in fact increasingly evident that a weakened appreciation of the indissolubility of the marriage covenant, andthe widespread rejection of a responsible, mature sexual ethic grounded in the practice of chastity, have led to grave societal problems bearing an immense human and economic cost. Scot said of all the issues the Pope could talk about, he chooses this topic because the breakdown of the marriage covenant affects all of society. The rejection of the sexual ethic has led to immense societal problems. The fact that so many kids are being raised without both mom and dad has huge consequences for society. Fr. Mark said these ad limina addresses are not just for the bishops in the meeting but for all Americans and these are his first ad limina addresses to the US. SO this is what he's holding up as the fundamental issue and the fundamental building block. Yet, as Blessed John Paul II observed, the future of humanity passes by way of the family (cf. Familiaris Consortio, 85). Indeed, “the good that the Church and society as a whole expect from marriage and from the family founded on marriage is so great as to call for full pastoral commitment to this particular area. Marriage and the family are institutions that must be promoted and defended from every possible misrepresentation of their true nature, since whatever is injurious to them is injurious to society itself” (Sacramentum Caritatis, 29). He's calling us to be fully invested in this defense of marriage and family. Fr. Mark said the answer to the question of how to build the kingdom of God on earth is found in Familiaris Consortio and Sacramentum Caritatis and it is family. The family is the salvation of society. Scot said it's not just doing things for kids, but the formation of the kids. It's the parents' responsibility, not schools or other societal issues. Sometimes parents have to heroically raise their kids as single parents, but the holy Father is saying we have to provide support for families stay together, not pull it apart. Society must help strengthen the family. Fr. Mark said the family is the natural institution created by God. In this regard, particular mention must be made of the powerful political and cultural currents seeking to alter the legal definition of marriage. The Church's conscientious effort to resist this pressure calls for a reasoned defense of marriage as a natural institution consisting of a specific communion of persons, essentially rooted in the complementarity of the sexes and oriented to procreation. Sexual differences cannot be dismissed as irrelevant to the definition of marriage. Defending the institution of marriage as a social reality is ultimately a question of justice, since it entails safeguarding the good of the entire human community and the rights of parents and children alike. The Holy Father calls for a reasoned defense, not just a faith-based defense, of marriage. Fr. Mark noted that he's not talking about the Catholic definition of marriage, but marriage itself. Marriage predates Christ's raising it to the dignity of a sacrament. the Holy Father lists four basic things about the natural institution of marriage. The first is unity, meaning that marriage is exclusive between one man and one woman. The second is indissolubility, until death do we part. The third is procreation and education of children. Procreation is essential to marriage and education is formation. The fourth is the good of the spouses. The good of the spouse is not love per se, but for the other person's good and vice versa. It's selfless and other-directed, not selfish and me-directed. Fr. Mark said love is not an essential element of marriage. Arranged marriages are still marriages. Hopefully, they grow to include love. In our conversations, some of you have pointed with concern to the growing difficulties encountered in communicating the Church's teaching on marriage and the family in its integrity, and to a decrease in the number of young people who approach the sacrament of matrimony. Certainly we must acknowledge deficiencies in the catechesis of recent decades, which failed at times to communicate the rich heritage of Catholic teaching on marriage as a natural institution elevated by Christ to the dignity of a sacrament, the vocation of Christian spouses in society and in the Church, and the practice of marital chastity. This teaching, stated with increasing clarity by the post-conciliar magisterium and comprehensively presented in both the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, needs to be restored to its proper place in preaching and catechetical instruction. In response to the bishops saying that it's difficult to communicate the Church's teaching now and we aren't getting the job done in making young people understand marriage. One of the reasons it's not being received by young people is they aren't coming to church for the sacrament. Fr. Mark confirms here are far fewer marriages in the archdiocese over the past 10 years. While that's bad, it also means that people who are coming to the Church really do mean it. Fr. Mark said we have to teach about the sacrament of marriage in many ways. Children should be hearing them from families, religious education, homilies, and the like. Pre-cana programs are more proximate preparation. In these programs the priest takes the couple from where they are and launches them on a higher road. The actual marriage ceremony itself must be an act imbued with God. After the marriage we also need to provide better assistance after the wedding ceremony, sometimes called enrichment programs. Scot said one of the reasons we don't see this very often is there is often a dearth of well-formed couples who've been married for a long to help newly marred couples through the struggles and challenges they will face. Fr. Mark said people shouldn't wait to be asked to help in their parish. Pastors need people to come forward and volunteer to assist. God will use your strengths and weakness in his service. Your weaknesses will often make what you do more accessible. Never feel your not good enough or holy enough. On the practical level, marriage preparation programs must be carefully reviewed to ensure that there is greater concentration on their catechetical component and their presentation of the social and ecclesial responsibilities entailed by Christian marriage. In this context we cannot overlook the serious pastoral problem presented by the widespread practice of cohabitation, often by couples who seem unaware that it is gravely sinful, not to mention damaging to the stability of society. I encourage your efforts to develop clear pastoral and liturgical norms for the worthy celebration of matrimony which embody an unambiguous witness to the objective demands of Christian morality, while showing sensitivity and concern for young couples. One, he wants to make sure marriage prep programs are up with the times. Scot said the Archdiocese of Boston has renewed its program called Transformed in Love. Fr. Mark was on the steering committee for this program. He said this program fulfills what the Pope is calling for. The bad news is that the program is not being used widely enough. It does have the emphasis on why Catholic marriage? But there are still a lot of poor programs in our archdiocese and other dioceses. If listeners know of a need for renewal of a particular program, Fr. Mark urges them to contact Kari Colella at the Archdiocese of Boston: Scot said one of the reasons people cohabit is they haven't heard enough from Catholics around them that it is wrong. We're not living our faith if we don't help these couples. Sometimes they wouldn't cohabit if someone offered assistance, perhaps helping them with money issues that they think they living together for. Fr. Mark said the biggest difference between marriage and cohabitation is that the latter has a big exit sign. It is not a covenant, not until death. Marriage is a full commitment to the other person until death do you part. Scot said there are studies that show that couples who cohabit before marriage are less likely to stay married successfully. Fr. Mark said people think that if they live together they have a