Treasure in Clay

By Fulton J. Sheen

Catholic-ometer: 5 of 5

Enjoyability: 4 of 5

I give this book a perfect score for faithfulness, but with reservations.  Bishop Sheen is one of the finest and holiest teachers of the faith in recent history, but I've begun to notice a strain in some of his writings recently; a strain of calling things "bad" without there being anything really evil about them.

I'm not talking about his tendency to disparage himself.  Every saintly person has had that.  I'm also not talking about his teachings on what's a sin and what isn't.  These, in virtually all cases, have been quite correct.  However, when he criticizes himself for "not fasting enough," or "driving a cadillac," one is tempted to put the book down and go read something lighter.  God never said that we should seclude ourselves from all Earthly pleasures, and he certainly never said that the pleasures themselves were evil.  If read in the wrong state of mind, words like these could easily endanger the soul of a budding Catholic; even tempting them to give up the faith with the words "I could never be Catholic.  It was all about suffering and pain."  It is possible to make too much of the victimhood to which all people are called in this life; especially when speaking to a mixed audience.

I say this right off the bat, because I want to get it out of the way.  For the most part, I really enjoyed this book.  As I said, it was a little heavy at times, but enjoyable nonetheless.  It's an autobiography of Bishop Sheen, I suppose, although even in this, I'm afraid that whether you like it or not will depend entirely on how you approach the book.

You could approach it as a fan of Bishop Sheen's work, like I did.  If you do, you'll find it to be a satisfying compendium of his best and most often-recited stories and experiences from his life, arranged in an understandable order.  Bishop Sheen wrote as he talked; with a good sense of humor, a strong element of charity, and a nice flair for the dramatic to keep everything interesting and fun to read, and this was, by and large, how I found the book.  Dramatic at points, uplifting at other points, and just a lot of fun throughout.  This is why I rate it so highly.

However, there's another group of people who might rate it a bit differently, and that's historians and biographers.  It didn't bother me, but I feel I should point out that this biography is not written in a linear fashion, nor with any sort of strong, narrative sense behind it.  It's written, not like a single story, but like several, told from different perspectives.  I was reminded of the gospel accounts of the life of Our Lord, in a way.  This may turn off certain historians, who are more concerned with dates and figures than with perspectives.

Bishop Sheen also reveals nothing terribly new in this biography.  He offers no explanation of what happened to his career in later years, or what the real story was behind his alleged falling-out with certain others inside the church.  He says that this is because of the obligation of charity, which I actually agree with, but thrill-seekers and rumor-spreaders will need to look elsewhere.

However, in the course of the book, he also makes one statement which I absolutely disagree with; and this is not a common thing.  I agree with the vast majority of what he said and wrote over the course of his life.

Bishop Sheen writes, in this book, that one should always avoid exposing sins that go on within the church.  Now, if what he meant by that is "when someone does something to wrong you personally, don't make a fuss over it, or insist on justice in this life," he's quite correct, and should be applauded for his mercy and self-control.  However, it's far too easy to take these words, and mutate them into the situation that we have today; priests in open rebellion against church teaching, abuses being covered up by higher-ups, chancery officials making backroom deals with lobbying groups who oppose church teaching to keep from "hurting their feelings," etc...  These kinds of things absolutely give more scandal to the faithful when they're allowed to fester, and furthermore, a great many saints of the church fought ecclesial corruption whenever they could (Saint Bernard of Clairvaux springs immediately to mind.)

These factors contribute to the imperfect grade I give to this book.  They may just be me, wanting everything about the faith to be clean cut, and getting a little antsy whenever some word or phrase seems likely to encourage doubt or loss of faith, but these things did sort of bug me, even while I was enjoying this book.  It was a good book; no doubt, and I enjoyed it a lot.  I just feel like I could have enjoyed it more.

Life is Worth Living

By Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen

Catholic-ometer: 5 of 5

Enjoyability: 5 of 5

I wish I had more to say about this book, but it covers a completely different set of themes in each chapter, so there's just not much I can do to summarize it.  Still, here goes.

