In 1946, Bishop Fulton Sheen published this book into a post-war America. It was the end of the Second World War, and a triumphant America was feeling conflicted. Victory over global enemies and the unifying of the country was exhilarating, but the events of the last six years troubled the conscience. Daily reports of wartime atrocities in Europe and the Pacific were filling newsprint. What do we make of a world this dark? How do we find happiness?

To these questions, the charismatic and persuasive Sheen released this book to help us recover our true identity and heritage. The questions and doubts that faced Americans in 1946 are the same ones that we face today. A world that seeks its pleasures, that wants its priorities, and that tries to crowd out the nagging conscience that calls us to higher and truly good things.

In just under 200 pages, Sheen covers the basic elements of Catholic Theology, and applies them to our individual lives. From challenging our understanding of God, to the consequences of our choices, and the theological virtues, Bishop Sheen masterfully makes the complex approachable and applicable. His thoughtful and clever analogies reframe ideas and invite us to rethink our longstanding beliefs. More than once, he turned my ideas on their head, helping me to see something in a wholly new dimension.

Fulton Sheen’s cause for canonization is nearing completion, and reading this book, I understand why. Watching videos of him on YouTube giving talks, preaching, or even appearing on popular game shows, I always leave the video with a smile. There’s a magnetism to his presence and his message that evidences not just a deeper truth, but a deeper joy from which it emanates. Sheen was an Apostle to Modern America and this book is a fantastic way to enjoy the message of faith, hope, and charity he was sent to broadcast.

ISBN: 978-1586177836