LEVITICUS
CHAPTER
22
1. The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 2. Direct Aaron and his sons to deal carefully with the sacred donations of the people of Israel, which they dedicate to me, so that they may not profane my holy name; I am the LORD.
(Book of Leviticus Chapter 22 verse 1 to 2)
Oh God we are to discriminate positively from that which is of the world and that which is of You meaning of the Spiritual or sacred level, which is to be given a priority over that of the world. Among the special donations made to God we can offer ourselves, our families, or occupations our children as a special offering as consecrated people and technically all that we do and say throughout the day. God never refuses our offerings. Moreover instead of refusing them he treats us with special care as in verse 1 of the twenty-second chapter of the book of Leviticus. We are so special in God's eyes that he treats us with extra special care for as humans we are so fragile and prone to sin and destruction. I thank You oh God for being so caring and for treating us even individually with special care. Amen.
3. Say to them: If anyone among all your offspring throughout your generations comes near the sacred donations, which the people of Israel dedicate to the LORD, while he is in a state of uncleanness, that person shall be cut off from my presence: I am the LORD.
(Book of Leviticus Chapter 22 verse 3)
The same thing applies oh God, when we come to receive You in communion. It is best to seek the forgiveness of our sins before approaching the altar to receive You. If we were to welcome a king or head of state in our house we would make sure that our house is spick and span, therefore when we welcome You in our hearts it is also worthy to be spick and span Amen.
4. No one of Aaron's offsprings who has a leprous disease or suffers a discharge may eat of the sacred donations until he is clean. Whoever touches anything made unclean by a corpse or a man who has had an emission of semen, 5. and whoever touches any swarming thing by which he may be made unclean whatever his uncleanness may be-6. the person who touches any such shall be unclean until evening and shall not eat of the sacred donations unless he has washed his body in water.
(Book of Leviticus Chapter 22 verses 4 to 6)
Oh God when You created the priesthood You gave us a very sacred and important way of life which we can follow. The call to holiness and a way of living based on the message of the Good News has been given to all. As in the case of priests, nuns and all consecrated people we are to dedicate our lives to You my God and do our best, accompanied by Your power to stay away and abstain from all that stains our soul as in the case of sin so that we will not defile our call as Your Sons and daughters and the white dress that we were dressed with at the time of our baptism. Amen.
7. When the sun sets he shall be clean; and afterward he may eat of the sacred donations, for they are his food.
(Book of Leviticus Chapter 22 verse 7)
Oh God I thank You for giving us the opportunity to be cleansed of our sins so that we can receive You in the sacrament of the Eucharist Amen. It would be a disaster or disgrace, if we were to remain in sin forever!
8. That which died or was torn by wild animals he shall not eat, becoming unclean by it: I am the LORD. 9. They shall keep my charge, so that they may not incur guilt and die in the sanctuary for having profaned it: I am the LORD; I sanctify them.
(Book of Leviticus Chapter 22 verses 8 to 9)
Oh God my Father You strictly made it a point that priests were to safeguard their relationship with You and protect it from being contaminated by the ways of the world. Although they are living in this world as all human beings, they must not become a part of it. Some priests have become so indulged in the ways of the world, becoming singers, appearing on television programmes, becoming celebrities in their own parish so much that they end up being the reason why parishioners attend mass that they risk their vocation. Some have even resigned from their positions of priests and integrated in their society much against Your will. Oh God I pray that You protect the priesthood so that it will remain untainted and not become corrupts like the ways of the world Amen.
10. No lay person shall eat of the sacred donations. No bound or hired servant of the priest shall eat of the sacred donations; 11. but if a priest acquires anyone by purchase, the person may eat of them; and those that are born in his house may eat of his food.
(Book of Leviticus Chapter 22 verses 10 to 11)
Oh God since the beginning of Your priesthood in its earliest stage You marked the boundaries between the secular and the spiritual in the sense that us lay people do not have the permission to perform rites that are specifically assigned to Priests, such as the consecration of the offerings during mass and even confession. On the other hand the priests in order to safeguard their sanctity and vocation are not to get too indulged in the ways of the world as in becoming celebrities in society to the point that people will start attending mass to see them instead of You. Amen.
