Today is the beatification of Bishop Fulton Sheen. So I decided to pick 5 clips of Fulton Sheen’s preaching that are circulating on the internet and that have left a mark on spiritual life and perspective on what it means to be a Christian. If you care about the Gospel and Evangelization, you should become a consumer of Fulton Sheen’s preaching and writing. I’ve also provided more details below for the non-Catholics or lukewarm ones who are unaware of the significance or details surrounding the beatification/canonization process. You can find this information after the last clip.
#1 You Cannot Build Down!
If you take a look at Fulton Sheen’s writings, you will find that he was very concerned about the threat of communism and socialism. He fought against it in his day, and now he continues to inspire us to do the same. His words are very prescient in this clip from EWTN, as depicted by the b-roll they provided to show its relevance to our time.
Source: EWTN YouTube Channel
#2 The Christmas Message You Need to Hear
Christmas has taken on more significance. If you’re a devout Catholic, you reflect on it twice a week in the Joyful Mysteries, especially by meditating on the Mystery of the Nativity. In this clip, Sheen delivers one of the most moving messages about Christmas and the dignity of man.
#3 Why He Didn’t Come Down From the Cross
Sheen had a voice that was meant for radio, but when you watch him preach on the cross, you realize he had eyes for television. When you watch these clips, but especially this one, his words are elevated by his gaze.
#4 Communism vs. Every Single American
As I mentioned above, Sheen knew that communism was coming for American souls. We are now living in what, whether he realized it or not, are the prophetic words of this Blessed man. If we are to make it out of the virus that plagues the souls of Americans, we will have to take up our cross, and accept that whatever suffering may come, knowing that both our cross and communism produce suffering, but only one is used for good.
#5 Fulton Sheen: The Church Is For Imperfect People
Not much to say on this one, other than Fulton Sheen had a way of framing the Christian faith that revealed the viewer’s erroneous assumptions.
Why Is Fulton Sheen Being Beatified?
For the non-Catholics in the room, this is not the same as being canonized, declared a saint. To be declared a saint, one must meet three criteria:
Venerable — Demonstrated a life of heroic virtue.
Beatification — A first miracle is attributed to the intercession of the Venerable.
Canonization — A second miracle is attributed to the intercession of the blessed.
Each of these steps is investigated thoroughly by a committee at the Vatican. In the case of Fulton Sheen’s investigation into his heroic life, it took multiple years. Fr. Mike Schmitz interviewed one of the committee members. I’ll post a link in the footnotes. 1
There is an incredible miracle attributed to the intercession of Venerable Fulton Sheen, which is what has fulfilled the requirement for beatification. Here is a description of the miracle in which a baby was not breathing for 61 minutes, while the parents asked for Venerable Fulton Sheen’s intercession:
In their moment of crisis, after it was discovered that James Fulton had a true knot in his umbilical cord, it was the most natural thing in the world for Bonnie and her husband, Travis, to call on Archbishop Sheen for help. He had been the friend whose prayerful support she had sought throughout her pregnancy…
“I started asking, basically on a daily basis, for Fulton Sheen’s prayers, for his intercession in the life of my child and in our marriage — to walk with us and to walk with my son, that he would be a lifelong Catholic who would love God and love his faith, that he would be a man of integrity,” Bonnie said. “I was asking him to intercede every day while I was pregnant.”
The baby was given advanced medical treatment, but doctors determined he couldn’t be revived. After 61 minutes, however, his little heart started to beat.2
Here is an interview with the mother whose child was saved by the intercession of Archbishop Fulton Sheen. Thanks for reading/watching.
Blessed Fulton Sheen, pray for us!
Fr. Mike Schmitz - Everything You Need to Know About Archbishop Fulton Sheen:
Miraculous healing of Washington boy ‘given to the church, for the church’ — https://thecatholicpost.com/2019/07/06/miraculous-healing-of-washington-boy-given-to-the-church-for-the-church/