The Lord's Prayer and The Seven Last Words: Two Bridges Connecting Heaven and Earth

By Fulton J. Sheen and Allan Smith

THE LORD'S PRAYER AND THE SEVEN LAST WORDS

During the 1930s and '40s, Fulton Sheen was the featured speaker on The Catholic Hour radio broadcast, and millions of listeners heard his radio addresses each week. His topics ranged from politics and the economy to philosophy and ma

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bishop Sheen Today
• Release date: Nov 22, 2023
• ISBN: 9781990427015

Fulton J. Sheen

The life and teachings of Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen anticipated and embodied the spirit of both the Second Vatican Council and the New Evangelization. A gifted orator and writer, he was a pioneer in the use of media for evangelization: His radio and television broadcasts reached an estimated 30 million weekly viewers. He also wrote more than 60 works on Christian living and theology, many of which are still in print. Born in 1895, Sheen grew up in Peoria, Illinois, and was ordained a priest for the diocese in 1919. He was ordained an auxiliary bishop in New York City in 1951. As the head of his mission agency, the Society for the Propagation of the Faith (1950–1966), and as Bishop of Rochester (1966-1969), Sheen helped create 9,000 clinics, 10,000 orphanages, and 1,200 schools; and his contributions educated 80,000 seminarians and 9,000 religious. Upon his death in 1979, Sheen was buried at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York. His cause for canonization was returned to his home diocese of Peoria in January 2011, and Sheen was proclaimed "Venerable" by Pope Benedict XVI on June 28, 2012. The first miracle attributed to his intercession was approved in March 2014, paving the way for his beatification.

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THE LORD’S PRAYER AND THE SEVEN LAST WORDS

Two Bridges Connecting

Heaven and Earth

FULTON J. SHEEN

Copyright © 2021 by Allan J. Smith

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations in the main text are taken from the Douay-Rheims edition of the Old and New Testaments, public domain.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review.

Bishop Sheen Today

280 John Street

Midland, Ontario, Canada

L4R 2J5

www.bishopsheentoday.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Sheen, Fulton J. (Fulton John), 1895-1979, author.  | Smith, Allan J., editor.

Sheen, Fulton J. (Fulton John), 1895-1979, The Seven Last Words.  Registered in the name of Century Company, under Library of Congress catalog card number: A 62515, following publication April 7, 1933.

Sheen, Fulton J. (Fulton John), 1895-1979, The Seven Last Words. Address delivered on Good Friday, 1935. Transcribed by and prepared for the National Council of Catholic Men. In the Fullness of Christ. Washington, D.C. Huntington, IN: Our Sunday Visitor, 1935.

Smith, Al (Allan J.) editor – The Cries of Jesus from the Cross: A Fulton Sheen Anthology. Manchester, New Hampshire: Sophia Institute Press, 2018, ISBN 9781622826209.

Smith, Al (Allan J.) editor – Lord Teach us to Pray: A Fulton Sheen Anthology. Manchester, New Hampshire: Sophia Institute Press, 2019, ISBN 9781644130834.

Title: The Lord’s Prayer and the Seven Last Words.  Two bridges connecting Heaven and Earth.

Fulton J. Sheen; compiled by Allan J. Smith.

Description: Midland, Ontario: Bishop Sheen Today, 2021

Includes bibliographical references.

Identifiers: ISBN: 978-1-990427-00-8 (paperback)

ISBN: 978-1-990427-01-5 (eBook)

ISBN: 978-1-990427-83-1 (hardcover)

Subjects: Jesus Christ — The Seven Last Words — The Our Father — Good Friday.

J.M.J.

DEDICATED TO

Mary Immaculate

Mother of God

COMPASSIONATE QUEEN OF

THE SEVEN SWORDS IN HEARTS

WHERE CHRIST THY SON IS KING,

I GIVE THEE SEVEN WORDS.

LOVINGLY ACCEPT

WHAT IS BEST IN THEM,

DROPPED FROM A CROSS

AND THE LIPS OF GOD.

Ad maiorem Dei gloriam

inque hominum salutem

Jesus calls all His children to the pulpit of the Cross, and every word He says to them is set down for the purpose of an eternal publication and undying consolation. 

There was never a preacher like the dying Christ. 

There was never a congregation like that which gathered about the pulpit of the Cross. 

And there was never a sermon like the Seven Last Words.

Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen

THE SEVEN LAST WORDS OF CHRIST

The First Word

"Father, Forgive Them

For They Know Not What They Do."

The Second Word

This Day Thou Shalt Be With Me In Paradise.

The Third Word

Woman, Behold Thy Son; Behold Thy Mother.

The Fourth Word

"My God!  My God!

Why Hast Thou Forsaken Me?"

The Fifth Word

I Thirst.

The Sixth Word

It Is Finished.

The Seventh Word

Father, Into Thy Hands I Commend My Spirit.

CONTENTS

PREFACE

THE SEVEN LAST WORDS - Good Friday 1933

INTRODUCTION – The Seven Last Words

THE FIRST WORD

THE SECOND WORD

THE THIRD WORD

THE FOURTH WORD

THE FIFTH WORD

THE SIXTH WORD

THE SEVENTH WORD

THE SEVEN LAST WORDS - Good Friday 1935

INTRODUCTION - The Two ‘Our Fathers’

THE FIRST WORD

THE SECOND WORD

THE THIRD WORD

THE FOURTH WORD

THE FIFTH WORD

THE SIXTH WORD

THE SEVENTH WORD

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ​

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

PREFACE

"I have learned more from the

crucifix than from any book."

St. Thomas Aquinas

Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen was a man for all seasons. Over his lifetime, he spent himself for souls, transforming lives with the clear teaching of the truths of Christ and His Church through his books, his radio addresses, his lectures, his television series, and his many newspaper columns.

The topics of this much-sought-after lecturer ranged from the social concerns of the day to matters of faith and morals. With an easy and personable manner, Sheen could strike up a conversation on just about any subject, making numerous friends as well as converts.

During