12. If a priest's daughter marries a layman, she shall not eat of the offering of the sacred donations; 13. but if a priest's daughter is widowed or divorced, without offspring, and returns to her father's house, as in her youth, she may eat of her father's food. No lay person shall eat of it.
(Book of Leviticus Chapter 22 verses 12 to 13)
Oh God my Father when a person experiences a change in status, such as moving from the celibate or spiritual to the secular, one loses certain privileges, such as that of not being able to celebrate the sacraments of the Eucharist and administer the confession of sins as in the case of priests who for some reason decide not to remain Your shepherds. I pray oh God my Father that You bless the world with more vocations, because we need You more now than ever before. Amen.
14. If a man eats of the sacred donation unintentionally, he shall add one-fifth of its value to it, and give the sacred donation to the priest.. 15. No one shall profane the sacred donations of the people of Israel which they offer to the LORD, 16. causing them to bear guilt requiring a guilt offering, by eating their sacred donations; for I am the LORD; I sanctify them.
(Book of Leviticus Chapter 22 verses 14 to 16)
Oh God my Father I thank You for considering our intentions as much as our acts, because at times our intentions are good to accomplish acts, but somehow the outcome may not always be positive. When I left the convent I decided to offer myself as atonement for the sins of others and I willfully offered to place my hands and body under the heels of a relative who would wear high heels and at times sneakers and stand on tip toes and even walk on my body. My intention was that of suffering for the sins of others and not of experiencing sexual gratification, however in time You showed me that although my intention in itself was good this was not a healthy way to do it. Even though this way stimulated the reward system in my brain and at times I still feel the need for the gratification there are times when I resist for this in a way becomes a form of masturbation but however at times I am not strong enough to resist this physical drive or compulsion and end up sinning by going to sites which give me this form of pleasure. Although my Youtube is on safe mode the evil one during moments of prayer tempts me to revert to normal mode. I am very sorry oh God my Father for these moments of weakness for my intention is to meditate on Your Word and not to sin. Please forgive me oh God, I have often confessed this great sin of mine and I believe that one day You will deliver me from it, so that I will be a complete offering to You Amen.
17. The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 18. Speak to Aaron and his sons and all the people of Israel and say to them: When anyone of the house of Israel or of the aliens residing in Israel presents an offering, whether in payment of a vow or as a freewill offering that is offered to the LORD as a burnt offering, 19. to be acceptable in your behalf it shall be a male without blemish, of the cattle or the sheep or the goats. 20. You shall not offer anything that has a blemish, for it will not be acceptable in your behalf.
(Book of Leviticus Chapter 22 verses 17 to 20)
Oh God I offer You all the days of my life as one big offering. I promise to do my best in all I do, because it is not myself but Your presence that dwells in me that is at work. I wish to have the specifications to be a perfect offering in being without blemish but I am still tainted by sin, however if I stay close to You even from those sins You can heal me, so that I will become a perfect offering. I also offer You my work and all the time I spend at home, which as You know is not always a pleasant time. I offer You my mistakes so that You can perfect these areas of my life and make me whole Amen. In this spirit I would like you who are meditating on this chapter to join me in the following prayer by clicking on the following link:-
Prayer as song 'We are an offering'
21. When anyone offers a sacrifice of well-being to the LORD, in fulfillment of a vow or as a freewill offering, from the herd or from the flock to be acceptable it must be perfect; there shall be no blemish in it.
(Book of Leviticus Chapter 22 verse 21)
Oh God when we make promises or vows to You as in marriage or the Celibate life, it is to be a complete offering. Even though storms may blow, once the offering has been made there is no going back from the word we have given to You. We are to work on the marriage which is to be an offering not once but every day of our life even in the celibate life. Amen.
(Book of Leviticus Chapter 22 verses 4 to 6)
Oh God when You created the priesthood You gave us a very sacred and important way of life which we can follow. The call to holiness and a way of living based on the message of the Good News has been given to all. As in the case of priests, nuns and all consecrated people we are to dedicate our lives to You my God and do our best, accompanied by Your power to stay away and abstain from all that stains our soul as in the case of sin so that we will not defile our call as Your Sons and daughters and the white dress that we were dressed with at the time of our baptism. Amen.
