Fr. Thomas M. Pastorius May 8, 2016 Spiritual Ponderings Wisdom of Fulton Sheen
I do not think that I can get tired of reading the writings of Archbishop Fulton Sheen. Every time, I read his works, I always walk away with a greater insight into my faith but also into life in general. For the month of May, I would like to share with you some insights from his book called
Thoughts For Daily Living. Quotes from the book will be in bold and my commentary will be in the normal font.
Riches and honors are witnesses to excellence or prominence, but they do not constitute it. Making honor the goal of life is to make our happiness depend upon others, and happiness should be something no one can take away. Furthermore if honor is the ideal of life, then disgrace is the only sin. A wise priest once told me “30% of the people will love you, 30% of the people will hate you, and 30% of the people just won’t care about you. He never did tell me about the 10%. There are times when I am happy and healthy despite the fact that 30% of the people out there do not like me. While it is nice to be appreciated, I find true happiness comes from doing what is right even if not everyone appreciates it. I have never been truly happy for a long period of time doing evil.
It is really not honor based on virtue which men seek today, but rather reputation, which is measured more by its width than its depth. Reputation is often popularity and, like a breeze, it cannot be kept. You must enjoy it while blows. Bishop Robert Barron stated that the saddest part of the steroid scandal in baseball was that people like Mark McGuire, Sammy Sosa, and Barry Bonds did not start off using steroids. They only started using steroids at a point in which they began to feel that they were losing their edge in order to remain in the spotlight a little while longer. What damage did they do to their reputation and their bodies because they became addicted to the praise of others? Are there bad things that you have done in order to remain in the spotlight for example put others down?
The youth of today is not in danger because of its love of pleasures, but because it worships the wrong kind of heroes. I have never been a big football fan but I was a fan of Marshal Faulk’s ability to run the football down the field. It seemed that every time I saw him play, he would somehow take the football for major gains. It was with great sadness that I learned that he had three children all the same age by three different women. He is a role model to many for his abilities on the field. I hope that those same people do not imitate his off the field behavior. This is part of the reason why the family is falling apart in our society today.
St. Philip Neri, seeing a condemned, man led to the guillotine said: “There goes Philip Neri, except by the grace of God.” I always wondered who was the first to say “except by the grace of God, there go I,” and now I know. Everything we have is a gift from God. We should never assume that we would do differently than others if we were in their situation. This phrase should also make us more grateful for all that we do have.
The truly happy person does not really care what others may think of him, for true glory consists in the judgment of God rather than in the judgments of men. Ultimately the judge of my life is not any human being but Jesus Christ. He is the only one I need to impress. Sadly, if I am not careful I can spend all my life trying to impress everyone but the one who matters.
No stronger works escaped the Divine Lips than those who directed against popularity seekers , who sought to have their names publicized in the marketplaces then, as they do today in the newspapers” All their work they do in order to be seen by men; for they widen their phylacteries and enlarge their tassels, and love the first place at suppers and the front seats in the synagogues and greetings in the market place.” Sin may lead to momentary pleasures but it will never lead to everlasting happiness (joy).