Full transcript
0:02But he also presents Christ as the Lord
0:04of history , that is , as the One who
0:06brings good out of the evil that occurs
0:08. And , in fact , prophets were often
0:13sent by God to reveal evil , the essence
0:15of that evil . Why does a person go
0:19through troubles , why do they suffer ,
0:21why are they robbed of their dignity ?
0:25Often , while warning against communism ,
0:27he was aware that he was not warning
0:29against the greatest evil . That
0:34greatest evil is hidden within . He , for
0:36that matter , predicted that communism
0:38would sooner or later collapse . My
0:44guest this morning on the 79 is Father
0:46Professor Robert Skrzypczak , a dogmatic
0:48theologian from the Catholic Academy in
0:51Warsaw and co-author of the book by
0:53Sherry Cid Hughes titled God's
0:55Microphone , a biography of Blessed
0:57Fulton Sheen . God bless you , Father
0:59Professor .
1:01>> Welcome . God bless you .
1:03>> On September 24th , Archbishop Fulton
1:05Sheen was finally declared blessed . Why
1:08was his beatification postponed
1:10previously ? Oh , well , that was indeed a
1:16somewhat dramatic case of a slow climb
1:18to the dignity of the altars .
1:22Archbishop Fulton Sheen . His
1:27beatification was announced and
1:29scheduled for December 21 , 2019 . I was
1:37very happy about that date and that
1:39occasion back then , because I was
1:41already getting to know Fulton Sheen ,
1:43his incredible sensitivity to the Word
1:45of God and to what he did as a great
1:47preacher , such an apostle of America .
1:54And at the same time , more or less , the
1:56beatification of our great Primate of
1:58the Millennium , Cardinal Stefan
2:00Wyszyński , was also announced . It was
2:06supposed to be at the beginning of 2020
2:07, and it turned out that both of them
2:09were cancelled one after another . I
2:15thought to myself that there is a
2:17certain bracket that connects this
2:18circumstance , because we are dealing
2:20with two , we could say , two great
2:22prophets of modern times on two
2:24different hemispheres . Primate
2:28Wyszyński . His beatification was
2:31postponed due to the COVID pandemic .
2:37Whereas Fulton Sheen's , five weeks
2:39before the ceremony — so we can imagine
2:42: all hotels booked , um , already , um ,
2:53tickets purchased , flowers , everything ,
2:56the whole circumstance , preparations
2:58made , and suddenly a withdrawal from
3:00the beatification is announced . The
3:08reason given was the chaos that shook
3:10the American Church at the time because
3:12of massive sexual scandals committed by
3:21some representatives of the Catholic
3:23Church , thereby greatly damaging its
3:25credibility . And also the case of
3:30Cardinal McCarrick , who was also
3:32accused of the same thing . And then
3:36Fulton Sheen his beatification was
3:42halted for this reason . Whereas the
3:46elevation to the altars of our Primate
3:48took place shortly thereafter . The
3:52pandemic subsided , and the
3:54beatification was carried out . That was
4:003 years ago , while Archbishop Sheen had
4:02to wait until September of this year .
4:09>> And which moments of the beatification
4:11ceremony in St. Louis had particular
4:13spiritual significance for you , Father
4:15Professor , which are worth commenting
4:17on ?
4:18>> Well , maybe there weren't such " special
4:20" moments . The whole ceremony delighted
4:23me very much . Moreover , it also took
4:25place in an atmosphere of great joy .
4:31You could see it in those who prepared
4:33it , those who served it , even the
4:35people who served as lectors , or
4:37cantors , or those performing the psalm .
