Seven Lessons from Blessed Fulton Sheen.

On September 23, 2015, I was part of the privileged crowd that gathered at the Catholic University of America to welcome Pope Francis during his maiden visit to the United States of America. During the mass he celebrated outdoors on the east side of the Basilica of the National Shrine, Pope Francis canonized St. Junipero Serra. This was the first time a saint was being canonized on American soil. Though the 11th American Saint, he was the first to be canonized on home turf. I do not remember praying any Novena, doing any particular spiritual exercises before, during and even after his canonization. 

Eleven years to the day, the Catholic Church in the United States of America has one of her illustrious sons, Archbishop Fulton Sheen, beatified. This time around it is different. There is a personal touch here. At least, as a seminarian I had heard and read about Archbishop Fulton Sheen.Even more important is the fact that the Blessed Fulton Sheen used media, specifically television as a means of evangelization. As one who aspired to the priesthood and as a journalist or media personality, this beatification hits very close to home. 

In the grand scheme of things, Blessed Fulton Sheen is an icon for Bishops, priests and seminarians. He came from that mold and dedicated a lot to priestly formation. No wonder at his beatification mass, 850 seminarians, 1000 priests and 90 Bishops and Cardinals took part. There were over 45000 lay people who witnessed and took part in this great spiritual event. While there could be such a thing as the spirituality of Fulton Sheen, it seems apropos to consider what Blessed Sheen invites us lay persons to. For the seven years, it took when the process for his canonization stalled and given his classic on the seven last words of Jesus, here are seven lessons the beatification highlighted: 

The first lesson one can draw from Blessed Sheen is the title of his broadcast. It started off as a question: Is life worth living and later on he stated rather categorically: Life is worth living. Think for a second, why would Blessed Sheen caption his show with these four words. One

can only look at life in the 50’s & 60’s when this show beamed on television. It is post World War II and all the palpable pain, suffering, the desperation and desolation. In the midst of the stupendous challenges of the day, Blessed Sheen considered a weekly reminder to his audience quite necessary and by the show’s title was definitely saying: In spite of everything, Life is Worth Living. It is a message that resonates even today. If I could, I would add: Life is still worth living because Jesus Christ, the Way, the Truth and the Life is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. One message from Blessed Sheen could be phrased thus: Whatever you may be going through, you must never lose sight of the fact: Life is still worth living. This is not mere optimism, or a simple platitude or decorative bumper sticker. Sheen’s life is ample proof; the trials and tribulations he bore with such equanimity are great lessons. Consider reading Blessed Sheen’s autobiography: Treasure in Clay. 

Another lesson that could be drawn from Blessed Sheen is the title of his radio show namely: The Catholic Hour. It speaks to the foundation of Sheen's life which was the practice daily holy hour. Drawn from the prayer and agony in the garden, inspired by the question: So you could not keep watch with me for one hour? (Mt.26:40). Blessed Sheen spent at least an hour everyday before the Blessed Sacrament. We live in a very busy and noisy world. Making time daily for the Lord to be with him is a practice we all should learn from Blessed Sheen. It is not just for priests and religious. Lay persons too are invited to practice the art of Eucharistic adoration. It is time for us lay people to learn how to spend the “Holy Hour” in prayer. One of such resources is accessible on the following link. https://www.wordonfire.org/articles/how-does-one-make-a-holy-hour-a-helpful-guide/ A recommended resource to learn how to do a Holy Hour is Becklo’s “The Holy Hour: Meditations for Eucharistic Adoration”

This practice is great because as Bishop Barron stated in his homily at the vigil mass for Archbishop Sheen's beatification: What made Archbishop Fulton Sheen blessed and saintly was the fact that he is a friend of Jesus Christ. A blessed and holy person is one who is a friend of Jesus Christ, Bishop Barron added. Christ himself said “I no longer call you slaves…but friends” (Jn.15:15). This is an invitation for all of us to be friends with Christ. The lyrics of the hymn composed from Scriven’s poem come to mindxcccxx: What a friend we have in Jesus. And as Sheen stated Christianity is all about the relationship with Jesus. And so daily, Blessed Sheen spent time with his friend. Through this friendship Sheen became blessed and he is blessed because of this friendship. In celebrating Sheen, we become friends of a friend. We can become friends with Jesus directly and\or become friends through befriending his friends like Blessed Sheen. Through the intercession of Blessed Sheen, friend of Jesus Christ,we too can become better friends of Jesus Christ. 

