Blessed Fulton Sheen

    

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. 

Silence (2)

Be silent, all flesh, before the LORD; for he has roused himself from his holy dwelling -ZECHARIAH 2:13 (RSV)

Reflection by Michael Dubruiel

Bishop Sheen shows that the practice of silence is in imitation of Our Lord, who spent entire nights alone in prayer. If He, the Son of God, did this, how much more do we need to do it?

We become like Our Lord when we pray be- cause, like Him, we come to know who we are in God's eyes and what our mission is in this life. The Scriptures highlight that Jesus spent the night in prayer before choosing the twelve apostles (see Luke 6:12- 13) and before His arrest and crucifixion.

We know that in His prayer at Gethsemane Jesus prayed from His heart, pouring out what was on His mind to the Father. But we also know from that same prayer that He was silent and waited for a response. An angel was sent to strengthen Our Lord into His waiting.

Too often we can be tempted to do all of the talking in prayer and not leave room for God to respond to us. As Bishop Sheen points out, fear is what keeps us from being silent. We are afraid of what God might reveal to us if we are silent. The Scriptures show us that this is not abnormal but that the message of God's angels is always the same: "Do not fear."

There is a great power in silence, something that is almost palpable. We notice the world around us in a way that we don't when we fill our lives with noise. This awareness leads to our being present to the now. It is the now where God has placed us, and it is the now where we need to worship Him.

Fulton Sheen Beatification: September 24, 2026

   

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 today,  September 24, 2026. 

Silence (1)

Be silent, all flesh, before the LORD; for he has roused himself from his holy dwelling -ZECHARIAH 2:13 (RSV)

Bishop Sheen

One of the really great needs of our own day is silence. Modern life seems to thrive on a fondness for noise, and by noise I mean not only the staccato barbarism of jazz, or the bleating and moaning of saxophone orchestras, but also, and principally, the excessive desire for that which distracts --love of amusements, constant goings and comings, excitements and thrills, and movement for the mere sake of movement. What is the reason of this fondness for noise? It is not due to any inherent love of that which is loud, for people generally prefer that which is soft and refined. Rather the reason is to be found in the great desire on the part of human beings to do the impossible, namely to escape from themselves. They do not like to be with themselves because they are not pleased with themselves; they do not like to be alone with their conscience, because their conscience reproves and carries on an unbearable repartee. They do not like to be quiet, because the footsteps of the Hound of Heaven which can be heard in silence, cannot be heard in the din of excitement; they do not like to be silent, because God's voice is like a whisper and it cannot be heard in the tumult of the city streets. 

These are some of the reasons why the modern world loves noise, and they are all resolvable to this: noise drowns God's voice and stupefies conscience. Dull, indeed, are these distractions, but like the clay used by savages to dull the pain of hunger, they stifle in the soul the hunger for the presence of God. The result is that very few people ever know themselves. In fact, they know every one else better than they know themselves. That is why so few ever see their own faults....

In order to remedy this condition, what is needed is less amusing and more musing; a silence; a going apart into the desert of our souls to rest a while; a solitariness from men, and an aloneness with God; a quiet which permits the soul to be sensitive to the whispers of God; a requiem or a rest from modern maxims and the excuses of new philosophies and the excitements which appeal to the body and dis- turb the soul; a privacy inspired by the example of Him who needed least of all mankind a preparation of silence for a life of activity, and yet had the great- est of them all; a tranquility inspired by Him who in the midst of a busy life spent whole nights on mountaintops in prayer.

Silence is the condition of entering into oneself, which is another way of saying, of finding God.

- From Moods and Truths

Fulton Sheen Beatification: September 24, 2026

  

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. 

Hope (3)

"Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise" -LUKE 23:43 (RSV)

Spend some time reflecting on the following:

1. Reflect on those who despair. Why is this not a holy act? Does a person who despairs really believe in a merciful God? Ask God for the grace to always trust in His mercy.

2. Reflect on the sin of presumption. Why is it wrong to presume on God's mercy? Ask God for the grace to see that His will is truly merciful and any time we choose other than His will we are worship- ing something or someone else.

3. Reflect on the virtue of hope. What areas of your life could use this virtue? Do you trust in the companionship of Our Lord? Do you have assurance that He loves you and wishes for you to be with Him for all eternity? Ask for this grace.

