Author page: Fr. Barnabas Powell

"But it's not fair!" You could hear the pain and anger in her voice. You could see her face was contorted and shaped in a way that communicated just how upset she was. Hey, get used to this if you have children! My daughter was indignant that her sister got to do something she wasn't…

Animal sacrifices are found in many cultures and many belief systems. Which begs the question, where did this idea that blood was necessary to atone for sins originate? Glad you asked. It originated from the beginning. Look at our Lesson today in Genesis 3:21-4:7: And the LORD God made for Adam and for his wife…

“She made me do it.” This was the “excuse of my daughter when I asked her why she hit her sister! Wow, that’s a lot of power to give to someone else! It seems we humans have a particular gift for shifting the blame to someone else when we make mistakes. We also seem to…

Phillip James Bailey, an English poet of the late 19th century, once said: “Let each man think himself an act of God; his mind a thought; his life, a breath of God; and let each try, by great thoughts and good deeds to show the most of heaven he hath in him.” One of the…

Shakespeare’s Hamlet has a character named Polonius and Shakespeare has him utter those now famous words “For the apparel oft proclaims the man.” And then, of course, there’s the famous business advice “Dress for the job you want, not the job you have!” All this focus on apparel makes one wonder if men are unaware…

Harvey Mackay said "Time is free but priceless. You can't own it, but you can use it. You can't keep it but you can spend it. Once you've lost it, you can never get it back"  This "gift of time" is all about perspective and maturing enough in your life to appreciate the nature of…

“Make your words sweet. After all, you may have to eat them!” Great advice, and perfect for one who is embarking on a spiritual journey of disciplined and purposeful faith. You see, our words are icons of our hearts. That’s why paying attention to our words is part of any spiritual discipline to become the…