Few men in the 2,000-year history of Christianity have had such a great and spiritually positive influence upon the Catholic Church as Bishop Fulton Sheen. The author of many books and the first televangelist, he touched the lives of millions of people all over the world.

What made this man of God so special was a keen intellect combined with a profound humility. He often said that the secret to his great success in touching hearts and winning souls for Christ was that every day of his life he would set aside an hour of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. This is known as a holy hour of prayer, because it is spent in the Presence of Jesus, truly, personally, and really Present in the Most Blessed Sacrament.

Bishop Sheen called this the hour of power, and the purpose of every talk he ever gave was to inspire everyone, priests and laity alike to make a daily holy hour. He would quote Jesus in saying that whoever would remain in union with Our Lord in "the Blessed Sacrament" for an hour of prayer would "bear much fruit". When Bishop Sheen spoke, everyone listened, even those who were not of the Catholic faith. His message was both compelling and transcending.

A couple of months before his death he was interviewed on national television. One of the questions was this: "Bishop Sheen, you have inspired millions of people all over the world. Who inspired you? Was it a Pope?"

Bishop Sheen responded that it was not a Pope, a Cardinal, another Bishop, or even a priest or a nun. It was a little Chinese girl of eleven years of age. He explained that when the Communists took over China, they imprisoned a priest in his own rectory near the Church.

After they locked him up in his own house, the priest was horrified to look out of his window and see the Communists proceed into the Church, where they went into the sanctuary and broke into the tabernacle. In an act of hateful desecration, they took the ciborium and threw it on the floor with all of the Sacred Hosts spilling out. The priest knew exactly how many Hosts were in the ciborium: thirty-two.

When the Communists left, they either did not notice, or didn't pay any attention to a small girl praying in the back of the Church who saw everything that had happened.

That night the little girl came back. Slipping past the guard at the priest's house, she went inside the Church. There she made a holy hour of prayer, an act of love to make up for the act of hatred. After her holy hour she went into the sanctuary, knelt down, bent over and with her tongue received Jesus in Holy Communion, since it was not permissible at that time for laymen to touch the Sacred Host with their hands.

The little girl continued to come back each night to make her holy hour and receive Jesus in Holy Communion on her tongue. On the thirty-second night, after she had consumed the last and thirty-second host, she accidentally made a noise and woke the guard who was sleeping. He ran after her, caught her, and beat her to death with the butt of his rifle.

This act of heroic martyrdom was witnessed by the priest as he watched grief-stricken from his bedroom window.

When Bishop Sheen heard the story he was so inspired that he promised God he would make a holy hour of prayer before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament everyday of his life. If this little Chinese girl could risk her life everyday to express her love for Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament with a holy hour and Holy Communion, then, at the very least, the Bishop thought he should do the same.

If this frail, little child could give testimony and witness to the world concerning the real and wonderful Presence of her Savior in the Blessed Sacrament, then the Bishop was absolutely bound by all that was right and true, to do the same. Bishop Sheen, henceforth, would not be afraid to speak out on the love of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. His sole desire from then on was to bring the world to the Burning Heart of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. The little girl showed the Bishop what true courage and zeal really is; how faith could overcome all fear, how true love for Jesus in the Eucharist must transcend life itself.

Everywhere Bishop Sheen preached on the value and benefits of the Holy Hour of prayer. Invited to give retreats to Bishops all over the world, this was his main theme and objective.

The Bishops who responded to the message of the importance of the daily holy hour are the Bishops who now invite me into their dioceses to spread perpetual adoration in their parishes.

This means that the act of courage and heroic love expressed by that little Chinese girl so long ago still continues to influence and impact the Church today. She inspired Bishop Sheen, who in return has inspired millions with love of the Blessed Sacrament. Those who are now Bishops who were inspired by Bishop Sheen, now inspire every member of their diocese by encouraging perpetual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament throughout their dioceses.

Reprinted from http://www.cardinalkungfoundation.org/articles/shineout.htm