Blessed Fulton Sheen's balanced approach and warnings against division seem prophetic, as if he could have anticipated the deep divides yet to come.
Although he died nearly 50 years ago, Blessed Fulton Sheen is still deeply beloved — as seen in the 50,000 people who traveled to St. Louis for his beatification on September 24.
One of the reasons he remains so popular today is because he avoided taking sides in culture wars but charted a clear path based on Christ and the Gospel.
Today, his balanced approach and warnings against division seem prophetic, as if he could have anticipated the deep divides yet to come. His consistent message to seek unity over division is exactly what made his witness so timeless, as he continues to reach a new generation and point them toward Christ.
Careful not to take sides
Sheen was a bridge builder, said Bishop Tylka, of Sheen’s home diocese of Peoria, in a press conference before the beatification. He explained how Sheen avoided falling into “conservative” or “liberal” labels:
He spoke very forcefully against Communism, and yet at the same time, he was also speaking very strongly in favor of social justice and racial justice. To him, that was just the message of the Gospel: Don't take God out of society. Don't take God out of society, and care for your brothers and sisters.
In the world today, we often want to say, “Well, that's conservative and that's liberal”... We start to put categories and divisions. Sheen didn't do that because his focus was, “I'm going to preach the Gospel. I'm teaching Jesus Christ.”... Jesus Christ says, "You care for your brothers and sisters.”
We use categories today, unfortunately, that too often create culture wars. Sheen always spoke with the truth of the Gospel ... He shows us how to bridge those divides, those gaps. We can have conversations. We should have conversations. We should help each other come to a better understanding of what the Gospel is teaching us as a Church and as part of society, as opposed to wasting time pointing out that “you're this” and “I'm that,” and "we don't agree."
Indeed, Sheen was known to explicitly warn Christians to avoid falling into divisions in the Church and in society; you can see a clear example of this in this “lost homily” recently rediscovered. The homily, which warns against falling into only a “vertical” or “horizontal” faith, is so timeless and prescient it feels like it could have been written today.
A broad appeal
Sheen's balanced approach was one of the reasons he was so popular, even with non-Catholics, said Monsignor Jason Gray, a canon lawyer and priest who serves as the executive director of the Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Foundation and who led the formal investigation into the miracle attributed to Sheen. In the pre-Mass press conference at the beatification, Gray spoke of Sheen’s broad appeal:
One of the questions I've gotten in the past has been, “What about the kind of anti-Catholic bias that was present in this country earlier on?” People might remember JFK being elected, and there were some questions about electing a Catholic president. So, in the 1950s, prior to that, you can imagine Sheen being on the air, and so, here's a prominent Catholic on the air in an area that might not always be receptive.
Here's what I think is Sheen's answer to that: He was very good at it, because of the way he would speak the truth, but always with charity and with great clarity. He actually drew a large number of Protestants and Jews who would watch his program, and not just Catholics. So I think Sheen actually becomes a model of how to approach difficult topics; you don't soft pedal them and you don't ignore them, but you always do so with clarity and with great kindness and charity.
Timeless wisdom for the next generation
Sheen’s careful charting of a balanced path, and his warnings against falling into division, feel prophetic for today’s Church. Rather than labeling others with different perspectives, how can we work together, keeping our hearts fixed on Jesus and the Gospel?
It seems that Sheen’s message is still being heard and making an impact, as seen in the many young people who continue to respond warmly to his witness, said Bishop Tylka:
Sheen's message is timeless because he spoke the truth, and he spoke the truth with clarity and charity. I think a lot of people in the world, especially young people, are searching for purpose and meaning. And to have a voice that so convictedly presents the truth of our faith, our belief in Jesus Christ, the truth that God loves us, and that life is worth living—I think that's very appealing.
Especially with the youth who are interested [in] following the path of new media, if you use that term, that's in many cases how some of the young people are discovering him… Here was this man who took the opportunity to use, in his day, the newest media to spread the Gospel, and it's like, “Hey, I can do that too. I can be somebody that, in my life, can spread the Gospel through the gifts that God has given to me, and discover new ways to share our faith.”
Will today’s Church, especially the next generation, follow Sheen’s path to seek unity over division? That remains to be seen—and it’s a choice each person must make for themselves.
