meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
The Art of Catholic with Matthew Leonard

046: St. John Paul II Through the Eyes of a Swiss Guard

The Art of Catholic with Matthew Leonard

Matthew Leonard

Christianity, Religion & Spirituality

4.9831 Ratings

🗓️ 16 June 2016

⏱️ 61 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Pope St. John Paul II is one of the most beloved popes of all time. He touched the lives of millions. But his impact is far from over. JPII was a world-class philosopher. He taught us truths about ourselves, and humanity in general, in a way that made sense. He understood our deepest longings and turmoil. He could explain the inner workings of our heart in relation to God.  In a nutshell, he taught us how to be fully human through Jesus Christ. But while most of us learned this from his speeches, encyclicals, and books, Andreas Widmer, former Swiss Guard and now Director of Entrepreneurship Programs at Catholic University of Americas' Busch School of Business & Economics, received his instruction in person. This giant of a man swore to protect and serve the Holy Father with his life. And in return, he learned what it means to truly live. In fact, he wrote a book about it called The Pope & the CEO: John Paul II's Leadership Lessons to a Young Swiss Guard. In this special episode of the Art of Catholic, we're going to: Hear beautiful stories about what JPII was really like in person Learn about the history and duties of the Swiss Guard Discover the relationship between JPII's famous Theology of the Body and the world of economics Discuss how JPII's view of poverty and the human person is necessary to understand the heart of Pope Francis Hear this modern saint's "simple" rule of life he practiced every day You don't get too many opportunities to hear personal witness about a saint. Andreas Widmer gives us that and much more! Matthew P.S. Don't just listen to us talk about it. Do it! Grab your FREE copy of my quick guide to deeper prayer 8 Ways To Jumpstart Your Prayer Life! It's an easy step-by-step guide to help you rocket to God! Don't miss a show! Subscribe to The Art of Catholic by clicking this link and then clicking "View in iTunes" under the picture and then "Subscribe"!  Love the show and want more people to hear the Catholic faith? Leave a review by clicking here and then the "View in iTunes" button under my picture. This pushes the show up the rankings and puts it in front of more people. Android user? You can listen to The Art of Catholic on the Beyond Pod app from the Google Play Store. Want to tour Catholic Europe's most beautiful holy sites? Join Matthew on a  St. Paul Center pilgrimage to Fatima, Spain, Lourdes, and other amazing holy sites this October 23rd to November 1st. Click here for details.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

This is the art of Catholic.

0:05.6

Rejoice always, pray without CC, and all circumstances give thanks, or this is the will

0:20.4

of God for you in Jesus Christ.

0:23.2

First, that's Lonean's 5, 17, and 18. To those of you who are regular listeners or subscribers of the art of God for you in Jesus Christ. First Thessalonians 5, 17, and 18.

0:26.0

To those of you who are regular listeners or subscribers of the art of Catholic, that

0:29.4

sounds a little bit familiar, doesn't it?

0:32.0

Sounds like the passage with which I close this show every time from Romans 12-12.

0:36.2

Well, both written by the same guy, St. Paul, and both are apropos for today's show.

0:43.0

Welcome to the art of Catholic Kids, I'm Matthew Leonard coming to you from Studio Two

0:46.3

at the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology

0:49.0

in spiritually beautiful, stupid and vilohile.

0:52.3

And today's show is about one of my favorite men

0:54.5

in the world, Pope St. John Paul II.

0:57.8

JP2 was Pope when I became Catholic.

1:01.6

In fact, like a lot of you, he was really the only Pope

1:04.1

I was aware of until Pope Benedict was elected. And we've got a bit of a unique perspective on this great

1:09.7

saint of our church because we're going to get a peek behind the Vatican walls through the

1:14.4

eyes of a former Swiss guard named Andreas Vydmer. And Andreas had contact with the Holy

1:19.9

Father in a way that frankly most of his only dream of. Closes I ever got to JP 2 was about 10 feet as he drove past me in St. Peter's square

1:28.8

in the fall of 1998.

1:29.8

It was right after I became Catholic just a few months later.

1:32.9

And it was a really an amazing experience because you could literally feel the holiness

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Matthew Leonard, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Matthew Leonard and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.