-Michael Dubruiel

Fulton Sheen Beatification: September 24, 2026

  

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. 

Hope (2)

"Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise" -LUKE 23:43 (RSV)

Reflection by Michael Dubruiel

Bishop Sheen presents us with two extremes that can plague us in our relationship with Our Lord: despair and presumption.

Those who despair, focus on themselves to such a degree that they do not realize how much greater God's love and mercy are than any sin or offense that they are capable of committing against Him. The evil of despair is that the person who may feign humility is really the proudest of people who believes that his or her sins are too great for even God to forgive. The despair that such a soul feels is a wall that never al- lows God's forgiveness to permeate the person's soul and be freed from the chains of egoism.

Those who are presumptuous, on the other hand, are an uncaring sort who treat their relationship with God as if God were indifferent to whether or not they destroy their lives by the choices made. Such individuals keep God in their back pocket as a lucky charm with no real concern in their lives other than to manipulate their genie god.

The true companions of Our Lord are different. They neither take for granted their good fortune of having so great a savior nor do they fear that He will let them down; rather, they are moved through whatever experiences come their way with a fervent hope that in the end they will be with Him.

As in the present moment, so in eternity. We are always in God's presence. There is no place one can go to escape it. The person who prays in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament is made aware of God's presence in a unique way and indeed is privileged with a foretaste of heaven.

Fulton Sheen Beatification: September 24, 2026

 

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. 

Hope (1)

"Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise" -LUKE 23:43 (RSV)

+

Bishop Sheen

Our concern presently is with two kinds of souls; the despairing and the presumptuous: either those who say, "I am too wicked for God to be interested in me" or those who say, "Oh, I need not worry about my sins. God will take good care of me in the end."

Both these statements are sins of exaggeration. The first is the sin of despair which exaggerates Di- vine Justice; the second is the sin of presumption which exaggerates Divine Mercy. Somewhere there is a golden mean where "Justice and mercy kiss" as the Psalmist puts it, and that is the virtue of Hope.

The virtue of Hope is quite different from the emotion of Hope. The emotion centers in the body and is a kind of dreamy desire that we can be saved without much effort. The virtue of Hope, however, is centered in the will and may be defined as a divinely infused disposition of the will by which with sure confidence, thanks to the powerful help of Almighty God, we expect to pursue eternal happiness, using all the means necessary for attaining it.

The virtue of Hope lies not in the future of time, but beyond the tomb in eternity; its object is not the abundant life of earth, but the eternal love of God.

 From The Seven Virtues

Fulton Sheen Beatification: September 24, 2026

    

 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 (3)

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)

+++

Spend some time reflecting on the following:

1. Ask God to make you aware of who needs to be prayed for today. Remember both the living and the dead. Call to mind the person as you ask God to bless that particular individual.

2. Reflect on whose prayers may be responsible for your own faith. Spend some time giving thanks to God for the people of faith who have passed on the faith to you. Ask God for the grace to imitate them.

3. Meditating on the image that Bishop Sheen presents in his story of someone needing a skin graft or blood transfusion, imagine that certain parts of the Mystical Body, the Church, might be in need of similar aid. What images present themselves to you? Ask God for the grace of healing to come upon the Church wherever it is needed.

Prayer

Lord, give me a living sense of the Church as your Mystical Body. Help me to feel the pain and the needs of others so that I may respond to them as I would my own. Amen.

Fulton Sheen Beatification: September 24, 2026

   

 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 (2)

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)

Reflection

There is perhaps no greater way to share in the redemptive work of Christ than by praying for others. Using the image of the physical body, Bishop Sheen reminds us of how one part of the body can help another part, so too he says in the Mystical Body of Christ. Our prayer can have a positive effect on others, often in ways that we may never know.

Most people know that Dorothy Day was a pacifist, but I doubt many know why. Her beliefs were based on the Baltimore Catechism, which had taught her that every baptized person was a temple of the Holy Spirit. She reasoned that if that were so, then she could never support the physical attack of places where human beings who were both actual and potential temples of the Holy Spirit resided.

