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Politics and Religion

2025-08-25T20:50:34-07:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Lesson of Humility from a Styrofoam Cup

Last updated on: August 25, 2025 at 8:50 pm By Fr. Nicholas Sheehy, LC

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Born into nobility and made a cardinal at just 22, Charles Borromeo could have chased power. Instead, he chose humility. His uncle, Pope Pius IV, paved the way for a very political career within the Church. In a Church world rocked by scandal and the Protestant Reformation, we might have expected St. Charles Borromeo to be corrupted by the power and prestige that surrounded him. Today’s liturgy emphasizes the importance of humility. (cf. Sir. 3:17-18, 20, 28-29; Lk. 14:1, 7-14)... Read more

Faith and Mental Health

2025-08-21T09:17:51-07:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Re-Centering Worship: Liturgical Combat of Clericalism

Last updated on: August 21, 2025 at 9:17 am By Fr. Nicholas Sheehy, LC

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If clericalism arises when priests become the focus of worship, then a liturgical orientation that places Christ, not the celebrant, at the visual and theological center of the Mass is a simple and powerful remedy. The Second Vatican Council is the most important Church event of the 20th century. Bishops from around the world gathered at the beckoning of Pope John XXIII to renew the Church and face the unique difficulties of the modern world. One of the notable consequences... Read more

Relationships and Religion

2025-08-18T11:52:40-07:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The Narrow Door and the Acquired Taste of Heaven

Last updated on: August 18, 2025 at 11:52 am By Fr. Nicholas Sheehy, LC

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This summer, I ate more mushrooms than I ever thought possible. I was staying at a retreat center in Mexico, and they seemed to appear at every meal – mushrooms in omelets at breakfast, mushrooms in soup at lunch, even mushrooms tucked into a crepe at dinner. The funny thing is, I never used to like mushrooms. As a kid, I would avoid them. But somewhere along the way, my taste changed, and now I’ve learned to appreciate them. Jesus... Read more

2025-08-23T05:53:39-07:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Beyond the Pulpit: Combating Clericalism through Synodality

Last updated on: August 23, 2025 at 5:53 am By Fr. Nicholas Sheehy, LC

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“Clericalism” is a hot-button issue. Throughout his pontificate, Pope Francis criticized clericalism. Clericalism is an “exaggeration of the role of the clergy to the detriment of the laity. In a culture of clericalism, clerics are put on a pedestal and the laity are overly deferential and submissive to them” (Bishop Thomas Zinkula, “Bishop Addresses Issue of Clericalism.” The Catholic Messenger). He invited priests to reflect on their role as leaders in the Church. He opened up opportunities for non-clergy to participate... Read more

2025-08-13T14:56:49-07:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Sometimes, You Just Feel Like Jeremiah

Last updated on: August 13, 2025 at 2:56 pm By Fr. Nicholas Sheehy, LC

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“Jeremiah” was one of my nicknames early on in my formation. A priest, whom I deeply respect and admire, began to call me that. He explained that Jeremiah complained a lot and that I reminded him of the prophet. Sometimes, we all feel like Jeremiah in the first reading. He was following God’s instructions to go and preach about the imminent destruction of Jerusalem. It was not a popular message. For his trouble, they sent him down a cistern. At... Read more

General Christian

Faith and Mental Health

2025-08-05T16:24:17-07:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Staying Catholic in College: Five Tips for a Stronger Faith

Last updated on: August 5, 2025 at 4:24 pm By Fr. Nicholas Sheehy, LC

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As summer turns to fall, students are heading off to college, many for the first time. With 2025 seeing the largest-ever high school graduating class, campuses across the country will be fuller than ever with new students ready to explore college life. Leaving home for the first time invites reflection on personal values, as home fades into the background and new friendships come into focus. What should you do to hold on to your faith? Find Sunday Mass Before you... Read more

General Christian

2025-08-05T14:38:13-07:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Making the Sign of the Cross – Even at McDonald’s

Last updated on: August 5, 2025 at 2:38 pm By Fr. Nicholas Sheehy, LC

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Do you bless your meal in public? I remember working at a Catholic Summer Camp once. After a day of fun, we were driving back to the camp for the night. We stopped to eat at a McDonald’s, and we made sure to say the blessing of the meal beforehand. Everyone in the restaurant was looking at us. The boys loved it. They wanted to bear testimony to their faith in a public place. This small gesture, the sign of... Read more

2025-08-01T21:34:24-07:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Greed is Never Satisfied: Jesus vs. Gordon Gekko

Last updated on: August 1, 2025 at 9:34 pm By Fr. Nicholas Sheehy, LC

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The first time I read D.H. Lawrence’s “Rocking Horse Winner” about greed, it left a chill in my heart. It tells the story of a simple family, living in an apartment, with a particular preoccupation: money. The little boy notices the anguish his parents suffer, and he decides to take it upon himself to provide money for the family. He begins to ride his rocking-horse, but with an entirely new purpose. It is no longer a simple toy of a... Read more

2025-07-31T11:47:59-07:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

University Education and St. John Henry Newman

Last updated on: July 31, 2025 at 11:47 am By Fr. Nicholas Sheehy, LC

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University students across the English-speaking world owe a debt of gratitude to Cardinal Newman. Newman is the English cleric who grew up Anglican and became Catholic due to a long discernment. He eventually became a Cardinal of the Catholic Church. Many college chaplaincies take St. John Henry Newman as their patron by naming the chaplaincy a Newman Center. Pope Leo XIII made him a cardinal in 1879, and today Pope Leo XIV made him a Doctor of the Church. What... Read more

St. John Henry Newman

university

2025-05-30T08:29:23-07:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

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

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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

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