This is a book by Bishop Sheen, written by imperfectly transcribing a few dozen episodes of his classic show; Life is Worth Living.  I say "imperfectly," only because the transcriptions aren't strictly word-for-word.  It's really very well-done.

Now, that having been said, if you know anything about Bishop Sheen, you know what a clever wit and a powerful speaker he was, to say nothing of being one of the most honest and faithful Catholics in America.  Even his worst work is exceptionally-good, and this is some of his best; the strong, solid messages that kept millions and millions of Americans watching him week after week, even in a prime-time slot that competed with Frank Sinatra and Milton Berle.

The chapters of this book are well-divided into such topics as mothers, war, character-building, education, suffering, teenagers, prayer and tolerance (the last being one of my favorites, for debunking several myths about tolerance that we as a culture have been terminally suffering from since his death.)

I don't say this kind of thing often, but I really think that anyone who has any desire to see a truly balanced world view described (Catholic or otherwise) would benefit from reading this book.  It's Bishop Sheen at his finest and most faithful, and when you get down to it, you can't give a book a much bigger compliment than that.

The Seven Last Words

By Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen

Catholic-ometer: 4.5 of 5

Enjoyability: 4 of 5

I guess I sort of knew what I was getting when I picked this up, because as with "victory over vice" and "the life of Christ," I've seen other books by Bishop Sheen that cover this topic, and do it well.  However, although the words in this book/booklet may offer a few things to think about on the subject, it's nothing I haven't seen before.

I suppose I could comment on how I take some issue with the phrase "co-redemptrix," which Bishop Sheen uses in reference to Mary.  That's not a true doctrine of the church, and was eventually discarded by Pope Benedict, who said that it departed too far from the traditional language of the church, and gave rise to misunderstandings, and I agree with him.  Still, it's a minor point by comparison to my central reason for not really feeling like this book is needed.

I just don't see what this book has to offer that previous books haven't offered.  Bishop Sheen's wisdom is wonderful, of course, but he's written so much; so many other books, covering the same topics, that you can really make do without this one.

Is it a good book overall?  Sure.  Is it a better way to spend your time than watching some Hollywood trash?  You betcha.  Is it important or needed in any way?  Not as far as I can see.  If you've read "the life of Christ," you've basically read this book.

Victory Over Vice

by Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen

Catholic-ometer: 4.5 of 5

Enjoyability: 4.5 of 5

I'm a tremendous fan of Bishop Sheen's work, and I love the way he spoke and wrote.  I knew I was going to like this book from the get-go.  However, to be perfectly honest, out of all the books by Fulton J. Sheen that I've read, this is probably the weakest.  By no means, however, does that make it bad.

He outlines, in this book, the various vices of Catholic tradition, and how each corresponds to the different "words from the cross;" an interesting subject of discussion, a good talking-point, and a subject on which to reflect.  However, to be honest, I actually thought that his words on the subject of each vice had more to do with the words from the cross than they did with the vices, and I've already seen him treat of that subject (better, I think) in "the Life of Christ."

That's not enough for a star down, exactly, or even a half-star down, but I needed to take points off somewhere, because I found Bishop Sheen overgeneralizing on some of the topics he brings up in this book.  For example, he says in his chapter on Gluttony, "reason demands that food and drink be taken for the necessities and conveniences of nature."  This, I think, is much too broad a statement, and it can simply be misinterpreted much too easily.

I think Bishop Sheen assumes that if you're picking up this book, then that means you're already well-formed in your conscience, and are looking for a little bit of encouragement, but it's certainly possible for people to misinterpret and misunderstand what's said herein.  In fact, I could probably write a whole book myself on how to correct such misinterpretations.

Still, for the most part, the book accomplishes its objective; not outlining specific theological truths or ethical doctrines, but drawing our attention back to our own sins and imperfections, to give us the chance to correct them.  I personally prefer to dwell on the virtues, rather than the sins, but I can understand how some people would have an easier time focusing on their sins than on their virtues.

On the whole, I enjoyed this book, and was pleased with many of its insights, and many of its quotable sayings.  For example "one thief was saved.  Let no one despair.  One theif was lost.  Let no one presume."

