The Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen lived a life dedicated to building the Kingdom of God.
Among his many accomplishments, Sheen was the creator and host of several television and radio programs such as The Catholic Hour and Life is Worth Living, and the author of many books. He blazed the then-uncharted trail of Catholic media and was an ardent opponent of communism, the heresy of his time.
As we enter Holy Week, we remember an enduring theme present throughout Sheen’s preaching: we are all servants of the ‘Thorn-Crowned Captain.’
Here are 10 quotes from Ven. Fulton Sheen for us to reflect on as we celebrate the Paschal Mystery in Holy Week.
And the great tragedy of the life of Judas, one of the twelve, is that he might have been Saint Judas.
Conference #10 given during the Archdiocese of Washington’s annual Priest’s Retreat, 1974
Unless there is a Good Friday in your life, there can be no Easter Sunday.
From “Life of Christ” (1954)
What Our Lord did say on the cross was to forgive. Forgive your Pilates, who are too weak to defend your justice. Forgive your Herods, who are too sensual to perceive your spirituality. Forgive your Judases, who think worth is to be measured in terms of silver.
From “The Cries of Jesus from the Cross: A Fulton Sheen Anthology” (2018)
The crown of gold we want may have underneath it the crown of thorns, but the heroes who choose the crown of thorns often find that underneath it is the crown of gold.
From “The Cries of Jesus from the Cross: A Fulton Sheen Anthology” (2018)
It is only fitting, therefore, that the good Lord looked out on pain and leave[s] us a lesson about it.
Homily for Good Friday, 1979
We are spectators on this day. All of us in varying degrees are spectators.
Homily for Good Friday, 1979
The oblation of the soul becomes the condition of changing an agony into sacrifice, and this is not easy. It costs something to come to God, as it cost God something to come to us. When God asks for sacrifice some complain, when a trial comes, they rebel, when temptation assaults, they surrender. Indeed, belief is a yoke, as the Saviour said, but it is a yoke that is sweet and a burden that is light.
From “Lift Up Your Heart: A Guide to Spiritual Peace” (1950)
No stage was ever better set for the drama of hope than Calvary.
From “The Cries of Jesus from the Cross: A Fulton Sheen Anthology” (2018)
The ideal is to reach a point in practice, where, like Our Lord on the cross, we witness to God even amidst abandonment and the agony of a crucifixion.
From “The Cries of Jesus from the Cross: A Fulton Sheen Anthology” (2018)
Christianity, unlike any other religion in the world, begins with catastrophe and defeat. Sunshine religions and psychological inspirations collapse in calamity and wither in adversity. But the Life of the Founder of Christianity, having begun with the Cross, ends with the empty tomb and victory.
From “Life of Christ” (1954)
