This is from the Gospel of John chapter 19:28-30: “After this, Jesus, knowing that all was finished, said to fulfill the scripture, “I thirst”. A jar of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head, and gave up his spirit.” So, obviously, a powerful scene in the Bible. But what does Jesus mean “it is finished?” What is the it? A friend and I were studying this verse, so I asked him what “it” was. The exchange went like this: “Everything! Jesus did it all, so there’s nothing more to do because He did it all, and He even said so.” I pressed further, “So you say that it’s finished and nothing more needs to be done by anyone?” He replied, “That’s right. Nothing more can be done because Jesus did it all.” So I said, “So you’re saying that : –… Read More »It is finished…
In 1986, when he was 25 years old, drug addict Jonathan Wayne Nobles brutally attacked two women in Austin, Texas, stabbing them to death. He was arrested, and stood trial. He never took the stand, and virtually the entire case rested on his confession. It was an open and shut case. He was found guilty and, according to Texas law, sentenced to death. He was sent to Huntsville Prison. When he first arrived, he alienated almost everyone. He got into fights, broke away from the guards and physically harmed himself just to get out of his cell. But one of the people who befriended him was the priest who ministered to the prisoners. He encouraged Jon to attend Mass. So he did. He went once. And then again. And then again. And he kept going back. Something just clicked. After several months, Jon Nobles was baptized. And his life after that changed. Jon Nobles became known for his kindness, looking out for other inmates, ministering to them, quoting the scriptures. He developed a deep devotion… Read More »The Amazing Story of Jon Wayne Nobles
The Amazing Story of Jon Wayne Nobles
By Leslie Kowalski How many times have you prayed for a specific request, need or for a certain outcome or resolution to a problem, but it seemed your prayers weren’t answered? Does God hear you? Is He ignoring your need or painful situation? There are several reasons that you might not be receiving the response you had hoped for: Trusting God’s timing: His timing is different from ours. We want what we want and it’s usually right now! That’s not how He works. Place your trust in Him. He is always working in the background on situations we may not know or see. He always answers prayers. Sometimes the answer is, “Wait” or “not yet”. “Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10 Another purpose: God may have a plan that will ultimately serve your spiritual growth or your good better than what you could have imagined. In this case, He is saying, “No, I have something better for you.” “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord,… Read More »God…why don’t you answer my prayer?
God…why don’t you answer my prayer?
This eternal cry of man was asked by a young lady in my 8th grade Sunday School class. I gave the standard response of original sin and, in deference to the child, I threw in an analogy that Adam and Eve were “sent to their room” as a way to put it in perspective for an 8th grader. A couple of days later I awoke in the middle of the night with a better analogy. In the beginning Adam and Eve were with God from the beginning – and all was well. We all know the story of the fall; Adam should have been watching over Eve, Eve ate the apple, Adam ate the apple, etcetera. Enter a different God into the picture. A God Adam and Eve had not encountered before. A disappointed God, an angry God, a God whom they had betrayed. Now we know that God is all-knowing, all-good and all-powerful and He had to know this was coming. So, could God have simply wiped out the two troublemakers and started over?… Read More »If God is good; why evil?
If God is good; why evil?
Recently I was in jail to share the story of the Passion of Christ with the incarcerated and I mentioned how Jesus was left abandoned after He was betrayed by Judas. Every apostle – even Peter – walked away from Jesus when He needed them most. Indeed, not only did Peter abandon Him, but he even denied knowing Him. I then pointed out the irony that the only person to defend Jesus from the authorities after he was condemned was Judas (recall that Judas returned to the chief priests to recant his testimony against Jesus and to give back the thirty pieces of silver). And yet, Peter becomes a pillar of the church and Judas a pariah. How different would our history be had Judas returned to the Lord and said, “Lord I am so, so sorry…. have mercy on me”. Instead, we know that Judas – consumed with guilt and despair – hung himself. We have all denied Jesus, abandoned Jesus and even betrayed Jesus; this is why Good Friday and Holy Saturday are… Read More »Happy Easter
Happy Easter
Are You a Victim of Identity Theft? “And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.” Gen 2:19 (KJV) Here in the second chapter of Genesis we see the first time a person’s name is used in the Bible. Thus, in naming Adam, God claims authority over His creation and by allowing Adam to name the beasts and fowl they are put under his authority. But why is this important? It just seems to be one of those verses in the Bible that is often overlooked and not deeply contemplated or meditated upon. Juxtaposed between Adam’s loneliness in the previous passage and the creation of Eve (whom Adam also names) in the next, is this small, but important verse. So important, in fact, that it is one of the foundation stones of God’s law, and thus of the universe. Names… Read More »What’s in a name?
