If you could only pick one book of the Bible to take with you to a desert island, what would you choose?

Great question! For different people, obviously there will be different answers based on what inspires them and perhaps a personal preference for a particular kind of literature.

Since you asked me, I will say that I really can’t narrow down my choices to just one. The ones that inspire me the most are The Gospel of Luke and the Gospel of John in the New Testament. And in the Old Testament I’m a great fan of the WIsdom Literature: Ecclesiastes and Job as well as the book of Proverbs. Perhaps, the last one I mention, Proverbs, is the one I’d be forced to take. After all, I know most of the stories in the Gospels and in the two Wisdom books I mentioned. But Proverbs provides us with age-old wisdom in the form of poetic couplets mostly and that would be fodder for rich conversation.

Deacon Mike Hayes was ordained for the diocese of Cleveland in 2024 and is assigned to St. Christopher’s Parish in Rocky River, OH. He serves the diocese as both Director of Young Adult Ministry and the Bishop’s Delegate for Interfaith and Ecumenical Relations. He’s also the host of 5 Questions with the Paulists and the podcast Question of Faith. Deacon Mike is one of the founders of Busted Halo and has worked with young adults his entire ministry career in retreat, spiritual direction, and campus Ministry. He’s the author of "Googling God" (Paulist, 2007) and "Loving Work" (Orbis, 2012). Deacon Mike and his wife Marion live in Lakewood, OH with their dog, Vito.