LEVITICUS
CHAPTER
5
1. When any of you sin in that you have heard a public adjuration to testify and-through able to testify as one has seen or learned of the matter-do not speak up, you are subject to punishment.
(Leviticus chapter 5 verse 1)
Oh God You are indeed true and just. You want us to support the truth and live by it. In the New Testament You told us may your 'Yes' be a 'Yes' and your 'No be a No', that means that we are to testify in favour of the truth, especially when in a situation where we have witnessed a situation and are fully convinced of the truth of what has happened was planned or been said, as in giving testimony in Court.
If we hold back on the truth or remain silent this is a sin for which we are to face the consequences both by means of worldly justice such as court and other, systems such as work tribunals or other circumstances or even in the defence of those who are so vulnerable maybe in character that they have nobody to speak in their favour we are held responsible before You for holding our silence and not testifying for the truth.
This verse oh God reminds me of the circumstances when my father chose to annul his marriage with my mother. He shared with me that his intention was to affirm and persuade the Church Tribunal that he did not know what he was doing at the time of consent. In fact the tribunal was convinced and declared that he lacked discretion at the time of consent.
Although I was a primary witness of such deceit I could not do nothing about this situation and testify for the truth because on being his son, I was not allowed to testify. However oh God when I go to get the certificate of the last judgement of the tribunal I am going to give my version to the Chancellor and then it will be her responsibility to decide on the situation. I will be cleared of all responsibility regarding this issue. I thank You God for giving me this insight during this moment of prayer.
2. Or when any of you touch any unclean thing-whether the carcass of unclean livestock or the carcass of an unclean swarming thing-and are unaware of it, you have become unclean, and are guilty.
(Leviticus chapter 5 verse 2)
Oh God how great is Your mercy. As humans we are sinners and are totally worthy of punishments according to our sins. As humans we praise and condemn each other according to the norms of society that at times are rigid and biased, however Your criteria is far different from that of the world, and that makes You special my God. Had it not been for Your forgiveness and love, I would be a desperate person, had it not been for mercy. The good person sins seven times each day, let alone me who still has not control over myself and am so prone to sin.
3. Or when you touch human uncleanness-any uncleanness by which one can become unclean-and are unaware of it, when you come to know it, you shall be guilty.
(Leviticus chapter 5 verse 3)
Oh God what an alienated world we have come to live in. We can be easily alienated by our sins and not be aware of them. A particular sin may become part of our lifestyle and we may accept it as being inevitable and a need to our way of life. If we start saying untruths or being involved in masturbation with the created intention of relieving stress, this act will become a pleasure to us and we may become contaminated by it, but in practise we may accept this practise as an essential means to satisfy our sinful ends.
4. Or when any of you utter aloud a rash oath for a bad or a good purpose, whatever people utter in an oath, and are unaware of it, when you come to know it, you shall in any of these be guilty. 5. When you realize your guilt in any of these, you shall confess the sin that you have committed.
(Leviticus chapter 5 verses 4 to 5)
As in the New Testament oh God, You are completely against oaths. As in the case of taking an oath in court which may serve as a good purpose it seems that we are not to take them. Our sins become more harsher when we become more aware of them and their consequences, however oh God You love us so much that You give us the opportunity of repenting from our sins by confessing them. You do not want us to remain in sin and therefore you make me aware of them by means of my inner conscience so that I can go and confess my sins and obtain Your forgiveness.
6. And you shall bring to the LORD, as your penalty for the sin that you have committed, a female from the flock, a sheep or a goat as a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement on your behalf for your sin.
(Leviticus chapter 5 verse 6)
Oh God it would be so nice if after we go to confession and confess our sins we would make a donation to a person who is in need or to a charitable organisation as a penance for our sins. During this time of prayer this insight came to me. When I used to sell plants in a garden centre there once came a client who told me that every time he had conflict with his wife he would come and buy her a plant. On reflecting it is almost the same as making a donation in reparation for the negative act that he had committed. It may sound weird, but on thinking I think that it makes sense even on a spiritual level.
7. But if you cannot afford a sheep, you shall bring to the LORD, as your penalty for the sin that you have committed, two turtledoves or two pigeons, one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering.
(Leviticus chapter 5 verse 7)
Oh God You offer the opportunity of repentance for all. Although it is priceless in value, You did not attach a price to it. You made it available for even those who could not to offer a costly sacrificial animal. During our times the sacrament of confession is also available to all who desire it, to all who admit that they are sinners and are in need of repentance.
8. You shall bring them to the priest, who shall offer first the one for the sin offering, wringing its head at the nape without severing it.