What’s in a name?
I am asked this a lot and, like any other ministry, if you have the demeanor for it, it is a phenomenal ministry. I remember the first time I went to jail, about twelve years ago. I was nervous, and completely out of my element because I’d never been in the jail before and although I’ve seen jails on television and in movies, it’s just not the same as the real thing. The deacon, the priest and I walked into the common room of the cell block and began setting up for mass. The priest with us that day was a retired priest named Father Joe who was preparing to celebrate Mass in the cell that day. Father Joe was wearing his alb (pronounced “all-buh” – a white robe worn by the priest during Mass) so you could not see his Roman collar. Soon, the prisoners began filing in one by one. The deacon and I shook each man’s hand and greeted them as they entered. I especially recall one inmate. He was dressed in… Read More »Tell Me About Prison Ministry
Tell Me About Prison Ministry
What is Lent? On Wednesday, February 18, 2026, the season of Lent begins. Lent signifies a forty-day period of prayer, fasting and penance in preparation for the Easter celebration and while the etymological root of the word has been lost to time, its meaning has not and the lessons and practices – though quintessentially Catholic – are meaningful and valid for all Christians. But what precisely is Lent? The synoptic Gospels (Matthew 4:1–11, Mark 1:12–13 and Luke 4:1–13) tell the story of how Jesus was led into the desert for forty days to be tempted by the devil, after which He began His public ministry. But why was Jesus tempted at all? Why did he have to endure it? For the same reason He did everything else. To show us the way! Some may ask “if we cannot earn our way to heaven, or merit our salvation through works, then what good is prayer, fasting and penance?” Like the image we see in the mirror, prayer, fasting and penance are the reflection of our faith[1].… Read More »What is Lent?
What is Lent?
Am I my brother’s keeper? Recently someone asked, “why do good people have to suffer?” I replied, “Because of original sin.” To which they said, “I know that, but why do I have to suffer when it was Eve who ate the apple, and not me?” The answer to this question is neither straightforward nor fulfilling. First off, the fall was not the result of Eve, because the covenant was made through Adam. Recall that when Eve ate the apple nothing happened, but when Adam ate the apple, the whole world fell apart. But that aside, Adam and Eve only committed one sin; how many have you committed? Besides, if we refuse our share of the sin of the first Adam, then we are also denying salvation of the second Adam.[1] This all began because Adam failed to do what he was created to do – till and keep the garden.[2] And as descendants of Adam, we must all answer for his negligence. Why? Because we are all mystically and inextricably linked and whether we… Read More »Am I My Brother’s Keeper?
Am I My Brother’s Keeper?
(NOTE: This is chapter four of my book “The Sinner’s Survival Guide“) Temptation I was hounded by temptation for most of my life. I resisted it plenty of times but many other times I gave into the temptation. But it didn’t matter. Whether I resisted or not, I always felt guilty. Guilt from temptation is something I struggled with greatly. For example, I used to read Mathew 5:28 in a very self-condemning way: But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Taken at face value, to me this meant that if I even looked at a woman and noticed she had hair like my wife’s or had a pretty dress or face that that was it! I’d sinned. I was doomed. It was as plain as anything – I looked at a woman, noticed something particular about her and because of this I was going to hell. I could have just gotten out of the confessional, simply looked at a woman… Read More »Temptation