Raskolnikov, Ezra, and the Freedom of the Gospel

January 25, 2025 By Fr. Nicholas Sheehy, LC

Raskolnikov, the main character from Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment, wants to experience freedom. He is arrogant, indecisive, and young. The young man feels trapped by his circumstances and decides to take action to improve his situation. The indecisive young man kills his landlady and her sister and spends the rest of the novel trying to justify his actions to himself. Although he is seeking freedom from poverty and oppression, his unfettered actions bring him anguish instead. He lets the spirit... Read more

Intimacy with Christ and the Wedding at Cana

January 18, 2025 By Fr. Nicholas Sheehy, LC

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Belonging to Christ invites us to grow in intimacy with him. Last week, we celebrated the Baptism of Jesus and were able to reflect on the mystery of belonging to both Christ and the Church through our own baptism. This week in the liturgy, we get to see Jesus and his disciples celebrate at a wedding. Both baptisms and weddings are big family affairs, but what is different between the two? A baptism is focused on one child, who is... Read more

Belonging to Jesus through the Gift of Baptism

January 8, 2025 By Fr. Nicholas Sheehy, LC

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We all have a desire of belonging to something. Today, as we celebrate the Baptism of Jesus, we can think about this concept of belonging. Baptism is the sacrament by which we belong as members of the Church. There is an implicit awareness of this in many families who continue with the tradition of baptism, even though they may not attend church assiduously. As we celebrate the Baptism of Jesus, we should ask ourselves about our own sense of belonging.... Read more

Three Wise Men Teach Us To Be A Pilgrim

January 4, 2025 By Fr. Nicholas Sheehy, LC

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What does it mean to be a pilgrim? A pilgrimage is one of the great religious experiences, common to several religious traditions. My first conscious experience of pilgrimage came when I was going to World Youth Day in Paris in 1997. I was excited about the opportunity. My friends and I had spent two years fundraising and planning so we could make the trip. I thought, “wow, this is great that we get to visit Europe while we are still... Read more

Holy Family, Holy Families

December 28, 2024 By Fr. Nicholas Sheehy, LC

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The family is the basic building block of society. As we celebrate the Holy Family, it is good to celebrate the human reality of family. The family should be at the center of our public policy because the family creates and forms our most important asset: our children. A society that does not value its children is a society destined for destruction. Through the centuries, the Church has promoted this natural institution. Pope John Paul II Reflects on Marriage St.... Read more

Indifference and the Mystery of the Incarnation

December 23, 2024 By Fr. Nicholas Sheehy, LC

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St. Alphonsus Liguori tells a story of St. Francis of Assisi. The indifference he found in people caused his heart to ache. People would see him as Christmas drew near, and they would notice him crying. St. Francis was quick to defend himself. Why should I not weep when I see that love is not loved! I see a God who became human for the love of humanity and humanity that is ungrateful to this God (St. Francis of Assisi).... Read more

Secular Culture and Popular Piety

December 20, 2024 By Fr. Nicholas Sheehy, LC

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As we get closer to Christmas, Jesus is inviting us to recognize the reality of his becoming man to save us from our sins. Christmas reminds us of the incarnational nature of our faith. God is Spirit, but as humans at the horizon between the spiritual and the material, God also speaks to us through material reality. In spiritual life, this comes out particularly in popular piety. Popular piety refers to the devotions that are common among the Christian faithful.... Read more

Finding Meaning During Advent

December 13, 2024 By Fr. Nicholas Sheehy, LC

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What meaning does your life have? We are often unaware of how many lives we touch. It is one of the reasons I have always enjoyed the movie It’s a Wonderful Life. The main character, George Bailey, gets himself into a real financial crunch. He comes close to despair, and, near the beginning of the movie, we see him staring down from a bridge into an icy river. God intervenes in his moment of desperation by sending an angel named... Read more

Escaping Noise to Find the Word

December 7, 2024 By Fr. Nicholas Sheehy, LC

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Noise can keep us from hearing what is most important. The noise of the world can easily suck us in and distract us from what is truly important. In a noisy world, we need prophets like John the Baptist to wake us up and call us back to our senses. “John went throughout the whole region of the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Lk. 3:3). How do we escape the noise of the world... Read more

Advent is About Not Giving Up

December 1, 2024 By Fr. Nicholas Sheehy, LC

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Recently, I heard the story of Jason Evert’s recent trip to Australia. Jason is a well-known chastity speaker. Schools often invite him so that he can share a pro-purity message to their students. His recent trip to Australia, however, was met with some fierce opposition. Resistance to a Pro-Chastity Message Some parents, especially mothers, were concerned about Jason giving antiquated messaging regarding sexuality to their young girls. They had raised them to be “strong and independent,” not to fit into... Read more