better chance, but that's not proven by the facts. Here too I would express my appreciation of the pastoral programs which you are promoting in your Dioceses and, in particular, the clear and authoritative presentation of the Church's teaching found in your 2009 Letter Marriage: Love and Life in the Divine Plan. I also appreciate all that your parishes, schools and charitable agencies do daily to support families and to reach out to those in difficult marital situations, especially the divorced and separated, single parents, teenage mothers and women considering abortion, as well as children suffering the tragic effects of family breakdown. In this great pastoral effort there is an urgent need for the entire Christian community to recover an appreciation of the virtue of chastity. The integrating and liberating function of this virtue (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2338-2343) should be emphasized by a formation of the heart, which presents the Christian understanding of sexuality as a source of genuine freedom, happiness and the fulfilment of our fundamental and innate human vocation to love. It is not merely a question of presenting arguments, but of appealing to an integrated, consistent and uplifting vision of human sexuality. The richness of this vision is more sound and appealing than the permissive ideologies exalted in some quarters; these in fact constitute a powerful and destructive form of counter-catechesis for the young. the Holy Father's central point is the need to recover a sense of charity. Scot said it means using the gift of sexuality in the way that God intended for your state of life: single, married, or ordained. Chastity in marriage is to be faithful to those four elements of marriage that Fr. Mark outlined earlier. Scot said it's often mistaken for continence, which is refraining from sexual activity. Young people need to encounter the Church's teaching in its integrity, challenging and countercultural as that teaching may be; more importantly, they need to see it embodied by faithful married couples who bear convincing witness to its truth. They also need to be supported as they struggle to make wise choices at a difficult and confusing time in their lives. Chastity, as the Catechism reminds us, involves an ongoing “apprenticeship in self-mastery which is a training in human freedom” (2339). In a society which increasingly tends to misunderstand and even ridicule this essential dimension of Christian teaching, young people need to be reassured that “if we let Christ into our lives, we lose nothing, absolutely nothing, of what makes life free, beautiful and great” (Homily, Inaugural Mass of the Pontificate, 24 April 2005). Let me conclude by recalling that all our efforts in this area are ultimately concerned with the good of children, who have a fundamental right to grow up with a healthy understanding of sexuality and its proper place in human relationships. Children are the greatest treasure and the future of every society: truly caring for them means recognizing our responsibility to teach, defend and live the moral virtues which are the key to human fulfillment. It is my hope that the Church in the United States, however chastened by the events of the past decade, will persevere in its historic mission of educating the young and thus contribute to the consolidation of that sound family life which is the surest guarantee of intergenerational solidarity and the health of society as a whole. I now commend you and your brother Bishops, with the flock entrusted to your pastoral care, to the loving intercession of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. To all of you I willingly impart my Apostolic Blessing as a pledge of wisdom, strength and peace in the Lord. The Holy Father speaks of marriage as fundamental in the way we form and prepare our young to lead our society. Fr. Mark said our voices are drowned out by the counter-arguments in every venue. The Pope is calling us to not be afraid of the truth. We need to be saying this or the truth will be silenced. Scot said the key message is to trust the Church's teaching. Rejecting all authority makes you miserable. Jesus knew we need to be connected to God and let's give thanks to the teaching magisterium which guides us in wisdom. Fr. Mark urged married couples to remember the grace of the sacrament which can be called upon in hard times. Marriage is two people gazing together at God who helps and leads. Marriage is not easy. This teaching is not easy, but the rewards are well worth it. 3rd segment: Now as we do every week at this time, we will consider the Mass readings for this Sunday, specifically the Gospel reading. The days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their fathers the day I took them by the hand to lead them forth from the land of Egypt; for they broke my covenant, and I had to show myself their master, says the LORD. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD. I will place my law within them and write it upon their hearts; I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer will they have need to teach their friends and relatives how to know the LORD. All, from least to greatest, shall know me, says the LORD, for I will forgive their evildoing and remember their sin no more. Second Reading for the Fifth Sunday of Lent, March 25, 2012 (Hebrews 5:7-9) In the days when Christ Jesus was in the flesh, he offered prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered; and when he was made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him. Gospel for the Fifth Sunday of Lent, March 25, 2012 (John 12:20-33) Some Greeks who had come to worship at the Passover Feast came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, “Sir, we would like to see Jesus.” Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be. The Father will honor whoever serves me. “I am troubled now. Yet what should I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour?' But it was for this purpose that I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it and will glorify it again.” The crowd there heard it and said it was thunder; but others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” Jesus answered and said, “This voice did not come for my sake but for yours. Now is the time of judgment on this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.” He said this indicating the kind of death he would die. Scot said Jesus is trying to prepare his disciples for His death and resurrection. He's trying to tell them that His death will produce the fruit that we hear at the end of today's reading from Hebrews: He would become the source of eternal salvation. Fr. Mark said it will come through sacrifice. The first reading has more curses than blessings, but it is a blessing. Jesus prepares everyone for spiritual battle. The battle for religious liberty is a battle. The fight to defend marriage is a battle in service of God. Scot said little did the disciples know that Jesus was going to be glorified by becoming sin. He would take on all the sins ever committed and all those still to be committed. One of Scot's favorite verses is “I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” It's very personal. That's the love that God has for us. Fr. Mark said the covenant is key. Jeremiah speaks of the Mosaic covenant and Christ sealed the covenant for us so that we are forever redeemed. Scot said Jesus uses dramatic language: speaking of “hating” life. Our lives are a blessing from God. What Jesus is saying is that we need to love the promises that Jesus made for us in the next life over what we have now. Fr. Mark said lifers walking with God. That's what real life is. Scot encouraged listeners to renew our Lenten promises and renew our efforts in our fasting.

