When Father Sean Sheehy gave a homily against sin and explained the importance of forgiveness, all hell broke loose. That’s if you actually believe in hell, which a fair few Irish priests, Catholics and Bishops, judging from their reaction to Fr Sheehy’s sermon, don’t seem to.
As I explained at the time, it did not surprise me that there were walk-outs from the Mass itself. This is what the church in Ireland has come to. The priest is permitted to baptise the children, marry them and bury them, but at all costs refrain from making their congregation feel uncomfortable by talking about sin, and especially sexual sin.
In fact, there was a silent protest the following Sunday because people were so upset by Fr Sheehy’s reference to sin. “A “silent” protest will take place tomorrow at the church where controversial priest Fr Sean Sheehy was roundly condemned for his comments which condemned transgenderism, same-sex couples, and supplying condoms to teenagers. Flowers are to be laid at the front of St Mary’s Church Listowel, as part of an event being organised by the LGBTQ+ community during the main Sunday mass.”
It would not surprise me if someone brought an actual “Down With This Sort Of Thing” made famous in Father Ted.
I find the approach of “who are you to judge, how dare you talk about sin at Mass, where is his compassion” very disingenuous. First, the priest was being compassionate – he was warning his parishioners that committing sins, especially mortal sins, is a one-way ticket to hell, unless you repent. There is nothing compassionate about abandoning your flock to a life of sin.
In reality, the mainstream media and the woke mob in general (the two being the same to my mind) were not upset that Fr Sean Sheehy was talking about sin. What they didn’t like is that he condemned sexual sin.
If Father Sheehy had condemned governments for not having open borders, or not committing to net-zero, or talked about the importance of pronouns, or had taken the knee before a Black Lives Matter flag (instead of Our Lady) or sported a rainbow flag t-shirt, for instance, he would have been declared a hero. So, please, spare me the faux outrage of “how dare he call out sin”.
It got worse. Asked whether Fr Sheehy, who is a retired priest, should be saying Mass in Ireland in the future considering the fact that he believes he was right, a Fr Hazelwood said: “it’s up to the Bishop of Kerry but I don’t think many priests in Kerry will be inviting him to fill in for them”.
I don’t know about you, but I think we could all do with a little more fire and brimstone in our lives. When Jesus found that the temple had been turned into a market place, he didn’t go around saying, so nice to meet you, do carry on. No, he declared to them, “It is written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer.’ But you are making it ‘a den of robbers.”
In fact, if you are not made a little bit uncomfortable by the homily now and again, I don’t think the priest is doing it right. We could do with more warnings about what will get you firmly on the road to hell, such as, and in no particular order, watching filth that passes for entertainment on television, losing your temper or neglecting the poor and sick. If you are like me, you know deep down that you don’t go to confession enough.
Finally, the big difference between secular sins and Christian sin, is that in Christianity you can be forgiven for sins. Father Sheehy also said: “but how will people know that God wants to forgive them if we don’t tell them? How will people who are lost be found if we, as God’s people, don’t call them and say “Look! God loves you! He has come to call sinners! And he wants you to have life, and have it to the full. That’s what he wants. He wants you to have life, and live it to the fullest.”
This is the biggest distinction between Christianity and the woke-mob. If you commit a sin in the eyes of the woke, their condemnation of you will be swift and brutal. You could lose your job and livelihood. And even if you repent (which you should never do) you will stay cancelled. There is no forgiveness or redemption in their eyes. You are an irredeemably bad person never to be welcomed back into the fold. Whereas, if you are lost in the eyes of God, you can always be found. We know that “there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.”
Areas of Catholic Herald business are still recovering post-pandemic.
However, we are reaching out to the Catholic community and readership, that has been so loyal to the Catholic Herald. Please join us on our 135 year mission by supporting us.
We are raising £250,000 to safeguard the Herald as a world-leading voice in Catholic journalism and teaching.
We have been a bold and influential voice in the church since 1888, standing up for traditional Catholic culture and values. Please consider donating.