The Church is Always Out of Step–and That’s a Good Thing
One of the fascinating things about human nature is how mercurial it is. And one of the things I appreciate about the Catholic tradition is
May 28, 2026
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Welcome to the website of Catholic author Mark Shea! Read his recent musings on the blog, or purchase his books from the store.
Recent Posts
Eucharistic Christ vs. Predatory Antichrist
The gospel offers us a God who takes our sins upon himself and offers himself to us as food so that we can lay down
May 27, 2026
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Interesting Question from a Reader Regarding John the Baptist and Kosher Law
A reader asks: “Why did Elijah and John the Baptist wear camel hair when camels aren’t kosher? Is this something significant to Jews that we
May 26, 2026
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My reply to an endlessly repeated bit of glib smugness
You’ve seen it a million times: To which I reply: Religion: Spirituality: Chesterton responded to this sort of rubbish a century ago: The message of
May 25, 2026
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Dive into the Sheavings
The Most Heroic Thing I Have Ever Witnessed
On January 11, 2009, we went to Noon Mass at Blessed Sacrament parish in Seattle. It was being celebrated by our visiting priest, but after he processed up to the altar, we were astonished to see that Fr. Tom Kraft had taken a seat beside him. Fr. Tom is one of the
Through Water to Light
In Striking the Rock, the theme of the biblical readings was water. Water in the wilderness in Exodus. Water at the well in John. Water from the struck Rock. Water that ultimately points to the water from the wounded side of Christ and, beyond that, to baptism. Elsewhere in John, the
Freedom from Fear
Seventy years ago Franklin Roosevelt offered his vision of the Four Freedoms, including the Freedom from Fear. Roosevelt addressed what was then a largely Christian nation. These days, our rapidly de-Christianizing nation is discovering that a Culture of Death is also a Culture of Fear. From massacres in high schools,
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About Mark Shea
Greetings! I’m Mark P. Shea, a Catholic author and blogger who’s also done a spot of podcasting and even acting here and there, as well as radio and TV work. My latest book, The Church’s Best-Kept Secret: A Primer on Catholic Social Teaching was published in September 2020 by New City Press. Other works include By What Authority?: An Evangelical Discovers Catholic Tradition (Ignatius), Mary, Mother of the Son, This is My Body: An Evangelical Discovers the Real Presence (Christendom), and Making Senses Out of Scripture: Reading the Bible as the First Christians Did (Basilica), Salt and Light: The Commandments, the Beatitudes, and a Joyful Life (Servant), The Heart of Catholic Prayer: Rediscovering the Our Father and the Hail Mary (Our Sunday Visitor) and The Work of Mercy: Being the Hands and Heart of Christ (Servant).
I can also be found on Facebook (here and here) and Twitter. If you like my work and want to see more of it, please become one of my supporters on Patreon…..
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Making Senses Out of Scripture: Reading the Bible as the First Christians Did (Kindle)
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