Light Your Lamps

By Fulton J. Sheen “We are living in the twilight of a civilization.” In the shadow and gloom of this twilight, men and women are in the dark about the future, insecure about the present, and sundered from the Christian heritage of their past. Yet the light shines in darkness, a darkness which was not able to master it; the only thing needed is for Christians to light their lamps, to let the flame of the Gospel shine so brightly that it gives the light to all people and the glory to God the Father. In these eleven addresses, originally broadcast from January 26 to April 6, 1947, Sheen does just that. Following the lead of Pope Pius XI’s Divini Redemptoris, Sheen confronts Communism, a power aimed at upsetting the social order and undermining the foundations of Christian civilization. With his usual candor, Sheen sets the problem straight by showing how Communism is both effect and judgment on the West, which has forsaken the Gospel, left its Christian duties unfulfilled, and abandoned the Father’s house. To survive both the disease of Western decadence and the rot of atheistic Communism, mankind must return to true Christian civilization, acknowledging God as the Creator, the Guarantor of liberty and law, and the Giver of all good things by His sacramental grace. For Sion’s sake I will not hold my peace, and for the sake of Jerusalem, I will not rest till her just one come forth as brightness, and her savior be lighted as a lamp. (The Prophecy of Isaias)   Fulton J. Sheen (1895–1979) was one of the most renowned Catholic priests of the twentieth century. An eminent scholar, prolific author, and natural entertainer, Sheen provided insight into the truth and beauty of the Catholic faith for millions around the world through his scores of books and countless radio and television programs. His cause for canonization was opened in 2002, and in 2012 Pope Benedict XVI declared him “Venerable.” * * * Paperback: 236pp. ISBN: 978-1685954871