(Leviticus chapter 5 verse 8)
The priest is portrayed as offering the dove without dividing it. In this way the offering remained as one whole. Oh God You also accept us as one whole. Moreover You do not simply focus on our sins, but take into consideration our human nature from a holistic perspective. Although You are just, You are also caring, and compassionate and sensitive to all the events that have happened in our lives. You are aware of the pathways of our lives and all the sacrifices that we have experienced up to the point of becoming who and what we are as humans, sinners and also as your sons and daughters.
9. He shall sprinkle some of the blood of the sin offering on the side of the altar, while the rest of the blood shall be drained out at the base of the altar; it is a sin offering.
(Leviticus chapter 5 verse 9)
During confession the priest will listen to the proclamation of our sins and then with the authority given to him by God will present them to God as in the sin offering and God will turn our sins into smoke of forgiveness. As also in the case of the offering, God is able to drain us of our old life and inject us with a new life, a sort of blood transfusion containing a new life based according to His will. Oh God You are able to change our lives from that of sinners to that of saints.
10. And the second he shall offer for a burnt offering according to the regulation. Thus the priest shall make atonement on your behalf for the sin that you have committed, and you shall be forgiven.
(Leviticus chapter 5 verse 10)
Verse 10 shows us the two fold nature of our sin. This means that when we sin, we not only commit a negative act against You oh God but even against the person involved, therefore in atonement we are to atone to compensate on both levels, meaning the human and the divine. Therefore it is not enough to settle the issue only with the person concerned, because in the process we have also sinned against God.
11. But if you cannot afford two turtle doves or two pigeons, you shall bring as your offering for the sin that you have committed one -tenth of an ephah of choice flour for a sin offering; you shall not put oil on it, for it is a sin offering.
(Leviticus chapter 5 verse 11)
Oh God how generous You are! In order to make sure that we repent from our sins, You go out of Your way and make a special concession by making a rule that covers even those whose means are limited. I thank You oh God for making such a concession, and even more for making the extra special concession on my behalf when out of love for me and the world, You decided to be offered as a sacrificial offering to compensate both for my sins and even that of the world.
12. You shall bring it to the priest, and the priest shall scoop up a handful of it as its memorial portion, and turn this into smoke on the altar, with the offerings by fire to the LORD; it is a sin offering. 13. Thus the priest shall make atonement on your behalf for whichever of these sins you have committed, and you shall be forgiven. Like the grain offering, the rest shall be for the priest.
(Leviticus chapter 5 verses 12 to 13)
Whether our sin is great or small oh God we are to repent and confess our sins. Although You are ready to forgive us, as sinners we are to play our role in going to confession and in humility declare our sins before the priest, and not before the image of the cross or statue of Jesus. The priest is ordained to absolve our sins. He is that important link between humanity and You oh God as he was in the old Testament the priest is also instrumental during our times. According to statistics if we had to offer sacrifices of which part is given to the priest, the modern priest would die of starvation, because many of us are going to receive you in the sacrament of the Eucharist, but only a minority are confessing their sins. Therefore as much as we care for the body we are also to care for the soul, for on dying it is the soul that remains immortal and not the body.
14. The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 15. When any of you commit a trespass and sin unintentionally in any of the holy things of the LORD, you shall bring, as your guilt offering to the LORD, a ram without blemish from the flock, convertible into silver by the sanctuary shekel; it is a guilt offering. 16. And you shall make restitution for the holy thing in which you were remiss, and shall add one-fifth to it and give it to the priest. The priest shall make atonement on your behalf with the ram of the guilt offering, and you shall be forgiven.
(Leviticus chapter 5 verses 14 to 16)
Oh God You wish us to be totally pure, Your wish is that we are completely clean from the symptoms of sin that includes guilt for our sins. May we be convinced oh God that when we receive absolution from the priest we are also being forgiven by You. There were moments in my life oh God, when I fond it acceptable to forgive others, however when it came to forgive myself I encountered many problems. One of my greatest issue is that concerning the separation and annulment of my parents marriage. As a graduate social worker I studied the law in relation to separation. At the time of my final exams I felt panicked and needed to study more than ever. This panic reached its apex and I decided to leave my wife for a whole month because I saw her as interference to my study time. I accept the fact that she was and still is demanding, however I blew my top and filed for a separation. Up to this point my father had never experienced the concept of separation, however although I made up with my wife after the exams, by my action without my knowing I had empowered my father not only to leave my mother but also to apply for separation and even annul the marriage. I am aware that eventually it would have happened, however I feel guilty that had it not been for my intervention he might not have made the fatal decision. I pray to You oh God for your forgiveness of both the sin and its consequences.
17. If any of you sin without knowing it, doing any of the things that by the LORD's commandments ought not to be done, you have incurred guilt, and are subject to punishment. 18. You shall bring to the priest a ram without blemish from the flock or the equivalent, as a guilt, and the priest shall make atonement on your behalf for the error that you committed unintentionally, and you shall be forgiven. 19. It is a guilt offering: you have incurred guilt before the LORD.
