“The wit and the wisdom of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen is timeless. This tran- scription of His Excellency’s previously unpublished recordings is an invaluable service to us all. Read his words to know that Your Life Is Worth Living!” — Edward Cardinal Egan, S.T.L., Archbishop of New York “At the beginning of this new millennium, the thoughts of this great teacher can inspire a new generation to understand truly, that when rooted in Faith and loved by God, Life is worth living.” — Anthony Cardinal Bevilacqua, J.D., Archbishop of Philadelphia “I consider Fulton Sheen to be the brightest, the most brilliant, and the most beautiful Christian in mind and heart that I have known in the 20th Century. No one inspired me more than Fulton Sheen to use television to reach the unbelieving world for Christ.” — Dr. Robert H. Schuller, Crystal Cathedral Ministry Your Life Is Worth Living Fulton J. Sheen Photo used with permission of The Society for the Propagation of the Faith Your Life Is Worth Living The Christian Philosophy of Life By the Most Reverend Fulton J. Sheen, Ph.D., D.D. St. Andrew’s Press Schnecksville, PA 2001 Nihil Obstat: Reverend Monsignor James J. Mulligan, S.T.L. Censor Librorum Imprimatur: Most Reverend Edward P. Cullen, D.D. Bishop of Allentown The Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur are a declaration that a book or pamphlet is considered to be free from doctrinal or moral error. It is not implied that those who have granted the Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur agree with the contents, opinions, or statements expressed. January 24, 2001 Allentown, Pennsylvania Copyright © 2001 by Jon Hallingstad All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the permission in writing from the publisher. Published by St. Andrew’s Press P.O. Box 256, Schnecksville, PA 18078 Manufactured in the United States Edited by Esther B. Davidowitz Transcribed by Jon R. Hallingstad Graphic design and typography by Michael Hoehne Design Photographs courtesy the Fulton J. Sheen Archives, St. Bernard’s Institute Cover photo copyright © Yousuf Karsh, courtesy Woodfin Camp Associates Printed on acid-free paper Cataloging in Publication Data Sheen, Fulton J. (Fulton John), 1895-1979. Your life is worth living: the Christian philosophy of life / by Fulton J. Sheen p. cm. Includes index. ISBN: 978-09701456-8-0 hardcover ISBN: 978-09701456-2-8 eBook in PDF 1. Christian life – Catholic authors. 2. Conduct of life. 3. Ethics in the Bible. 4. Moral development. BX891.S539 2001 LCCN: 2001092080 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Dedicated To Fulton J. Sheen (1895-1979) And To Our Heavenly Mother “May These Words“ Borne on Waves of Light Bring Others to the Word And the Light of the World” —Archbishop Sheen Photo Courtesy St. Bernard’s Institute Bishop Sheen Archives Contents Contents . i Books by Bishop Sheen . iii Foreword . v Introduction . ix Part I: God and Man 1 The Philosophy of Life . 1 2 Conscience . 7 3 Good and Evil . 13 4 The Divine Invasion . 21 5 Line Up the Claimants . 29 6 Revealed Truth . 35 7 Miracles . 41 8 New Testament Revelation . 49 Part II: Christ and His Church 9 Divinity of Christ . 61 10 Humanity of Christ . 67 11 The Blessed Trinity . 73 12 The Mother of Jesus . 81 13 Christ in the Creed: Birth . 89 14 Sufferings, Death, and Resurrection . 97 15 Ascension . 105 16 Holy Spirit . 113 17 Church: Body of Christ . 121 18 Peter: Vicar of Christ . 129 19 Authority and Infallibility . 137 20 Communism and the Church . 143 i Part III: Sin 21 Original Sin and Angels . 151 22 Original Sin and Mankind . 157 23 Effects of Original Sin . 163 24 Sanctifying Grace . 169 Part IV: Sacraments 25 Grace and the Sacraments . 177 26 Baptism . 185 27 Confirmation . 191 28 Holy Eucharist . 197 29 The Eucharistic Sacrifice . 203 30 The Mass . 209 31 Sin . 215 32 Sin and Penance . 221 33 Penance . 229 34 Sacrament of the Sick . 237 35 Holy Orders . 243 36 The Sacrament of Marriage . 251 Part V: World, Soul and Things 37 Sex Is A Mystery . 259 38 Birth Prevention . 265 39 The Four Tensions of Love . 271 40 Marriage Problems . 277 41 Commandments: I-III . 283 42 Commandments: IV-X . 289 43 The Law of Love: Total Commitment . 295 44 Death and Judgment . 301 45 Purgatory . 307 46 Heaven is Not so Far Away . 313 47 The Hell There Is . 321 48 The Feminine Principle in Religion . 327 49 Prayer Is A Dialogue . 335 50 World, Soul, and Things . 343 Last Will and Testament . 349 Abbreviations of the Books . 351 Biblical Citations . 353 Index . 