Program #0516 for Friday, April 26, 2013: Benedict moves back to Rome; Can’t miss sights in the Holy Land; Pope Francis’ first encyclical coming

April 26, 2013

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Benedict moves back to Rome; Can't miss sights in the Holy Land; Pope Francis' first encyclical coming

Benedict moves back to Rome; Can’t miss sights in the Holy Land; Pope Francis’ first encyclical coming

Summary of today’s show: Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O’Connell discussed some of the top news of the day, including reports that Pope-emeritus Benedict soon will be moving back to Rome from Castelgandolfo, taking up residence in a renovated monastery at the Vatican as planned and that Pope Francis is preparing his first encyclical which is said to incorporate the work already done by Benedict on the last encyclical he was writing on the topic of faith. Fr. Mark then told us of the three places in Holy Land that he said made the most impact on him and described how he’s been changed. 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 your gift or pledge.

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Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O’Connell

Today’s topics: Benedict moves back to Rome; Can’t miss sights in the Holy Land; Pope Francis’ first encyclical coming

1st segment: Scot Landry welcomed Fr. Mark O’Connell to the show and they noted that yesterday was the Feast of St. Mark. They discussed the Italian tradition of celebrating your name day. Scot said he celebrated the feast of St. Landry in June. He was a French bishop of Paris in the 600s.

Scot said the news from Rome yesterday is that Pope-emeritus Benedict will be moving from Castelgandolfo back to the Vatican, where it was planned he would live in a former monastery. Fr. Mark said it’s a good idea because Castelgandolfo is a good retreat for the current Holy Father and he should have that available. Scot said Benedict moved to Castelgandolfo only for a short time while renovations were done at the monastery. Meanwhile Pope Francis continues to live at the Domus Santa Martae. Fr. Mark said even though we will have two popes living in the Vatican, we probably won’t see them together much.

Benedict has said what aims to do is to pray for all those who needs prayers, and to take time to prepare at the end of his life in preparation to meet the Lord. Scot said some Catholics in Rome miss being able to look up to the windows of the apostolic palace in St. Peter’s Square and see the lights on and know the pope is there. Fr. Mark talked about being in the library of the apostolic palace once, having accompanied Cardinal Law on his ad limina visit to Pope John Paul II.

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 your gift or pledge.

2nd segment: Scot said for the rest of the time he will know Fr. Mark he will think of how joyous Fr. Mark was calling into the radio show from Jerusalem and how joyous he’s been. Fr. Mark said you don’t need to travel to the Holy Land with the archbishop of Boston, even though it helps. He said the Holy Spirit is still strong in the Holy Land. The trip with his 39 brother priests was a real spiritual retreat.

Scot asked how Fr. Mark is different now as a priest and a judicial vicar. Fr. Mark said the Bible is now illustrated for him. There are images of the places to accompany what he has always heard and read in the Scriptures. He said unfortunately many of the readings since they’ve come back don’t take place where they went, but even now seeing the word “Jerusalem” in the Psalms makes it a different experience.

Fr. Mark said in Galilee, people should go to Bethlehem. Go early or in the evening or you’re going to be stuck in big crowds. He had more peace in the Shepherds’ Fields, which is mountainous and places with caves and groves. He visualizes the shepherds hearing the angels there. The other place he will look at differently is Caesarea Phillipi. Jesus tells Peter that on this rock I will build my Church. And he said that in front of a huge rock, which was a temple to the pagan god Pan, from which the Jordan River springs. Right after that verse, Jesus heads toward Jerusalem. It’s literally at the peak of his journey and also geographically at its peak.

Fr. Mark said they also had an extraordinary experience in the Upper Room, which was the place of the Last Supper, doubting Thomas, and Pentecost. To be in the room where all this happened, it’s the place of the Holy Spirit. He said Cardinal Seán talked about all those things and being faithful to them and feeling the Spirit. Fr. Mark said he was emotionally filled in that room.

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 your gift or pledge.

3rd segment: Scot said other news coming out of the Vatican today is that Pope Francis’ first encyclical will come out in the next few months on evangelization for the Year of Faith. Fr. Mark said the article said it’s probably the one begun by Pope Benedict and will be finished by Pope Francis. He said Deus Caritas Est was started by Pope John Paul II and was finished by Pope Benedict. Scot said Pope Benedict’s encyclicals were on love and then on hope and he was preparing one on faith for the Year of Faith. He said he had been disappointed that he wasn’t going to finish the encyclical and now it appears that Pope Francis will finish it with his own style, bridging the experience of Pope Benedict’s academic intellect with that of Pope Francis as pastor in the streets. He believes that we will be called to bring the Gospel out from our buildings and into the streets.

Fr. Mark said he’s been reading Pope Francis’s homilies and really enjoys everything he keeps saying. He said the important line is that he wants the shepherds to have the smell of the sheep. It means the priest has to be very close to his people. Fr. Mark talked about how when he travels and wears his collar, so many people come up to him and approach him to talk. It’s a personal choice each day to put on the garb and to make himself available for evangelization. We all have that choice to go out and make ourselves available. In the Upper Room, the apostles had the Spirit in that room, but they left the room to spread the Spirit and they never returned.

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 your gift or pledge.

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