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Few men in the 2,000-year history of Christianity have had
such a great and spiritually positive influence upon the Catholic
Church as Bishop Fulton Sheen. The author of many books and the
first televangelist, he touched the lives of millions of people
all over the world.
What made this man of God so special was a keen intellect
combined with a profound humility. He often said that the secret
to his great success in touching hearts and winning souls for
Christ was that every day of his life he would set aside an hour
of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. This is known as a holy
hour of prayer, because it is spent in the Presence of Jesus,
truly, personally, and really Present in the Most Blessed
Sacrament.
Bishop Sheen called this the hour of power, and the purpose of
every talk he ever gave was to inspire everyone, priests and
laity alike to make a daily holy hour. He would quote Jesus in
saying that whoever would remain in union with Our Lord in
"the Blessed Sacrament" for an hour of prayer would
"bear much fruit". When Bishop Sheen spoke, everyone
listened, even those who were not of the Catholic faith. His
message was both compelling and transcending.
A couple of months before his death he was interviewed on
national television. One of the questions was this: "Bishop
Sheen, you have inspired millions of people all over the world.
Who inspired you? Was it a Pope?"
Bishop Sheen responded that it was not a Pope, a Cardinal,
another Bishop, or even a priest or a nun. It was a little
Chinese girl of eleven years of age. He explained that when the
Communists took over China, they imprisoned a priest in his own
rectory near the Church.
After they locked him up in his own house, the priest was
horrified to look out of his window and see the Communists
proceed into the Church, where they went into the sanctuary and
broke into the tabernacle. In an act of hateful desecration, they
took the ciborium and threw it on the floor with all of the
Sacred Hosts spilling out. The priest knew exactly how many Hosts
were in the ciborium: thirty-two.
When the Communists left, they either did not notice, or didn't
pay any attention to a small girl praying in the back of the
Church who saw everything that had happened.
That night the little girl came back. Slipping past the guard at
the priest's house, she went inside the Church. There she made a
holy hour of prayer, an act of love to make up for the act of
hatred. After her holy hour she went into the sanctuary, knelt
down, bent over and with her tongue received Jesus in Holy
Communion, since it was not permissible at that time for laymen
to touch the Sacred Host with their hands.
The little girl continued to come back each night to make her
holy hour and receive Jesus in Holy Communion on her tongue. On
the thirty-second night, after she had consumed the last and
thirty-second host, she accidentally made a noise and woke the
guard who was sleeping. He ran after her, caught her, and beat
her to death with the butt of his rifle.
This act of heroic martyrdom was witnessed by the priest as he
watched grief-stricken from his bedroom window.
When Bishop Sheen heard the story he was so inspired that he
promised God he would make a holy hour of prayer before Jesus in
the Blessed Sacrament everyday of his life. If this little
Chinese girl could risk her life everyday to express her love for
Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament with a holy hour and Holy
Communion, then, at the very least, the Bishop thought he should
do the same.
If this frail, little child could give testimony and witness to
the world concerning the real and wonderful Presence of her
Savior in the Blessed Sacrament, then the Bishop was absolutely
bound by all that was right and true, to do the same. Bishop
Sheen, henceforth, would not be afraid to speak out on the love
of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. His sole desire from then on
was to bring the world to the Burning Heart of Jesus in the
Blessed Sacrament. The little girl showed the Bishop what true
courage and zeal really is; how faith could overcome all fear,
how true love for Jesus in the Eucharist must transcend life
itself.
Everywhere Bishop Sheen preached on the value and benefits of the
Holy Hour of prayer. Invited to give retreats to Bishops all over
the world, this was his main theme and objective.
The Bishops who responded to the message of the importance of the
daily holy hour are the Bishops who now invite me into their
dioceses to spread perpetual adoration in their parishes.
