Fulton Sheen was beatified in St. Louis on September 24. The Catholic archbishop is remembered for bringing Christian teaching to large audiences through radio and television.
At the Mass, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle spoke about Sheen’s relationship with Christ and his closeness to people, particularly those who were poor or vulnerable. Vatican News reports that Tagle asked listeners to consider more than how many people watched or listened to him.
I appreciate that Sheen was willing to use the tools people were paying attention to. He had something he wanted to explain, and he learned how to reach people where they were. Christians can do that with today’s technology too.
AI gives a small church or an individual more help with things like research, editing and translation. That could mean getting a useful explanation in front of someone who wouldn’t otherwise come across it. I want people of faith to learn enough to take part in that work.
It also means knowing what we’re saying. If I use AI to help explain a passage of Scripture, I need to read the passage and check the explanation. I don’t want to put my name on an answer just because it sounds good. My faith shapes the questions I bring to the tool and how I work through what comes back.
Sheen worked in a different time, with different tools. What interests me here is his willingness to learn them. There’s room for a Christian to become good at making a video or using AI while continuing to study, pray and depend on the Holy Spirit. I’d like to see more of us do that.