Last month the Catholic Church celebrated the beatification of Archbishop Fulton Sheen, a charismatic speaker and highly popular television evangelist.
If you haven’t heard of Blessed Fulton Sheen previously, he was a gifted orator known for his live television and radio broadcasts, where he powerfully spoke on various topics related to the life of faith. He also published many books, impacting the hearts and minds of countless people around the world.
As a child, Blessed Fulton Sheen grew up on a farm and was probably expected to work the land, but farming was not his forte. Rather, he would often be found reading, later showing great academic prowess and intellectual depth.
His life is a great example of how an individual can use their gifts and talents to faithfully serve God. With a sharp wit and a phenomenal capacity to engage his audience, Blessed Fulton Sheen would have been a marvel on any stage as a performer. But he used those God-given gifts to spread the message of the Gospel far and wide, in a way that had never been done before.
Archbishop Sheen was also known for being a man of prayer. Despite his busy schedule, he maintained a practice of spending an hour in Eucharistic adoration every day from his ordination in 1919 until his death, 60 years later. He wrote:
“Neither theological knowledge nor social action alone is enough to keep us in love with Christ unless both are proceeded by a personal encounter with Him in Adoration.”[1]
Blessed Fulton Sheen’s devotion to the Eucharist and reliance on prayer to sustain his evangelising efforts should serve as a helpful reminder to each of us. I encourage you to make prayer your foundation and to strive to use your gifts in the service of God, for in doing so, your life will ultimately be fruitful and fulfilling.
Further Reading
Gifted for the Mission: An Introduction to Charisms
The 54th International Eucharistic Congress 2028
Image: Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Foundation
Words: Matthew Biddle
[1] Treasure in Clay: The Autobiography of Fulton J. Sheen (1980). Doubleday & Company, Inc: New York.