This address explores the profound identity of the human soul, particularly one called to a religious vocation, by framing it as an ordinary "earthenware pot" chosen to hold the extraordinary "treasure" of Christ's grace. Bishop Sheen invites the listener to shift focus from personal weaknesses to the divine gift they carry, offering a powerful perspective on humility and purpose. He explains that spiritual greatness is found not in the perfection of the vessel itself, but in its emptiness and willingness to be filled by God, making this a message of hope for anyone who has ever felt unworthy of their calling.

Drawing on rich biblical imagery, Bishop Sheen develops his theme with compelling analogies. He presents God as the divine Potter who lovingly reshapes the clay when a vessel is marred, emphasizing that failure is not final in God's merciful hands. He warns against the danger of spiritual stagnation, comparing an unchallenged soul to "wine settled on its lees" which loses its taste and potency. The practice of a daily Holy Hour is presented as the essential method for avoiding this complacency, a spiritual discipline that "pours" the soul from one vessel to another, purifying and enriching it for God's work.

Ultimately, the talk is a powerful call to embrace the Cross through active discipline and what Sheen terms "victimhood." He explains that just as the Heavenly Father prunes a vine to make it more fruitful, He purges the souls He loves through trials so they may become more effective channels of His grace. Bishop Sheen concludes that in a world seeking authenticity, it is only through a life of disciplined service—a life that reveals a union with the crucified Christ—that one can truly inspire others and bring them to the Redeemer.

This address champions the profound spiritual wisdom of being "impractical"—a selfless generosity that prioritizes faith and charity over worldly calculation. Bishop Sheen suggests that this is a vital message for anyone who feels their efforts are small, as he argues that saints, poets, and all truly great people operate on this principle of giving without counting the cost. He proposes that the greatest spiritual endeavors, like the Catholic Medical Mission Board itself, are founded not on pragmatic business plans but on a radical trust in God's providence, making this a powerful call to embrace a life of service and faith-filled giving.

Bishop Sheen develops this theme by honoring the impracticality of everyone involved in the mission's success. He celebrates the donors who give from their resources, illustrating with a parable that we are spiritually fed only when we "feed our neighbor." He extends this praise to the pharmaceutical companies, describing their millions of dollars in donated medicine not as a business loss, but as a beautiful adherence to the biblical command to leave "grapes on the vine" for the poor and the passerby. He explains that this care is not for a specific creed, but for "humanity," for the human clay that God has fashioned.

The talk culminates by focusing on the doctors, nurses, and medical professionals who volunteer their skills, representing the highest form of impractical love. Through moving anecdotes about figures like Dr. Tom Dooley and Mother Teresa, Sheen shows that this selfless action is the most powerful form of witness, proving that healing and forgiveness are two sides of the same mission. He concludes with the touching story of a doctor whose simple office sign, "Updike, Upstairs," became his epitaph, a perfect summary of a life lived in service to others and a reminder that the reward for such impracticality is eternal.

• Title podcast: Upstairs: The Impracticality of Charity

• Name speech: Address at the 50th Anniversary of the Catholic Medical Mission Board

• When he gave it: 1978

• Where, on which occasion: This was a keynote speech delivered at the 50th Anniversary Dinner of the Catholic Medical Mission Board (CMMB)

This is one of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen's most celebrated and insightful talks, essential for anyone seeking to understand the true nature of love beyond sentimental clichés. You should listen because Sheen masterfully unpacks the three different kinds of love—Eros, Philia, and Agape—and reveals how our modern confusion stems from reducing all love to a single, often selfish, dimension. With his trademark wit and profound wisdom, he explains that the Christian life is a journey of elevating our natural affections into a supernatural, divine love that is sacrificial, committed, and ultimately, the only kind that can bring us true and lasting peace.

Sheen begins by exploring Eros, the love of attraction and friendship, lamenting how it has been tragically degraded in modern culture into the purely "erotic," an experience-driven impulse that forgets the person. He then moves to Philia, the selfless love for all humanity, illustrating its power with the incredible true story of prisoners of the communists who shared a single lump of sugar for two years, keeping one another alive through an act of profound charity. This sets the stage for his explanation of the highest love, Agape—the divine love of God for us, a love that is not earned but freely given even when we are unlovable enemies.

