A few weeks ago, my wife and I had the incredible privilege of traveling to St. Louis to witness the Beatification Mass of Blessed Fulton J. Sheen. For me, the celebration of the beatification was an opportunity to learn more about his life. I knew about his popular television series, “Life is Worth Living,” his commitment to the poor, and his dedication to the missions as the National Director of The Pontifical Mission Societies in the United States for 16 years. Two anecdotes from Cardinal Tagle’s Homily have really stayed with me.
The first anecdote was a story of Bishop Sheen being asked, “Why did you become a priest?”
Bishop Sheen responded, “I was called to tell this story, the gospel, the story of Jesus. I never tire of telling it, I never tire of improving my telling of it, I love my calling.”
The second anecdote was a story from when Bishop Sheen met with Pope Pius XII. The Holy Father asked him, “How many conversions can you claim?”
Bishop Sheen responded, “I really have not counted, in order not to have the temptation to believe that they were mine. … I see myself simply as a porter, who is sometimes able to lead people to the open door of the house of God. I have had some success as a porter.”
The most inspiring thing I learned about Blessed Fulton Sheen was that every single day of his 60 years as a priest he made a daily Holy Hour in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. He made a promise to do this on the day he was ordained, and he kept it until the day he died. For me, this was an important reminder that holiness begins right here, at the altar, during Holy Mass, or in front of the Blessed Sacrament during Eucharistic Adoration. As Cardinal Tagle noted during the homily, Blessed Fulton Sheen knew that communion with Jesus is the root of blessedness. And it is only in knowing Jesus and being known by Jesus that we can be effective evangelizers and missionaries, that we can be porters to the house of God, and a people who tell the story of Jesus well.
“Blessed Fulton Sheen knew that communion with Jesus is the root of blessedness.” -Cardinal Tagle
During the Beatification Mass itself, I was deeply moved when the young man—James Fulton Engstrom, and his family, brought up the relics of Blessed Fulton Sheen to the altar. My wife had told me that James was born without a heartbeat, and it was not until his parents prayed for the intercession of Fulton Sheen that sixty-one minutes later his heart began beating on its own, and he had suffered no physical or mental impairment from this incident (an outcome that medical experts deemed as having no natural, scientific explanation). As the family processed past me it was impossible not to be struck by the large reliquary that contained the entire lower jawbone, complete with bottom teeth, of Blessed Fulton Sheen. In that moment, as a boy who was miraculously healed and alive, carried the bones of the seemingly dead man who interceded for him in heaven, I could not help but to think of our Lord’s victory over death. Not only is James alive, but so is Blessed Fulton Sheen.