Summary of today's show: Last October, Pope Benedict issued the motu proprio Porta Fideo (the Doors of Faith), declaring a Year of Faith to begin in October 2012, coinciding with the 60th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council. Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams dive into Pope Benedict's words, examining just what the Holy Father wants for us in this year, which is for the whole Church to rediscover the joy and abundance in Christ that leads the world out of the desert toward life. Listen to the show: Today's host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams Links from today's show: Today's topics: The Pope's declaration of the Year of Faith 1st segment: Scot welcomed Fr. Matt to the show and they discussed his recent blogging and video messages for Lent. They discussed the Mass readings from last week. In the first reading we see the giving of the Law to Moses and how God is teaching what it means to be human and live in this world. Israel' responsibility was to be holy, a people unique to God alone, and be a light to others. But throughout the Old Testament, Israel looks to the other nations and wants to be like them. They fall into pagan worship and break the First Commandment. Then we see in the Gospel that Jesus cleanses the Temple in Jerusalem. The area was called the Court of the Gentiles and it had become a marketplace. They had lost sight of what it meant to be on holy ground. The Lord restores the proper order. Taken together, we see how when we stop going to Mass, we lose touch with God. If we don't fall in love with Jesus, we will fall in love with something else or someone else. If we take a Sunday off, before we know it, we take another Sunday off. It's easy to get separated and we begin to seek other gods. If we don't keep worship of the Lord first and foremost in our lives, we're putting something else ahead of him. Restoring worship of the Lord restores the order in our lives. Scot asked Fr. Matt about the leadership retreat for 57 high schools teens who will be leading the Hunger for Justice service retreat on Good Friday and Holy Saturday for several hundred teens. It was held at Immaculate Conception Church in Salem last weekend. They looked deeply into the cardinal virtues-prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance— in order to live a more disciplined life. The theme was “Cross” Training. God wants us to be disciplined, especially if we're going to be leaders. It's not enough to just avoid vice, but we also must strive for virtue. We also must live with discipline. Discipline leads to peace, happiness, and contentment. At the end of the retreat, they talked about creating a prayer discipline for themselves. They listed three levels of prayer life, which they called junior variety, varsity, and intramural. They included practices like the rosary, divine mercy chaplet, visiting the Blessed Sacrament and so on. They also created a Facebook group to create some accountability among themselves. They make a pledge on the page, saying they're going to be “junior varsity” today for example and then checking back in later to see how they did. Fr. Matt said he's enjoying his new work in social media. He's getting a lot of good feedback from others and it's become part of his daily routine. He looks forward to it and it's very simple. They also discussed that The Light Is On For You tonight in every church and chapel in the Archdiocese. Find out more at http://www.thelightisonforyou.org and find a parish near you at http://www.pilotparishfinder.com. 2nd segment: Last October 2011, the Holy Father released a document called Porta Fidei (Door of Faith) announcing that a Year of Faith lasting 13 months would begin in October 2012 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council. The “door of faith” (Acts 14:27) is always open for us, ushering us into the life of communion with God and offering entry into his Church. It is possible to cross that threshold when the word of God is proclaimed and the heart allows itself to be shaped by transforming grace. To enter through that door is to set out on a journey that lasts a lifetime. It begins with baptism (cf. Rom 6:4), through which we can address God as Father, and it ends with the passage through death to eternal life, fruit of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, whose will it was, by the gift of the Holy Spirit, to draw those who believe in him into his own glory (cf. Jn 17:22). To profess faith in the Trinity – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – is to believe in one God who is Love (cf. 1 Jn 4:8): the Father, who in the fullness of time sent his Son for our salvation; Jesus Christ, who in the mystery of his death and resurrection redeemed the world; the Holy Spirit, who leads the Church across the centuries as we await the Lord's glorious return. Fr. Matt said he loves the opening of the ritual of baptism, which welcomes the candidate into the church. He starts it at the front door of the church and asks the questions of the parents and godparents. Then they walk through the door into the sanctuary. The symbolism is so rich because baptism is the entryway into the Church. It is the root of all sacraments and the life of the Church. The parents are promising to raise the child in the faith and model their faith to them. When you think about it, when God reveals himself, he makes a gift of himself to his people. God makes himself to vulnerable, in a way. Faith is in many ways that reception of that gift of God's divine life and it assimilates into our being and transforms our hearts. Ever since the start of my ministry as Successor of Peter, I have spoken of the need to rediscover the journey of faith so as to shed ever clearer light on the joy and renewed enthusiasm of the encounter with Christ. During the homily at the Mass marking the inauguration of my pontificate I said: “The Church as a whole and all her Pastors, like Christ, must set out to lead people out of the desert, towards the place of life, towards friendship with the Son of God, towards the One who gives us life, and life in abundance.”[1] It often happens that Christians are more concerned for the social, cultural and political consequences of their commitment, continuing to think of the faith as a self-evident presupposition for life in society. In reality, not only can this presupposition no longer be taken for granted, but it is often openly denied.[2] Whereas in the past it was possible to recognize a unitary cultural matrix, broadly accepted in its appeal to the content of the faith and the values inspired by it, today this no longer seems to be the case in large swathes of society, because of a profound crisis of faith that has affected many people. Scot said the Holy Father echoes that he's been encouraging the Church to rediscover the journey of faith, but also to show how the church leads people out of the desert, i.e. depression, pain, toward the life of abundance in Christ. Not that we'd have every material thing, but that our life would be full of peace and joy, knowing we are where God wants us to be in this life. Fr. Matt said there was a time when as a society we were defined by our relationships with friends, family, colleagues, and the Lord. But very often today we are defined by our jobs, our degrees, our titles. The Holy Father is saying that we are defined by our relationship with the One, who reveals what it means to be human. We experience a joy, peace, life ,love, grace that the world cannot give. Even a spouse cannot give it because he or she is not God. Scot said he's been reading a book by author Gus Lloyd called “Magnetic Personality.” The general thesis is that to help grow the Church and be all we're called to be, we are supposed to be magnetic. He mentioned Sister Olga Yaqob, who powerfully attracts people to Christ through her positive attitude and the way she interacts with people. We're supposed to be a person that is confident and encouraging and humble in our faith. That's what the Holy Father is calling all of us to. Fr. Matt said Mother Teresa was not beautiful physically, but she was beautiful because the love of Christ radiated from her. We become magnetic by the joy in the life of abundance that comes from knowing Christ. Scot acknowledged that those of us in the Northeast culturally don't often share the joy of our faith on our faces, but he challenged listeners to share the good that has been done in our lives by Jesus in a way that others want to have what we have. Fr. Matt said Preach always and when