Many Americans today are pessimistic about the stability of our nation given our polarised political climate and media. Thankfully, two significant upcoming dates give us reason to hope. In May, Catholics worldwide will celebrate Pentecost, which marks the 1,993rd birthday of the Catholic Church. In September, the Catholic Church will beatify the first American native-born bishop to become a saint: Archbishop Fulton Sheen. The proximity of these events serves as a powerful reminder that the Holy Spirit continues guiding America through the faithful witness of American Catholics such as Sheen.

Few people have positively influenced American society on such a massive scale as Sheen. He deeply cared about our nation’s trajectory – so much so that the very first episode of his Emmy-winning television programme, Life is Worth Living, focused on America’s founding principles and the need to stay true to them.

Sheen had an extraordinary ability to speak the truth in a way ordinary people could understand. He used modern technology such as television to place the message directly before those he might not otherwise have reached. In fact, he reached more than 100 million Americans each month, many of whom were evangelised by his discussions of faith, philosophy and history. Yet Sheen recognised that he was merely an instrument for achieving the Holy Spirit’s goals. Indeed, his deep devotion to the Holy Spirit, and openness to God’s calling, explain his remarkable global influence.

Sheen felt a calling to the priesthood from a very young age. He testified that answering this call brought him a profound sense of peace. To remain constantly open to God’s calling, Sheen devoted one continuous hour before the Eucharist every day from his ordination to the priesthood until the day he died.

In his autobiography, Sheen pondered how the Holy Spirit patiently invites each human being to follow God’s path. He emphasised how the fate of society depends upon cooperation with the Holy Spirit’s plan. His writings highlight pivotal biblical figures who embody this point: Samuel, Mary and the Apostles.

In 1 Samuel 3, God calls the young Samuel during the night. Samuel responds: “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.” Samuel’s openness to the Holy Spirit in that moment ultimately began his journey as a prophet and leader of Israel.

In the New Testament, the Virgin Mary receives a similar calling. God sends an archangel to ask Mary to participate in His plan for Jesus to enter the world. Only after Mary said, “let it be done to me”, did the Holy Spirit make her the mother of Jesus.

Consider for a moment that the fate of the entire world depended on Mary’s yes. Yet, as Sheen’s writings emphasised, the Holy Spirit did not force her into compliance. Instead, the Holy Spirit patiently waited for her to answer the call.

Similarly, the Holy Spirit emboldened the Apostles – who were known for their fear and weak faith before Pentecost – to preach the Gospel courageously and even die for their faith. At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles with tongues of fire, enabling them to preach the Gospel in a way people of all languages could understand. The Apostles’ openness to the Holy Spirit’s influence enabled them to bring 3,000 souls into the Catholic Church that day.

Nearly 2,000 years later, the Holy Spirit worked through Sheen to bring an estimated 30,000 people into the Catholic Church over the course of his life. Sheen famously refused to claim credit for these conversions, which he attributed to the Holy Spirit working through him. “If I did,” he once said, “I might think I made them, instead of the Lord.”

Indeed, Sheen repeatedly testified to the importance of cooperating with the Holy Spirit to change the world. He encouraged all of us to pray like Samuel – listening to God rather than making demands of Him – lest we miss God’s calling for our lives. He epitomised the boldness of those driven by the conviction of the Holy Spirit.

Sheen’s openness to the Holy Spirit made him a fearless evangeliser, one who cared more for truth than for pleasing mankind. The Holy Spirit, not mere charisma, made Sheen so effective. Today, his life and the feast of Pentecost remind us that the Holy Spirit still transforms nations through ordinary people willing courageously to answer God’s call.