Full transcript
0:01and he showed that even if the majority
0:06represents a certain position , it does
0:08not mean that the majority is right . He
0:12even used the expression that only
0:14living organisms swim against the
0:19current , and only dead bodies flow with
0:21the current . He was , you could say , a
0:30master of the paradox , a master of
0:32aphorisms , of capturing complicated
0:38matters in short , concise formulas . And
0:42he reiterated here that his peerless
0:45master was Chesterton , Gilbert Keith
0:47Chesterton . And interestingly , when for
0:51a year after his studies at the
0:53Angelicum Fulton Sheen taught in Great
0:59Britain , he met Chesterton . They became
1:13friends , and Chesterton wrote the
1:15introduction to Fulton Sheen's debut
1:17book , and later they corresponded many
1:19times , and that certain Chestertonian
1:21flair is visible in many of Fulton
1:23Sheen's texts . Fulton Sheen's . It is
1:39also worth mentioning that Fulton Sheen
1:41was a participant in the Second Vatican
1:43Council . Although he only spoke once at
1:50the plenary session there , he made a
1:52major contribution to drafting the
1:56conciliar document Ad Gentes dedicated
1:59to missions , because during the Second
2:03Vatican Council he sat on the
2:05commission that drafted the document on
2:07Catholic missions . Because , as I
2:12already said , he was at the head of the
2:14Society for the Propagation of the
2:16Faith , and interestingly , for various
2:26royalties , television appearances , and
2:28all his media activity , he received a
2:31total of about 10 million dollars in
2:33his lifetime , and he donated it all to
2:35the missions . He lived very modestly ,
2:45had no great needs , and everything he
2:47earned he donated to the missions . And
2:57it is considered that he was one of the
2:59main editors who had the greatest
3:01influence on the final shape of the
3:02Second Vatican Council's decree Ad
3:04Gentes on missions . The title of
3:16today's meeting asks the question of
3:18what Fulton Sheen could tell us today .
3:25And of course , he had a great deal to
3:28say on almost every topic , because if
3:30you look at those 1,000 radio
3:32broadcasts , 450 television shows , and
3:3473 books , it turns out he essentially
3:37covered every possible topic regarding
3:39faith and morality . But I would like to
3:46draw attention to a few points . Because
3:52we all , for example , I think I don't
3:58know if everyone , but many of us see a
4:00certain crisis in the Church , see a
4:07certain crisis of faith , especially
4:09concerning the Western world , and what
4:12would Fulton Sheen say about this today
4:14? And here we don't have to guess ,
4:19because he wrote about it directly .
4:23There is an essay of his about four
4:24great crises in the history of the
4:26Church . And he described this at the
4:35turn of the 60s and 70s , when the
4:37post-conciliar crisis was already
4:39visible in the West , associated with a
4:42decline in vocations , a decline in the
4:48acceptance of the Church's moral
4:50teaching , and the departure of the
4:52faithful from the churches . And he
4:56placed it within a sequence of crises
4:58in the history of the Church . He
5:02believed that our current crisis is the
5:04fourth great crisis in the history of
5:06Catholicism . That the first great
5:11crisis was the 4th century , the Arian
5:13crisis , which fit into what one might
5:16call Christological crises , meaning
5:18when the Church was faced with the
5:20question of who Christ is . The second
5:28crisis was associated with the Great
5:30Schism of the East , that is , the
5:32division between Eastern and Western
5:34Christianity , Catholicism and Orthodoxy
5:37. And that was a dispute , a crisis
5:40related to the question of the head of
5:42the Church . The third great crisis he
5:49located in the period of the
5:51Reformation , and it was a crisis
5:53related to the body — to the body of
5:55Christ , that is , the Church . And this
6:02crisis resulted in the emergence of
6:05Protestantism and those many later
6:07Protestant denominations that began to
6:09multiply , as it were , as if by budding .