(Leviticus chapter 5 verses 17 to 19)
Whenever we sin oh God, even unintentionally our brain does not leave the issue aside. Before even thinking whether we have sinned against You or not our conscience makes us aware of our sin and we immediately experience the negative consequences, which could happen as a result of our negative actions and we start feeling guilty. Freud called this situation as coming from the Superego. However oh God as your son, I feel it more because I have sinned against both You and my fellow persons on incurring guilt. On reflecting how much You love me, I cannot fail to experience sadness and a strong urge to obtain Your forgiveness, for You are the only person in the world, who really loves me and accepts me as I am even as a sinner.
In order to end this chapter instead of a written prayer I invite you to click on the following link and join me in the following prayer:-
A prayer of contrition
2. Or when any of you touch any unclean thing-whether the carcass of unclean livestock or the carcass of an unclean swarming thing-and are unaware of it, you have become unclean, and are guilty.
(Leviticus chapter 5 verse 2)
Oh God how great is Your mercy. As humans we are sinners and are totally worthy of punishments according to our sins. As humans we praise and condemn each other according to the norms of society that at times are rigid and biased, however Your criteria is far different from that of the world, and that makes You special my God. Had it not been for Your forgiveness and love, I would be a desperate person, had it not been for mercy. The good person sins seven times each day, let alone me who still has not control over myself and am so prone to sin.
3. Or when you touch human uncleanness-any uncleanness by which one can become unclean-and are unaware of it, when you come to know it, you shall be guilty.
(Leviticus chapter 5 verse 3)
Oh God what an alienated world we have come to live in. We can be easily alienated by our sins and not be aware of them. A particular sin may become part of our lifestyle and we may accept it as being inevitable and a need to our way of life. If we start saying untruths or being involved in masturbation with the created intention of relieving stress, this act will become a pleasure to us and we may become contaminated by it, but in practise we may accept this practise as an essential means to satisfy our sinful ends.
4. Or when any of you utter aloud a rash oath for a bad or a good purpose, whatever people utter in an oath, and are unaware of it, when you come to know it, you shall in any of these be guilty. 5. When you realize your guilt in any of these, you shall confess the sin that you have committed.
(Leviticus chapter 5 verses 4 to 5)
As in the New Testament oh God, You are completely against oaths. As in the case of taking an oath in court which may serve as a good purpose it seems that we are not to take them. Our sins become more harsher when we become more aware of them and their consequences, however oh God You love us so much that You give us the opportunity of repenting from our sins by confessing them. You do not want us to remain in sin and therefore you make me aware of them by means of my inner conscience so that I can go and confess my sins and obtain Your forgiveness.
6. And you shall bring to the LORD, as your penalty for the sin that you have committed, a female from the flock, a sheep or a goat as a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement on your behalf for your sin.
(Leviticus chapter 5 verse 6)
Oh God it would be so nice if after we go to confession and confess our sins we would make a donation to a person who is in need or to a charitable organisation as a penance for our sins. During this time of prayer this insight came to me. When I used to sell plants in a garden centre there once came a client who told me that every time he had conflict with his wife he would come and buy her a plant. On reflecting it is almost the same as making a donation in reparation for the negative act that he had committed. It may sound weird, but on thinking I think that it makes sense even on a spiritual level.
7. But if you cannot afford a sheep, you shall bring to the LORD, as your penalty for the sin that you have committed, two turtledoves or two pigeons, one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering.
(Leviticus chapter 5 verse 7)
Oh God You offer the opportunity of repentance for all. Although it is priceless in value, You did not attach a price to it. You made it available for even those who could not to offer a costly sacrificial animal. During our times the sacrament of confession is also available to all who desire it, to all who admit that they are sinners and are in need of repentance.
8. You shall bring them to the priest, who shall offer first the one for the sin offering, wringing its head at the nape without severing it.
(Leviticus chapter 5 verse 8)
The priest is portrayed as offering the dove without dividing it. In this way the offering remained as one whole. Oh God You also accept us as one whole. Moreover You do not simply focus on our sins, but take into consideration our human nature from a holistic perspective. Although You are just, You are also caring, and compassionate and sensitive to all the events that have happened in our lives. You are aware of the pathways of our lives and all the sacrifices that we have experienced up to the point of becoming who and what we are as humans, sinners and also as your sons and daughters.
9. He shall sprinkle some of the blood of the sin offering on the side of the altar, while the rest of the blood shall be drained out at the base of the altar; it is a sin offering.
(Leviticus chapter 5 verse 9)
During confession the priest will listen to the proclamation of our sins and then with the authority given to him by God will present them to God as in the sin offering and God will turn our sins into smoke of forgiveness. As also in the case of the offering, God is able to drain us of our old life and inject us with a new life, a sort of blood transfusion containing a new life based according to His will. Oh God You are able to change our lives from that of sinners to that of saints.
