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I have been reading “The Life of Christ” by Bishop Fulton Sheen for Lent, what a wonderful experience. Bishop Sheen has a way with words and way to make the complex seem everyday. I love his wit had humor and he holiness. To me I am reading a book by a Saint, one day, soon I hope, it will be required reading in all catholic High School.
The book takes a look at Christ’s life using the bible as it source and Fulton Sheens mind as it vehicle. And what a mind it is, filled with images and notions that astound and delight. God gave Bishop Sheen a gift and Sheen freely shared that gift to all.
Saints are interesting people, truly interesting. Take any Saint and you will find a life filled with adversity and adventure. Their crosses were heavy but their burden light because they allowed Jesus to walk with them and carry their crosses. The Saints used the broad shoulders of Christ to carry the crosses they themselves made from their own sin.
Like many around the world I have listened to Bishop Sheen’s talks and seen him on his TV show, “Life is worth living”. I have been entranced by his words and his person. I have been enlightened by his wisdom and delighted by his wit. Fulton Sheen truly was and through his recordings , still is a great blessing to the Catholic Faith. His ability to preach and communicate with the general population is a gift so few have.
Like Jesus, Fulton Sheen had the ability to relate the truth to the everyday, to use common language to communicate Gods message. What a gift, what a blessing.
I would recommend that everyone reading this blog get a copy of Bishop Sheens book “The Life of Christ”, its over 600 pages, but well worth the read. You will grow in your understanding and closeness to Christ through the words of Bishop Sheen. Your Lent will take on a new meaning and your Easter a new light.
Bishop Sheen is one of many modern day people distend to Sainthood, all to often we Catholics look to the past for our inspiration, we look to the Saints of old. We fail to see the Saints of today, the Saints the we may have known personally or seen preside over the Holy Mass. Many know of Fulton Sheen from his TV show and others may have belonged to his parishes over the years. How blessed they are to have known a Saint in the making.
I live in the Detroit area and we to have a future Saint, Fr. Solanus Casey, I have written about him in past blog postings. He was a humble man who served God and the community with grace. We are lucky to have lived in a time with so many saintly people:
- Bishop Fulton Sheen
- Fr. Solanus Casey
- Mother Teresa
- Pope John Paul II
Each of the people mentioned about offers us a look at how to live a life as a Saint, how to live as Jesus to the world. God has graced us with the likes of Bishop Fulton Sheen and Mother Teresa to show us how to live in the world as his people.
We all are not called to live as Bishop Sheen or Fr. Casey but we all are called to live the life of a saint. What saint are we to live as, we are to live as us as a saint. We are to be our own saint. We are all capable of living a life as a saint, but my saintly life will be different than yours. Just as St. Paul lived his life different than St. Peter or Fr. Casey is different than Pope John Paul II. Each and everyone of us are created in God’s image, in His unique image defined in each of us.
The contrast of the Saints is a perfect example of this, Fulton Sheen was a great communicator wear as Fr. Casey was a quiet man who played the violin (not well, but he played). Mother Teresa was a gentle heart and Pope John Paul II was an educator of the souls.
Each of the four Saints I mentioned have books they wrote or were written about them, check out your local book store or Amazon.com and find a book or two. The Life of Christ by Fulton Sheen or Crossing the Threshold by Pope John Paul II or a book on Fr. Casey or Mother Teresa would be a perfect Lenten read.
I am sure I am missing many more saintly people, and I am relying on you to add to this list be leaving a message here. I will update the list in later post, and possible write about them.
God Bless
Paul
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Life of Christ |
| Romans 6:23“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
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