6:22And he called today's crisis a crisis
6:24of the spirit of this world , and he
6:26described that Arian crisis of the 4th
6:29century as a paradigmatic one , noting
6:31that the majority of the world's
6:33Episcopate at the time — meaning the
6:35majority of the bishops — were not even
6:37Christians . Even though they considered
6:48themselves to be the true
6:49representatives of authentic
6:50Christianity . Why ? Because Arianism was
6:56a heresy which claimed that Christ was
6:58not God , but only a man . Consequently ,
7:04it did not recognize the divinity of
7:07Jesus and did not recognize the Holy
7:09Trinity . And it is known that the
7:15defining mark of Christianity , by
7:17definition , is recognizing God as one
7:19in the Trinity and Jesus as the Son of
7:21God , as God . Since the Arians did not
7:29recognize Christ as God , but only as a
7:32man , they were de facto not Christians .
7:40And please imagine that the majority of
7:42bishops in those times were not
7:44Christians at all , even though they
7:46claimed to represent true Christianity
7:48and [ persecuted ] those who remained
7:50faithful to the orthodox teaching of
7:52the Church . Among the bishops , there
7:59was a handful , a minority , and they
8:01were heavily persecuted and exiled —
8:03for example , Saint Athanasius , who was
8:06three times exiled from from
8:15Constantinople and later from
8:16Alexandria , and there was a handful
8:22such as Saint Gregory of Nazianzus ,
8:24Basil , or Ambrose . And Fulton Sheen
8:32wrote that even if everyone is wrong ,
8:45it does not mean there is no falsehood ,
8:48and even if no one stands by the truth ,
8:50it does not mean that the truth ceases
8:52to exist , and that there can be
8:54situations in the history of the Church
8:56when the majority of nominal Christians
8:58do not stand for the truth , for what
9:00Christ preached , but instead profess
9:02heresy . And he wrote that back then ,
9:13the faith was preserved mainly thanks
9:15to the laity , but not because the laity
9:18suddenly replaced the bishops or became
9:20clericalized . Rather , they remained
9:26steadfast in the authentic , true faith ,
9:29meaning they possessed that * sensus
9:31fidei * , that unwavering sense of faith .
9:37And there was such a speech by Fulton
9:39Sheen in June 1972 . year to the Knights
9:47of Columbus in the United States , where
9:49he told them directly that today’s
9:51situation resembles the times of the
9:53Arian crisis of the 4th century , when
9:55the faith was preserved thanks to the
9:58laity , and today , you laymen — he said
10:00to the Knights — bear a similar task .
10:09Because it is not the laity who usually
10:12invent heresy ; usually , it is
10:14theologians who invent heresy , and
10:16bishops are more susceptible to these
10:22heterodox influences than ordinary
10:25laypeople , and Fulton said this
10:26outright . Moreover , he was repeating
10:31what Cardinal Newman wrote , who was
10:33recently raised to the altars and also
10:36declared by Leo XIII as a Doctor of the
10:43Church ; Cardinal Newman , in his work "
10:45The Arians of the Fourth Century , "
10:47posited the exact same thesis , that the
10:50laity saved the Church in the 4th
10:52century , while the majority of bishops
10:58sided with Arianism . But if we were to
11:01apply this thinking to today’s times ,
11:03it might turn out that today most
11:13Christians actually think in categories
11:15that are foreign , or even hostile , to
11:17Christianity , that they think about
11:19themselves and their religion in
11:21categories alien to Christianity , just
11:23as the Arians thought . Except that
11:34today we are dealing with a secular
11:36mentality , with a mentality of
11:38secularized reason , so to speak , which
11:46is colonizing the Church's thinking .
11:50That we are dealing with a mental
11:52colonization of the Church by secular ,
11:54worldly thinking . And the scale of this
12:00phenomenon today is as massive as it
12:02was in the Arian times . And we can
12:09easily see this , for example , if we
12:11analyze how different circles within
12:13the Church define themselves today . For
12:18instance , some say this is the
12:20conservative wing , and this is the
12:22liberal wing . But liberalism and
12:25conservatism are not religious concepts
12:28; they are political concepts . So
12:32suddenly we are applying political
12:33measures to religious life , which is
12:40effectively carrying out this mental
12:42secularization of the Church . Or often ,
12:50when we hear on television or the radio
12:52that the Church must do this or that , a
12:54mental automatism immediately kicks in .
