Leviticus
Chapter
16
1. The LORD spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they drew near before the LORD and died. 2. The LORD said to Moses: Tell your brother Aaron not to come just at any time into the sanctuary inside the curtain before the mercy seat that is upon the ark, or he will die; for I appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat.
(Leviticus Chapter 16 verses 1 to 2)
Oh God it seems that after the death of his two sons Aaron became lax in his observance of the rules that You had given him and ended up in being disobedient and rebellious in the sense of making offerings during times when Your presence was not on the mercy seat in order to avoid contact with You.
I can imagine oh God what Aaron must have felt due to the death of his sons. I can even understand Your feelings when we killed Your only Son on the cross. I pray for many people who have become lax and bitter after having experienced the death of their loved ones. I pray especially for a colleague of mine, who has recently experienced the loss of her husband. I pray oh God that You give healing and comfort to such people.
I invite all of those who have experienced such a loss to join me in the following song in memory of the loss of our loved ones:-
3. Thus shall Aaron come into the holy place; with a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. 4. He shall put on the holy linen tunic, and shall have the linen undergarments next to his body, fasten the linen sash, and wear the linen turban; these are the holy vestments. He shall bathe his body in water, and then put them on. 5. He shall take from the congregation of the people of Israel two male goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering.
(Leviticus Chapter 16 verses 3 to 5)
When we offer prayers to You oh God or when we attend for communion or the confessing of our sins, we are to be prepared spiritually and even physically so that we be totally clean and prepared to meet You oh God. One might question how we can be clean spiritually when we are going to confess our sins by which we are stained. If we have the right attitude and frame of mind You oh God will sees us in a wilful state of repentance feeling sorry about our sins and this is a positive environment for repentance.
6. Aaron shall offer the bull as a sin offering for himself and for his house.
(Leviticus Chapter 16 verse 6)
Oh God this is a very important verse for us all. When the priest offers your body and blood during communion in Church he is making an offering both for himself and for us. In fact the priest or celebrant makes a declaration that he is making the offering based on such intentions. In order to view the priest proclaiming this prayer please click on the following link that gives a step by step description of the Holy Mass.
The description of the Holy Mass
7. He shall take the two goats and set them before the LORD at the entrance of the tent of meeting; 8. and Aaron shall cast lots on the two goats, one lot for the LORD and the other lot for Azazel.
(Leviticus Chapter 16 verse 7 to 8)
Oh God as Aaron was to offer You the goat as a symbol of atonement for his laxity in his observance of the role that You assigned him, You chose to offer Your one and only Son for the redemption of our sins. Your Son became the goat of Azazel which was the scapegoat for all the sins that the people had committed and so even in Your Passion which was the sacrifice of sacrifices.
9. Aaron shall present the goat on which the lot fell for the, and offer it as a sin offering; 10. but the goat on which the lot fell for Azazel shall be presented alive before the LORD to make atonement over it, that it may be sent away into the wilderness to Azazel.
(Leviticus Chapter 16 verses 9 to 10)
The decision making process is very interesting. Aaron drew lots in order to decide which of the goats was to be the sin offering and which of the goats was to be the one used as a scapegoat to be used as a means of atonement. When it is time to make important and at times even trivial decisions and even after mass I open my bible randomly and read the first verse that I find, You always have a message for me. When the situation is really important I repeat the process three times and the three sentences are all related to the issue. I thank You God for giving me such a method.
During the time of the passion Pilate also had to discern between You and Judas. Judas was the sin offering for one person that of himself and his crime, however You were the scapegoat for You were to be sacrificed for the sins of the whole world covering all the sins since the beginning of time to its end. Thank You for being an offering even for my sins oh Father!
11. Aaron shall present the bull as a sin offering for himself, and for his house; he shall slaughter the bull as a sin offering for himself.
(Leviticus Chapter 16 verse 11)
As in the offering Your blood and body in the sacrament of the Eucharist, the Priest or celebrant offers the sacrifice for his own sins and for that of the congregation before him. I thank You oh God for giving us priests and other celebrants who could be used by You to transform the offerings into You. Amen.
