Show Notes
This episode is full of literary works, speeches and poems by American authors and American public figures. A letter to America, if you will, the country we love, the one we criticize and the one we know can always be better, the one we are dreaming of.
Join Martin as he wishes a happy 250th birthday to America through the recitation of “America the Beautiful” and other beloved poetry. The episode concludes with a passionate and moving rendition of President Abraham Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address. A complete list of the writers and poets from Episode 10 The American Dream
“America the Beautiful” Katherine Lee Bates
Consider This Alexander Hamilton like founding father, like son
“A Shadow” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
“The Song of the Stone Wall” Helen Keller
Consider This Inauguration speeches, the short and long of it
The poem “I Am Waiting” by Lawrence Ferlinghetti from Coney Island of the Mind, copyright 1955 is included in this podcast with permission of New Directions Publishing Corporation
“Where the Mind is Without Fear” Rabindranath Tagore
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For more information about the writers and poets in this episode please visit us at: themartinsheenpodcast.com
As the old expression goes, “Once a Catholic, always a Catholic.” In this episode, Martin takes the listener back to when he was seven years old and preparing for his First Communion at Holy Trinity in Dayton, Ohio. Through the eyes of a child, he revisits that early encounter with the mystery of faith, as he and his classmates struggled to comprehend the wonderous and sometimes bewildering lessons of the catechism – from the astonishing idea of Jesus entering the tiny Communion wafer to the weighty question of what constituted a moral sin and how one might make a good confession. What emerges is an endearing and often humorous glimpse into Martin’s childhood and his first attempt to make sense of faith, morality, and an ever-changing world around him. The episode then closes with a brief poem by William Blake, whose words awaken a poignant sense of wonder at the beauty and mystery in the world.
In this truly momentous episode Martin is joined at the mic by two very dear friends and West Wing series alum Melissa FitzGerald and Mary McCormack to talk all things West Wing with their best-selling book “What’s Next?”
Martin shares an unscripted moment at the mic and recalls his early days in New York in 1959 where he found acting work at the Living Theater for $5 a week, free meals at the Catholic Worker and a place to stay with whoever would take him in. Years later he returned to the city to perform with his friend and idol, George C. Scott in the play “Death of a Salesman” and he recounts extraordinary memories from both on and off stage. The episode then culminates with poems and works by various artists that highlight the beauty, hardship and wonder of big city life.
Martin welcomes Reverend John Dear to join him at the mic for a deeply moving episode centered on a life devoted to social justice, faith, and non-violence. Together, they reflect on the remarkable journey of a friendship and shared commitment spanning more than four decades – years marked by courageous stands against injustice, personal sacrifice, and an unwavering belief in a world free from war, violence and poverty. Their conversation offers a rare glimpse into the faith that had guided them, the risks they have taken for what they believe in, and the enduring friendship that has carried them through it all. Their conversation is followed by a daily reflection on the life of Jesuit priest and poet Gerard Manley Hopkins, and the poignant words of French philosopher Voltaire that still echo through history to this day. A complete list of the writers and poets from Episode 7 Faith & Friendship Consider This Voltaire “Absurdities & Atrocities” “Blessed Among Us: Gerard Manley Hopkins” Robert Ellsberg “Where the Mind is Without Fear” Rabindranath Tagore