Below is an excerpt from the introduction to Praying in the Presence of the Lord with Fulton Sheen , edited by Michael Dubruiel, originally published in 2002.
Excerpts from the book will be published in this space over the next few weeks, in honor of Archbishop Sheen's beatification on September 24, 2026.
Members of Christ's Body (1)
If [one] part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if
one part is honored, all the parts share its joy. 1 CORINTHIANS 12:26 (NAB)
+
Bishop Sheen
In medicine, when a patient is suffering from anemia, blood
will be transferred from a healthy person to cure the sick of that condition.
Skin is grafted from the back to the face to repair a burn. If blood can be
transfused and skin grafted, then prayers and sacri- fices can be transmitted
to the sick members of the Mystical Body of Christ. The motivation for a Holy
Hour is reparation. We pray for those who do not pray, we make acts of faith in
the Real Presence for those who lack or who have lost the faith. In a word, we
are their victims, like Christ, innocent but one with their guilt in the
progressive redemption of mankind.
From Those Mysterious Priests