This means that the act of courage and heroic love expressed by
that little Chinese girl so long ago still continues to influence
and impact the Church today. She inspired Bishop Sheen, who in
return has inspired millions with love of the Blessed Sacrament.
Those who are now Bishops who were inspired by Bishop Sheen, now
inspire every member of their diocese by encouraging perpetual
adoration of the Blessed Sacrament throughout their dioceses.
What the little Chinese girl did is a modern version of what the
Blessed Mother did when she stood by her Beloved Son Jesus at the
foot of the Cross. Standing up for Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament
today is the same as standing up for Jesus when He was crucified
on the Cross. Then He was abandoned, even by His friends. His
very apostles fled in fear. Only the Mother of Jesus, the beloved
apostle, John, and Mary Magdalene gave witness to their faith and
love. Today the Blessed Mother is calling all of her children
consecrated to her to give witness to their faith and love by
coming to her Son in the Blessed Sacrament in perpetual
adoration.
Mother Teresa of Calcutta says that perpetual adoration is what
will renew the Church and save the world. When we do on earth
what is done in heaven, adoring God perpetually, then there will
be a new heaven and a new earth. Jesus was mocked and nailed to
the cross for claiming to be King. When His Bride, the Church,
finally proclaims Her King by giving Him the honor He deserves
through perpetual adoration on earth, then He will reclaim and
establish His Kingdom on earth.
Man is beyond a human solution. What we need is divine
intervention. This divine intervention will be a great
Eucharistic Miracle. In every place and in every chapel all over
the world, where Jesus is loved and honored in perpetual
adoration, what has been hidden will be revealed. What is hidden
in the Sacred Host is the glory of His love. As soon as there are
enough chapels to satisfy God's divine justice, then He will show
the whole world His Divine Mercy by manifesting to all what has
been concealed from the human eye. He will make visible what has
been invisible. What will be made visible will be the fire of His
divine love. Brighter than any sun, the light of His love will
shine through the Blessed Sacrament with the splendor of His
glory radiating on all mankind.
This is why the sun danced at the Marian Shrine on Dong Lu in the
Province of Hebei in China on May 23, 1995. The sun in the sky is
symbolic of the Son of God in the Blessed Sacrament. This is why
most monstrances are in the form of a sunburst. As the sun is the
natural source of all energy, the Blessed Sacrament is the
supernatural source of all grace and love. This is why Jesus said
His Kingdom would come and He would reign through the all
powerful, omnipotent power of His love in the Blessed Sacrament.
Satan is still the prince of this world as Jesus said he is.
Until the children of the Blessed Mother follow her example, and
the example of the little Chinese girl, and make Jesus King of
love and mercy through perpetual adoration, we will continue to
live in darkness. The message of Dong Lu is the message of
Fatima. The message of Dong Lu is a dramatic appeal from heaven
to expose the Son and come into His Light through perpetual
adoration.
The Father wants to restore earth to paradise. He is just waiting
for us to glorify His Son through perpetual adoration so that He
can transform the world in glory. The message of Dong Lu is the
same message as Fatima. The Triumph of the Immaculate Heart of
Mary will be the Eucharistic Reign of her Son Jesus. His
Eucharistic reign through perpetual adoration will win the graces
of His Reign of Love throughout the world. The new era Mary
promised will be brought about by the power of prayer before the
Blessed Sacrament.
This is why Our Holy Father, Pope John Paul II prayed for the
spread of perpetual adoration throughout the world at the
International Eucharistic Congress in Seville, Spain in 1993. He
said that this would bring about God's Kingdom on earth as an
everlasting peace to all mankind.
The Blessed Sacrament is Jesus, the Light of the world. When we
expose this light through perpetual adoration it will cast out
all the darkness in the world. Through perpetual adoration, let
the Son shine out. Mary wants all of her children to experience a
new day, the new era, the Kingdom of Love.
Please help with donations and with prayer.
Biography of
Ignatius Pin-Mei Cardinal Kung (Gong)
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