But Dorothy's pacifism was not passive. In fact, she once stated, "If we are not going to use our spiritual weapons, let us by all means arm and prepare." She believed in the power of God's ability to do what was humanly impossible, namely to bring about peace. Do we divide the world into friend or foe? Or do we see all people as actual and potential members of the Body of Christ?

We share in Our Lord's redemptive work when we use the spiritual weapons that He has put at our disposal to combat the real enemy of all - the devil. In the same way that we might donate blood to help someone in desperate need of a transfusion, let us donate our prayers to those in most need of the Blood of Christ.

 

Fulton Sheen Beatification: September 24, 2026

  

 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

Michael Dubruiel on the Jesus Prayer

  -by Michael Dubruiel

 

Since the time of early Christianity, there have been forms
of prayer that use breathing as a cadence for prayer. The Jesus
Prayer and the Rosary, along with various forms of contemplative
prayer, are all variations of this type of prayer. The real prayer
behind all of these methods is the prayer of surrender: “Into
your hands I commend my spirit.” This was the prayer that Jesus
prayed to the Father from the cross.

Though confession alone does not remove the temporal penalty
of sin, healing still is possible by God’s grace. Prayer, reading the
Scripture, giving alms, doing good works all are acts that have
had indulgences attached to them by the Church. By obtaining
an indulgence, the Christian receives healing from the temporal
penalty of even the gravest sins, reducing or eliminating altogether
the time of purification needed in purgatory (CCC 1471).

Ideally, the Christian is motivated to perform these spiritual
exercises not from fear of punishment but out of love for God.
As we read in the preceding passage, St. Paul tells the Ephesians
to offer themselves as a spiritual sacrifice with Christ, who has
paid the debt of our sins. Seeing Christ on the cross and meditating
on his love for us should help us to understand how much
God loves

Michael Dubruiel: Book on Catholic Social Teaching

      

To help emphasize the role of the Works of Mercy in the Life of the Christian!

  Here are Michael Dubruiel's comments on the genesis of the book, which he edited:

While the Bishop and Father Benedict were working on the written text of the book I came across a stunning work of iconography one day while visiting an Eastern Catholic church. On the back wall of the church was an icon of the Last Judgment taken from Matthew 25. I found that the great iconographer Mila Mina had written the icon. I immediately contacted Mila and asked if the icon might be used as an illustration for this book, her response was "anything to make the Gospel known!" Thanks to Mila and her son Father John Mina for allowing Joyce Duriga and David Renz to photograph the icon at Ascension of Our Lord Byzantine Catholic Church, Clairton, PA.

Fr. Groeschel has written the introductory text that begins each section as well as the final "What Should I Do?" at the end of the book, and Bishop Baker has written the individual meditations and prayers contained in each of the six sections.

Free Catholic E-book from Michael Dubruiel

  The Power of the Cross by Michael Dubruiel is available in a free e-book version today. 

   This is honor of two feasts this week: Our Lady of Sorrows and the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

The Cross of Christ Transforms. . . Our Priorities

-Michael Dubruiel

 In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the expiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No man has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. 1 JOHN 4:10–12 

And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that he is one, and there is no other but he; and to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is much more than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices.” And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” MARK 12:32–34 

A young girl dying of cancer befriended a famous archbishop. The bishop had a soft spot in his heart for children like her; his own niece had been diagnosed and he knew firsthand the agony both the patient and her parents faced. The archbishop had extended a standing invitation to the Protestant chaplain of the children’s hospital: If any Catholic child in the cancer ward wanted to see a priest, he should be summoned. So it happened that the archbishop was called to accompany this young cancer patient, Lorraine, in her last months of life. In time Lorraine came to trust the archbishop, and she shared with him her greatest trial. Her parents were angry with God because of her illness. She had been diagnosed when she was five years old, and had not yet made her First Communion. Would it be possible, she asked her friend, to receive the Eucharist before she died? After consulting with the parents, the archbishop prepared her personally for her first reconciliation, then celebrated Mass in her hospital room, confirming her and giving her First Communion. She lived only a short while longer. The archbishop said she had great faith but her constant worry was her parents. No doubt she was now interceding for them, that they might come to know the love that she had experienced in her suffering, that same suffering that had become an obstacle of faith to them.

