Reflection / Sara Levy

Like Blessed Fulton Sheen, let’s place the Lord at the center of our lives

Sara Levy stands with a cutout of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen before his beatification Mass on Sept. 24 at The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis. (Submitted photo)

As I reflect on attending the beatification Mass for Blessed Fulton J. Sheen on Sept. 24 at The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis, my breath is taken away.

The experience was awesome, a true celebration of heaven on Earth. Seeing the universal Church come together from so many places and people of all ages and vocations was a beautiful sight. It was a great gift to be able to witness this day of rejoicing in the Church.

Now, I hope I can continue to embrace that feeling going forward. Here are three themes from the Mass that I hope will stay with me.

Living with joy

During Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle’s homily during the beatification liturgy, another word he used for “blessed” was “happy.” Happy indeed was the occasion of the beatification, and happy are we who belong to God’s kingdom! When I pair this use of “blessed” and “happy” with the joyful image of Blessed Fulton that was unveiled during the Mass, I am encouraged to look at my own life with a greater attitude of joy.

There is an abundance of life the Lord wants to give us, and such joy is a grace we can ask for, receive and live out today, even amidst the challenges of life.

Our own call to sainthood

The Church, in her beauty and goodness, recognizes the saints to inspire us in our own path to sainthood. The saints serve as role models of how to live as little Christs in the world, and Blessed Fulton is one of our many heavenly friends rooting for us in the great journey to heaven.

While he is not formally recognized yet in the canon of saints, his beatification serves as a reminder that the Lord calls each of us to become saints, to live holy and virtuous lives here on Earth so that we can one day spend eternity with him in heaven.

The tough questions for all of us

A video was played prior to the beatification Mass that mentioned Blessed Fulton will probably become the patron saint of the Holy Hour. He spent an hour in prayer before our eucharistic Lord every day for more than 60 years, and it was that intimate communion that fueled his ministry and life.

Learning about his devotion to the Holy Hour makes me ask: How am I spending my time each day? Do I place the Lord at the center of my life?

I have returned home with a greater commitment to adoration and spending time before Jesus, who loves us so deeply and personally.

Jesus wants to do great things through us. Will we give him the time and space to transform our hearts to become like his?
 

(Sara Levy is the executive assistant for the Secretariat for Communications for the archdiocese.) †