4:44This extraordinary joy was somehow
4:46contagious . Moreover , Cardinal Tagle ,
4:53who presided over the liturgy as the
4:55Pope's envoy at the time , also
4:57emphasized in his homily that being
4:59blessed means being immersed in the
5:01blessings of Christ , the eight
5:03beatitudes . It means participating in
5:11the joy of God's action , that someone's
5:13life becomes , as it were , an arena for
5:21God's activity , being included in the
5:23love of God . And that is why it was all
5:29very joyful , and at the same time
5:31beautiful , because the liturgy of the
5:33archbishop’s beatification was
5:35magnificent . Even though the venue for
5:42this liturgy was the St. Louis stadium ,
5:44it was beautifully prepared . There were
5:51three altar settings , one in the middle
5:53, which also copied the image of the
5:55crucified Christ from the cathedral in
6:02Peoria — Peoria is a district , excuse
6:05me , a diocese from which comes Fulton
6:12Sheen in the state of Illinois , near
6:14Chicago , and his body also rests there .
6:19Ultimately , it was also everything was
6:24beautifully prepared , it proceeded
6:26calmly .
6:28>> Over 30 million Americans listened to
6:30the television programs and radio
6:32broadcasts hosted by Fulton Sheen . What
6:35was original about his evangelization
6:37for those times ?
6:39>> It was something strange because
6:41Catholics did not enjoy great
6:43popularity or recognition in the United
6:45States . The United States was founded
6:51on the basis of Protestantism , actually
6:53even English Anglican Puritanism . That
7:00is why , for a long time in America ,
7:02Catholics were treated a bit like a
7:05foreign body . Moreover , they
7:10experienced this kind of aversion
7:12towards themselves . Papal envoys , even
7:15previous nuncios , experienced this . And
7:22then , suddenly , the phenomenon of
7:24Fulton Sheen , his extraordinary
7:26charisma regarding communicativeness ,
7:28the ability to establish contact with
7:30people through the media , while at the
7:33same time he was a man who did not
7:41reach for the means of influence that
7:43the media possess , but instead used the
7:45media simply as a microphone . As a way
7:52of conveying content . And the content
7:57he used touched people's hearts because
7:59it was authentic . Fulton Sheen believed
8:05in the power and effectiveness of the
8:07spoken word . He believed in his
8:11apostolic ministry . For it , he even
8:14sacrificed his own development , his own
8:16academic career . After all , perhaps the
8:23most important trait , the charism of
8:25his life , besides the fact that he was
8:27a bishop , a diocesan administrator ,
8:29that he dealt with missionary works ,
8:32that he was a very good lecturer at the
8:34Catholic University , was that he was
8:36primarily a proclaimer of the Gospel .
8:43Even the image that was used at the
8:45moment of his beatification , his
8:47portrait . On his portrait , there was a
8:50detail that he was holding chalk in his
8:53hand . Because his television programs
9:00every Tuesday , which attracted , as you
9:02pointed out , such a huge number of
9:04people , surpassing the popularity of
9:06other competing programs — even those
9:09with Frank Sinatra or some comedy shows
9:11— they possessed tremendous simplicity
9:18. That is to say : people saw a man
9:22standing before them , a bishop with a
9:24cross on his chest , in a black cassock
9:26with the characteristic purple cape
9:28that bishops wear , with a zucchetto on
9:30his head , and with a piece of chalk in
9:32his hand and a blackboard . And that was
9:36all . Yet he captured the attention of
9:41millions of people to such an extent
9:42that there were even stories about
9:44burglars who broke into an apartment
9:46and found the television on , and Fulton
9:53, who was speaking at the time ,
9:55captivated their attention so much that
9:57instead of robbing the place , they sat
10:00down and began to soak it all in . You
10:04could say that’s a rather funny story
10:06, even . And
10:11>> Fulton was also known , famous for his
10:13sense of humor and his immense ability
10:15to not take himself too seriously . An
10:19extraordinary observer , too . Well , so
10:23that sense of humor seemed to extend to
10:25the mission he was fulfilling as well .
10:28>> And you called Blessed Fulton Sheen a
10:30prophet , Father Professor . In what way
10:32have his prophetic words been fulfilled
10:34, or perhaps are they still being
10:36fulfilled ?