12. He shall take a censer full of coals of fire from the altar before the LORD and two handfuls of crushed sweet incense, and he shall bring it inside the curtain 13. and put the incense on the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the covenant, or he will die.
(Leviticus Chapter 16 verses 12 to 13)
Oh God as in the case of Aaron our offerings can likewise bet he toil of our occupations even if we are mothers or fathers working at home to bring up a family or others who are enduring the stress of a full time job! This could be symbolised by the burning coals which may also symbolise our burning sins. On the other hand the sweet incense are our prayer time which rise before You as if in a cloud. Oh God everyday of my life I offer these moments of prayer on behalf of both myself and even that of others and the world in general, for we are all in need of You and Your presence.
14. He shall take some of the blood of the bull, and sprinkle it with his finger on the front of the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat he shall sprinkle the blood with his finger seven times.
(Leviticus Chapter 16 verse 14)
Although we may not be able to offer such bloody and gory sacrifices, everyone in our own ways can offer some of our time with others as a form of reparation, however this can never substitute the act of confession of our sins. This is only an additive to the sacrifice.
15. He shall slaughter the goat of the sin offering that is for the people and bring its blood inside the curtain, and do with its blood as he did with the blood of the bull, sprinkling it upon the mercy seat and before the mercy seat. 16. Thus he shall make atonement for the sanctuary, because of the uncleanness es of the people of Israel, and because of their transgressions, all their sins; and so he shall do for the tent of meeting, which remains with them in the midst of their uncleanness.
(Leviticus Chapter 16 verses 15 to 16)
Oh God even though we become defiled with sin, You do not abhor us and become detached on Your relationship with us. You love us so much that You always give us the opportunity to repent from our sins. I thank You for being so caring and merciful amen.
17. No one shall be in the tent of meeting from the time he enters to make atonement in the sanctuary until he comes out and has made atonement for himself and for his house and for all the assembly of Israel.
(Leviticus Chapter 16 verse 17)
Oh God the time of confession is very precious, for during this time we share our innermost feelings and sins in Your presence which is represented by the presence of the priest. I believe that Your Spirit is also present in the confessional for the priest has the authority to forgive sins only in Your Name and not in his own.
18. Then he shall go out to the altar that is before the LORD and make atonement on its behalf, and shall take some of the blood of the bull and of the goat, and put it on each of the horns of the altar. 19. He shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it and hallow it from the uncleanness of the people of Israel.
(Leviticus Chapter 16 verse 18)
Oh God when we sin as active members of the Roman Catholic Church especially if we occupy particular places of responsibility and even if not, atonement is to be made for the Church as a whole, this is why we constantly need to pray for the holiness of both priests and all Christians and Roman Catholics at large. Amen
19. He shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it and hallow it from the uncleanness's of the people of Israel.
(Leviticus Chapter 16 verse 19)
Oh God by means of verse 19 of the book of Leviticus You remind me that I am always to remain open for forgiveness against those who have trespassed against me. Moreover You also remind me that every day I am to be happy to drink from the chalice of bitterness from which not even You were spared at the garden of Gethsemane.
20. When he has finished atoning for the holy place and the tent of meeting and the altar, he shall present the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the people of Israel, and all their transgressions, all their sins, putting them on the head of the goat, and sending it away into the wilderness by means of someone designated for the task. 22. The goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to a barren region; and the goat shall beset free in the wilderness.
(Leviticus Chapter 16 verses 20 to 22)
Oh Lord my God and Father I thank You again and again from the bottom of my heart that You chose to take on Yourself all my sins and those of the world until the end of time. This was indeed the sacrifice of all sacrifices. Thanks for choosing to be our scapegoat and not letting us experience what we deserved meaning the eternal fires of hell that as sinners we all merit and qualify for.
23. Then Aaron shall enter the tent of meeting, and shall take off the linen vestments that he put on when he went into the holy place, and shall leave them there. 24. He shall bathe his body in water in a holy place, and put on his vestments; then he shall come out and offer his burnt offering and the burnt offering of the people, making atonement for himself and for the people.
(Leviticus Chapter 16 verses 23 to 24)
Oh God even though we are not priests we are to do our best to preserve the purity of our soul. Our lives are to be one continuous offering. Moreover as in the cleansing of the special vestments we are to keep clean our souls and our selves so that we can be of service to others.
