Getting to the Heart of Scripture With Galileo

Last updated on: October 14, 2024 at 8:36 am By Fr. Nicholas Sheehy, LC

Galileo’s fascination with the stars prompted his interest in mathematics and Scripture. Beyond the science of astronomy; astrology, engineering, and mathematics also piqued his interest. Although he lived a life that did not follow Church doctrine at every moment, he was proud of the fact that he was Catholic. Astrology caught his fancy as a young man. As the Church condemned it and he discovered its weak points, he distanced himself from astrology. His investigations into the scientific method set... Read more

Can A True Disciple Stay in the Church?

Last updated on: October 14, 2024 at 9:12 am By Fr. Nicholas Sheehy, LC

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What does it mean for us to be a disciple? Hopefully, we all want to follow Jesus. We probably ascribe to this on a theoretical level. But what happens when following Jesus means leaving behind our own comfort zone. Maybe we need to reflect whether we are we disciples or admirers of Jesus. Jesus challenged James and John to reflect on their own attitudes in following him in the Gospel passage Mk. 10:35-45. The great American theologian Stanley Hauerwas tells... Read more

Do Good and Avoid Evil

Last updated on: October 7, 2024 at 6:18 am By Fr. Nicholas Sheehy, LC

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The Gospel story of the rich young man is the story of someone who wanted to do good and avoid evil. When he went to Christ, he was not impressed hearing the commandments, with which he was already familiar. Christ does not condemn him for his decision to walk away, but the Gospel author makes sure to note that he “went away sad” (Mk. 10:22). If we do not rise to the occasion to live out the Gospel, we will... Read more

Do You Have a 50% Chance of Divorce?

Last updated on: October 2, 2024 at 6:56 am By Fr. Nicholas Sheehy, LC

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The people Jesus was addressing in the Gospel had a fixed mindset regarding marriage and divorce. We can fall into the same thing, holding on to the well-known – yet outdated – statistic that half of marriages end in divorce. The truth is much more nuanced. There are 86 divorces every hour, compared to 230 marriages an hour Marriage and divorce rates in the U.S. are decreasing for a range of reasons Estimates say 41% of first marriages will end... Read more

Who Wants You To Be Happy?

Last updated on: October 2, 2024 at 6:53 am By Fr. Nicholas Sheehy, LC

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Do you believe that God wants you to be happy? Do you believe that the Church wants you to be happy? It seems like so often we look at God’s rules and the Church’s rules as an obstacle to our happiness. Meanwhile, it seems that the world is offering us pleasure without consequences. The Church tells us that this is a lie – and it really is one. The reality is quite the opposite. Growing up, I once had the... Read more

Ambition is Just the Shadow of a Dream

Last updated on: September 19, 2024 at 11:53 am By Fr. Nicholas Sheehy, LC

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What place does ambition have in the life of a Christian? In Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, the main character struggles with his own desire to become king. He has to reflect on the nature of his deep emotional draw to the crown and his advisor, Rosencrantz tells him that “the very substance of the ambitious is merely the shadow of a dream” (Guildenstern in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet). The tragedy of young Hamlet shows that ill-advised ambition can lead to ruin. Yet,... Read more

5 Things You May Not Know About the Liturgy of the Hours

Last updated on: September 24, 2024 at 6:24 pm By Fr. Nicholas Sheehy, LC

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I have met many young people who want to grow deeper in their prayer life and at some point come across the liturgy of the hours, wondering if this might be a good way to get some more prayer time. However, they usually find it difficult to get started. Here are five things that you should know about praying the Liturgy of the Hours. Video on Youtube 1. Lots of Names One of the first disorienting facts is that we... Read more

Discovering Jesus at the Beatification of Pope John Paul II

Last updated on: September 10, 2024 at 8:42 am By Fr. Nicholas Sheehy, LC

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Today’s Gospel shows the disciples speaking with Jesus, getting to the heart of the question of his identity. At the core of this question lies the disciples’ search for happiness. We too search for happiness, only to be often disappointed by disillusionment, pain, and suffering. This happens because we become attached to the illusion of happiness and forget to look for Jesus himself. I want to share an experience that led me closer to an encounter with Jesus himself. To... Read more

If God Wrote the Bible, Why Are There Errors?

Last updated on: September 2, 2024 at 7:09 pm By Fr. Nicholas Sheehy, LC

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One of the great challenges when we begin to read the Bible is discovering what we would first understand as errors. Reading comprehension of complicated and ancient documents is usually challenging enough; interpreting what is already a somewhat opaque religious text adds another layer of difficulty. Reading the Bible can be a powerful experience, truly incomparable to reading other literary texts. There is a dialogue happening between various actors; we have the human author, the divine author, and the reader.... Read more

God Opens Our Ears Before He Opens Our Mouths

Last updated on: September 6, 2024 at 7:36 am By Fr. Nicholas Sheehy, LC

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God opens our ears before he opens our mouths. The order of these actions is significant. If we do not listen first, we will not speak wisely. We notice this in the natural world when we find somebody who has difficulty hearing–his or her speech is also usually affected. Jesus opened the ears and mouth of this man who was deaf with a speech impediment (cf. Mk. 7:31-37). We re-live this Gospel scene at baptisms. It is an optional rite... Read more

What material was used to make Moses' basket waterproof?