Prayer

This write up will discuss how we should pray as believers. It will look at the historical right praise as mentioned in the book of Genesis and then the book of Leviticus which also outlines the law and the rituals required of believers. This is reiterated in the New Testament by our Lord Jesus Christ and buttressed by the Catholic Church.

In the story of Cain and Abel (Genesis 4, vs1-7) it is not clearly stated why the sacrifice of Cain was rejected, and the only information we have is that God told him to do the right thing for his sacrifice to be accepted. It is therefore paramount to always do the right thing for our offerings to be accepted. As believers we offer prayers of petition, prayers of praise and prayers of intercession to God.  

The description of Abel's sacrifice gives a hint as to what Cain offered and the speculation is that he did not bring the best. This is because the bible says he brought some of his crop and there is no description as to how the crop looked like. Yet Abel is said to have brought the best of his animals which was the right thing to do. Offering the best of what you have  sacrificing what you love most, and we see this throughout the bible. It is important to note that both Cain and Abel practised their faith. 

In the book of Leviticus community prayer was well organised and believers gathered to worship God and receive instructions. The first instructions of worship starting with Leviticus chapter 1 are acknowledgement of sin and sin offering. This is interesting because it means there was some kind of self examination of conscience before presenting one's self to the Tabernacle. The Israelites would bring the prescribed sin offerings to the priests or Levites for expiation of sins. Therefore one could not engage God or pray unless they had a clean heart and the Levites also would die where they stand if they were to minister in the tabernacle with unclean hearts. 

When the son of man came he answered people's prayers by forgiving their sins first and then heal them. One such instance is in Matthew 9. {9:2} And behold they brought to him one sick of the palsy lying in a bed. And Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the man sick of the palsy: Be of good heart, son, thy sins are forgiven thee.

In Luke {18} Jesus highlights the importance of acknowledging our sins and seeking forgiveness. Here when the Pharisee prayed he boasted about how he conducts himself and blames the weakness and failure of others. While the publican standing afar acknowledges his sins and asks for forgiveness. Jesus says the publican was saved because he humbled himself and asks for forgiveness of sins. This is a great example of examination of conscience by the publican and when we examine our conscience like this we do not want to sin again and we will be doing the right thing. Jesus went on to say to his disciples: Luke {18:14} "I say to you, this man went down into his house justified rather than the other: because every one that exalteth himself shall be humbled: and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted".  

Interestingly every Sunday Catholic  gathering has a petition and the gathering will start by asking for forgiveness.  This is called a penitential act where the priest invites all the believers and asking them to acknowledge their sins in preparation to celebrate the sacred Mass, the prayer of the Church. The whole gathering will quietly examine their conscience and pray with the priest in the following words; "I confess to almighty God and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have greatly sinned, in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done and in what I have failed to do, And, striking together their breast, they go on to say: Through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault". 

Therefore we cannot make petitions or praises without a clean conscience. This is the right prays where we acknowledge our sins and failures and like Moses we take off our dirty sandals to step in the presence of God. As believers sometimes we perceive ourselves as prayer warriors yet we pray for others and ourselves with unclean hearts. We even call God to enter our hearts with no intention of acknowledging our errors and washing them off with the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. Yet even breaking the bread of life,  the body of Christ requires us to convert our hearts. (Corinthians 11, 17-24) .

This is why the first movement of the prayer of petition is asking forgiveness, like the tax collector in the parable: "God, be merciful to me a sinner!". The Catechism of the Catholic Church refer to this way of praying as the "righteous and pure prayer". Christ Jesus taught us in Matthew 5, 23 If therefore thou offer thy gift at the altar, and there thou remember that thy brother hath any thing against thee; 24 Leave there thy offering before the altar, and go first to be reconciled to thy brother: and then coming thou shalt offer thy gift. This how prayer should be conducted and in this way we do the correct thing and the scowl on our face can be replaced with a smile.

Like Bartimeous let us all cry the louder, "Jesus Christ son of David have mercy on us. Jesus Christ son of David have mercy on us. Jesus Christ son of David have mercy on us".