12:59The Church , meaning the hierarchs ,
13:01right ? There is no thought that the
13:06Church is us , but rather the Church is
13:08them , the hierarchs , or the Church as a
13:10certain institution external to us . Yes
13:17, so this non-Catholic thinking
13:19reappears , but in the form of a certain
13:21automatism that we no longer realize is
13:24there , and that we no longer reflect
13:26upon . It simply turns on in us
13:34automatically , and this shows how
13:36deeply rooted this secular way of
13:38thinking about the Church is in us ,
13:40that even today the majority of these
13:49nominal , baptized Catholics believe
13:51that they represent Christianity , and
13:53they would be surprised if they were
13:55accused of thinking in categories that
13:57are foreign to Christianity . Not to
14:02mention the fact that very often , uh ,
14:09today Catholics use the language of
14:11sociology to describe the life of the
14:14Church , while sociology was invented by
14:16Auguste Comte as effectively an
14:18alternative to religion , an alternative
14:20to Catholicism , as a new religion
14:22intended to replace the Christian faith
14:24. And we suddenly adopt the language of
14:32sociology , which was conceived to
14:34dethrone Christianity , and we use this
14:37language to describe Christianity , to
14:39describe our , our Church . Uh , in
14:46connection with this , well , Fulton
14:48Sheen actually made such a comparison
14:50of that 4 th-century Arian crisis to
14:53this contemporary crisis and showed
14:55that , uh , that even if the majority
15:01represents a certain position , it does
15:03not mean that the majority is right .
15:07And he even used the expression that
15:09only living organisms swim against the
15:14current , and only dead bodies flow with
15:16the current . And one of the signs of
15:23the Church's vitality is that it is
15:25able to be a sign of contradiction
15:27toward , uh , the world , toward this
15:29spirit of the age , before which one
15:31cannot , uh , cannot bow . But Fulton
15:35Sheen of course also left behind a rich
15:39legacy concerning , well , many other
15:42problems . For example , in his work
15:45Communism and the Conscience of the
15:52West , he wrote that all these
15:54ideologies built upon that Marxist
15:56paradigm , they in reality prey on the
16:02weaknesses of the West . And he wrote
16:07outright that communism is not a
16:09political problem , it is not an
16:11economic problem , it is a spiritual
16:13problem , that a spiritual vacuum has
16:15appeared in the Western world and
16:17people who have rejected God must fill
16:19this void with something and look for
16:21various idols . And communism is one
16:26such version . And he wrote that this
16:32ideology will remain alive as long as
16:34this spiritual vacuum continues to
16:36exist in the West . Therefore , and in
16:46order to oppose this threat , this
16:48ultimately nihilistic ideology , there
16:50is really a need for a spiritual
16:52revival , for a return to , to God ,
16:54because all other measures will really
16:56be half-measures , that they will only
16:59respond to certain causes , while they
17:08will not reach the source of the
17:16problem , and also among those problems
17:19that I think are dear and close to us
17:21all here are issues concerning marriage
17:23, family , and upbringing . And here
17:31there is also a book by Fulton Sheen
17:33which says that it takes three to get
17:35married . And he writes there that
17:40marriage is not some kind of contract ,
17:42it is not an agreement , but rather a
17:43covenant . And he describes this
17:49covenant in the form of — in the form
17:51of such a union of three persons : a man
17:53, a woman , husband and wife , but with
17:56the Lord God between them as the bond
18:05that , that God is not only a witness to
18:08their love , but He is effectively the
18:10guarantor of their love ; that if they
18:12take Him as their witness , He also
18:14becomes the guarantor of the unity ,
18:16holiness , and indissolubility of their
18:18marriage . He also writes very strongly
18:25about relationships , that there is no
18:27love without the cross , without
18:29suffering . And this is a test of love :
18:34whether we are able to bear hardships
18:36for someone , endure suffering , certain
18:39sacrifices , or even dying to oneself
18:41for another . Because this is a measure
18:45of love , a true test of love : whether
18:47love is ready to forgive , whether it is
18:49ready to suffer , because otherwise it
18:52burns out quickly and , in reality ,
18:54ceases to be love . And he also says a
18:57lot about the ideal of upbringing . And
19:01here I might read a quote , because as I
19:03said , he was a master of aphorisms , and
19:09regarding upbringing he wrote that a
19:16false explanation attributes evil to a
19:18lack of education . You are perverse
19:22because you are ignorant , and you will
19:24become good when you become educated .