This is the obstacle of the cross—when Our Lord died on the cross, some left believing that he was the Son of God, others left in utter disbelief. Yet the Scriptures tell us that Jesus’ death on the cross was a sign of God’s love.

Michael Dubruiel

--an excerpt from  The Power of the Cross by Michael Dubruiel is a book well-suited to daily reading during Lent. 

What is the Catholic Mass?

    The How-to Book of the Mass by Michael Dubruiel not only provides the who, what, where, when, and why of the most time-honored traditions of the Catholic Church, but also the how. All in an easy-to-read, easy-to-understand format.

From the introduction:

There is more contained within these pages than just the mechanics of the celebration of the Mass; also described is how to attend Mass in a way that makes it truly an encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ every time. 

Lifelong Catholics may have grown so used to the ritual that they aimlessly go through the motions and find that their minds often wander. Novices, on the other hand. may feel so overwhelmed by all that is unknown to them that they fail to recognize Christ in the process.

 Every encounter with Jesus is unique.

A sample page:

OCIA Resource on the Mass

     The How-to Book of the Mass by Michael Dubruiel not only provides the who, what, where, when, and why of the most time-honored traditions of the Catholic Church, but also the how. All in an easy-to-read, easy-to-understand format.

From the introduction:

 The Road to Emmaus:

As we look at the various parts of the Mass, we will pause to meditate on this story from Luke's Gospel. I expect that you will come to finnd in this Gospel story an excellent tool to help you refocus yourself on Christ at the various moments of every Mass you attend. I have written this book with all Catholics in mind. Whether young or old, male or female, liberal or conservative — In Christ we are one, at Mass we are one, one Body: Jesus'. 

I hope to help you rediscover the Mass as a vehicle for letting go of all that can seem to separate you in life, and to replace what seem like distractions with the deep, meaning-filled events of your daily life. Rediscover the Mass as a way to open the wounds, the scars, the needs that Jesus can heal, and to encounter the very Lord Himself, so you might leave every Mass with His peace and a deep sense of unity with God and your fellow man. 

A sample page:

OCIA Resources

     

 The How-to Book of the Mass by Michael Dubruiel not only provides the who, what, where, when, and why of the most time-honored traditions of the Catholic Church, but also the how. All in an easy-to-read, easy-to-understand format.

From the introduction:

When the apostles spied Jesus walking on the water, they were overcome with fear. 

Peter asked our Lord if it were really Him or a ghost. Our Lord told the apostles not to fear. Peter, now having regained his composure, asked if he might join Jesus for His evening walk on the water. Jesus told him to come out of the boat. And Peter did. And Peter walked on the water, too. For a few moments. Then he took account of how strong the winds were, and he sank like a rock. 

This morning when I went to Mass It was thundering outside. I wondered whether I had remembered to shut the windows at home and in my car. I thought about all the electrical appliances, the trees in our yard, and I wondered whether lightening had struck anywhere near our home. All the while, the priest was preaching his homily. Do you think I encountered the living Jesus at that moment?

 Other times It is my one-year-old son, Michael Jacob. or five-year-old son, Joseph. who are vying for my attention. They can make listening and praying difficult. But on the other hand, they often help me to notice everything in a new light. Their pointing out everything they see and asking "What is it?" has been a great aid in the formation of this book. Whatever the distractions of the day, I know that too often I am caught up with the winds and not with Jesus. If you are like me, then this book will help you. The Mass is our opportunity to meet Jesus, to listen to Him and to receive Him. There is a story in the Gospel of Luke that provides a summary of the Mass. It is the account of how the Risen Lord Jesus made Himself known to several of His disciples as they were making their way to a town called Emmaus.

A sample page:

Fulton Sheen to be beatified, September 24, 2026

  

 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. 

Reflection (2)

 Spend some time reflecting on the following:

1. Imagine that through some mistake while you are alive the report goes out that you have died, How would your life be summed up in your obituary in tomorrow's paper? (You may find it helpful to write Out your own obituary.) Ask God for the grace to know what you need to change in your life,

2. Imagine that you are an observer at your own funeral. Who attends? Is there someone whose absence bothers you? Is there anyone that you are surprised to see there? What are people talking about as they reflect on your life? Again ask God for the grace to know what you should learn from this exercise.

