Author page: Fr. Barnabas Powell

  We live in a cynical world, and the dangers of cynicism lie in the deadening effect of cynicism on hope and joy. There is nothing more hopeless and sad than a cynic who simply can’t allow himself to believe in something better. The death of faith always comes after the loss of the vision…

You’ve met them before. They are the ones who aren’t the center of attention, but they recognize who should be the center of attention and introduce those folks to everyone else. These people seem to have the knack of recognizing who should lead, who should speak, and who should be the example for everyone else.…

Have you ever looked at your schedule and thought “Wow, how am I ever going to finish all this?” Yea, me too! I sometimes wonder about all our “busyness.” Is mere abundance of activity really necessary, or are we doing so much to “hide” from something? Just looking at my own children’s schedule of dance…

There is an old story about a monk who was bothered by the insults from his fellow brothers, so he went to the wise abbot and asked what he should do to overcome these feelings of hurt, resentment, and anger. The old man looked at the young monk and instructed him to go to the…

He arrived in the US with $26 in his pocket from an Eastern European country. In his native land, he sold music records (remember those!) to make ends meet. But he spent every penny he had to buy an old computer that costs as much as someone made in a year in his country. He…

I love this line from Shakespeare: “Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio; a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy; he hath borne me on his back a thousand times; and now, how abhorred in my imagination it is! My gorge rims at it. Here hung those lips that I have kissed I…

Marketing experts expect U.S. companies to spend over 177 BILLION dollars on advertising and marketing this year. (eMarketer.com, August 22, 2013) While TV advertising is still number one in marketing dollars, online ads are gaining ground, with the mobile ads starting to appear on the phone screens of Americans gaining the most ground.

Several days ago quite a few news outlets reported on a scientific study done to test the effects of fasting on our immune system. The discoveries were presented in a paper that suggested that fasting reboots the immune system and encourages the creation of stem cells. Isn't it fascinating when science catches up with timeless…