The Archbishop brings this theology to a stunning climax with a powerful analogy of a courtroom, where God the Father, as judge, condemns His own Son to die in our place, demonstrating the perfect union of justice and mercy. This divine Agape, he argues, is the love we are called to, a love proven not by feelings but by the will. He concludes by explaining that our human hearts are created with a "piece missing," a void that no earthly love can fill, and that we will never be whole-hearted or truly at peace until we return to God to reclaim the part of our heart He has been keeping for us from all eternity.

This sermon offers a masterful and deeply spiritual explanation of the Rosary, transforming it from a simple set of prayers into a profound meditation on the entirety of the Christian life. Bishop Sheen invites the listener to see the Rosary not as a repetitive task, but as a powerful tool for understanding our own journey of joy, suffering, and ultimate hope. This talk is essential for anyone who seeks to deepen their prayer life, find meaning in their struggles, and understand how the life of Christ is meant to be a living pattern for their own.

Sheen masterfully structures his talk around the three sets of mysteries, presenting them as a complete spiritual roadmap. The Joyful Mysteries, he explains, represent the mystery of becoming a Christian, where God asks for our human nature, just as He asked Mary for hers, so that Christ can live and act through us. The Sorrowful Mysteries tackle the universal problem of suffering, arguing that Christ did not eliminate pain but entered into it, taking our place. Sheen reveals the profound truth that our own sufferings, when united with Christ's, become redemptive and are used to "fill up" the passion of Christ for the sake of His Body, the Church.

Finally, the Glorious Mysteries represent the mystery of our faith and our ultimate destiny. Bishop Sheen emphasizes the foundational Christian principle: "Unless there's a Good Friday in our lives, there will never be an Easter Sunday." He beautifully illustrates how the Rosary allows us to live with this hope, seeing Christ as the "Sun" and the Blessed Mother as the "Moon" who reflects His light into the darkness of our lives. The sermon is not just an instruction on how to pray the Rosary, but a powerful call to live it, uniting our entire existence with the life, death, and resurrection of Christ.

This address was a conference given during a retreat for the clergy, religious, and laity of the Diocese of Gary, Indiana. The retreat was hosted by his friend, Bishop Andrew Grutka.

This powerful and moving conference by Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen will transform your understanding of the Resurrection, revealing it not as a one-time historical event, but as a continuous, dynamic force active in your life right now. You should listen to this because Sheen masterfully explains how your personal "deaths"—your sins, failures, addictions, and despair—are the very raw material God uses for your personal resurrection. He argues that our lives are a series of emergences from different "wombs" we are afraid to leave, and it is only by embracing these deaths to our old selves that we can experience the profound new life, power, and grace that Christ offers.

Using a series of unforgettable stories, Sheen illustrates this principle of spiritual transformation. He speaks of the "resurrection of the body" through the story of a New York prostitute named Kitty, the "resurrection of the mind" through the conversion of a famous intellectual, and the "resurrection of the soul" through the dramatic repentance of a lifelong alcoholic. Sheen contends that God is in the business of "recycling human garbage," turning what is broken and discarded into a masterpiece of His grace. He challenges the listener to see their own life not as a detective story with an unknown ending, but as a great epic where the triumphant conclusion—union with Christ—is already known, making the journey an adventure in virtue.

Ultimately, the Archbishop extends this vision of resurrection to all of creation, finding its echoes in art, music, and literature, from the sculptures of Michelangelo to the symphonies of Beethoven. He demonstrates that the greatest saints of the Old Testament were deeply flawed individuals whom God raised up, giving hope that our own imperfections do not disqualify us from holiness. This talk is a profound meditation on hope, proving that no matter how far one has fallen, the power of Christ's Resurrection is always present, waiting to break open our tombs and call us into a new and more glorious existence.

This powerful and deeply moving sermon addresses one of life's most difficult questions: why does a good and loving God permit pain and suffering? Bishop Sheen argues that understanding the Christian answer to this question is essential for anyone grappling with personal tragedy, doubt, or the injustices of the world. He offers not a simple formula, but a profound theological vision that reframes suffering from a meaningless tragedy into a potential instrument of redemption. This message is for anyone who has ever asked "why?" in the face of hardship and is seeking a response that satisfies both the heart and the mind.

Sheen masterfully builds his case using compelling stories and scripture. He begins with the heart-wrenching modern-day account of a young woman confined to an iron lung, whose husband abandons her in the most cruel way imaginable. From there, he delves into the ancient story of Job, illustrating how simplistic human explanations for suffering always fall short. Sheen explains that God’s response to Job was not to provide an easy answer, but to reveal a divine plan so vast and mysterious that it puts human suffering into a completely different perspective.

