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Summary of today\u2019s show: With Cardinal Se\xe1n and 29 priests of Boston on pilgrimage in the Holy Land, Scot Landry and Rick Heil encouraged listeners to follow along on a virtual pilgrimage at TheGoodCatholicLife.com where there will be regular updates. Also, Scot and Fr. Chris O\u2019Connor discussed the Sacraments of Initiation, especially baptism and confirmation, two sacraments that are particularly timely during the Easter season. Why do we have confirmation names? What is confirmation? Can we switch godparents later? These questions and more are answered in the show.\nListen to the show:\n\nWatch the show via live video streaming or a recording later: \nToday\u2019s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O\u2019Connor\nLinks from today\u2019s show:\n\n\n\n\nToday\u2019s topics: The Feast of the Annunciation; The Sacraments of Initiation\n1st segment: Scot Landry welcomed everyone to the show. He said the big news this week is that based on the coverage of the papal conclave in Rome, providing a pilgrimage experience to people back home, some of Cardinal Se\xe1n\u2019s cabinet members said that the cardinal and 29 priests were going on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land and George Martell should go. Scot said he couldn\u2019t go at the last minute, but George was. More importantly, Susan Martell allowed George to go even though he will miss Susan\u2019s birthday.\nScot said George was a photographer at the Boston Herald for about 20 years and so he was used to being able to go on assignment at the last minute.\nCardinal Se\xe1n and the pilgrims arrived Monday evening and today was their first full day in the Holy Land, visiting Galilee, the Basilica of the Annunciation, and Mount Carmel. There are many great photos at . Scot said it\u2019s already a tremendous virtual pilgrimage.\nEvery day, we\u2019ll have photos and video and blog posts at .\nRick Heil said we have a TV in the Catholic Media office area showing an unending slideshow of George\u2019s most recent photos as they get posted online. He said his favorite photo right now is from the excavation of Joseph and Mary\u2019s home in Nazareth. It sets your faith on fire to know that this is the place.\nScot said his favorite so far is seeing three of our priests kneeling before the altar in the lower church.\n\nScot said our faith is rich because you learn something new every day. He was shocked to learn that yesterday was the Feast of the Annunciation because when March 25 falls during Holy Week, it is moved to the first Monday after the Octave of Easter or two weeks later. The Feast of the Annunciation is when the angel Gabriel appeared before Mary and tells her that she will be the Mother of God and she gives her fiat, an attitude of faith seeking understanding.\nFr. Chris O\u2019Connor arrived in the studio, having been stuck in traffic. He said he was horrified to see in the New York Times that they actually published on Easter that it was the day that Jesus ascended into heaven. They then discussed the significance of the Annunciation and how it would normally fall exactly nine months before Christmas. Fr. Chris said the Annunciation reminds us to give ourselves over to Christ. He said it\u2019s an important day in the seminary because it\u2019s the day Mary received her vocation for all eternity.\nScot read from the Gospel of Luke 1:25-38:\n\nThe angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin\u2019s name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, \u201cHail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.\u201d But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Then the angel said to her, \u201cDo not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his Kingdom there will be no end.\u201d But Mary said to the angel, \u201cHow can this be, since I have no relations with a man?\u201d And the angel said to her in reply, \u201cThe Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God.\u201d Mary said, \u201cBehold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.\u201d Then the angel departed from her.\n\nHe said Mary said, \u201cLet it be done to me according to your Word.\u201d Scot said he thinks that\u2019s what someone like the pilgrim priests must be praying on their pilgrimage and he asked listeners to pray for Cardinal Se\xe1n and those priests in the next chapter of their lives.\n2nd segment: Fr. Chris and Scot bring up the topic of the Sacraments of Initiation. Fr. Chris said it\u2019s most appropriate to talk about them now because after Easter the Lord\u2019s grace is flowing abundantly at this time and at Easter Vigil and in the weeks following people are receiving these graces. He said at the parish where he lives the kids are preparing for confirmation and first communion. Some parishes suspend baptism during Lent and hold them all during the season of Easter.\nHe said on the cross, when the soldier pierced the side of Christ, water and blood flowed from his side. The water represented baptism and the blood the Eucharist.\nScot said on the Easter Vigil, the catechumens receive the three sacraments of initiation: baptism, confirmation, and first communion. Meanwhile the rest of the congregation renews their baptismal vows. Fr. Chris said on Easter Sunday everyone renews their vows because baptism is connected to the feast of Easter, newness of life. Baptism is descending into the tomb of the water and rising again with new life.