Fulton Sheens call for moral revival still moves us and we need it more than ever

Life is worth living.Such a simple truth, and yet it was the title of a wildly popular television show that ran some 70 years ago.It was shot in black and white, unscripted, starring a host who used little more than chalk and a blackboard, a cape and his sharp eyes, locked tightly on the camera, to deliver piercing truths.That star was Fulton Sheen, who last week was beatified as a saint-in-waiting of the Roman Catholic Church.At its peak, Sheen’s show garnered tens of millions of weekly viewers — and once beat out Lucille Ball for an Emmy Award.Extraordinary.Fulton Sheen died almost half a century ago, and yet his message and witness are needed, and arguably appreciated, now more than ever.Look no further than the Canadian video that went viral this week romanticizing euthanasia, euphemized as “Medical Aid in Dying,” now one of the leading causes of death for our neighbors to the north.No question: People today desperately need to hear that life is indeed worth living.And look to Sheen’s Thursday beatification ceremony, where tens of thousands of primarily young people gathered to celebrate him, to see how many are responding to his call.I was privileged to be mere feet from the altar, and it felt like briefly grazing Heaven.The joyous occasion was a testament to the enduringly powerful witness of Fulton Sheen — one the world over still very much needs.The Church needs Fulton Sheen, most especially his exemplary clarity and conviction in delivering unpopular truths.He was a mass-media “fisher of men,” credited with more than 40,000 conversions through his pioneering television and radio programming, at a time when Catholicism faced prejudice and suspicion in the US.That number is doubtless greater now, as his concise yet warm and compassionate communication style lends itself perfectly to young Americans’ clip-based conversations. Priests need Fulton Sheen — and my goodness, do they love him.Last week’s beatification procession of approximat...