Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)Thomas Reeves's biography of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen (1895-1979) is superbly crafted. This is not hagiography, for Bishop Sheen had faults and flaws--pride and an inclination to luxury chief among them, Reeves tells us. But Reeves's balanced and thoroughly researched study reveals a man of whom it truly is not too much to say that he, Sheen, was holy. For Archbishop Sheen, Reeves explains, "believed himself driven by the Holy Spirit, loved by a Savior, supported by a Holy Mother, inspired by the Vicar of Christ" (348). A brilliant lecturer, prolific author, and passionate defender of the Catholic faith, the Archbishop was also persuaded that "the closer we get to Christ the closer [Protestants and Catholics] get to one another" (349). Here is the story of a priest-bishop who gave away millions of dollars to charity, traveled millions of miles to spread the Gospel he loved, and wrote millions of words (and hundreds of books and pamphlets), dedicating his life and extraordinary talents to the service of Christ. Although Bishop Sheen was given to bouts of vanity, he was at the same time intensely devoted to spiritual excellence, and he modeled his deep devotion for decades as, arguably, the best-known (and, no doubt, the best educated) preacher of his time. Reeves tells us, correctly of course, that the actor Martin Sheen took his last name from Bishop Sheen with his permission. Bishop Sheen converted to Catholicism numerous well-known people, including atheists and communists, and countless ordinary people who were seeking a spiritual center for their lives. Reeves's book is as clear, concise, and cogent as it is well documented. This book is a major contribution, not just to Church history, but to American history and biography. One cannot come away from it without concluding, as does Reeves, that Fulton J. Sheen's writing, and indeed his life, were about bringing "solace, healing, and hope to hearts; truth and enlightenment to minds; goodness, strength, and resolution to wills" (4). Bishop Sheen was an extraordinary preacher and teacher, and Reeves's superb biography is worthy of its subject.
Click Here to see more reviews about: America's Bishop: The Life and Times of Fulton J. Sheen
Get 25% OFF
Click here for more information about America's Bishop: The Life and Times of Fulton J. Sheen
No comments:
Post a Comment