Sheen on the Church, Conclusion

  This is Part 2, of an introduction by Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, to the  "Radio Replies" series of Catholic religion questions and answers. 
    Fulton Sheen was the first electronic evengelist of national prominance, and more popular than Milton Ble, at a time when "Uncle Milty" ruled the airwaves. He was a familiar voice to tens of millions through across half of the 20th Century.
    Archbishop Sheen's style is both compelling, educated - and uncompromising. This feels blunt to the modern ear, since today's reader expects a sugar-coated reality. But the intention of the series was, and still is, to explain the truths of the Church to people with many notions ABOUT that Church - but very little fact or understanding.
    A link to part 3, the stunning Conclusion," is found at the bottom, along with a link to the entire 'Radio Replies' series - all five volumes and 5,000+ questions and answers! 
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    This "Radio Replies" series, with its 5 volumes and over 5,000 questions and answers goes out on a similar mission. Its primary task is not to humble the erroneous; not to glorify the Catholic Church as intellectual and self-righteous, but to present the truth of things in a calm, clear manner, in order that with the grace of God souls may come to the blessed embrace of Christ.
    It is not only the point of "Radio Replies" to prove that the Church is the only completely soul-satisfying Church in existence at the present day; it is also to make clear that the Catholic Church is the only Church existing today which goes back to the hand of Christ, Himself.
    History is so very clear on this point, it is curious how sooo many minds miss its obviousness. One can only conclude that they are altogether ignorant of it, which is not their fault - or - they deliberately ignore, and refuse, to accept it, which is most assuredly their fault of choice.
    When therefore you, the readers of, "Radio Replies" wish to know about Christ and about His early Church, and about His mysteries, we ask you to go not only to the written records, but to the living Church which began with Christ Himself.
    AND THERE IS ONLY ONE.
    That Church, or that Mystical Person, which has been living all these centuries, is the basis of our faith, and to us Catholics it speaks this way:

    "I live with Christ.
    I saw His Mother and I know her to be a Virgin and the loveliest and purest of all women in heaven or on earth...
    I saw Christ at Caesarea-Philippi, when, after changing Simon's name to Rock, He told him he was the rock upon which the Church would be built and that it would endure unto the consummation of the world...
    I saw Christ hanging on a cross...
    I saw Him rise from His tomb...
    I saw Magdalene rush to His feet...
    I saw the angels clad in white beside the great stone...
    I was in the Cenacle room when doubting Thomas put fingers into His hands and side...
    I was on Olivet when He ascended into heaven and promised to send His Spirit to the apostles to make them the foundation of His new Mystical Body on earth... 
    I was at the stoning of Stephen...
    I saw Saul hold the garments of those who slew him, and later I heard Saul, as Paul, preach Christ and Him crucified...
    I witnessed the beheading of Peter and Paul in Rome, and with my very eyes saw tens of thousands of martyrs crimson the sands with their blood, rather than deny the faith Peter and Paul had preached unto them...
    I was living when Boniface was sent to Germany, when Augustine when to England, Cyril and Methodius to the Poles, and Patrick to Ireland...
    At the beginning of the ninth century I recall seeing Charlemagne crowned as king in matters temporal as Peter's vicar was recognized as supreme in matters spiritual...
    In the thirteenth century I saw the great stones cry out in tribute to me, and burst into Gothic Cathedrals...
    In the shadows of those same walls I saw great Cathedrals of thought arise in the prose of Aquinas and Bonaventure, and in the poetry of Dante...
    In the sixteenth century, I saw my children softened by the spirit of the world and leave the Father's house, changing their faith to suit themselves, instead of reforming discipline which would have brought them back again into my embrace...
    In the last century, and at the beginning of this, I heard the world say it could not accept me because I was behind the times.
    Thats is wrong - I am not behind the times. I am only behind the scenes.
    I have adapted myself to every form of government the world has ever known; I have lived with Caesars and kings, tyrants and dictators, parliaments and presidents, monarchies and republics.
    I have welcomed every advance of science, many of them from within my halls, and were it not for me, most of the great records of the pagan world would not have been preserved.
    It is true I have not changed my doctrine, but that is because the doctrine is not mine, but His who sent Me.
    I change my garments which belong to time, but not my Spirit which belongs to eternity.
    In the course of my long life I have seen so many "modern" ideas become unmodern, that I know I shall live to chant a requiem over the modern ideas of THIS day, as I chanted over the modern ideas of the centuries before.
    I celebrated the two-thousandth anniversary of the death of my Redeemer and yet I am no older now than then, for my Spirit is Eternal, and the Eternal never ages.
    I am the abiding Personage of the centuries.
    I am the contemporary of all civilizations.
    I am never out of date, because I am Dateless; never out of time, because I am Timeless.
    I have four great marks of which you can be assured:
    I am One, because I have the same Soul I had in the beginning;
    I am Holy, because that Soul which I possess is the Spirit of Holiness;
    I am Catholic, because that Spirit is universal and pervades every living cell of my Body;
    I am Apostolic, because my origin is identical with Nazareth, Galilee and Jerusalem.
    I shall grow weak and maybe fade, when some of my members become rich and cease to pray, or act out of sin, pride and worldliness... but I, mysef, shall never die.
    I shall be persecuted, as I was persecuted now in Mexico and Russia.
    I shall be crucified, as I was on Calvary.
    But I shall rise again. And finally, when time shall be no more, and I shall have grown to my full stature, then shall I be taken into heaven as the bride of my Head, Christ, where the celestial nuptials shall be celebrated, and God shall be all in all, because His Spirit is Love and Love is Heaven."

- Monsignor Fulton J. Sheen, Ph.D., D.D., L.L.D.

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Radio Replies - The Series, in its entirety, HERE: Radio Replies

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