Eyes Up to Heaven: Ascension and the Question of Humanity

Last updated on: May 30, 2025 at 8:29 am By Fr. Nicholas Sheehy, LC

In The Bicentennial Man, a lifelike robot seeks recognition as human. After two centuries, it concludes that the most human act is to die. It reasons this because death is an experience unique to humanity. Asimov’s story raises a perennial question: What does it mean to be human? The question becomes even more pressing today, in a world reshaped by artificial intelligence and technological advancement. What It Means To Be Human The Solemnity of the Ascension offers a Christian response... Read more

Church: Worship or Entertainment?

Last updated on: May 24, 2025 at 10:51 am By Fr. Nicholas Sheehy, LC

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Few forms of entertainment beat professional sports. The amount of production that goes into a professional sports event never ceases to amaze me. Recently, at a Carolina Hurricanes’ hockey game, it surprised me to see one of the filler activities. (What I mean by ‘filler activities’ is that, when there is no action on the rink, they do other things with fans to keep everybody engaged and entertained.) A young gentleman was playing a video game that the stadium transmitted... Read more

A Lion’s Roar and a Call for Peace

Last updated on: May 16, 2025 at 8:07 am By Fr. Nicholas Sheehy, LC

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Lions only roar when they have to do so. Our new Holy Father has taken the name “Leo,” which means “lion.” What are the things that concern him the most? His first week as Pope indicates that he is concerned about peace, unity, and our ability to love one another. God calls us to love one another (cf. Jn. 13:31-35). Something that strikes me about the Gospel readings during the Easter season is that they often come from the Last... Read more

Grace of the Sacraments and the Beauty and the Beast

Last updated on: May 8, 2025 at 6:33 am By Fr. Nicholas Sheehy, LC

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Unity and Communion: A Gospel Invitation Today’s Gospel (cf. Jn. 10:27-30) reveals the intimate union between the Father and the Son – a union that invites us to communion through sacramental grace. We have to learn to understand the sacramental nature of the world, as literature often communicates. For example, we could look at the sacramentality of Beauty and the Beast. First, we have to understand what a sacrament is. What is a Sacrament? Encountering Christ through Grace Celebrated worthily... Read more

What Trump Can Learn from St. Joseph the Worker

Last updated on: May 1, 2025 at 2:02 pm By Fr. Nicholas Sheehy, LC

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During his campaign, President Donald Trump touted his support for work and promised to support working-class America. Such a promise raised eyebrows, coming from a real estate magnate such as himself. Growing division in the country has made people suspicious of any willingness on the part of the wealthy to help the poor and the middle class. Trump’s claim to support workers should be evaluated not just economically, but morally, against models like St. Joseph the Worker. The conclusion of... Read more

From the Pain of Betrayal to the Security of Love

Last updated on: April 30, 2025 at 7:33 am By Fr. Nicholas Sheehy, LC

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We all feel at certain points in our lives the sting of betrayal, and sometimes even have the misfortune of inflicting it on others. Can love overcome failure? This is a question that is in all of our hearts, because we have all seen and lived failures in love. This question also reminds me of a couple I attended to once in marriage counseling. Pain of Betrayal The pain of betrayal was evident as I sat across from them. They... Read more

Locked Doors to Open Hearts: Divine Mercy Sunday

Last updated on: April 26, 2025 at 12:13 pm By Fr. Nicholas Sheehy, LC

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Did Pope John Paul II feel fear? One of the refrains of his papacy was “Be not afraid.” Brothers and sisters, do not be afraid to welcome Christ and accept his power. Help the Pope and all those who wish to serve Christ and with Christ’s power to serve the human person and the whole of mankind. Do not be afraid. Open wide the doors for Christ. To his saving power open the boundaries of States, economic and political systems,... Read more

Heaven, Hope, and Holiness

Last updated on: April 19, 2025 at 1:33 pm By Fr. Nicholas Sheehy, LC

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The Resurrection of Jesus that we celebrate on Easter calls us to have hope in the greatest goal of our lives: attaining joy in heaven forever with God. “Joy is the serious business of heaven”, wrote C.S. Lewis. The Resurrection of Jesus is not only the cornerstone of our faith, it is an invitation to a joy that this world cannot offer and too often forgets. We believe we long for pleasure and comfort, but deep down, we hunger for... Read more

Does God Suffer? What the Cross Really Reveals

Last updated on: April 15, 2025 at 7:48 am By Fr. Nicholas Sheehy, LC

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Does God Suffer? Christ chose to suffer on the cross. This challenges our understanding of human existence since suffering challenges and changes our understanding of the world. In July 1943, a terrified fourteen-year-old boy watched helplessly as thousands of bombs fell on his hometown. He and his friends had been conscripted only a few months earlier to operate an anti-aircraft battery built on a platform in the middle of a lake. With their radar jammed, their gun was useless against... Read more

Suffering: It is Better to Cry than to Be Angry

Last updated on: April 11, 2025 at 6:16 am By Fr. Nicholas Sheehy, LC

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Today, on Palm Sunday, the Church gives us a curious liturgy. We go from jubilation to suffering. In a single day, we commemorate the Triumphant Procession of Jesus into Jerusalem and his ignominious death on the Cross. The Crowd’s Contradiction We hear the crowds shout joyfully, Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest (Lk. 19:38). Later, in the Gospel of the Passion, we hear the crowds shout... Read more