10:38>> I will say what I find to be the most
10:39important part of Fulton Sheen's
10:41message . Well , of course , the most
10:43important thing is the proclamation of
10:45the kerygma , that is Jesus Christ and
10:49his message , his power , his passion ,
10:52death , and resurrection . Fulton Sheen
10:58constantly focuses people's attention
11:00on Christ , calling and encouraging
11:02people to trust , but he also presents
11:04Christ as the Lord of history , that is ,
11:06as the one who brings good out of the
11:08evil that occurs . Actually , prophets
11:16were often sent by God to show evil ,
11:18the essence of that evil . Why man goes
11:22through trouble , why he suffers , why he
11:24is robbed of his dignity . More than
11:28once , Fulton Sheen was known as one of
11:30the best experts on communism . He was a
11:35man who knew how to , as they say today ,
11:37connect the dots . Actually , if I may
11:42take the opportunity , I would encourage
11:45our listeners to reach for Sheen's
11:47publications beyond the book we are
11:49discussing , " God's Microphone " ; there
11:51is a beautiful autobiography of Fulton
11:53Sheen , " Treasure in Clay . " A book
12:01written in masterful language . In fact ,
12:06during his time in Europe , Fulton Sheen
12:08took lessons in writing and
12:10storytelling from Chesterton himself .
12:20However , of the books that focus on his
12:22message , the most prophetic one is that
12:24written in 1948 after the end of the
12:27war , and it is still published and read
12:29today , losing none of its relevance . It
12:37contains that prophetic nerve . It is a
12:40book titled " Communism and the
12:42Conscience of the West . " Fulton Sheen
12:46was treated and perceived as one of the
12:49greatest experts on communism . He
12:55understood communism to such a degree
12:57that his advice as an expert was sought
12:59by the governments of successive United
13:01States presidential administrations . In
13:05fact , at one point , they even had to
13:08provide him with protection . They
13:15realized that in Sheen's immediate
13:17circle , among those who sometimes
13:19wanted to carry his briefcase or
13:21organize meetings , a very dangerous
13:23killer had been found and identified , a
13:25murderer in the service of the Soviet
13:28KGB . And what universal reflections of
13:36Blessed Fulton Sheen regarding the
13:37creation of a state without God are
13:39still relevant today ? In the book I
13:44mentioned , Fulton Sheen connects , as it
13:46were , three things . His knowledge of
13:51communism , and its destructive effect
13:53on societies , individuals , families ,
13:56and relationships . As a matter of fact ,
14:02this also translated into the
14:04destruction of people . We are familiar
14:08with this from those systems that
14:09adopted communism as a modus vivendi
14:11for creating a state . We Poles
14:15experienced this firsthand , because we
14:18found ourselves in the orbit of the
14:20Soviet Union’s influence . Furthermore
14:26, Fulton Sheen was very sensitive to
14:28signs from heaven , so he was also very
14:30focused on the words of God that
14:32reached us through the apparition of
14:34Our Lady in Fatima . He studied Fatima
14:41and the message of Fatima very deeply .
14:44Why did Mary command us to pray so
14:46intensely for the conversion of the
14:48world , especially for the conversion of
14:50Russia ? Why did she speak of the evil
14:55that would emerge and pour out upon the
14:56whole world from Russia if Russia did
14:58not convert and turn to the Immaculate
15:00Heart of Mary ? Why did the Mother of
15:09God decide on such a risky step as
15:11showing , for a few seconds , the reality
15:13of hell to the small children , the
15:15visionaries of Fatima — the immense
15:17suffering of human souls who remain
15:19completely blocked and insensitive to
15:21God's mercy during their lives ? He also
15:31connected this with the message of the
15:33Russian philosopher and thinker
15:35Vladimir Solovyov about the Antichrist ,
15:37and thus a reference to eschatology , to
15:39the end times , to the eschatological
15:41spiritual battle that will pass through
15:43human hearts and minds . In short , Sheen
15:50, while warning against communism , was
15:52aware that he was not warning against
15:54the greatest evil . This greatest evil
15:59is hidden within . He , for that matter ,
16:02predicted that communism would sooner
16:04or later fall , and it fell before our
16:06very eyes . We are witnesses to this .