25. The fat of the sin offering he shall turn into smoke on the altar. 26. The one who sets the goat free for Azazel shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward may come into the camp. 27. The bull of the sin offering and the goat of the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the holy place, shall be taken outside the camp; their skin and their flesh and their dung shall be consumed in fire. 28. The one who burns them shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward may come into the camp.
(Leviticus Chapter 16 verses 25 to 28)
Oh God as in the case of the waste products of the sacrificial animal that were taken outside of the camp, You were also taken outside of the camp and crucified on the mount. I thank You for becoming a sort of waste product that was worth to be rejected instead of us. Oh God how humble You can be. I pray that I grow in this virtue of humility amen.
29. This shall be a statute to you forever; In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall deny yourselves, and shall do no work, neither the citizen nor the alien who resides among you. 30. For on this day atonement shall be made for you, to cleanse you; from all your sins you shall be clean before the LORD. 31. It is a sabbath of complete rest to you, and you shall deny yourselves; it is a statute forever.
(Leviticus Chapter 16 verses 29 to 31)
Oh God how I wish the Sabbath was every day, for I greatly need to deny myself, and let You take total control of my life. I would be more free to do Your will if I am free of the drives, aims goals and wishes of my sinful self. I pray that one day You will purify me from my self and clothe me with a new self that is based totally on You. Amen.
32. The priest who is anointed and consecrated as priest in his father's place shall make atonement, wearing the linen vestments, the holy vestments.
(Leviticus Chapter 16 verse 32)
It was according to Your will oh God, that the Priest is to be married. Moreover the sons could carry on after their fathers and so the priesthood would never end. On reflecting oh God I hold that even during our times priests are to be permitted to marry as in protestant churches.
33. He shall make atonement for the sanctuary, and he shall make atonement for the tent of meeting and for the altar, and he shall make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the assembly. 34. This shall be an everlasting statute for you, to make atonement for the people of Israel once in the year for all their sins. And Moses did as the LORD had commanded him.
(Leviticus Chapter 16 verses 33 to 34)
During the celebration of the Holy Eucharist the priest or celebrant makes atonement both for himself and for the assembly who are those people who are in Church attending for the celebration. This is the first step which takes place in the beginning of the celebration in order to prepare us for the rest of the celebration and makes us worthy to receive You.
Oh God my Father I would like to end this chapter with the following prayer.
This evening I pray for all the Church. We need You more than ever. I pray that You send new vocations for the priesthood especially when considering that many priests and friars are of an age, especially in Malta and in many countries in the world. When considering that priests are Your representatives on earth we are to show them the same love and respect that we show to You.
(Leviticus Chapter 16 verses 3 to 5)
When we offer prayers to You oh God or when we attend for communion or the confessing of our sins, we are to be prepared spiritually and even physically so that we be totally clean and prepared to meet You oh God. One might question how we can be clean spiritually when we are going to confess our sins by which we are stained. If we have the right attitude and frame of mind You oh God will sees us in a wilful state of repentance feeling sorry about our sins and this is a positive environment for repentance.
6. Aaron shall offer the bull as a sin offering for himself and for his house.
(Leviticus Chapter 16 verse 6)
Oh God this is a very important verse for us all. When the priest offers your body and blood during communion in Church he is making an offering both for himself and for us. In fact the priest or celebrant makes a declaration that he is making the offering based on such intentions. In order to view the priest proclaiming this prayer please click on the following link that gives a step by step description of the Holy Mass.
The description of the Holy Mass
7. He shall take the two goats and set them before the LORD at the entrance of the tent of meeting; 8. and Aaron shall cast lots on the two goats, one lot for the LORD and the other lot for Azazel.
(Leviticus Chapter 16 verse 7 to 8)
Oh God as Aaron was to offer You the goat as a symbol of atonement for his laxity in his observance of the role that You assigned him, You chose to offer Your one and only Son for the redemption of our sins. Your Son became the goat of Azazel which was the scapegoat for all the sins that the people had committed and so even in Your Passion which was the sacrifice of sacrifices.
