Fulton Sheen, Miracles and Children
The Venerable Fulton J. Sheen. Years after his death, he is still one of the most recognized Catholic priests in the
United States. His television show drew viewers not only from the Catholic faith, but also from many different religious and cultural backgrounds. It will not surprise you to hear that he was also a strong advocate for children in the womb. He consistently urged people to pray a prayer of spiritual adoption for unborn babies: that they would be saved from the death sentence of abortion.
As mother and blogger Bonnie Engstrom recounted, it seems that this man is on the path to sainthood because of his continued efforts in heaven to save the lives of babies. Vatican experts have now confirmed that there is no natural explanation for Bonnie's stillborn baby (now a healthy, growing boy) returning to life after 61 minutes without a heartbeat. The only explanation for his life is his mother's fervent prayers to Sheen that he might intercede from heaven for the life of her son.
A baby's life being saved is a celebration that can be acknowledged by everyone. Who would not congratulate the family of Bonnie Engstrom on this young boy literally coming back to life? Even by secular standards, it is a miracle. Most people share in the joy of newborns, regardless of their religion, politics or views on being pro-life.
And yet, minutes before he was born, he was a baby in the womb—a vulnerable place where a child should be most protected and yet, so often, is not. Each child is a unique, irreplaceable human being with dignity. From the moment he or she is conceived, the child is constantly changing, constantly developing, but always a treasured individual, full of promise.
What could Fulton Sheen be trying to tell us through saving the life of the young Engstrom boy?
As parents and men and women who work with children, we know so well that each child is utterly unique. Sometimes they fill our hearts with joy; sometimes they drive us crazy. Sometimes spending time with them makes our day, sometimes time spent with the children in our lives is a test to our patience. Yet regardless of the daily trials and joys of raising children, we can affirm that every child is an unrepeatable gift from God.
Saint John Paul starts off his well-known papal encyclical Evangelium Vitae by reminding us that the heart of the Christian story is the Nativity—the birth of a baby! He tells us that "the joy which accompanies the Birth of the Messiah is thus seen to be the foundation and fulfillment of joy at every child born into the world."
We see joy expressed over new life a lot—God willing. We celebrate with baby showers, visits to the hospital, dinners brought to families who have just welcomed a new baby. Through this miracle, Fulton J. Sheen is sharing that joy with a skeptical world. He is telling us and the culture-at-large that children are worth saving!
Next time we find ourselves confronted with the challenge of explaining the value of human life—whether it be explaining Church teaching to religious education students or having a conversation with our teenagers, let us look to Fulton Sheen. First, we can share the news of how he miraculously saved a child's life. Second, we can ask him for his intercession. Not only was he a firm believer in the sanctity of life, he had the eloquence to explain his views to those who did not understand. May we walk in his footsteps as we seek to joyfully welcome new life!
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