19:27No , not all scholars are saints . Not
19:30all ignorant people are devils . A huge
19:33part of modern education is merely the
19:36rationalization of evil . It produces
19:39intelligent devils instead of stupid
19:41ones . Either upbringing is the
19:48formation of the heart and conscience ,
19:50not just conveying rules or ensuring
19:52success . Parents are the first
19:55witnesses of faith . Children read their
19:58lives more than their words . In
20:02upbringing , there needs to be a balance
20:04between love and requirements , because
20:06love without truth spoils , and truth
20:08without love hurts . The most important
20:12lesson for children is to see a real —
20:14not ideal , but faithful — love from
20:16their parents . So he gave very
20:25practical tips here in this book , *
20:27Three to Get Married * , but he also left
20:29incredible words for priests . There is
20:37a book titled * The Priest Is Not His Own
20:39* . And recently , I came across the
20:46testimony of a certain Anglican priest ,
20:48actually a former Anglican priest who
20:51converted to Catholicism — Father
20:53Michael Renier , who shared that while
20:55he was still in the Anglican Church , he
20:57treated his ministry as simply being a
21:00good pastor , a good preacher , a good
21:02parish administrator , a good shepherd ,
21:04and so on and so forth . And his view of
21:14the priesthood changed completely when
21:16he read Fulton Sheen's book * The Priest
21:18Is Not His Own * , and there he read the
21:20sentence that the priest is also a
21:22victim , that a priest is an * alter
21:31Christus * , a second Christ . And Christ
21:34is not only a priest , but He is also a
21:36victim . And Fulton Sheen writes
21:40beautifully there that during the trial
21:42before Pontius Pilate Christ spoke
21:47seven times as a priest and remained
21:49silent seven times as a victim . And
21:56that it is impossible to be a priest if
21:58one is not also a victim , meaning one
22:00must lay down their life for others .
22:07And this insight by Sheen was a
22:08revelation for this Father Renier ,
22:10which completely changed his
22:12perspective . In fact , thanks to this ,
22:16he later found his way to the Catholic
22:18Church . Today he is a priest of the
22:20Catholic Church . But this very sense of
22:24sacrifice was very important to Fulton
22:27Sheen at the end of his life , when he
22:29ended up in the hospital . He had
22:33open-heart surgery in 1977 . He actually
22:38suffered terribly then . He spent many ,
22:42many months in the hospital and he said
22:45then that he actually realized that he
22:47had never really suffered that much
22:49before , that God had somehow always
22:51spared him that experience . And now he
22:56actually he actually rejoices in the
23:01fact that he can carry the cross
23:02together with Christ in this experience
23:04. And during his hospital stay , there
23:09were many cases of conversions of other
23:11patients who were lying in wards
23:13together with him or in neighboring
23:15wards . He also granted absolution in
23:19the face of death , in articulo mortis .
23:24y and there is such an amazing , amazing
23:31quote of his , right when he was already
23:38in this last , in this last phase of his
23:40life , he was already very severely ill .
23:46He said these touching words : " I do not
23:51complain about my situation . I deeply
23:54believe that the Lord so often leaves
23:56us lying on our backs so that we can
23:58always look up at the sky . I asked the
24:02Lord for my suffering to bring good to
24:04my soul and He finally fulfilled my
24:06request . I loved material comforts ,
24:10because I did not want to take up the
24:12cross . The Lord placed it upon me just
24:15like on Simon of Cyrene , who later came
24:18to love it . If there is no Good Friday
24:22in your life , then there cannot be an
24:24Easter Sunday . The Lord subjected me to
24:31a true crucifixion , that open-heart
24:34surgery . I suffered pain , the existence
24:36of which I did not even know . Pain ,
24:38which ceased to be outside of me . Pain ,
24:40which overwhelmed me like an ocean that
24:42crushed me . But if not virtue , then
24:47pain is the only educator in the world .
