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?
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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
Temptation
This can be tricky question to answer because no matter what I recommend I am sure to upset someone. But if I’m honest, (and I try to be) I can answer the question with decorum, sensitivity, and above all, truth and the first thing I would point out is that the last thing I want to do is to make this decision for someone else. YOU must be the one who makes this decision because YOU are the one who must live with the consequences (which can be eternal). Make no mistake, this can be a divisive topic! In fact, did you know that in the Bible the first recorded Church service ended when one-half of the congregation killed the other half over a dispute regarding over how to worship God? What? You never heard of the story of Cain and Abel? If someone is asking “What church should I belong to” it usually means that they are unhappy or unfulfilled in their own church; to which I say GOOD! This means that God is prompting you to examine your relationship with… Read More »What Church Should I Belong To?
What Church Should I Belong To?
Happy New Year – Welcome to 2026! Where does the time go and how is it that I find myself in the year 2026 already? How did I get here? Simple; one day at a time. We are linear beings who are tied to this string called time and pulled ever forward into the future. Are you ready for tomorrow? Well, ready or not, here it comes. Anyone remember Y2K? I do, and it’s hard for me to believe that one fourth of the twenty first century is already gone. Where did it go? It slipped past us one day at a time. I was praying with someone the other day when this same topic came up and there was (not surprisingly) a fear of the future. The person had many questions like, “What will happen to my family?”, “What if I die early?” and “What if I don’t make it to heaven?” All were valid questions. The Bible tells us over one hundred times to not be afraid[1] and while this is good… Read More »New Year 2026
New Year 2026
Christmas 2025 Did you ever in your life think that simply saying “Merry Christmas” could ever become offensive – to anyone? Times have certainly changed – and not necessarily for the better. Yet, through it all, there is a definite peace about the earth. Much like the blanket of new fallen snow that silently dampens my backyard, so too the world becomes silent – and yet, something is stirring; something is happening. Christ is near, and nothing else matters. We are so unbelievably blessed to live in these times. Six thousand years of human history…and in only 1/3 of that time did people have the chance to know Jesus. Can you imagine the scene at His birth? The sound of angels singing? The archangels blending their voices in harmony, the cherubim offering their angelic praises, all joining in so as to be part of this singular and holy event. He who was above, is now – if only for a brief time – among us to gain for us our redemption. And now, 2,025 years… Read More »Christmas 2025