 

 

Why the resurrection matter.

 Why does the resurrection matter?. 

Recently a colleague spoke of the death of four brothers dying in motor vehicle related accidents with the last one being run over by a bus. The thought that all of them died in accidents probably experiencing very painful death is just unsettling and can lead us to think about why we sometimes experience these horrible events. God answers this question in the book of Job where he speaks the longest monologue to us and this is reiterated by our Lord Jesus Christ in his life, teachings and death. 

Job 38

{38:1} Then the Lord answered Job out of a whirlwind, and said:

{38:2} Who is this that wrappeth up sentences in unskilful words?

{38:3} Gird up thy loins like a man: I will ask thee, and answer thou me.

{38:4} Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? tell me if thou hast understanding.

{38:5} Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest or who hath stretched the line upon it?

Our fear of death and suffering can make us become slaves to evil, we turn to prophets of baal, to witchcraft, morden witchcraft and magic. Yet we will still die. Prolonging life through Morden witchcraft has also become a problem now as we see people living longer in distress. People live longer in sickness because Morden witchcraft try to defy natural death (this is discussion for another time). Through fear of death we have lost belief in God almighty even if they believed all their lives. Not that I relish in death or dying but the natural course of death should be allowed to take place. This is why the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ is a great promise to Christians and a game changer for believers. 

The book of Hebrews here explains why the resurrection of our lord is a game changer. 

Hebrews 2:14 Now since the children share in blood and flesh, he likewise shared in them, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil. 15 and free those who through fear of death had been subject to slavery all their life.16 Surely he did not help angels but rather the descendants of Abraham; 17 therefore, he had to become like his brothers in every way, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest before God to expiate the sins of the people.

This is very important because Christ suffered like us in all ways so that we can learn from his conduct and be reassured. St Peter clearly explains this below. 

1 Peter 3, 18-19 For Christ also suffered for sins once, the righteous for the sake of the unrighteous, that he might lead you to God. Put to death in the flesh, he was brought to life in the spirit. 19 In it he also went to preach to the spirits in prison. 

It is also important to note that his preaching was not in vain because Matthew clearly describes the happen gs at the time. 

Mt 27:52-53. 

Tombs were opened, and the bodies of many saints who had fallen asleep were raised. 53 And coming forth from their tombs after his resurrection, they entered the holy city and appeared to many. It is clear that every knee shall bow to Christ who was there from the beginning. Peter goes further to say in 1 Peter 4, 6 But they will give an account to him who stands ready to judge the living and the dead. 6 For this is why the gospel was preached even to the dead that, though condemned in the flesh in human estimation, they might live in the spirit in the estimation of God. And in Jn 5:25; Amen, amen, I say to you, the hour is coming and is now here when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.

It is therefore clear that death is the beginning of new life in God for Christians. This is the meaning of the resurrection the basis of our belief as Christians. 

What theCatholic Church Teaches about divorce

 Have you thought of divorcing lately?

Matthew 5

32 But I say to you, that whosoever shall put away his wife, excepting for the cause of fornication, maketh her to commit adultery: and he that shall marry her that is put away, committeth adultery. (Douay Rhemis). 

Can. 1141 A marriage that is ratum et consummatum can be dissolved by no human power and by no cause, except death.

This is the first rule of marriage however, if the marriage is not consummated it can also be dissolved.

CANON. 1142 For a just cause, the Roman Pontiff can dissolve a non-consummated marriage between baptized persons or between a baptized party and a non-baptized party at the request of both parties or of one of them, even if the other party is unwilling. 

(A non-consummated marriage is where for some reason or other the act of sexual intercourse has not occurred. This is important to note because sexual intercourse is central to marriage for procreation.) 

There are also several technicalities to the DISSOLUTION OF THE Bond of marriage. 

The following 3 are also Central to the validity of marriage because marriage must be valid for it to be indissoluble. 

(1) A valid marriage is that of two baptised Catholics. 

(On the other hand there are instances where a non-baptised person can be allowed to marry a baptised person with the authority of the Bishop. Otherwise the marriage is invalid.)

