Bob Burkett, Editor-in-Chief


Fulton J. Sheen was a Catholic American Archbishop who was given the title “Venerable” by Pope Benedict XVI in June 2012 and is on his way to beatification. During his life he was best known for his weekly Sunday night radio show The Catholic Hour and his 1950s television series entitled Life is Worth Living. Sheen also authored 20 books, including his practical guide for everyday life, “The Way to Happiness: An Inspiring Guide to Peace, Hope and Contentment.”

Sheen wrote this book with children and adults of all ages in mind. In Sheen’s own words, the purpose was “to bring solace, healing and hope to hearts; truth and enlightenment to minds; goodness, strength and resolution to wills.” Sheen applies the moral and spiritual principles of Catholicism to everyday problems to achieve these ends.

Indeed, the “Way to Happiness” reveals the Catholic conception of the good life. The true “Way to Happiness” is through a more perfect love of God and neighbor. A preview of the Table of Contents reveals the diversity of ways in which this love can be perfected. Love is reflected everywhere, whether it be work, children, romantic love or everyday interactions with our fellow human beings. Sheen hopes to teach us how to properly order our lives so that in each of these dimensions we can perfect our love of God and neighbor.

Despite the fact that it was originally published in 1953, the book’s descriptions of the social pathologies of selfishness, envy, covetousness and jealousy are as timely today as they were in the past. Sheen functions as a doctor of the human soul, providing rational and spiritual diagnoses of the problems and addressing the steps to find their cures.

For example, human beings seek contentment. The main spiritual disease causing discontent is egotism. In order to be content one must accept his own place in life and recognize his own limits. Sheen says that the key is realizing that God endowed us with certain abilities and created us in a specific place and time. Thus, faith in God’s loving plan – especially during the trials he sends us – allows us to be content with ourselves and our limitations.

Furthermore, Sheen writes of the importance of a good conscience and a mortification of desires. One cannot be content with a “bad” conscious creating interior friction. Limiting our desires also prevents an unhealthy attachment to material objects.

Aiding Sheen’s concise and simple elucidations of modern moral complexities are his extensive use of concrete analogies. As an example for discontentment, he tells the story of a bird and canary who envy one another and choose to switch places. The fish is placed in a cage and the canary is placed in water. Neither is happy because they have not been created for those environments, showing us that God places us in circumstances and places according to our natures and abilities.

A simple, pocket-sized and short book of only 170 pages, “The Way to Happiness” is both quickly read and easily grasped despite the profundity of the messages communicated. It is an ideal book for meditation, but can also be a useful aid in everyday life. The beauty of the simplicity and concreteness of the work is that the truths expressed could be equally understood by both an adult and a child.

The only complaint I have about the book is that I wish it was longer and had a chapter specifically dedicated to strengthening Catholics to overcome conflicts with others. Much of the work focuses on the cultivation of the inner life, but the difficulty of living such a life is too often overlooked. Another chapter could have been beneficial in addressing how to respond to the opposition to the Catholic way of life and encouraging Catholics to persevere in their hardships.

Overall, I would highly recommend this book for Catholics of all ages interested in deepening their faith and learning to live it out more practically in everyday life. The wisdom Sheen provides is simple yet powerful and everyone will gain at least a few new spiritual insights from reading this book.

Overall: 9/10

Email Bob Burkett at rburkett@nd.edu to discuss more ways to happiness.