Cardinal Dolan exhorted all during the invitation he offered ahead of the beatification mass, to exercise our faith muscle through practice of the Holy Hour and like Blessed Sheen repeat these four words: My Lord and my God. (Jn.20:28) These words of St Thomas, the apostle who doubted when his friends reported the Lord had appeared to them, were frequently repeated by Blessed Sheen. Not just during his daily Holy Hour, but also whenever he passed around the tabernacle, or during consecration when he lifted the Body and the Blood of Christ, when he received holy Communion. These words should be on our lips and hearts daily especially when we come to see the Lord, our friend. From here, the Lord sends us on a mission like he did to Blessed Sheen. 

In his homily at the Beatification mass, Cardinal Tagle quoting Blessed Sheen stated: “As only a wounded Christ could convert a doubting Thomas, so only a Church wounded by poverty can convert a doubting world.” We should show our wounds caused by our ministry to the poor so often spoken about and yet very little done to serve them. Pope Francis captured this beautifully when he stated upon his election that his vision for the Church is “a poor Church for the poor.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen's beatification took place during the jubilee year of St Francis of Assisi celebrating the 800th anniversary of his transitus (his death) and ten days before the Feast day of St Francis. This is no mere coincidence but a divine invitation to heed to the invitation contained in the Jubilee Year theme: San Francesco Vive: St Francis lives on. One could say Blessed Sheen lived the Franciscan spirituality of solidarity with the poor and so challenges us to look for the poor and to serve them. Blessed Sheen himself considered ministering to the poor his mission. 

Blessed Sheen had a deep devotion to the Blessed Mother. His entire life has a deep Marian motif. He was baptized in St Mary's Church and he recalls that when he was baptized as an infant,his mother laid me on the altar of the Blessed Mother in St. Mary’s Church, El Paso, Illinois, and consecrated him to her. Blessed Sheen himself would confirm this consecration during his First Holy Communion. During his priestly ordination, Blessed Sheen committed to celebrating the mass every Saturday in honor of the Blessed Mother and when he became Bishop he chose for his coat of arms: “Da per Matrem me venire - Grant that I may come to You through your Mother.” He lived the rosary and prayed it daily too. He designed what is known as the World Mission Rosary - multicolored beads of Green, Red, Yellow, White and Blue. Each decade of the rosary had one color representing one of the five continents. Green for Africa, Red for the America's, Yellow for Asia, Blue for the Pacific and White for Europe. The Archbishop summed up his reflections on our Blessed Mother in one of his greatest books, “The World’s First Love.” He died on December 9, the day after the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception and is buried in St Mary's Cathedral, Peoria, Illinois. Blessed Sheen teaches and invites us to consecrate ourselves to the Blessed Virgin Mother. 

Blessed Sheen had a lot in store for married couples. The title of his classic book: “It takes three to get married” underscores an important often overlooked aspect of marriage: God. He described marriage as a “school of sanctity” and saying I do actually means I die. Blessed Sheen is also said to have been a matchmaker and there are testimonies of people who prayed at his tomb for spouses while he was still buried at St Patrick's cathedral and got an answer to their prayer. 

Now that Archbishop Fulton John Sheen hS been beatified, let us pray for his canonization. 

Heavenly Father, source of all holiness, You raise up within the Church in every age men and women who serve with heroic love and dedication. You have blessed Your Church through the life and ministry of Your faithful servant, Archbishop Fulton J Sheen. He has written and spoken well of Your Divine Son, Jesus Christ, and was a true instrument of the Holy Spirit in touching the hearts of countless people.

If it be according to Your Will, for the honor and glory of the Most Holy Trinity and for the salvation of souls, we ask You to move the Church to proclaim him a saint. We ask this prayer through Jesus C

hrist, our Lord. Amen.