(2) The couple should have Consented freely to the act of marriage. 

(Abducting or kidnapping for the purpose of marriage makes it invalid.) 

(3) The couple should be honest and truthful to each other before the marriage. 

(Example: You cannot lie that you are a man when you are a woman or the other way round. You cannot say you single when you are traditionally married or when you are married. These and more are lies that invalidate marriage ) 

Why Catholic marriage cannot be easily dissolved. 

CANON. 1151 Spouses have the duty and right to preserve conjugal living unless a legitimate cause excuses them.

(This is very important to note for one reason. A sexually satisfied Christian couple cannot be easily tempted to commit adultery. The sex brings them together and attach them to each other. Simple. On the other hand a sexually unsatisfied couple is always under siege from temptation naturally.)

(The most difficult thing is to forgive others. Forgive us as we forgive those who sin against us. As Christians we believe in forgiving others because we are also sinners. This is why the sacrament of confession is central to our Catholic faith. The verse above states that except for fornication. If a person commits adultery the person can be divorced many people would say. Here is what the Catholic Church teaches about this.)

CANON. 1152 §1. Although it is earnestly recommended that a spouse, moved by Christian charity and concerned for the good of the family, not refuse forgiveness to an adulterous partner and not disrupt conjugal life, nevertheless, if the spouse did not condone the fault of the other expressly or tacitly, the spouse has the right to sever conjugal living unless the spouse consented to the adultery, gave cause for it, or also committed adultery.

Lastly, this is self explanatory:

Can. 1153 §1. If either of the spouses causes grave mental or physical danger to the other spouse or to the offspring or otherwise renders common life too difficult, that spouse gives the other a legitimate cause for leaving, either by decree of the local ordinary or even on his or her own authority if there is danger in delay.

The Christian Facing terminal illness and death.

"Do not reprove me in your anger, LORD, nor punish me in your wrath. Have pity on me, LORD, for I am weak; Heal me, LORD, for my bones are shuddering." Psalm 6. 

The imagination of some Christians is that, an angel of the Lord will come down from heaven to inform him/her that it was time to leave this world. This is a protestant Christian erroneous view that there will be a rapture, an occurrence where the good will be picked up to bliss and the evil will be left to suffering and gnashing of teeth. This protestant thought is taken from Luke chapter 17 vs 31 to 37, where Jesus spoke about the end of time. Reading these verses bring a reassuring feeling, that those of God will not see suffering or death. On the contrary Christ and all his disciples suffered the unbearable. 

Although this has happened before in some special occurances  when Enoch who walked with God all his life was taken away. Enoch did not see death. In a similar way it also happened to the prophet Elijah, who knew before hand that he was going to be taken away (2 kings 2) was carried off by a chariot of whirl wind and fire and did not see death. These instances have a reassurance effect and they prepare one to be fearless of death and illness because you have a glimpse of the outcome. It is a rare special treatment. 

However, the book of the story of the origin of man stresses that man shall die a death because of the sin of pride. It is evident in scripture that men was created to live forever and not to know death, but when he fell, he lost the ever lasting life and was informed that he shall die a death. This is the advent of illness, accidents, homicides, suicides and anything that cause death. Of these causes of death the most common is illness which accounts for 92% of the world deaths according to the World Health Organisation. 

The link between between illness and suffering to sin can be witnessed throughout scripture and this is what the israelites believed. When you are ill God is chastising you. In the book of Leviticus sin offerings are central to the Israelites and before man comes to stand in the presence of God with his prayers of reconciliation he should offer a holocaust to God. Therefore sacrifice was like a present offered to God followed by prayer, a reconcilliatory gesture of peace with God. This is our common practice to each other today, we buy flowers or a small present when we want to reconcile with those we love. It is also important to take into account  the admonishing from Isaiah when he projected what the Lord said "I do not want your burnt offering but your heart". 

This is also why Christ suffered and died for our sins, he took all our sins and suffered instead of us. Therefore in our illness if we remain in Christ he will endure all our suffering. 

