Fulton Sheen about sin and human nature

While not (yet) declared a saint, few of this past century have led more to God than the late, great Archbishop Fulton Sheen. One can never go wrong reading the writings of Fulton Sheen, or watching those episodes of his television show that one can find. Here is a section of his writing, taken from the Michael Dubruiel book “Praying in the Presence of Our Lord with Fulton J. Sheen” that I’ve wanted to share and point out to you for several days now.

From “Peace of Soul” by Fulton Sheen:

First, man is not an angel, nor is he a devil. He is not intrinsically corrupt (as theologians began claiming four hundred years ago) nor is he intrinsically divine (as philosophers began saying fifty years ago). Rather, man has aspirations to good which he finds it impossible to realize completely by himself; at the same time, he has an inclination toward evil which solicits him away from these ideals. He is like a man who is down in a well through his own stupidity. He knows he ought not to be there, but cannot get out by himself. Or, to change the picture, he is like a clock whose mainspring is broken. He needs to be fixed on the inside, but the repairs must be supplied from without. He is mistaken if he is an optimist, who believes evolution to be the mainspring, or a pessimist who believes that nobody can fix him. He is a creature who can run well again, but only if some watchmaker will have the kindness to repair him.

Second, this conflict has all the appearances of being due to the abuse of human freedom. As the drunkard is what he is, because of an act of choice, so human nature seems to have lost the original goodness with which a Good God endowed it, through an act of choice. As St. Augustine said, “Whatever we are, we are not what we ought to be.” The origin of this conflict has been told by medieval and modern theologians through the analogy of music. Picture an orchestra on stage with a celebrated conductor directing the beautiful symphony he himself composed. Each member of the orchestra is free to follow the conductor and thus to produce harmony. But each member is also free to disobey the conductor. Suppose one of the musicians deliberately plays a false note and then induces a violinist alongside of him to do the same. Having heard the discord, the conductor can do one of two things. He could either strike his baton and order the measure replayed, or he could ignore the discord. It would make no difference which he did, for that discord has already gone out into space at a certain temperature at the rate of about 1100 feet a second. On and on it goes, affecting even the infinitesimally small radiations of the universe. As the stone dropped in a pond causes a ripple which affects the most distant shore, so this discord affects even the stars. As long as time endures, somewhere in God’s universe there is a disharmony, introduced by the free will of man.

Could that discord be stopped? Not by man himself, for man could never reach it; time is irreversible and man is localized in space. It could, however, be stopped by the Eternal coming out of His agelessness into time, laying hold of the false note, arresting it in its flight? But would it still be discord in God’s Hands? No! Not if God wrote a new symphony and made the false note its first note! Then all would be harmony again.

A selection from Archbishop Fulton Sheen

Our Lord finished His work, but we have not finished ours. He pointed the way we must follow. He laid down the Cross at the finish, but we must take it up. He finished Redemption in His physical Body, but we have not finished it in His Mystical Body. He has finished salvation, we have not yet applied it to our souls. He has finished the Temple, but we must live in it. He has finished the model Cross, we must fashion ours to its pattern. He has finished sowing the seed, we must reap the harvest. He has finished filling the chalice, but we have not finished drinking its refreshing draughts. He has planted the wheat field; we must gather it into our barns. He has finished the Sacrifice of Calvary; we must finish the Mass.

The Crucifixion was not meant to be an inspirational drama, but a pattern act on which to model our lives. We are not meant to sit and watch the Cross as something done and ended like the life of Socrates. What was done on Calvary avails for us only in the degree that we repeat it in our own lives.

-From "Calvary and the Mass"

Excerpt from "Praying In The Presence Of Our Lord with Fulton J. Sheen" by Michael Dubruiel, Our Sunday Visitor, Inc., 2002.

From the teachings of Fulton Sheen

From the book "Praying in The Presence of Our Lord with Fulton J. Sheen" by Micheal Dubruiel, Fr. Benedict J. Groeschel, CFR, Series Editor and preface by Father Andrew Apostoli, CFR, Our Sunday Visitor, 2002.

The title of a chapter, paraphrasing Archbishop Sheen:

"His Work is Finished, Ours is Not."

Our Lord finished His work, but we have not finished ours. He pointed the way we must follow. He laid down the Cross at the finish, but we must take it up... He has finished salvation, we have not yet applied it to our souls. He has finished the Temple, but we must live in it....He has finished sowing the seed, we must reap the harvest...He has planted the wheat field; we must gather it into our barns.

(1953 from his work Calvary and the Mass).

Send prayer books to military service people

If you want to do something great for your loved ones in the military services, visit the website www.wartimeprayerbook.org and make a donation to have "Fulton Sheen's Wartime Prayer Book" distributed among the military. I have one in front of me and it always reminds me of those who put their lives on the line so that others can be safe and free. My dad carried his own Confirmation prayer book from 1921 throughout World War II. Fulton Sheen composed this prayer book in 1943 and it's been a great source of comfort to all military people, whether Catholic or not, and there is even a kind message in it for atheists right on page 2. So this book is appropriate for everyone, and I understand there is always more demand for it than there are books and funds. Each book costs only $3.50 in donation to provide to a service member. And it's a small pocket size to fit in cam pockets where a Bible cannot be carried in the field or on patrol. Here is a sample of prayers provided in just one small section of this tiny but powerful 182 page book:

Prayer Before A Battle
Prayer On Coming Through a Battle Unharmed
Prayer Of A Wounded Man
Night Prayer
Universal Prayer
Prayer for Charity and Tolerance
Prayer for our Government
Prayer for Civil Authorities
Prayer to do God's Will

Chapters include "Thoughts in Wartime," "Reflections on Prayer," "Looking into My Soul," and "Encouragement." Again, while this book was written by that great Catholic Bishop Fulton Sheen, and part of the prayer book is devoted to Catholic beliefs and rites, over the years many Christians and even non-Christians of all denominations have been comforted by the topics in this book, as you can see a sample of above. You'll see great stories, photographs, and testimonials on their web site.

Americans, celebrate the 4Th of July with a donation to this wonderful organization, and buy a few copies for your family and friends (I think the police, firemen, emergency responders and civil authorities/anti-terrorist workers in your community would also love this book.) And for anyone around the world whose loved one can read English and who could use this book in their time of need for solace, I highly recommend it to you too.

Bless our military services men and women and also those working in peacekeeping units throughout this troubled world.