\nFr. Chris said we use water to drink and to clean. Similarly, in baptism God is actively involved in offering us the washing away of original sin, membership in the Body of Christ, and the pledge of eternal life. \u201cI was made for heaven and heaven was made for me.\u201d\nFr. Chris said the Church doesn\u2019t have a preference between full immersion versus pouring water in baptism. He said the formula of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit reminds us of the three days spent in the tomb waiting to burst back into life.\nScot asked what the Catechism means in 1280 that it imprints on the soul an indelible character. Fr. Chris said it\u2019s a sign that goes with us to heaven and the eternal Father will recognize it on our souls. There are two other sacraments where this indelible mark takes place: Confirmation and Holy Orders. Once a priest, always a priest. That\u2019s why, even in cases of priests who have left active ministry, in an emergency the priest could hear a confession or administer anointing of the sick.\nHe said he someone ask to have a godparent changed and he had to say no because those relationships are indelible and unchangeable. Thus those decisions are so important.\nScot asked about people at the Easter Vigil who are called \u201ccandidates for full communion with the Catholic Church.\u201d These are people who were already baptized in any Christian church with water and using the formula: \u201cI baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirt. Amen.\u201d\nScot said with his kids he never wanted to wait to baptize them and chose to do it as soon as possible. He asked why in the Church we do it for infants before they reach the age of reason at which they can choose this faith.\nFr. Chris said the children are baptized into the faith of the Church, of the community. That\u2019s why it\u2019s essential moms and dads and godparents are living the faith. what\u2019s most important is that God is doing the activity. With the sacraments comes the promise of God\u2019s power. The sacraments aren\u2019t magic. In baptism, even before we were aware, God was already present to us, acting in our lives, and claiming us as his own.\nScot noted that any Catholic in an emergency could baptize someone using the correct formula. Fr. Chris recalled an episode of All in the Family where Edith Bunker baptized her grandchild in the kitchen sink.\nFr. Chris then talked about the signs of baptism that are found at funerals, including the paschal candle and the white pall on the casket that reminds us of the white baptismal garment. Scot said a lot of priests try to find out the date of baptism of the deceased in order to preach about the connection between the funeral rite and the baptismal rite. He said many godparents take the date of baptism so seriously that they observe that date over the birthday.\n3rd segment: Scot asked why baptism and confirmation are usually tied together and in some places in the Church celebrated at the same time. Fr. Chris said we look at confirmation as an outpouring of the Holy Spirit on those who are confirmed in which they are asked to be witnesses to Christ.\nHe said the bishop puts the sign of oil on the forehead as a sign that when we come face to face with others, we bring the face of Christ to others.\nFr. Chris read from the Catechism 1319 which says the candidate has to be the age of reason, which in some dioceses is the same age at which they receive first communion.\n\nA candidate for Confirmation who has attained the age of reason must profess the faith, be in the state of grace, have the intention of receiving the sacrament, and be prepared to assume the role of disciple and witness to Christ, both within the ecclesial community and in temporal affairs.\n\nHe said the key why most dioceses wait is that they must be prepared to assume the role of disciple and witness which assumes some maturity.\nOn the question of whether a confirmation sponsor should be one of the godparents, Fr. Chris said they don\u2019t have to be the same. He said the candidate should carefully choose the person they seek to emulate in the Christian life.\nOn the formulation of being sealed in the Holy Spirit, Fr. Chris said slaves used to be sealed, or branded, to show ownership, and so when the bishop seals the person, he is claiming him for Christ, affirming in them the fact they are called to be disciples and witnesses. Fr. Chris said confirmation is not graduation, but just the opposite. They are called to more deeply live the life of Christ.\nOn the oil, Fr. Chris said in ancient times oil was seen as a healing remedy. When someone is given holy oil, they are given some healing, some grace. Also oil has always been used to set people apart. Priests, prophets and kings were anointed with oil in the Old Testament. Messiah means \u201cthe anointed one.\u201d When we are anointed, we are set apart.\nthere are three oils: chrism, oil of catechumens, and oil of anointing of the sick. Chrism is used for baptism, confirmation, and holy orders. He said there is a great smell to chrism and this saintly odor reaches to the heavens.\nScot asked the significance of selecting a confirmation name. Fr. Chris said it\u2019s similar to the old days when someone went into the religious life, they take a new name, like Patrick O\u2019Malley became Friar Se\xe1n O\u2019Malley. It shows that the old person has fallen away and a new person steps forward.\nScot\u2019s confirmation name is Theophilus, which was picked for him by Fr. Lenny O\u2019Malley after he lost a bet.