“In the last analysis, no love is ever driven out; it is only conquered by another love. One cannot overcome a love of alcohol until he finds some other love which is more compelling”
- Fulton Sheen, Guide to Contentment
The article A love more compelling first appeared on RestlessPilgrim.net
Today is Valentine’s Day, a day on which we celebrate the life of a 3rd Century Roman Saint, as well as trying to stave off the tremendous societal pressure to be romantic and lovey dovey 
“The human heart is not shaped like a valentine heart, perfect and regular in contour; it is slightly irregular in shape as if a small piece of it were missing out of its side. That missing part may very well symbolize a piece that a spear tore out of the Universal Heart of Humanity on the Cross, but it probably symbolizes something more.
It may very well mean that when God created each human heart, He kept a small sample of it in heaven, and sent the rest of it into the world of time, where it would each day learn the lesson that it could never be really happy, that it could never be really wholly in love, that it could never be really whole-hearted until it rested with the Risen Christ in an eternal Easter…” – Archbishop Fulton Sheen
(Thanks to Alexandra for this one)
When I was at University, I read a book by Jean Vanier in which he said that whenever a homeless person asked him for money, he would reach into his pocket and hand over the first coin he found, whether big or small.
Likewise, in an interview with Fulton Sheen’s niece, she said that her uncle would give money to the poor whenever it was asked of him. When she asked him if he might be being lied to by those asking for help, he simply responded “I can’t take the chance”.
A little while ago I did a post about tithing where I spoke about the general responsibility Christians have towards the poor. However, this begs the question: what is the best way in which to help the poor?
For example, most social workers I’ve known have always said that you should never give money to beggars. Following this advice, some of my friends no longer hand over cash, but instead make sure that their car, purse or bag is always stocked with snacks, so that they have something to give when asked for help.
I recently read an article in Crisis Magazine which looks at this issue. I’d be interested to see what you think about it. What you think is the best way to help the poor?
“…there come moments, at night or when alone or in the silence of the country, where we cannot help but pass judgement on ourselves. But those whose consciences are no good avoid this by immersing themselves in externals. Hence the reluctance of such persons to be alone with themselves. They search for constant distractions, or something ‘to make one forget’, anything to keep the wound below the surface, and the memories from flying upward into consciousness” – Archbishop Fulton Sheen, ”Guide to Contentment”, Page 53
”I am worried about America! I am not so much worried about its politics and economics, important though they be: I am worried about its soul. After all, politics and economics are determined by the sense of values which underlies them.” – Archbishop Fulton Sheen
It’s a double-whammy “Wise Words on Wednesday” today! I saw this quotation from Grandpa Sheen earlier this week and thought it was too good to hang to…
“The night of the Last Supper the Apostles were quarreling as to who would have the first place at table among themselves. Our Blessed Lord then got down on His knees, washed their feet and wiped them with a towel. How few there are who ever fight for the towel.”- Archbishop Fulton Sheen, “That Tremendous Love”
Allow me to introduce you to the Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen:
(If you think the good Archbishop was more of a “BOOYA!” guy, I created another version here)
“One may ask if each of us does not really carry in his or her own heart a blueprint of the one that he or she loves. This blueprint is made by our reading, our prayers, our experiences, our hopes, our ideals, by our mother and father. Then suddenly, the ideal becomes concretized and realized in a person, and we say, ‘This is it!’” - Fulton Sheen