Ultimately, Sheen reveals that the only true answer to the problem of pain is found in the person of Jesus Christ. He explains the "transference" of suffering, where Christ voluntarily took upon himself all three forms of human agony: physical, mental (loneliness, doubt, betrayal), and moral (the weight of all sin). By enduring the Cross, God did not remain distant from our pain but entered into it completely. Sheen concludes by contrasting the world's desire for a "superstar" with the reality of Christ, the "super-scar"—the one whose wounds prove His love and offer a path to transform our own suffering into something eternally meaningful.

The absolute essence of this sermon is that the Resurrection of Christ is not merely a historical fact to be believed, but a continuous, dynamic, and personal reality transforming our lives from within. Bishop Fulton J. Sheen challenges the listener to move beyond seeing the Resurrection as a past event and to understand it as an ongoing process of being born into a new and higher life. He uses the powerful analogy of leaving behind three "wombs"—the mother's womb at birth, the womb of nature at our spiritual birth into grace, and finally, the womb of time at death. Just as we would never choose to remain in the confines of the womb, we are called to embrace the pain and uncertainty of these "births" into greater life, recognizing that each transition leads us closer to the glorified existence for which we were made.

Sheen illustrates this "continuing resurrection" by showing how it manifests in the lives of ordinary, broken people. He shares the remarkable story of "Kitty," a woman of the streets whose life was utterly transformed after encountering Christ during a Good Friday service. Her body, once an instrument of sin, became an instrument of apostolic zeal, tirelessly bringing other lost souls back to God. This, Sheen argues, is a true resurrection of the body and soul—a powerful testament that God is constantly "recycling human garbage" and turning our failures into opportunities for grace. The resurrection is not just an abstract doctrine, but something we can witness in every conversion, every act of forgiveness, and every soul that turns from darkness to light.

Ultimately, Sheen presents our life on earth as an adventure, not a detective story. Unlike a mystery novel where the ending is unknown, our story has a glorious and certain conclusion: "We're going to meet Christ." This knowledge frees us from the fear of death and transforms our perspective on suffering. He concludes with a beautiful recitation of poetry, weaving together images of bells tolling, a hound pursuing the soul, and the soul’s final, joyful surrender. The sermon is a powerful call to live with the end in mind, recognizing that every trial, every sorrow, and every act of love is part of our personal resurrection, preparing us for the moment we leave the womb of time and are born into the eternal embrace of God.

The absolute essence of this sermon is that the Passion of Christ is not a finished historical event confined to Calvary, but an ongoing, living reality in which every human being participates. Bishop Sheen's central message for the listener is a profound call to re-evaluate the nature of suffering. He argues that the afflictions, trials, and frustrations we endure are not random, meaningless occurrences. Instead, they are our unique opportunities to "complete the full tale of Christ's afflictions," as St. Paul wrote, for the sake of His body, the Church. This transforms our understanding of pain from something to be avoided into something redemptive, giving our personal struggles a cosmic and salvific purpose.

Sheen masterfully illustrates this concept through a series of vivid examples, both personal and scriptural. He explains that just as our Lord’s earthly life in the Creed jumps from "born" to "suffered," the core of our existence is defined by whether or not we do the Father's will in the midst of our trials. He then shares the powerful story of Elizabeth and Felix Leseur, where Elizabeth's fifteen years of silent, redemptive suffering became the catalyst for her atheist husband's conversion and eventual ordination as a Dominican priest. This, Sheen explains, is the "transfusibility of suffering"—the spiritual reality that our pain, when united with the Cross, can be offered for the salvation of others.

The sermon culminates with a dramatic and moving vision of the world divided into two groups: those who are on the cross with Christ, and those who are beneath it, either as loving participants in His suffering or as ridiculing spectators. He challenges each listener to see their personal trials as a participation in Christ's own Passion, whether they do so consciously, like the saints, or unconsciously, like the vast majority of the world's poor and afflicted who are unknowingly bearing His Cross. Ultimately, Sheen leaves us with the haunting and transformative image of Christ still hanging on the cross, waiting for every last soul to come and help take Him down—a task that can only be accomplished by embracing our own share of His redeeming suffering.