necessary use words. We may be the only Gospel some people ever read. In the light of all this, I have decided to announce a Year of Faith. It will begin on 11 October 2012, the fiftieth anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council, and it will end on the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Universal King, on 24 November 2013. The starting date of 11 October 2012 also marks the twentieth anniversary of the publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, a text promulgated by my Predecessor, Blessed John Paul II,[3] with a view to illustrating for all the faithful the power and beauty of the faith. This document, an authentic fruit of the Second Vatican Council, was requested by the Extraordinary Synod of Bishops in 1985 as an instrument at the service of catechesis[4] and it was produced in collaboration with all the bishops of the Catholic Church. Moreover, the theme of the General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops that I have convoked for October 2012 is “The New Evangelization for the Transmission of the Christian Faith”. This will be a good opportunity to usher the whole Church into a time of particular reflection and rediscovery of the faith. It is not the first time that the Church has been called to celebrate a Year of Faith. My venerable Predecessor the Servant of God Paul VI announced one in 1967, to commemorate the martyrdom of Saints Peter and Paul on the 19th centenary of their supreme act of witness. He thought of it as a solemn moment for the whole Church to make “an authentic and sincere profession of the same faith”; moreover, he wanted this to be confirmed in a way that was “individual and collective, free and conscious, inward and outward, humble and frank”.[5] He thought that in this way the whole Church could reappropriate “exact knowledge of the faith, so as to reinvigorate it, purify it, confirm it, and confess it”.[6] The great upheavals of that year made even more evident the need for a celebration of this kind. It concluded with the Credo of the People of God,[7] intended to show how much the essential content that for centuries has formed the heritage of all believers needs to be confirmed, understood and explored ever anew, so as to bear consistent witness in historical circumstances very different from those of the past. Scot said the Holy Father is saying that it's a time for all of us to rediscover our faith. Lent is the often a time for us to refresh our faith and this Year of Faith is a way to do this in a special way. Fr. Matt said the Holy Father is challenging us to counter the faith fatigue so many of the faithful show. He said every time we reread the Catechism and the documents of Vatican II are inspired by the Holy Spirit and speak to us at this juncture in the Church's life and give us new insights. We want this Year to arouse in every believer the aspiration to profess the faith in fullness and with renewed conviction, with confidence and hope. Scot said theHoly Father wants us all to say, “I believe” like in the new translation of the Roman Missal. We will say we believe in the fullness of the faith. It's a time for us to ask ourselves if there are elements of our faith we don't understand or disagree with and then with the help of the Lord to seek out understanding and to have the courage to say “I believe” in public, even if it's unpopular. Fr. Matt said the more we dive into our faith, the more we can own it for ourselves. People often hesitate to being a witness because they don't feel articulate. To a greater extent than in the past, faith is now being subjected to a series of questions arising from a changed mentality which, especially today, limits the field of rational certainties to that of scientific and technological discoveries. Nevertheless, the Church has never been afraid of demonstrating that there cannot be any conflict between faith and genuine science, because both, albeit via different routes, tend towards the truth. Scot said there are many non-believers who put a lot of faith in science and believe there faith and science are opposed. Pope Benedict tells us that faith and science work together as long as they seek truth. The technology of ultrasounds is a good example where our faith in the sanctity of life is supported by emerging science. 3rd segment: This week's benefactor card raffle winner is William Wallack from Peabody, MA. He wins a Series of CD's by Peter Kreeft from the Envoy Institute: · “How to Win the Culture War” · “Being Catholic in a Post-Christian World · “The Importance of Critical Thinking Skills and How to Acquire Them” AND · “The Logic of Relativism” If you would like to be eligible to win in an upcoming week, please visit . For a one-time $30 donation, you'll receive the Station of the Cross benefactor card and key tag, making you eligible for WQOM's weekly raffle of books, DVDs, CDs and religious items. We'll be announcing the winner each Wednesday during “The Good Catholic Life” program. 4th segment: Moving on with the Holy Father's words in the document Porta Fidei: The Year of Faith will also be a good opportunity to intensify the witness of charity. As Saint Paul reminds us: “So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love” (1 Cor 13:13). With even stronger words – which have always placed Christians under obligation – Saint James said: “What does it profit, my brethren, if a man says he has faith but has not works? Can his faith save him? If a brother or sister is ill-clad and in lack of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled', without giving them the things needed for the body, what does it profit? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead. But some one will say, ‘You have faith and I have works.' Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith” (Jas 2:14-18). Faith without charity bears no fruit, while charity without faith would be a sentiment constantly at the mercy of doubt. Fr. Matt said faith is a supernatural gift oriented toward God. As we receive this Communion with God, the natural expression of encountering the God who is love is to mirror the one who is love. Faith must lead to acts of charity. Scot said faith isn't just a set of beliefs. The beliefs give foundation to our actions that we are impelled to do out of love for God and others. Faith without charity is just asset of beliefs. Charity without faith is good action without proper roots in why we do it is like the seeds planted in shallow soil. Without deep roots, it's easily uprooted. Fr. Matt said faith directs us to the Lord so charity without faith has only an earthly frame of reference. Faith and charity each require the other, in such a way that each allows the other to set out along its respective path. Indeed, many Christians dedicate their lives with love to those who are lonely, marginalized or excluded, as to those who are the first with a claim on our attention and the most important for us to support, because it is in them that the reflection of Christ's own face is seen. Through faith, we can recognize the face of the risen Lord in those who ask for our love. “As you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me” (Mt 25:40). These words are a warning that must not be forgotten and a perennial invitation to return the love by which he takes care of us. It is faith that enables us to recognize Christ and it is his love that impels us to assist him whenever he becomes our neighbour along the journey of life. Supported by faith, let us look with hope at our commitment in the world, as we await “new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells” (2 Pet 3:13; cf. Rev 21:1). Scot recalled Monday's show with Fr. Andrew Apostoli. He had quoted Mother Teresa who said in serving the poorest of the poor, she didn't just see the face of Christ in them, she saw Christ himself. “That the word of the Lord may speed on and triumph” (2 Th 3:1): may this Year of Faith make our relationship with Christ the Lord increasingly firm, since only in him is there the certitude for looking to the future and the guarantee of an authentic and lasting love. The words of Saint Peter shed one final ray of light