In (2 kings 20, 1) King Hezekiah of Judah was poorly when the prophet of the Lord informed him that he will not heal because he had sinned against the Lord. Hezekiah cried for life to the Lord and was penitent. The Lord heard his prayer and he was given an extension with the promise that he would still die after a few years.  This is particularly important because death will always be there even when you have been spared this time around. Like Lazarus who was brought back from death, you will be sick and still die in the end. Therefore we ought to get ready our bodies  as if we are going to die today and our spirit  as if we shall never die.  

It is important to note that from time immemorial believers knew that in God they do not die. We are able to see this in the book of Isaiah 26, 19 "Fresh life they shall have, Lord, that are thine in death; lost to us, they shall live again. Awake and utter your praises, you that dwell in the dust. The dew thou sendest, Lord, shall bring light to them; only the land of dead heroes thou wilt doom to overthrow". This is echoed by the prophet Daniel in chapter 12 verse 2 informing us that many that are dead shall wake up to enjoy everlasting life and others to disgrace. In the same train of thought the third son in 2 Macabees 7, 11 hopes for life after his death and the restoration of what he would have lost. He regarded his suffering as nothing and so should all who believe in the one who authors life. 

The Pauline teaching in 1Corinthians 15:52 states that, "In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet: for the trumpet shall sound and the dead shall rise again incorruptible. And we shall be changed. {15:53} For this corruptible must put on incorruption: and this mortal must put on immortality" . We can therefore as Christians take refuge in the belief that if we died in God we live again. Therefore we have no fear of illness and suffering or anything that threatens life for our life cannot be exterminated. We have the scripture on our side, the words of our Lord, the words of the apostles, tradition and the teachings of the church. 

When the son of God graced the earth he revealed a different aproach to suffering and sickness that lead to death. We see this in the way he talked about his coming suffering and death. The son of man knew everything that was going to happen to him and how it would impact on his followers. He also knew that he would rise again and this is the basis of our faith. As Paul reiterates in 1 Thessalonians (4:13) For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again: even so them who have slept, through Jesus, will God bring with him. 

He strengthened, prayed and informed them of his coming victory over death and suffering. This had a minimal reassurance effect because the believers did not believe when the time of suffering came and they ran scared with fear of suffering and death. Others like Peter they denied the suffering Christ because it was gruesome. The apostles could not stand suffering before Jesus died. This is important because we see this today when we face illness and death we run from God and mould our own physical gods like baal. However when the apostles witnessed the resurrection they put away all fear because they saw and had a preview of the life after death. This is different to us because we did not witness the risen Christ or his ascension. Instead we seek help from fellow men when we fall sick and fall for lies and deception yet God wants us to be steadfast in trusting him. "He who believes in me will not die but live", says Christ to Mary and Martha. God's friends will not die, like Lazarus they will rise after death and live forever. John 14, 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” 

This is the teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ. When Martha informed our Lord and God of the death of his friend, Jesus replied by saying he will rise again. Lazarus had been ill for a while and Jesus did not want to prevent his death but he allowed it so that we may learn that he is the Lord of the living and the dead. In this chapter of the Bible Jesus wept. My personal view is that it was not the sorrow of the death of Lazarus but the sorrow of our unbelief. Our faith is limited to and can be hindered by illness and death, "had you been here Lord Lazarus would not have died" now he is dead and gone. But "I am the life and the resurrection he who dies in me will not die but live". This is the essence of the Christian faith. If you are a friend of Christ like Lazarus you will not die but live. 

Now sickness can be daunting and scary it usually separates us from God if we do not understand why we are Christian and what Christians believe. This is important because it prepares us for the suffering we go through in life and the death that comes with it. Romans 14, 8 will resonate with this, whether we live we live unto the Lord whether we die we die unto the Lord. 

As humans we have always been fearful of death and when this fear of suffering unto death grips us we even break up relationships, have conflict, blame others and in the end lose hope in Christ. However, as Christians we should take refuge in the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, "he who believes in me will not die but live".