I reccomend this book to the audience that Sheen probably intended; those who are already fairly strong in their faith, and just need a little push to remind them of how far they still have to go to achieve perfect holiness.

Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen - A Man for All Media

By Gregory Joseph Ladd

Catholic-ometer: 5 of 5

Enjoyability: 5 of 5

What can I say?  For faithfulness in the face of adversity, Archbishop Sheen is a favorite.  I suspect all this praise may have embarrassed him a little bit, but it's certainly well-deserved.  This book is relatively short; just under one hundred and fifty pages, without much text.  I was able to finish it in two days, but it contains many good quotes, and some excellent photos of the archbisop receiving honors and working with those who needed his help.  Any danger of sliding into celebrity-worship is handily dispelled by the archbishop's magnificent wisdom, found in the quotes in these pages.

The back cover puts stress on the wrong things; seeming to focus more on cultural diversity that the truthfulness, wisdom and faith that the good archbishop really stood for.  Still, it's a small enough thing that even I'm not bothered by it, and it's worth it, for everything else that this book contains.

Through the Year with Fulton Sheen

By Fulton Sheen and Henry Dieterich

Catholic-ometer: 5 of 5

Enjoyability: 5 of 5

Yeah, I know.  Another five for five, but it's Bishop Sheen we're talking about.  He's mainly quoted in snippets, so you may not get the full message he was trying to deliver in some cases, but it never hurts you to read what he wrote and said.

This book gives you quotes by Bishop Sheen for each day of the year; really good quotes, and even the forward, and the endorsements on the back do nothing to take away from those quotes.  Once the book gets underway, Bishop Sheen's magnificent wit and insight take over, and once again, it's a fantastic read, though perhaps not as organized as, say, "The Life of Christ."  I didn't wait the whole year before finishing it, because I was eager to get at the wisdom contained herein, and that's just what I got.  Daily Quotes by Bishop Sheen.  You expect it, and that's just about what the whole book consists of; just as advertised.

I'm satisfied and impressed, so thumbs up for this one.

Life of Christ

By Fulton J. Sheen

Catholic-ometer: 5 of 5

Enjoyability: 5 of 5

I just finished this book recently, and I have to admit; I was totally blown away.  It's a fantastic book about Jesus; true, blue Catholic from start to finish.

Any good Catholic looking for solid teaching, presented in a dramatic, entertaining and captivating manner needs to look up the name of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen.  He was an extremely faithful Catholic, a wonderful teacher, and incredible intellectual, and an amazingly charismatic speaker.  Little wonder, then, that for years and years, he not only wrote numerous books and sermons, but had his own show on the radio, and on television.  He even won an award for best television personality; back before the anti-catholic prejudice in the secular media became the epidemic it is today.

The Life of Christ is some of Bishop Sheen's best work; a point-by-point retelling of the life of Jesus, with bible quotes and reflections for each major event contained in the gospels, as well as additional tidbits of information about the majority of the events described.  Bishop Sheen's writing is enthusiastic and insightful, and at more than one point, he applies the gospel message nicely to the problems of his own times.

Of course, the times that Bishop Sheen addressed were a generation ago, when Russia was a threat, but his words about communism, China, and the problems facing the United States are just as true now as they were then.  If anything, I think that the last thirty years have only served to prove Bishop Sheen's points even more than ever.

The church that my parents attend no longer has a crucifix above the altar.  Now, we just have a sculpture of the risen Christ, and in this book, Bishop Sheen makes a point of saying, many times, that we can't afford to accept just one (Christ) or the other (the cross.)  We have to take them both.

I honestly think that this desire to avoid preaching the hard truths of Christianity that we see so often in "modern" churches in the west is responsible for the declining mass attendance.  How are we going to see Jesus as sympathetic to our suffering if we don't dwell on what he suffered?  This is the sort of thing that this book got me thinking about.

If I had to find any fault with this book, it's that Bishop Sheen does repeat himself once or twice; making the same point two or even three times over the course of the book.  Still, this is not neccesarily a fault, since many of us need things repeated in order to remember them.  This is why I give the Life of Christ a perfect score.  It's a truly magnificent book, which really helped me to understand more about the faith, and I highly reccomend it.