on faith: “In this you rejoice, though now for a little while you may have to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold which though perishable is tested by fire, may redound to praise and glory and honour at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Without having seen him you love him; though you do not now see him you believe in him and rejoice with unutterable and exalted joy. As the outcome of your faith you obtain the salvation of your souls” (1 Pet 1:6-9). The life of Christians knows the experience of joy as well as the experience of suffering. How many of the saints have lived in solitude! How many believers, even in our own day, are tested by God's silence when they would rather hear his consoling voice! The trials of life, while helping us to understand the mystery of the Cross and to participate in the sufferings of Christ (cf. Col 1:24), are a prelude to the joy and hope to which faith leads: “when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor 12:10). We believe with firm certitude that the Lord Jesus has conquered evil and death. With this sure confidence we entrust ourselves to him: he, present in our midst, overcomes the power of the evil one (cf. Lk 11:20); and the Church, the visible community of his mercy, abides in him as a sign of definitive reconciliation with the Father. Let us entrust this time of grace to the Mother of God, proclaimed “blessed because she believed” (Lk 1:45).

Today's host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O'Connor Links from today's show: Today's topics: The Year of Faith Summary of today's show: Pope Benedict XVI has declared a Year of Faith to begin in October that will encourage all Catholics to a greater understanding of what they believe and what the Catholic faith teaches. Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O'Connor prepare for the Year of Faith by reviewing the Holy Father's apostolic letter Porta Fidei, introducing the Year, as well as the recommendations from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on how dioceses, parishes, and religious communities can make the Year of Faith a great success and make it spiritually fruitful for the entire Church. They include the Top Ten list of suggestions for both parishes and dioceses. 1st segment: Scot welcomed Fr. Chris back to the show. On Saturday, many of the 4th year seminarians will be ordained to the transitional diaconate at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross. Some from other dioceses will be ordained in their cathedrals as well. They will serve as deacons in their parishes until the end of June. The ordination to the priesthood is later this year because Deacon Eric Bennett will be coming back from Rome then to join his classmates for ordination. They also have the St. Andrew Dinners as well, which brings young men, mostly high school age, to the seminary for a holy hour, dinner, and some talks to give the young men an experience of the seminary and to see that the seminarians are normal guys like them. Scot and Fr. Chris discussed the football playoffs and the prospects for the Patriots this weekend. Fr. Chris also talked about the upcoming March for Life coming up next Monday. Many seminarians go down for them. Scot said we will have a special show tomorrow, traveling up to St. Mary High School in Lynn, which is sending about 100 students, to interview some of the students and adult leaders. Today's topic is the Year of Faith that Pope Benedict has declared for the year beginning in October 2012. 2nd segment: Scot said they would be discussing the Pope's document Porta Fidei, a letter issued last October 11, which begins: The “door of faith” (Acts 14:27) is always open for us, ushering us into the life of communion with God and offering entry into his Church. It is possible to cross that threshold when the word of God is proclaimed and the heart allows itself to be shaped by transforming grace. To enter through that door is to set out on a journey that lasts a lifetime. It begins with baptism (cf. Rom 6:4), through which we can address God as Father, and it ends with the passage through death to eternal life, fruit of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, whose will it was, by the gift of the Holy Spirit, to draw those who believe in him into his own glory (cf. Jn 17:22). To profess faith in the Trinity – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – is to believe in one God who is Love (cf. 1 Jn 4:8): the Father, who in the fullness of time sent his Son for our salvation; Jesus Christ, who in the mystery of his death and resurrection redeemed the world; the Holy Spirit, who leads the Church across the centuries as we await the Lord's glorious return. Ever since the start of my ministry as Successor of Peter, I have spoken of the need to rediscover the journey of faith so as to shed ever clearer light on the joy and renewed enthusiasm of the encounter with Christ. During the homily at the Mass marking the inauguration of my pontificate I said: “The Church as a whole and all her Pastors, like Christ, must set out to lead people out of the desert, towards the place of life, towards friendship with the Son of God, towards the One who gives us life, and life in abundance.”[1] It often happens that Christians are more concerned for the social, cultural and political consequences of their commitment, continuing to think of the faith as a self-evident presupposition for life in society. In reality, not only can this presupposition no longer be taken for granted, but it is often openly denied.[2] Whereas in the past it was possible to recognize a unitary cultural matrix, broadly accepted in its appeal to the content of the faith and the values inspired by it, today this no longer seems to be the case in large swathes of society, because of a profound crisis of faith that has affected many people. We cannot accept that salt should become tasteless or the light be kept hidden (cf. Mt 5:13-16). The people of today can still experience the need to go to the well, like the Samaritan woman, in order to hear Jesus, who invites us to believe in him and to draw upon the source of living water welling up within him (cf. Jn 4:14). We must rediscover a taste for feeding ourselves on the word of God, faithfully handed down by the Church, and on the bread of life, offered as sustenance for his disciples (cf. Jn 6:51). Indeed, the teaching of Jesus still resounds in our day with the same power: “Do not labour for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life” (Jn 6:27). The question posed by his listeners is the same that we ask today: “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” (Jn 6:28). We know Jesus' reply: “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent” (Jn 6:29). Belief in Jesus Christ, then, is the way to arrive definitively at salvation. In the light of all this, I have decided to announce a Year of Faith. It will begin on 11 October 2012, the fiftieth anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council, and it will end on the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Universal King, on 24 November 2013. The starting date of 11 October 2012 also marks the twentieth anniversary of the publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, a text promulgated by my Predecessor, Blessed John Paul II,[3] with a view to illustrating for all the faithful the power and beauty of the faith. This document, an authentic fruit of the Second Vatican Council, was requested by the Extraordinary Synod of Bishops in 1985 as an instrument at the service of catechesis[4] and it was produced in collaboration with all the bishops of the Catholic Church. Moreover, the theme of the General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops that I have convoked for October 2012 is “The New Evangelization for the Transmission of the Christian Faith”. This will be a good opportunity to usher the whole Church into a time of particular reflection and rediscovery of the faith. It is not the first time that the Church has been called to celebrate a Year of Faith. My venerable Predecessor the Servant of God Paul VI announced one in 1967, to commemorate the martyrdom of Saints Peter and Paul on the 19th centenary of their supreme act of witness. He thought of it as a solemn moment for the whole Church to make “an authentic and sincere profession of the same faith”; moreover, he wanted this to be confirmed in a way that was “individual and collective, free and conscious, inward and outward, humble and frank”.