16:08And why would it fall ? Because it is
16:11built upon a false vision of man .
16:15Something like that cannot serve people
16:17. Something like that cannot survive if
16:20it is false in its premises . But while
16:24analyzing communism , he said that
16:26communism itself is not the greatest
16:28evil . It is only , as it were , a
16:32historical incarnation of that evil .
16:37However , what he wanted to analyze and
16:39what he wanted to know , as if at the
16:41DNA level of the problem , was the virus
16:43. He compared human thought to a virus ,
16:49which he called Marxism . It is a false
16:53anthropology . It is the last Christian
16:56heresy . That is what he called it . That
17:00is to say , it is like putting a
17:01counterfeit coin into circulation . As
17:07if some monstrous lie were to be at the
17:09foundation of building our happy life .
17:13This will lead to catastrophe . That is
17:17why he warned against this heresy . Why
17:21was Marxism called the last Christian
17:24heresy by Sheen ? Because , as he himself
17:28said , it originated from baptized
17:30people . Marx and his family and his
17:33closest circle . Even though they were
17:36atheists and promoted atheism , they
17:38were baptized people ; this makes that
17:40way of thinking all the more dangerous .
17:44Just like with viruses . Viruses , even
17:49when defeated , have a tendency to
17:52return in a mutated form and attack
17:54people anew . That is why today it is
18:02worth studying and listening to Sheen ,
18:04because he seemingly foresaw the
18:06successive stages of attacking or
18:08destroying human happiness , human life ,
18:10and the vision of human life through
18:12these new forms of deformed thought .
18:19What are we dealing with today ? Because
18:21neo-Marxism manifests itself in
18:23successive stages of revolution that
18:25destroy our schools , our families , our
18:28approach to human happiness ,
18:30relationships , and sexuality , and
18:32consequently , also destroy people's
18:34faith , self-confidence , and above all ,
18:37their trust in God . The guest on
18:40Morning 79 was Father Professor Robert
18:42Skrzypczak , a dogmatic theologian from
18:44the Catholic Academy in Warsaw and
18:47co-author of the book with Sheryl CD
18:49Hes titled " God's Microphone , " a
18:51biography of Blessed Fulton Sheen . We
18:54encourage you to read it . Thank you for
18:56the conversation .
18:57>> It was a pleasure to be a guest at your
18:59radio station . Thank you very much . And
19:01now , something truly exceptional . On
19:03the occasion of Fulton Sheen's
19:05beatification , a new , monumental book
19:07by Father Robert Skrzypczak is being
19:09released , dedicated to one of the
19:11greatest Catholic preachers of the 20th
19:14century . A man who was called God's
19:17microphone for a reason . It is over 500
19:19pages , with hundreds of extraordinary
19:22stories , photographs , and priceless
19:24archival materials . The first part
19:26leads us through the life , work ,
19:28mission , and teachings of Archbishop
19:30Sheen . And the second part , written by
19:32Sheryl Hughes , shows him from a
19:34completely different side , through the
19:36people he led to conversion . Artists ,
19:38intellectuals , communists , and people
19:41from media , politics , and even show
19:43business . And that is exactly why this
19:45book is so relevant today . Sheen
19:47understood the crisis of his era
19:49perfectly . He firmly opposed modernist
19:52tendencies , but he also opposed the
19:54left and attempts to dilute the
19:56Catholic faith . He did not adapt the
19:59Church to the world . He showed the
20:02world the fullness of Catholicism and
20:04attracted millions of people . This book
20:07was prepared for the unique moment of
20:09Fulton Sheen's beatification . If you
20:12want to know a man who knew how to win
20:14modern media for the Gospel , don't wait
20:17, order it right now at the Biały Kruk
20:19store , because only with us and only in
20:21pre-sale is the book 25 PLN cheaper .
20:25Link in the pinned comment and in the
20:27video description . The one I really
20:31need is you , my King . You healed my
20:40wounds , you gave me a new life . You
20:48filled the void in my heart . Now I
20:52exist for you . Oh my God , only you are
21:00worthy . Yeah .