9. Aaron shall present the goat on which the lot fell for the, and offer it as a sin offering; 10. but the goat on which the lot fell for Azazel shall be presented alive before the LORD to make atonement over it, that it may be sent away into the wilderness to Azazel.
(Leviticus Chapter 16 verses 9 to 10)
The decision making process is very interesting. Aaron drew lots in order to decide which of the goats was to be the sin offering and which of the goats was to be the one used as a scapegoat to be used as a means of atonement. When it is time to make important and at times even trivial decisions and even after mass I open my bible randomly and read the first verse that I find, You always have a message for me. When the situation is really important I repeat the process three times and the three sentences are all related to the issue. I thank You God for giving me such a method.
During the time of the passion Pilate also had to discern between You and Judas. Judas was the sin offering for one person that of himself and his crime, however You were the scapegoat for You were to be sacrificed for the sins of the whole world covering all the sins since the beginning of time to its end. Thank You for being an offering even for my sins oh Father!
11. Aaron shall present the bull as a sin offering for himself, and for his house; he shall slaughter the bull as a sin offering for himself.
(Leviticus Chapter 16 verse 11)
As in the offering Your blood and body in the sacrament of the Eucharist, the Priest or celebrant offers the sacrifice for his own sins and for that of the congregation before him. I thank You oh God for giving us priests and other celebrants who could be used by You to transform the offerings into You. Amen.
12. He shall take a censer full of coals of fire from the altar before the LORD and two handfuls of crushed sweet incense, and he shall bring it inside the curtain 13. and put the incense on the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the covenant, or he will die.
(Leviticus Chapter 16 verses 12 to 13)
Oh God as in the case of Aaron our offerings can likewise bet he toil of our occupations even if we are mothers or fathers working at home to bring up a family or others who are enduring the stress of a full time job! This could be symbolised by the burning coals which may also symbolise our burning sins. On the other hand the sweet incense are our prayer time which rise before You as if in a cloud. Oh God everyday of my life I offer these moments of prayer on behalf of both myself and even that of others and the world in general, for we are all in need of You and Your presence.
14. He shall take some of the blood of the bull, and sprinkle it with his finger on the front of the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat he shall sprinkle the blood with his finger seven times.
(Leviticus Chapter 16 verse 14)
Although we may not be able to offer such bloody and gory sacrifices, everyone in our own ways can offer some of our time with others as a form of reparation, however this can never substitute the act of confession of our sins. This is only an additive to the sacrifice.
15. He shall slaughter the goat of the sin offering that is for the people and bring its blood inside the curtain, and do with its blood as he did with the blood of the bull, sprinkling it upon the mercy seat and before the mercy seat. 16. Thus he shall make atonement for the sanctuary, because of the uncleanness es of the people of Israel, and because of their transgressions, all their sins; and so he shall do for the tent of meeting, which remains with them in the midst of their uncleanness.
(Leviticus Chapter 16 verses 15 to 16)
Oh God even though we become defiled with sin, You do not abhor us and become detached on Your relationship with us. You love us so much that You always give us the opportunity to repent from our sins. I thank You for being so caring and merciful amen.
17. No one shall be in the tent of meeting from the time he enters to make atonement in the sanctuary until he comes out and has made atonement for himself and for his house and for all the assembly of Israel.
(Leviticus Chapter 16 verse 17)
Oh God the time of confession is very precious, for during this time we share our innermost feelings and sins in Your presence which is represented by the presence of the priest. I believe that Your Spirit is also present in the confessional for the priest has the authority to forgive sins only in Your Name and not in his own.
18. Then he shall go out to the altar that is before the LORD and make atonement on its behalf, and shall take some of the blood of the bull and of the goat, and put it on each of the horns of the altar. 19. He shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it and hallow it from the uncleanness of the people of Israel.
(Leviticus Chapter 16 verse 18)
Oh God when we sin as active members of the Roman Catholic Church especially if we occupy particular places of responsibility and even if not, atonement is to be made for the Church as a whole, this is why we constantly need to pray for the holiness of both priests and all Christians and Roman Catholics at large. Amen
19. He shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it and hallow it from the uncleanness's of the people of Israel.