[5] He thought that in this way the whole Church could reappropriate “exact knowledge of the faith, so as to reinvigorate it, purify it, confirm it, and confess it”.[6] The great upheavals of that year made even more evident the need for a celebration of this kind. It concluded with the Credo of the People of God,[7] intended to show how much the essential content that for centuries has formed the heritage of all believers needs to be confirmed, understood and explored ever anew, so as to bear consistent witness in historical circumstances very different from those of the past. The name Porta Fideo comes from the first few words of the document in Latin, “the door of faith” We need to let people know that the door of faith is always open and invite them to walk through. Fr. Chris said he was brought back to Rome in the four major basilicas, each of which has a Holy Door, which is opened every 25 years during the Jubilee Years. There are blessings that come through walking through those Holy Doors, but there is also blessings and richness that come from walking through the doors of our church. We come to faith but asking the Lord to give us faith, by using what we have allowing it to prosper and grow in our lives. Scot said the Year of Faith's timing is the anniversary of Vatican II and the introduction of the Catechism. Pope Benedict says of this timing: It seemed to me that timing the launch of the Year of Faith to coincide with the fiftieth anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council would provide a good opportunity to help people understand that the texts bequeathed by the Council Fathers, in the words of Blessed John Paul II, “have lost nothing of their value or brilliance. They need to be read correctly, to be widely known and taken to heart as important and normative texts of the Magisterium, within the Church's Tradition … I feel more than ever in duty bound to point to the Council as the great grace bestowed on the Church in the twentieth century: there we find a sure compass by which to take our bearings in the century now beginning.” Scot said the Holy Father is emphasizing that Vatican II is underappreciated now just 50 years on, that councils aren't fully appreciated until decades or a century or more have passed. Fr. Chris said he loves to teach the course on ecclesiology because students appreciate learning about what saints, theologians, bishops and more have taught about the Church. He suggested one of the best Vatican II documents is Lumen Gentium, which deals specifically with the Church. He notes also that the Holy Father specifically mentions the Catechism of the Catholic Church, because there is the basic teachings of our faith, along with the beauty and goodness of our faith, and ultimately Christ. Scot said the holy Father wants us to encounter Christ through the Vatican II documents and the Catechism. We can prepare for the Year of Faith by reading those, in small doses, a few pages at a time, perhaps some of the Scripture referenced in what you read as well. Fr. Chris said the Catechism is a rich resource. It's like a dessert, you don't have too much of a rich things. Take it in small doses. Start with a topic you're interested in: marriage and family, confession, or the life of prayer. Scot said the holy Father promises: Today as in the past, he sends us through the highways of the world to proclaim his Gospel to all the peoples of the earth (cf. Mt 28:19). Through his love, Jesus Christ attracts to himself the people of every generation: in every age he convokes the Church, entrusting her with the proclamation of the Gospel by a mandate that is ever new. Today too, there is a need for stronger ecclesial commitment to new evangelization in order to rediscover the joy of believing and the enthusiasm for communicating the faith. In rediscovering his love day by day, the missionary commitment of believers attains force and vigour that can never fade away. Faith grows when it is lived as an experience of love received and when it is communicated as an experience of grace and joy. It makes us fruitful, because it expands our hearts in hope and enables us to bear life-giving witness: indeed, it opens the hearts and minds of those who listen to respond to the Lord's invitation to adhere to his word and become his disciples. Believers, so Saint Augustine tells us, “strengthen themselves by believing”. Fr. Chris said this is exercising the muscle of faith in order to have it grow and bear fruit. Faith without charity bears no fruit, while charity without faith would be a sentiment constantly at the mercy of doubt. Faith and charity each require the other, in such a way that each allows the other to set out along its respective path. Indeed, many Christians dedicate their lives with love to those who are lonely, marginalized or excluded, as to those who are the first with a claim on our attention and the most important for us to support, because it is in them that the reflection of Christ's own face is seen. Through faith, we can recognize the face of the risen Lord in those who ask for our love. “As you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me” (Mt 25:40). These words are a warning that must not be forgotten and a perennial invitation to return the love by which he takes care of us. It is faith that enables us to recognize Christ and it is his love that impels us to assist him whenever he becomes our neighbour along the journey of life. Supported by faith, let us look with hope at our commitment in the world, as we await “new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells” (2 Pet 3:13; cf. Rev 21:1). Scot said the work of the Church is to know Jesus Christ and love him back, and to be able to practice our acts of charity and love the way Jesus wants us to. Christian charity and secular charity might look the same, but in the hearts of those who practice them, they are not the same. Fr. Chris said when we recognize who Christ is, that he is a gift, it can only prompt us to make a gift of our life to Christ as a mom, dad, priest, etc. 3rd segment: Scot said the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith also issued recommendations on the implementation of the Year of Faith at three levels: the Universal Church, bishops' conferences and dioceses, and parishes and families. The list includes 10 items. The first is to read and meditate upon Pope Benedict's letter Porta Fidei. Fr. Chris noted listeners today are doing that. It helps readers to consider how they can grow in faith. The second recommendation is to intensify the celebration of the faith in the liturgy, especially in the Eucharist. The Holy Faith wants to ensure that the liturgy is prayed in the way that people live it. Fr. Chris said maybe arrive to Mass a little early to prepare yourself and quiet self before Mass. Maybe don't leave before the closing prayer and give self completely to the liturgy. Bring to the Eucharist those things things affecting us, including the blessings and sufferings of the week, and say, Lord, I am giving these to you. And make ourselves attentive to the Lord's Word being proclaimed. Scot added that we should understand we're not passive spectators at church, but respond to prayer with vigor. Also think through how your children and others are watching what we do, so do everything with intention, like receiving Communion. Third, priests should devote greater attention to the study of the documents of Vatican Council II and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, drawing from them resources for the pastoral care of their parishes – catechesis, preaching, Sacramental preparation. Fr. Chris said it reminds priests that they have a sacred role as teacher and if they're going to teach the faith, then they need to be able to articulate. Fr. Chris said every