24:50" And he wrote these words in the last
24:56year of his life . Two months before his
25:00death , such a touching meeting took
25:03place , when John Paul II , in 1000 —
25:05that was October 1979 — the year he
25:11came to the United States , and at St.
25:13Patrick's Cathedral there was a meeting
25:15with the clergy of New York . John Paul
25:19II spotted Fulton Sheen , asked him to
25:22come over , embraced him , and said these
25:24words to him : " You have spoken and
25:30written well of Christ . " And this was ,
25:36it was like a repetition of the words
25:38that Saint Thomas Aquinas heard during
25:40his mystical vision , when Christ said
25:48to him : " Thomas , you have spoken and
25:50written well of me . " And John Paul II
25:56did not refer to this quote by accident
25:58, because he knew that Fulton Sheen
26:00would understand what it was about and
26:02he repeated these words to him : " You
26:04have spoken and written well of me . "
26:08And he added : " You are a good priest of
26:11Christ . " Two months later , Fulton Sheen
26:15passed away . He said that his dream was
26:19to die at the pulpit , but he died
26:21during the adoration of the Blessed
26:23Sacrament . And when he was asked what
26:29was actually the source of his
26:31evangelistic success , he pointed to the
26:33adoration of the Blessed Sacrament .
26:39Because on the day of his priestly
26:41ordination , he made a promise that
26:43every single day he would spend one
26:45hour in adoration of the Blessed
26:47Sacrament , and he remained faithful to
26:49that promise for 60 years from the day
26:51of his ordination until his death . For
26:5760 years , he called this his holy hour .
27:04He spent an hour before the Blessed
27:06Sacrament and every Saturday he offered
27:08Holy Mass to the Blessed Mother for the
27:10intention of his priesthood . And for
27:18him , these were the two pillars upon
27:20which his priesthood rested : the
27:22Blessed Sacrament and the Blessed
27:27Mother . And he passed away just as one
27:33would wish for everyone , during the
27:35adoration of the Blessed Sacrament .
27:39>> And now , something truly exceptional .
27:42On the occasion of the beatification of
27:44Fulton Sheen , a new monumental book by
27:46Father Robert Skrzypczak is being
27:48released , dedicated to one of the
27:50greatest Catholic preachers of the 20th
27:52century . A man who was not without
27:55reason called God's microphone . It is
27:57over 500 pages , hundreds of
27:59extraordinary stories , photographs , and
28:02priceless archival materials . The first
28:04part leads us through the life , work ,
28:06mission , and teachings of Archbishop
28:08Sheen . And the second , written by
28:11Sheryl Hughes , shows him from a
28:12completely different perspective
28:14through the people he led to conversion
28:16. Artists , intellectuals , communists ,
28:19people from media , politics , and even
28:21show business . And that is exactly why
28:24this book is so relevant today . Sheen
28:26perfectly understood the crisis of his
28:28era . He firmly opposed modernist
28:30tendencies , but he also stood against
28:33the left and attempts to water down the
28:35Catholic faith . He did not adapt the
28:38Church to the world . He showed the
28:40world the fullness of Catholicism and
28:42attracted millions of people . This book
28:45was prepared for the exceptional moment
28:47of Fulton Sheen’s beatification . If
28:50you want to know the man who knew how
28:52to win modern media for the Gospel , do
28:55not wait ; order it now at the Biały
28:57Kruk store , because only with us and
28:59only in pre-sale is the book 25 PLN
29:02cheaper . Link in the pinned comment and
29:05in the video description . The one I
29:09truly need is you , my King . You healed
29:18my wounds , you gave me a new life . You
29:27filled the void in my heart . Now I
29:31exist for you . Oh my God , only you are
29:38worthy . M.