10. And the second he shall offer for a burnt offering according to the regulation. Thus the priest shall make atonement on your behalf for the sin that you have committed, and you shall be forgiven.
(Leviticus chapter 5 verse 10)
Verse 10 shows us the two fold nature of our sin. This means that when we sin, we not only commit a negative act against You oh God but even against the person involved, therefore in atonement we are to atone to compensate on both levels, meaning the human and the divine. Therefore it is not enough to settle the issue only with the person concerned, because in the process we have also sinned against God.
11. But if you cannot afford two turtle doves or two pigeons, you shall bring as your offering for the sin that you have committed one -tenth of an ephah of choice flour for a sin offering; you shall not put oil on it, for it is a sin offering.
(Leviticus chapter 5 verse 11)
Oh God how generous You are! In order to make sure that we repent from our sins, You go out of Your way and make a special concession by making a rule that covers even those whose means are limited. I thank You oh God for making such a concession, and even more for making the extra special concession on my behalf when out of love for me and the world, You decided to be offered as a sacrificial offering to compensate both for my sins and even that of the world.
12. You shall bring it to the priest, and the priest shall scoop up a handful of it as its memorial portion, and turn this into smoke on the altar, with the offerings by fire to the LORD; it is a sin offering. 13. Thus the priest shall make atonement on your behalf for whichever of these sins you have committed, and you shall be forgiven. Like the grain offering, the rest shall be for the priest.
(Leviticus chapter 5 verses 12 to 13)
Whether our sin is great or small oh God we are to repent and confess our sins. Although You are ready to forgive us, as sinners we are to play our role in going to confession and in humility declare our sins before the priest, and not before the image of the cross or statue of Jesus. The priest is ordained to absolve our sins. He is that important link between humanity and You oh God as he was in the old Testament the priest is also instrumental during our times. According to statistics if we had to offer sacrifices of which part is given to the priest, the modern priest would die of starvation, because many of us are going to receive you in the sacrament of the Eucharist, but only a minority are confessing their sins. Therefore as much as we care for the body we are also to care for the soul, for on dying it is the soul that remains immortal and not the body.
14. The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 15. When any of you commit a trespass and sin unintentionally in any of the holy things of the LORD, you shall bring, as your guilt offering to the LORD, a ram without blemish from the flock, convertible into silver by the sanctuary shekel; it is a guilt offering. 16. And you shall make restitution for the holy thing in which you were remiss, and shall add one-fifth to it and give it to the priest. The priest shall make atonement on your behalf with the ram of the guilt offering, and you shall be forgiven.
(Leviticus chapter 5 verses 14 to 16)
Oh God You wish us to be totally pure, Your wish is that we are completely clean from the symptoms of sin that includes guilt for our sins. May we be convinced oh God that when we receive absolution from the priest we are also being forgiven by You. There were moments in my life oh God, when I fond it acceptable to forgive others, however when it came to forgive myself I encountered many problems. One of my greatest issue is that concerning the separation and annulment of my parents marriage. As a graduate social worker I studied the law in relation to separation. At the time of my final exams I felt panicked and needed to study more than ever. This panic reached its apex and I decided to leave my wife for a whole month because I saw her as interference to my study time. I accept the fact that she was and still is demanding, however I blew my top and filed for a separation. Up to this point my father had never experienced the concept of separation, however although I made up with my wife after the exams, by my action without my knowing I had empowered my father not only to leave my mother but also to apply for separation and even annul the marriage. I am aware that eventually it would have happened, however I feel guilty that had it not been for my intervention he might not have made the fatal decision. I pray to You oh God for your forgiveness of both the sin and its consequences.
17. If any of you sin without knowing it, doing any of the things that by the LORD's commandments ought not to be done, you have incurred guilt, and are subject to punishment. 18. You shall bring to the priest a ram without blemish from the flock or the equivalent, as a guilt, and the priest shall make atonement on your behalf for the error that you committed unintentionally, and you shall be forgiven. 19. It is a guilt offering: you have incurred guilt before the LORD.
(Leviticus chapter 5 verses 17 to 19)
Whenever we sin oh God, even unintentionally our brain does not leave the issue aside. Before even thinking whether we have sinned against You or not our conscience makes us aware of our sin and we immediately experience the negative consequences, which could happen as a result of our negative actions and we start feeling guilty. Freud called this situation as coming from the Superego. However oh God as your son, I feel it more because I have sinned against both You and my fellow persons on incurring guilt. On reflecting how much You love me, I cannot fail to experience sadness and a strong urge to obtain Your forgiveness, for You are the only person in the world, who really loves me and accepts me as I am even as a sinner.
In order to end this chapter instead of a written prayer I invite you to click on the following link and join me in the following prayer:-
A prayer of contrition
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