time he looks at the documents of Vatican II, something new catches his attention. Just because you've read it before doesn't mean the Holy Spirit isn't going to inspire you with something new. Fourth, Catechists should hold more firmly to the doctrinal richness of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and, under the direction of their pastors. Scot said all good catechesis starts with the Catechism. Put all lessons in the proper context of the teaching of the Church. Have a fresh reading of the Catechism in order to be able to respond to questions about the faith. Fr. Chris said the Theological Institute for the New Evangelization offers a whole certificate program that focuses primarily on the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Fifth, It is hoped that there will be a renewed commitment in parishes to the distribution of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and of other resources appropriate for families, which are true domestic churches and the primary setting for the transmission of the faith. This can be done appropriately during home blessings, baptisms, confirmations, and marriages. It emphasizes that families shouldn't be outsourcing the faith formation to religious education classes. Fr. Chris said most of the catechism is readily accessible to the average reader and it helps unpack the truth, beauty, and goodness of our faith. He has a friend who said the Catechism certificate revolutionized how he practices his faith. Sixth, The promotion of missions and other popular programs in parishes and in the workplace can help the faithful to rediscover the gift of Baptismal faith and the task of giving witness, knowing that the Christian vocation “by its very nature is also a vocation to the apostolate.” Scot said parish missions used to be a very big deal in parishes and it would be a good for parishes to make a commitment of three or four nights in a row. Fr. Chris called it a parish retreat and opportunity to grow in the faith and to remind us of our faith and reenergize us. He encouraged listeners to approach their pastors to ask for them. Seven addresses religious communities to work toward the new evangelization; Eight, contemplative communities, during the Year of Faith, should pray specifically for the renewal of the faith among the People of God and for a new impulse for its transmission to the young; and Nine, Associations and Ecclesial Movements are invited to promote specific initiatives which, through the contribution of their proper charism and in collaboration with their local Pastors, will contribute to the wider experience of the Year of Faith. Tenth, All of the faithful, called to renew the gift of faith, should try to communicate their own experience of faith and charity[35] to their brothers and sisters of other religions, with those who do not believe, and with those who are just indifferent. In this way, it is hoped that the entire Christian people will begin a kind of mission toward those with whom they live and work, knowing that they “have welcomed the news of salvation which is meant for every man.” Fr. Chris said faith is never lived in a vacuum, but is instead shared and offered to others. He said Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn's book says that from the first sin of Adam and Eve to the present day, wherever sin is, it's a result of a lack of faith. Where faith abounds, sin decreases. 4th segment: Scot mentioned the diocesan recommendations, starting with “It is hoped that each particular Church would have a celebration of the opening of the Year of Faith and a solemn conclusion to it, in which to “profess our faith in the Risen Lord in our cathedrals and in the churches of the whole world.”” Fr. Chris said it calls the people of the diocese together. Every diocese in the world is asked to do this, which showcases our universal nature. We're all connected together in this beautiful faith, rooted in the Eucharist. Second, each diocese would organize a study day on the Catechism of the Catholic Church. How many people have read the Catechism substantially? And if so, how many have done so recently? Fr. Chris said the Daughters of St. Paul edition includes the Scripture passages referenced connected to the Catechism. It helps priests preparing for Mass to reference the Catechism. Third, it encourages each bishop to write a pastoral letter on the topic of faith, reminding them of the importance of the Second Vatican Council and the Catechism. Scot said Cardinal Seán will probably write one of his own. Fr. Chris said it helps the Church in Boston to reflect on what we should all be considering together. Fourth, it is hoped that in each Diocese, under the leadership of the Bishop, catechetical events will be organized, especially for the youth and those searching for a sense of life, helping them to discover the beauty of ecclesial faith, promoting encounters with meaningful witnesses to the faith. Scot said do a youth event with a goal of teaching what the Church believes through witnesses. Fr. Chris said the Church is again saying the young people are the future of our Church. We need to help them encounter Christ because once you encounter Him there is no turning back. Fifth, each diocese should review the reception of Vatican II and the Catechism in its own life and mission, particularly in the realm of catechesis. Fr. Chris said so many people want to quote Vatican II until you ask them to show you where it is in the text. The more we can all look at what the documents actually teach, the better off we'll all be. When we teach the truth, it's attractive. Anything less isn't worth hanging your soul on. If we can proclaim it convincingly, there'd be no stopping us. Scot said he guess less than 5,000 people in this diocese have read the Catechism or documents of Vatican II. his hope is that number would multiply by several times so that most people who are passionate about their faith will be able to pass it on to others. Fr. Chris said faith is an investment. The more fully you give yourself to it, the more fully you will reap the rewards. Sixth, The continuing education of the clergy can be focused during this Year of Faith on the documents of Vatican Council II and on the Catechism of the Catholic Church, treating such themes as “the proclamation of the Risen Christ”, “the Church - sacrament of salvation”, “the mission of evangelization in the world today”, “faith and disbelief”, “faith, ecumenism and inter-religious dialogue”, “faith and eternal life”, “the hermeneutic of reform in continuity” and “the Catechism in ordinary pastoral care.” Seventh, Bishops are invited to organize penitential celebrations, particularly during Lent like The Light Is On For You, in which all can ask for God's forgiveness, especially for sins against faith. This Year also provides an appropriate occasion in which all can approach the Sacrament of Penance with greater faith and more frequently. Fr. Chris said sins against the faith could include just saying I don't believe anymore. Faith is not an emotion. It's a choice we have to make. There is also a sin of presumption, that presumes on God's mercy that we will get to heaven no matter what. Eight encourages a renewed creative dialogue between faith and reason in the academic and artistic communities. Nine promotes encounters with those persons who, “while not claiming to have the gift of faith, are nevertheless sincerely searching for the ultimate meaning and definitive truth of their lives and of the world”. Ten encourages greater attention to Catholic schools, especially through the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the YouCat.

