Today I received the records of Bishop Sheen which is a complete course on the Faith -- the best investment I've ever made - 50 1/2 hour talks in all. He uses this method in instructing though am surprised, as Bishop, that he would be doing so -- perhaps in self-defense (from the things he says, he is besieged with everybody and their problems -- evidently he turns no one down.)
He tells of a woman calling that her brother was dying, a fallen- away for many years, who had lived an evil life, real evil that destroys good; asked the Bishop to go; many priests had been there to no avail. As he says, his first visit lasted about 15 seconds --"Get out!" - but he went back for 40 nights, adding a few seconds on each successive call. On the 40th night he took the Sacrament and oils, told the man he would die that night and asked him to make his peace with God. When told to get out, he asked him if he meant Our Lord too - "Yes". Bishop Sheen knelt in prayer and promised Our Lord a chapel in the poor southern part of the country if He would bestow His grace on the man, and before he left he asked the man to say "Jesus, have mercy." before he died; left word with the nurse to call him. She did at four in the morning to say he had died and being questioned about his disposition, she told him, shortly after he left, he started saying what the Bishop had asked him to and continued until he died.
He tells of a woman calling that her brother was dying, a fallen- away for many years, who had lived an evil life, real evil that destroys good; asked the Bishop to go; many priests had been there to no avail. As he says, his first visit lasted about 15 seconds --"Get out!" - but he went back for 40 nights, adding a few seconds on each successive call. On the 40th night he took the Sacrament and oils, told the man he would die that night and asked him to make his peace with God. When told to get out, he asked him if he meant Our Lord too - "Yes". Bishop Sheen knelt in prayer and promised Our Lord a chapel in the poor southern part of the country if He would bestow His grace on the man, and before he left he asked the man to say "Jesus, have mercy." before he died; left word with the nurse to call him. She did at four in the morning to say he had died and being questioned about his disposition, she told him, shortly after he left, he started saying what the Bishop had asked him to and continued until he died.
Wonder if Bishop Sheen is given more powers from above than the average - reading souls-- tells of a young girl becoming hysterical when she reached his instruction on confession. The Bishop said to her: You know, I think you have had an abortion." - her relief that it was finally out, no longer a burden to her.
If anyone's life story would sound stranger than fiction, it would be his. The woman in France, Catholic, who was married to an atheist publisher who attacked the Faith in all his writing and efforts. She asked God for the sufferings necessary to buy his soul. Before she died she told her husband he would become a Dominican priest, which was repeated in her will --that she had bought and paid for his soul -- of course he scoffed. Later in his travels he stopped at Lourdes (which he had attacked many times, to prove his skepticism, was given the gift of Faith completely with absolutely no doubt of any kind. He did become a Dominican priest, was a retreat master that Bishop Sheen had in France several years ago, heard the story from the priest himself.
If anyone's life story would sound stranger than fiction, it would be his. The woman in France, Catholic, who was married to an atheist publisher who attacked the Faith in all his writing and efforts. She asked God for the sufferings necessary to buy his soul. Before she died she told her husband he would become a Dominican priest, which was repeated in her will --that she had bought and paid for his soul -- of course he scoffed. Later in his travels he stopped at Lourdes (which he had attacked many times, to prove his skepticism, was given the gift of Faith completely with absolutely no doubt of any kind. He did become a Dominican priest, was a retreat master that Bishop Sheen had in France several years ago, heard the story from the priest himself.
Bishop Sheen doesn't resort to the humor that he used in his TV talks, but the drama is most moving -- his enthusiasm and love of God is his great power as well as the foundation he lays with Scripture, both Old and New Testament - he actually brings to life all the characters so important to our heritage. He gets in his digs at modernism - "existentialist neurosis" in his talk "Psychoanalysis on it's Knees". "There can be no real brotherhood of man without a common fatherhood in heaven." -- how sin is always an abuse of freedom. Compares communism with our free way of life in "Freedom or License". Mentions his 26 years of teaching philosophy in a Catholic University -- how all sides of the question was understood and presented -- how professors today are only giving one side --atheism --they know nothing of the Christian philosophy.
He did relate a cute story - and it is only a story as he has to stress, in illustrating examination of conscience. Several lumber jacks came into town; had been away from the Sacraments for some time. The first goes in without preparation and tells the priest he has done everything in the book. The priest asked him if he had committed murder. "No" -"Then go out and examine your conscience". He leaves and called to the other men, "C'mon boys, he's only hearing murder cases tonight".
His talk on the Mass is the greatest, "Drama with Three Acts", probably because of the desecrations today, it would seem so, and I can only wonder how many who call themselves "Catholic"would recognize their Faith with the ridiculous things they are accepting in its stead. On the Holy Eucharist - "If our Faith were strong we would feel more like crawling on our hands and knees to the altar rail". In ending: "Think what it would be like without the presence of God in our Churches - the lamp that is always burning before the Tabernacle enthroned on the altar - just meeting places - an empty tomb, an angel saying again: "He is not here". Amen to that - we're sure finding out the emptiness of everything today, but it is good to hear Truth in all its purity which it will always be irregardless of appearances.
At least three of his talks are devoted to marriage and its problems: Lucifer is exposed in "The Hell There Is"; in fact, have never heard or read anything more complete on every phase of our belief. Every subject is treated so thoroughly there isn't a Catholic who could not benefit from such a deep study; would be wonderful for CCD, though it is an adult course and some parts may be handled a little too culturally, but even that could be good since education has fallen to exclude too much of things worth while.
All for now,
Love, Mother
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