The Work of Mercy: Pray for the Living and the Dead, Part 2
One can always get all navel-gazey about this sort of thing, and sometimes motives are worth a look. After prayer for Hitchens went out, it
April 2, 2026
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The Work of Mercy: Pray for the Living and the Dead, Part 1
One of the sillier jokes told about Catholics is the one about the guy who gets ushered inside the pearly gates by St. Peter. As
April 1, 2026
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The Work of Mercy: Comfort the Afflicted, Part 2
Of course, there are many kinds of affliction, and all the corporal works of mercy, from feeding the hungry to burying the dead, aim to
March 31, 2026
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The Work of Mercy: Comfort the Afflicted, Part 1
As I was writing this book, I got an earache. I don’t mean a little twingy pain, like a headache or a sore toe. I
March 30, 2026
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Dive into the Sheavings
Unto Us a Child is Born
Every December 1, my mind fleets back to 1986 and to a small bedroom in a small apartment in Seattle. My wife, Janet, and I had just opened the first window in the Advent calendar when Jan announced that I had better call the doctor because it looked like it
Confirmation: The Gift of Counsel
Proverbs 15:22 tells us, “Without counsel plans go wrong, but with many advisers they succeed.” One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit given in Confirmation is the gift of Counsel. That’s a gift that can work in a couple of different ways and it is one of which the
Eternity and the Future
August 2000 marks my 42nd birthday. It is a strange thing to arrive at this particular birthday because I’ve been looking forward to it for about 30 years or so and yet, now that it’s here, it does not at all seem like what I expected back then. Back then, in
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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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