The recent beatification of Fulton John Sheen at St Louis, Missouri on Thursday 24th September, 2026 was indeed an event of great joy for the Universal Church and the Church in America. It is a milestone etched into Church’s history. For decades, millions knew him as the electronic preacher; a captivating prelate whose radio and television presence brought clarity and warmth into everyday living rooms. In fact, he hosted weekly shows- Life is Worth Living, which drew millions of viewers and eventually earned him an Emmy Award. If it was to be in our current internet reality, we can safely call him an influencer and an established content creator. What a great achievement indeed!

Yet, as his name is officially added to the rank of the Blessed, a subtle temptation rises in our imagination in which we begin to see holiness as an extraordinary career track; that is, a rare privilege reserved only for those whose names might one day be carved into the cathedral walls, or for those, like Fulton Sheen who were ‘influencers’ while on earth. Worse still, we may be tempted to view holiness as a pursuit of public honour where we focus solely on canonization as a destination. In truth, the saints whom the Church celebrates never ‘hustled’ for canonization, they simply did ordinary things extraordinarily, using their gifts and talents to propagate God’s kingdom.

The call to holiness is not a call to seek recognition. It is a call given to every Christian: to grow in love, serve our neighbour, and use the gifts God has entrusted to us for His glory. In one of his addresses delivered on January 31, 1932 at Washington, D.C, Fulton Sheen said “…we can all become saints to a certain degree,” describing that holiness is a life shaped by God’s grace; not a search for public recognition. What matters is the love towards which we serve God and our neighbours. To desire holiness is to be simply remembered, or to strive for virtue so that the Church might one day raise a statue in our honour, is to turn the Christian spiritual life on its head. Sainthood is not a religious version of celebrity.

Moreover, if Fulton Sheen’s life teaches us anything, it is that holiness begins far away from the spotlight. Long before, he stood under studio lights with a piece of chalk in his hand, he was simply a man captivated by Christ. His daily Holy Hour before the Blessed Sacrament which was a promise at his ordination in 1919 and faithfully kept for sixty years of his life was a quiet, hidden anchor of his daily existence. Once, he said in an address; “that’s the secret of my power.” His public life was merely the outward overflow of an inward reality.

Another point of reflection is how best can we make use of what we have at hand in propagating God’s kingdom? What made Fulton Sheen compelling was not merely that he used the media, but how he used it. He utilized the prevailing tools of his era i.e radio broadcasts, television, cameras, simple chalkboard diagrams and ‘consecrated’ them to purpose higher than self-aggrandizement. Obviously, he was not the inventor of these gadgets, nor did he wish to minister to a different era; rather he simply brought in his intellect, creativity, voice and the technologies of his day into the service of truth. This is what we are called to do.

Therefore, even amidst the challenges posed by the Gen Z generation, the rise of artificial intelligence and the scourge of social media platforms, it is left to us to ‘consecrate’ these current realities to the service of truth. The moral value of artificial intelligence depends on the person who develops, endorses and wields it; the same applies to social media. Hence, it is wiser to master these prevailing technologies and become responsible users than spending time lamenting or regretting our existence in this generation. In this way, we use our ‘ordinary tools’ in an extraordinary way that leads to God.

Fundamentally, we must live a holy life. Holiness does not mean never stumbling; it means continuing by God’s grace to grow in charity. It is a journey where there are bumps on the way that make us stumble or fall sometimes, yet we pick up the pieces and stagger on. Fulton Sheen was not perfect, he struggled, he sought the face of the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament to help him overcome his weakness and frequented the Sacrament of Penance. All these platforms are still available in the Church today-make good use of them.

In conclusion, the recognition of a saint by the Church is a gift meant to inspire us, not to intimidate us. It serves as a reminder that grace can inhabit a human life fully. However, this is dependent on our availability, disposition and cooperation with this grace. We must be willing to surrender our natural talents, time and daily modern platforms to propagate love and truth. The ultimate goal of the Christian journey has never been to secure a title; it is simply to live a good and faithful life, grounded in love for God and neighbour. You do not need a broadcast network, a bishop’s mitre or a future cause for canonization to walk this path. You only need the quiet courage to offer whatever gifts you have back to the One who gave them.