Today's host(s): Scot Landry Today's guest(s): Fr. Roger Landry, executive editor of The Anchor, the newspaper of the Fall River diocese; and Gregory Tracy, managing editor of The Pilot, the newspaper of the Boston archdiocese Some of the stories discussed on this show will be available on The Pilot's and The Anchor's websites on Friday morning. Please check those sites for the latest links. Today's topics: Vatican thoughts on financial crisis; Pope in Assisi; World Mission Sunday and Bl. John Paul Saturday; Profile of Cushing; Project Rachel Summary of today's show: What is the authority of a Vatican document? It depends on what you mean by “Vatican”. Scot, Fr. Roger Landry and Gregory Tracy discuss the recent economic paper released by a pontifical council that's making waves, not least for its comparison of Church teaching to Occupy Wall Street. They also consider Pope Benedict's visit to Assisi today for the 20th anniversary of an interreligious peace meeting at which the Holy Father spoke in no uncertain terms about the responsibility of religions for violence done in their name. CLoser to home, Cardinal Sean celebrated World Mission Sunday and the first feast of Blessed John Paul this past weekend at Holy Cross Cathedral. Two series continued in the pages of the Pilot with a profile of the storied Cardinal Richard Cushing and an anonymous memoir of a woman who sought healing through Project Rachel. Finally, we remembered the oldest and longest-serving priest in the Archdiocese, Fr. Paul R. Francis, who died this week. 1st segment: Scot welcomed Greg and Fr. Roger back to the show. They talked about a trip that Greg and his wife took last week to Mexico for their 20th wedding anniversary. Fr. Roger has been busy leading clergy retreats in Pennsylvania and Arizona in recent weeks. He's been doing these retreats in many places over the past few years. He preached on Pope John Paul's Theology of Body, which is intended to help priests as they counsel and work with married couples. 2nd segment: Scot said the first story is about a document published this week by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. Fr. Roger said the document is significant as a study document by Catholic leaders, but it does not have the authority of papal encyclical or a teaching of the Magisterium. It' intended to help us reflect on the moral issues involved in our examination of economic issues. It tries to applies Church teaching to economic issues, but it's up to us to put it in its context. Scot said the document said there usually needs to be a mechanism that fosters the common good in global economic transactions. While it may suggest a global financial authority. This has met some criticism, including some who say it shows the Vatican is out of touch. Greg said the sentiment in the Brumley's article may be harsh—the Church wants the poor to be protected from the unfettered effects of capitalism—in practical terms this is an idea that won't be possible. Scot said Cardinal Turkson of the Pontifical Council said that those who are part of Occupy Wall Street and the Vatican agree in that financial institutions should be held accountable. Fr. Roger said it surprise him that the Vatican has discerned what Occupy WallStreet is about when those in the movement themselves don't know. Scot noted that said that people don't distinguish the different types of pronouncements from the Vatican: When people reach the conclusion that the Vatican is talking nonsense, they do not ordinarily distinguish between the sound fundamental principles of Church teaching and the questionable economic analysis that follows. Nor do they make fine distinctions on the different levels of Church teaching authority. They conclude simply that the Vatican talks nonsense. So by reaching beyond their field of expertise, Vatican officials undermine their own teaching authority. Scot added that Occupy Wall Street in this country cannot be separated from partisan politics and so using it as an example of a broad-based movement would be off-base. Fr. Roger said that Cardinal Turkson is from Africa and has experience of multinational companies coming into the continent and taking advantage of the poor, however his experience should also tell him that turning to governments to control such things is fraught with the danger of corruption and exacerbating the problem. Scot turned to Assisi, Italy, where the Holy Father is meeting with 200 leaders of world religions for the 20th anniversary of an interreligious meeting for peace that Pope John Paul II called for the first in the mid-1980s. Pope Benedict called out the danger of the use of religion as a means of violence against those who do not hold to that religion. He also said militant secularism is also attacking religion as if it brings only violence. He said that militant secularism—especially in the form of socialism and fascism—have racked up a higher body count than all religious wars. At the the same time, he asked for forgiveness for the times the Church has been involved in religious violence. Pope Benedict also brought to the gathering some atheists who want peace in order to have them help the entire movement ensure that religion is always for the good of the human person. The meeting was held in Assisi because St. Francis is acknowledged by all in his sanctity and that he is still 800 years later an agent for peace worldwide. 3rd segment: Scot said this past Sunday was World Mission Sunday and Cardinal Seán celebrated Mass at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross which included people of many languages and cultures. Cardinal Seán's homily touched on the physical and spiritual needs of the poorest in the world, and living the Great Commission of the Gospel of St. Matthew. Fr. Roger said he calls his own parishioners in New Bedford to the new evangelization. If we've come to experience the depth of Christ's love, we're going to want to share him with others. On Saturday, the Cardinal Seán also celebrated a special Mass, this one for the Adopt-a-Priest Apostolate on the occasion of the first feast of Blessed John Paul II. He quoted Loretta Gallagher who leads the effort who assured everyone that there's no need to start a pen pal relationship with the priest, they just need to pray for them. For those who want to adopt one of the remaining priests available, go to . After the Mass, papal biographer George Weigel spoke about John Paul's life. One topic he discussed was that Pope John Paul witnessed to the Gospel to more people in person than anyone else in the history of the world through his many mission trips. He also talked about how keeping Christianity in the culture is important. He noted that the Polish state survived being subsumed by the Soviets though the people's preservation of their language, literature, and way of life. 4th segment: Scot said this week is the third in a series of profiles on the bishops of Boston. This week it's Cardinal Richard Cushing. Scot said he was surprised by some of the facts he learned, including that he was once thrown out of a school in South Boston and that he enlisted in the military but was given a medical discharge. Greg said he enjoys writing these articles because he learns so much about the bishops that he didn't know, even for Cardinal Cushing, who is one of the most storied of our bishops. Fr. Roger said Cardinal Cushing had a strong missionary spirit that reminds him of St. Philip Neri. He said Cushing was probably frustrated when he was told he was't going to the missions but was staying in the Society of the Propagation of the Faith, but when he became Archbishop that missionary spirit led to the founding of the St. James Society which has sent many priests to the missions. Scot also noted that this week's Pilot includes another installment in a series of anonymous columns from Project Rachel written by a woman who had an abortion and later came to know the peace and healing of God's mercy. He recommended those who want more information to go to the or call 508-651-3100. Greg noted how each of the profiles show how different each experience is for the women involved, but yet there are similarities including the external pressures they felt and the lack of choice they thought they had that forced them into this course of action. Fr. Roger said he often hears from people who tell him that they've done something they think God won't forgive them for. He said it's a wonderful experience to help them discover God's love and mercy and forgiveness. Scot said that earlier this week the oldest and longest ordained priest in the archdiocese, Fr. Paul R. Francis, has died and his funeral was celebrated this week by Cardinal Seán.