Every journey to Christ eventually leads us to His Mother. Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen and many of the saints often said that Mary is the quickest, surest, and most tender path to Christ. For Sheen, the Blessed Virgin Mary was not merely a devotional option, but the very path by which Christ enters the world, and by which souls enter deeper union with Him. He famously said: “Our Blessed Mother is like the key. Without her, we can never get to Our Lord, because He came through her.”
At the heart of every true renewal in the Church, we must always go to the Woman: the one clothed with the sun; the one whose “yes” changed the course of human history; the one who stood at the foot of the Cross and silently offered her Son back to the Father for the salvation of souls.
Mary, Given to Us
Today, the world is aching. Families are broken. Confusion reigns. And the Church—bruised but beloved—stands again at Calvary. Now more than ever, we must behold our Mother. This is not a poetic suggestion; it is a Divine command. “Behold, your mother,” Jesus said from the Cross, not just to John, but to you, to me, to the Church across time. From that moment, Mary’s motherhood extended to every soul redeemed by the Blood of her Son. She became our comfort, our intercessor, and our companion in suffering.
In God’s battle for souls, Mary has always been Heaven’s secret weapon. She is the one the devil fears most. She crushes the serpent’s head, not with might, but with humility; not with argument, but with love. To return to Mary is to draw closer to Christ. She is the shortcut to holiness, the mirror of His mercy, and the safest refuge for sinners.
Looking to Mary’s Example
Fulton Sheen would often encourage the faithful to behold the Holy Mother, not merely as a distant queen, but as a present and personal Mother, one who walks with us, intercedes for us, and forms Christ within our soul.
It is the Holy Virgin’s vocation; she brings Christ to us and brings us to Christ. Mary reveals the maternal tenderness of God through every mystery of her life. She teaches us how to ponder, how to surrender meekly, how to love without limit, and how to remain faithful beneath the Cross.
Many saints and scholars have remarked that she is the first disciple, the first contemplative, the first Eucharistic adorer, and the first missionary. She carried Christ within her long before any apostle proclaimed Him. She is the Woman whose heart was pierced so that our hearts might be healed. She is the Mother who never abandons her children, especially in their sorrows.
In every age, the Blessed Virgin Mary has stood as the model of purity, love, and sacrifice. And in our time—a time of wounded hearts and weary souls—she shines all the more brightly, pointing the way to Him who is the “Light of the world.” Fulton Sheen would invite us to turn to her daily, pray the Rosary of her and Jesus’ joys and sorrows, and by so doing, join her in the work of reparation for sins.
When Fulton Sheen spoke of the Blessed Virgin Mary, it was personal. He loved her with the fire of a son and the reverence of a priest. He once said, “She is the one whom every man loves when he loves a woman.” Sheen honoured her deeply as Mother of God and Mother of souls. At the foot of the Cross, mysteriously, she became our co-sufferer, our co-redeemer, and the spiritual Mother of every soul who longs for Heaven.
Taking Her into Our Home
St. John, upon hearing the words addressed to him at the foot of the Cross, “Behold your mother,” received the Blessed Virgin into his own home with great filial affection (Jn. 19:27). One can only marvel at how her holy presence helped him to grow in holiness as he carried out his mission. Indeed, he was chosen as the first disciple to be closely mothered and formed by her, the first of many to come. Fulton Sheen reminds us “that if Christ Himself willed to be physically formed in her for nine months and then be spiritually formed by her for thirty years, it is to her that we must go to learn how to have Christ formed in us. Only she who raised Christ can raise a Christian.’’
Mary mothered the Apostles and the infant Church, and she can mother us now, today, if we but ask her. And so that begs the question: do we see ourselves as weak, helpless children, desirous of the kingdom of Heaven? In the case of Fulton Sheen, it was a resounding yes. He spoke often about how he would communicate with her every day, asking her questions about various things and acknowledging her presence in his life. Many of us boast about having a “personal relationship” with Jesus, but perhaps we still need to work on having a deeper personal relationship with His holy Mother.
Watch, Listen, Learn and Remain
When trying to teach a child a new skill, every good mother will say something like, “Listen and watch me to see how it’s done.” Or when she sees a possible spiritual pitfall on their horizon, it’s almost impossible for her not to give an admonition. Loving the Holy Mother as he did, Fulton Sheen often encouraged souls to ponder Our Lady’s life, so that through her intercession, they might learn from her how to listen and surrender their wills to the Father’s loving Will.
It truly can be said that the whole history of salvation hinged upon a single moment in Nazareth. A young woman, hidden from the world, whispered one word: Fiat. “Let it be done.” With that humble, courageous “yes,” Eternity entered time. God took on flesh. The long night of humanity was pierced by the Light of Divinity.
Mary’s fiat was not a hesitant agreement. It was a total surrender of her heart, mind, body, and soul. With the Holy Mother at our side, we need not fear the terror of the night, nor the uncertainties of the future.
Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen often said: “she gave herself completely to God without condition or fear. Her surrender was not blind. It was the surrender of a heart that trusted Love.” And here is the mystery: Mary’s fiat did not end at the Annunciation: it continued at Bethlehem, at Cana, at Calvary, and in every quiet hour of her hidden life. Her whole existence became a living “yes” to God.
God invites each of us to echo her fiat, to say “yes” to Him in our joys, in our uncertainties, and especially in our crosses. Every time a Christian says “yes” to God’s will, Mary’s fiat echoes again in their heart, and her obedience continues to form them into the likeness of God, in union with her Divine Son.
Mary is the mother of our mission, who leads us into the heart of her Son’s work: the salvation of souls. She does not keep us for herself but sends us out with the instruction: “Do whatever He tells you.”
Editor’s Note: This article is a part of a CE original series, “Cultivating the Soul of a Disciple with Blessed Fulton Sheen,” in celebration of and preparation for Archbishop Sheen’s beatification this September.
Author’s Note: This reflection is adapted from themes found in my latest book, The Soul of a Disciple: Fulton Sheen’s Meditations on the Cross, the Eucharist, and the Christian Life (Sophia Institute Press). It invites readers to journey more deeply into prayer, the Holy Eucharist, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the call to authentic Christian discipleship through the timeless wisdom of Blessed Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen.
Among the five guided retreats featured in The Soul of a Disciple is a ten-day pilgrimage with the Blessed Virgin Mary. Through Archbishop Sheen’s reflections, readers accompany her from Nazareth to Bethlehem, from Cana to Calvary, learning the meaning of trust, silence, obedience, reparation, compassion, Eucharistic love, and the gift of spiritual motherhood. Each meditation invites readers to echo Mary’s Fiat and to become faithful disciples who remain with Christ beneath the Cross.
For additional articles, books, radio programs, and free resources dedicated to Archbishop Sheen’s enduring message, visit www.BishopSheenToday.com.
Image from Wikimedia Commons
