Am I my brother's keeper?

Cain is known as the first murderer in the Bible—a sinner consumed by jealousy and anger. But in a world untouched by death, where no one had ever died before, what did murder truly mean?

I've always been a skeptic, a trait that Catholic school teachers struggled to handle. The story of Cain and Abel was one of the first stories I questioned. Cain, a farmer, offered his harvest to God, while Abel, a shepherd, sacrificed his finest lamb. God favored Abel’s offering over Cain’s. But why? Farming is taxing, unpredictable work, far more uncertain than tending livestock. Was it Cain’s fault that his crops were weak? Was God’s judgment truly fair?

As someone with a sibling, I understand the frustration of being compared. Fights happen, and sometimes siblings get carried away with anger. Cain and Abel were brothers—surely they had argued even before this story. This time, it simply went too far. I don’t see Cain as inherently evil, but as a boy who, in a moment of rage, struck a blow that couldn't be undone. Abel might have fought back. It could have been either of them that day who died and who became the murderer.

When Cain cried to God, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” I don’t hear defiance—I hear fear, regret, and the desperate hope to take it all back.

This piece is how I see Cain: not as a villain, but as a human—flawed, burdened, and, perhaps, misunderstood.