(Leviticus Chapter 16 verse 19)
Oh God by means of verse 19 of the book of Leviticus You remind me that I am always to remain open for forgiveness against those who have trespassed against me. Moreover You also remind me that every day I am to be happy to drink from the chalice of bitterness from which not even You were spared at the garden of Gethsemane.
20. When he has finished atoning for the holy place and the tent of meeting and the altar, he shall present the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the people of Israel, and all their transgressions, all their sins, putting them on the head of the goat, and sending it away into the wilderness by means of someone designated for the task. 22. The goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to a barren region; and the goat shall beset free in the wilderness.
(Leviticus Chapter 16 verses 20 to 22)
Oh Lord my God and Father I thank You again and again from the bottom of my heart that You chose to take on Yourself all my sins and those of the world until the end of time. This was indeed the sacrifice of all sacrifices. Thanks for choosing to be our scapegoat and not letting us experience what we deserved meaning the eternal fires of hell that as sinners we all merit and qualify for.
23. Then Aaron shall enter the tent of meeting, and shall take off the linen vestments that he put on when he went into the holy place, and shall leave them there. 24. He shall bathe his body in water in a holy place, and put on his vestments; then he shall come out and offer his burnt offering and the burnt offering of the people, making atonement for himself and for the people.
(Leviticus Chapter 16 verses 23 to 24)
Oh God even though we are not priests we are to do our best to preserve the purity of our soul. Our lives are to be one continuous offering. Moreover as in the cleansing of the special vestments we are to keep clean our souls and our selves so that we can be of service to others.
25. The fat of the sin offering he shall turn into smoke on the altar. 26. The one who sets the goat free for Azazel shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward may come into the camp. 27. The bull of the sin offering and the goat of the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the holy place, shall be taken outside the camp; their skin and their flesh and their dung shall be consumed in fire. 28. The one who burns them shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward may come into the camp.
(Leviticus Chapter 16 verses 25 to 28)
Oh God as in the case of the waste products of the sacrificial animal that were taken outside of the camp, You were also taken outside of the camp and crucified on the mount. I thank You for becoming a sort of waste product that was worth to be rejected instead of us. Oh God how humble You can be. I pray that I grow in this virtue of humility amen.
29. This shall be a statute to you forever; In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall deny yourselves, and shall do no work, neither the citizen nor the alien who resides among you. 30. For on this day atonement shall be made for you, to cleanse you; from all your sins you shall be clean before the LORD. 31. It is a sabbath of complete rest to you, and you shall deny yourselves; it is a statute forever.
(Leviticus Chapter 16 verses 29 to 31)
Oh God how I wish the Sabbath was every day, for I greatly need to deny myself, and let You take total control of my life. I would be more free to do Your will if I am free of the drives, aims goals and wishes of my sinful self. I pray that one day You will purify me from my self and clothe me with a new self that is based totally on You. Amen.
32. The priest who is anointed and consecrated as priest in his father's place shall make atonement, wearing the linen vestments, the holy vestments.
(Leviticus Chapter 16 verse 32)
It was according to Your will oh God, that the Priest is to be married. Moreover the sons could carry on after their fathers and so the priesthood would never end. On reflecting oh God I hold that even during our times priests are to be permitted to marry as in protestant churches.
33. He shall make atonement for the sanctuary, and he shall make atonement for the tent of meeting and for the altar, and he shall make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the assembly. 34. This shall be an everlasting statute for you, to make atonement for the people of Israel once in the year for all their sins. And Moses did as the LORD had commanded him.
(Leviticus Chapter 16 verses 33 to 34)
During the celebration of the Holy Eucharist the priest or celebrant makes atonement both for himself and for the assembly who are those people who are in Church attending for the celebration. This is the first step which takes place in the beginning of the celebration in order to prepare us for the rest of the celebration and makes us worthy to receive You.
Oh God my Father I would like to end this chapter with the following prayer.
This evening I pray for all the Church. We need You more than ever. I pray that You send new vocations for the priesthood especially when considering that many priests and friars are of an age, especially in Malta and in many countries in the world. When considering that priests are Your representatives on earth we are to show them the same love and respect that we show to You.
