United States Catholic Catechism for Adults

462 • Part IV. Prayer: The Faith Prayed

Fr. Sheen was made head of the Propagation of the Faith in 1950 and was named a bishop the following year. In that role, he raised the consciousness of American Catholics to the material and spiritual needs of the Church’s far-flung missions. He wrote a number of books, several of which focused on the Eucharist. In his pastoral work, he brought numer ous converts into the Church and conducted countless retreats, espe cially for priests. Archbishop Sheen constantly promoted meditative prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. “We become like that which we gaze upon. Looking into a sunset the face takes on a golden glow. Looking at the Eucharistic Lord for an hour transforms the heart in a mysterious way.” In his autobiog raphy, Archbishop Sheen wrote of “The Hour That Makes My Day”: Neither theological knowledge nor social action alone is enough to keep us in love with Christ unless both are preceded by a per sonal encounter with him. I have found that it takes some time to catch fire in prayer. This has been one of the advantages of the Holy Hour.Sitting before the Presence is like a body exposing itself to the sun to absorb its rays. In those moments one does not so much pour out written prayers, but listening takes place. The Holy Hour became a teacher for me. Although before we love anyone we must have knowledge of that person, nevertheless, after we know, it is love that intensifies knowledge. (Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, Treasure in Clay [San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1993], 190-191) In recent years, many parishes have introduced times set aside for adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. In addition, thousands of believers have discovered the spiritual benefits of meditative prayer and similar ways of prayer. The positive fruits of such deep prayer have been dem onstrated in the personal lives of people committed to it, as well as in the spiritual vitality of parishes where this occurs. The Holy Spirit, teacher of prayer, is clearly present and active in these welcome developments in the prayer life of the Church. Archbishop Sheen encouraged the practice of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament in his lifetime, and the heritage endures today. He died in 1979 and is buried in the crypt of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City. •