3. Imagine that you are standing at the judgment seat of God. Imagine God loving you and welcom-ing you into His presence. How does this make you feel? What does God’s love reveal to you about your life? Is there a task that God asks you if you have completed? Ask God for the grace to take up the unfinished business of your life.

Prayer

Lord, open my eyes to see what it is that you want me to do, Give me the grace necessary to focus on what it is that I am to do in my life. Help me always to seek your will in all that I do. Amen.

Michael Dubruiel: OCIA Resources on the Mass

    

The How-To Book of the Mass by Michael Dubruiel is the only book that not only provides the who, what, where, when, and why of themost time-honored tradition of the Catholic Church but also the how.
In this complete guide you get:

• step-by-step guidelines to walk you through the Mass
• the Biblical roots of the various parts of the Mass and the very prayers themselves
• helpful hints and insights from the Tradition of the Church
• aids in overcoming distractions at Mass
• ways to make every Mass a way to grow in your relationship with Jesus

If you want to learn what the Mass means to a truly Catholic life—and share this practice with others—you can’t be without The How-To Book of the Mass. Discover how to:

• Bless yourself
• Make the Sign of the Cross
• Genuflect
• Pray before Mass
• Join in Singing the Opening Hymn
• Be penitential
• Listen to the Scriptures
• Hear a Great Homily Everytime
• Intercede for others
• Be a Good Steward
• Give Thanks to God
• Give the Sign of Peace
• Receive the Eucharist
• Receive a Blessing
• Evangelize Others
• Get something Out of Every Mass You Attend

"Is this not the same movement as the Paschal meal of the risen Jesus with his disciples? Walking with them he explained the Scriptures to them; sitting with them at table 'he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them."1347, Catechism of the Catholic Church

-Amy Welborn

Find more about The How to Book of the Mass here.

Fulton Sheen Beatification: September 24, 2026

 

 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. 

His Work Is Finished, Ours Is Not

When Jesus had taken the wine, he said, "It is finished.” And bowing bis head, he banded over the spirit — John 19:30 (NAB)

Bishop Sheen:

Our Blessed Lord’s work is finished. But is ours? When He said, “if is finished?’ He did not mean that the opportunities of His life had ended; He meant that His work was done so perfectly that nothing could be added to it to make it more perfect — but with us, how seldom that is true. Too many of us end our lives, but few of us see them finished. A sinful life may end, but a sinful life is never a finished life.

If our lives just “end,” our friends will ask: “How much did he leave?” But if our life is “finished,” our friends will ask: “How much did he take with him?” A finished life is not measured by years but by deeds; not by the time spent in the vineyard, but by the work done. In a short time a man may fulfill many years; even those who come at the eleventh hour may finish their lives; even those who come to God like the thief at the last breath, may finish their lives in the Kingdom of God. Not for them the sad word of re- egret: “Too late, O ancient Beauty, have I loved Thee.”

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 ap- plied 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

Fulton Sheen to be beatified, September 24, 2026

    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. 

Sharing in the Work of Redemption

What? Could you not watch one hour with me? — Matthew 26:40 (Douay-Rheims)

Jesus spoke these words to His disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane, yet as I read them I hear them with the voice of Archbishop Sheen, who was able to bring passages such as this alive with his unique style. Also carried with his intonation is the meaning that he gave to them, that the words that Jesus spoke to His disciples some two thousand years ago in that garden on the Mount of Olives echo through- out history and are spoken again and again to each disciple — in other words, to you and to me.

The Lord asks us to watch with Him, to share in His work, which although complete on Calvary long ago is ongoing in that the tree of the cross continually bears new fruit in us, His disciples. The work of redemption then continues and will not be complete until all of us are brought to the foot of the cross and believe that Our Lord has the power to Save Us.

Our Lord speaks to us as we come into His presence and asks us to join Him.

In this section we reflect with Archbishop Sheen on how Our Lord wishes us to share in His work, which is the work of redemption.

Fulton Sheen Beatification: September 24, 2026

   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. 

