Harvesting The Fruits of Contemplation

I am an avid reader of anything about, or written by, Venerable Fulton J Sheen. I can never get enough of this unique and gifted prelate. Several months ago, Thomas C. Reeves, the author of America's Bishop - The Life and Times of Fulton J. Sheen left a comment on one of my blog posts. I accepted his suggestion to read his book. I was not disappointed. The book is well-researched, invitingly written and fair in its depiction of this internationally acclaimed preacher, theologian and entertainer. It contained a great deal of information about, and quotes attributed to, Sheen that were new to me. What follows is a good example of how clearly this Bishop saw into the future while so many of us still remain blind to the problems he tried to warn and prepare us for: "Have you noticed that as men lose faith in God, they become selfish, immoral and cruel? On a cosmic scale, as religion decreases, tyranny increases; as men lose faith in Divinity, they lose faith in humani...

For too long there has been a hesitancy, if not a fear, to ask difficult but necessary questions. What follows is certainly one of them. Would our Church and world look substantially different today had all our priests followed this shepherd's example?  It is never too late to begin! Pray for all our shepherds.