Show Notes
Childhood memories are the subject of this episode, starting with Martin’s deeply moving recollection of a special time spent with his father in 1947 in the Ohio countryside. Being the seventh son of 10 siblings, an entire day of just he and his father was such a rarity that Martin cherished the events and conveys those memories in this emotional story. It is followed by his daughter Renee sharing her own childhood story of growing up with her dad, Martin and the unusual but memorable time they spent together. Childhoods can be as loving and complex as the people who raise us.
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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