How to use this book (part 2) 

Readers should use whatever parts of the meditations are helpful to them during any particular prayer period. Following the ancient practice of Lectio Divina (“divine reading”), readers should stop when- ever some word or passage strikes them and dwell upon it for awhile. Readers are encouraged to ask the Lord what it is that He wants to reveal to them in these words.

Readers may find that they are able to use the same meditation over and over. Whatever the Lord wishes should be their desires.

The reflections and questions are my invention and should not be confused as that of Bishop Sheen’. I have attempted to draw upon his thought in these sections, but clearly the focus of the book is the great writing that is his own.

I have tried for the most part to present material in this book that is drawn from books of Bishop Sheen’s that are currently out of print. The archbishop wrote so many books during his lifetime on such a wide variety of subjects that what is presented here is merely a a taste. I hope for you, the  reader, a good taste, one that leave you hungry for the Bread of Life.

Mother Teresa - September 5

     

The Cross of Christ Restores. . . The Image of God 

-Michael Dubruiel

And the LORD said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and every one who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.” So Moses made a bronze serpent, and set it on a pole; and if a serpent bit any man, he would look at the bronze serpent and live. NUMBERS 21:8–9

“When you have lifted up the Son of man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority but speak thus as the Father taught me. And he who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what is pleasing to him.” JOHN 8:28–29

 Once when my wife and child were touring a large cathedral in the United States, a famous archbishop passed us by; a high-ranking cardinal, visiting the United States from the Vatican, followed him. The archbishop completely ignored us, but the cardinal stopped and took our baby in his arms, talking gibberish to him. We were moved by the actions of the cardinal, who had taken the gospel to heart. It is amazing how often Jesus took time to notice someone his disciples had passed by or ignored. In the kingdom of God, the first are last and the last are first. No one exemplified this principle better than Christ himself: the Prince of Heaven  became a helpless infant, was raised in obscurity, and died like a criminal.

People who have seen Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ are shocked by the violence. What should shock us more is the idea that the all-powerful God would subject himself to being treated in such a fashion by mere mortals. Yet Jesus said in the Scripture that people would realize that he was from God when men “lifted him up” on the cross. The way of the cross is the path of humility. So often we seek perfection in how we look, the way we dress, the way we speak, or in what we possess. Jesus told his disciples not to worry about any of these things but to seek God’s kingship over them first. Jesus then showed them how to do this. Then he took up his cross and invited them to follow. It is in those who accept that invitation that the divine image is most perfectly restored.

 When Blessed Mother Teresa would visit one of her communities, the first thing she did was to pick up a broom and begin to sweep. Revered during her life as a saint, she sought no special treatment within her community; no task was beneath her. People who met Mother Teresa often remarked at the beauty of her deeply lined face. In her presence, they felt like they were in the presence of God. In the Image of the Father Jesus perfectly reveals to us what God is like. By following the way of the cross, we receive a divine “extreme makeover.” The path is not an easy one; our ego constantly tries to exert itself over us. Serpents in forbidden trees will whisper of easier paths. However, there is only one way to fulfill what God has planted in our hearts. “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven,” Jesus warned his disciples (Matthew 18:3). Some people will go amazing lengths to retain their youth. Sadly, these same people will assiduously avoid the spiritual childhood that the gospel demands, the only sure path of eternal life.

Wandering in the desert, the Israelites complained about their lot, and God sent poisonous snakes. As people died around him, Moses prayed to God for mercy. God told Moses to make a fiery bronze serpent and to put it on a pole; all who looked upon this bronze serpent were healed of snakebite. This bronze image foreshadowed the healing tree of Christ; just as Moses had lifted up the serpent in the desert, Jesus told Nicodemus, so would he be lifted up on the cross, and all who would look upon him would be saved. We need to look at the cross of Christ to rediscover our soul’s inner beauty. God loves us so much that he died for us on that cross. As we gaze upon the cross of Christ, what really matters comes to the forefront in our lives, and we find we can let go of all the trivial pursuits that seem to dominate our time and thoughts. As the psalmist reminds us time and again, what matters is not to seek and be driven by the desire to please other people but to seek what pleases God. We will discover that not by hiding behind fig leaves, as our first parents did, but by coming to him whenever and wherever he calls us.

The Power of the Cross  by Michael Dubruiel is a book well-suited to daily reading during Lent.