359 ii Books by Archbishop Sheen 1920 Philosophy and Religion, 1948 God and Intelligence, 1925 Peace of Soul, 1949 Religion Without God, 1928 1950 The Life of All Living, 1929 Lift Up Your Heart, 1950 1930 Three to Get Married, 1951 The Divine Romance, 1930 The World’s First Love, 1952 Old Errors New Labels, 1931 Life is Worth Living, Vol. I, 1953 Moods and Truths, 1932 Life is Worth Living, Vol. II, 1954 Way of the Cross, 1932 Life of Christ, 1954 Hymn of the Conquered, 1933 Way to Happiness, 1954 Seven Last Words, 1933 Life is Worth Living, Vol. III, 1955 The Eternal Galilean, 1934 God Loves You, 1955 The Mystical Body of Christ, 1935 Thinking Life Through, 1955 Calvary and the Mass, 1936 Thoughts for Daily Living, 1955 The Moral Universe, 1936 Life is Worth Living, Vol. IV, 1956 The Cross and the Beatitudes, 1937 Life is Worth Living, Vol. V, 1957 Liberty, Equality and Fraternity, 1938 1960 The Cross and the Crisis, 1938 Go to Heaven, 1960 The Rainbow of Sorrow, 1938 This is Rome, 1960 Victory Over Vice, 1939 This is the Holy Land, 1961 1940 These Are the Sacraments, 1962 The Seven Virtues, 1940 The Priest is Not His Own, 1963 Whence Come Wars, 1940 Missions and the World Crisis, 1964 A Declaration of Dependence, 1941 The Power of Love, 1965 For God and Country, 1941 This is the Mass, Rev. Ed, 1965 God and War and Peace, 1942 Walk With God, 1965 Philosophies at War, 1943 Christmas Inspirations, 1966 The Armor of God, 1943 Footprints in a Darkened Forest, 1966 The Divine Verdict, 1943 Easter Inspirations, 1967 Love One Another, 1944 Guide to Contentment, 1967 Seven Pillars of Peace, 1944 1970 Seven Words to the Cross, 1944 Those Mysterious Priests, 1974 Seven Words of Jesus and Mary, 1945 Life of Christ, Rev. Ed, 1977 Characters of the Passion, 1946 Life is Worth Living, First and Second Philosophy of Science, 1946 Series Abridged, 1978 Preface to Religion, 1946 The Life of All Living, Rev. Ed, 1979 Jesus, Son of Mary, 1947 1980 Communism and the Conscience of Treasure in Clay: The Autobiography the West, 1948 of Fulton J. Sheen, 1980 iii Photo Courtesy St. Bernard'sArchives Photo Institute CourtesyBishop Sheen St. Archbishop Sheen was National Director of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith from 195­0–1966. He is pictured here in his New York office. Photo Courtesy Keep the Faith, Photo Inc. Courtesy Keep the Faith, The original work was produced on records in 1965. iv Foreword his is a story of a friendship born through the writings of Fulton T. J. Sheen. I discovered Archbishop Sheen in the summer of . After graduating from the United States Military Academy at West Point, retired Army Colonel Richard F. Aschettino befriended me. He had completed a Master’s degree in philosophy and had written his thesis on Sheen. “Asch” introduced me to Sheen’s writ- ing and I was immediately taken by his gift of communication and read thirty of his books within twelve months of my introduction to him. During , while searching for other books by Sheen, I pur- chased a copy of recordings he had dictated in . The origi- nal title of this record set was “Life is Worth Living.” Although the recordings shared the same title and format as the popular television program, this oral compendium was completely unrelated and was produced eight years after the show went off the air, at the conclu- sion of Vatican II. The television program format presented a new message to a general audience each week, not necessarily religious and not always related to the previous show, but always with the hope of drawing one soul closer to God. This work advances that of the television show. Sheen builds on each lesson and draws the individual soul into a personal relationship with Christ. The recordings were made in the privacy of Sheen’s New York City residence. Without the use of notes, the work flowed from his heart, drawing on forty-five years experience as a priest. Each topic ran about twenty-five minutes. To illustrate his points, he used many stories from his own life, in addition to referencing over four hundred and fifty scriptural passages and many noted poets and authors. Socrates said, “The best flavoring for drink is thirst.” Sheen’s vast appeal was due to the fact that he related to people of all religious v Fulton J. Sheen: Your Life Is Worth Living backgrounds. It is estimated that he received millions of personal let- ters as a result of his radio and television ministries, with only a third coming from Catholics. This work was an attempt to quench the immense spiritual thirst from people around the world. The inter- national demand for Sheen’s message went beyond his capability to fulfill each individual request.