7. When the sun sets he shall be clean; and afterward he may eat of the sacred donations, for they are his food.
(Book of Leviticus Chapter 22 verse 7)
Oh God I thank You for giving us the opportunity to be cleansed of our sins so that we can receive You in the sacrament of the Eucharist Amen. It would be a disaster or disgrace, if we were to remain in sin forever!
8. That which died or was torn by wild animals he shall not eat, becoming unclean by it: I am the LORD. 9. They shall keep my charge, so that they may not incur guilt and die in the sanctuary for having profaned it: I am the LORD; I sanctify them.
(Book of Leviticus Chapter 22 verses 8 to 9)
Oh God my Father You strictly made it a point that priests were to safeguard their relationship with You and protect it from being contaminated by the ways of the world. Although they are living in this world as all human beings, they must not become a part of it. Some priests have become so indulged in the ways of the world, becoming singers, appearing on television programmes, becoming celebrities in their own parish so much that they end up being the reason why parishioners attend mass that they risk their vocation. Some have even resigned from their positions of priests and integrated in their society much against Your will. Oh God I pray that You protect the priesthood so that it will remain untainted and not become corrupts like the ways of the world Amen.
10. No lay person shall eat of the sacred donations. No bound or hired servant of the priest shall eat of the sacred donations; 11. but if a priest acquires anyone by purchase, the person may eat of them; and those that are born in his house may eat of his food.
(Book of Leviticus Chapter 22 verses 10 to 11)
Oh God since the beginning of Your priesthood in its earliest stage You marked the boundaries between the secular and the spiritual in the sense that us lay people do not have the permission to perform rites that are specifically assigned to Priests, such as the consecration of the offerings during mass and even confession. On the other hand the priests in order to safeguard their sanctity and vocation are not to get too indulged in the ways of the world as in becoming celebrities in society to the point that people will start attending mass to see them instead of You. Amen.
12. If a priest's daughter marries a layman, she shall not eat of the offering of the sacred donations; 13. but if a priest's daughter is widowed or divorced, without offspring, and returns to her father's house, as in her youth, she may eat of her father's food. No lay person shall eat of it.
(Book of Leviticus Chapter 22 verses 12 to 13)
Oh God my Father when a person experiences a change in status, such as moving from the celibate or spiritual to the secular, one loses certain privileges, such as that of not being able to celebrate the sacraments of the Eucharist and administer the confession of sins as in the case of priests who for some reason decide not to remain Your shepherds. I pray oh God my Father that You bless the world with more vocations, because we need You more now than ever before. Amen.
14. If a man eats of the sacred donation unintentionally, he shall add one-fifth of its value to it, and give the sacred donation to the priest.. 15. No one shall profane the sacred donations of the people of Israel which they offer to the LORD, 16. causing them to bear guilt requiring a guilt offering, by eating their sacred donations; for I am the LORD; I sanctify them.
(Book of Leviticus Chapter 22 verses 14 to 16)
Oh God my Father I thank You for considering our intentions as much as our acts, because at times our intentions are good to accomplish acts, but somehow the outcome may not always be positive. When I left the convent I decided to offer myself as atonement for the sins of others and I willfully offered to place my hands and body under the heels of a relative who would wear high heels and at times sneakers and stand on tip toes and even walk on my body. My intention was that of suffering for the sins of others and not of experiencing sexual gratification, however in time You showed me that although my intention in itself was good this was not a healthy way to do it. Even though this way stimulated the reward system in my brain and at times I still feel the need for the gratification there are times when I resist for this in a way becomes a form of masturbation but however at times I am not strong enough to resist this physical drive or compulsion and end up sinning by going to sites which give me this form of pleasure. Although my Youtube is on safe mode the evil one during moments of prayer tempts me to revert to normal mode. I am very sorry oh God my Father for these moments of weakness for my intention is to meditate on Your Word and not to sin. Please forgive me oh God, I have often confessed this great sin of mine and I believe that one day You will deliver me from it, so that I will be a complete offering to You Amen.
17. The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 18. Speak to Aaron and his sons and all the people of Israel and say to them: When anyone of the house of Israel or of the aliens residing in Israel presents an offering, whether in payment of a vow or as a freewill offering that is offered to the LORD as a burnt offering, 19. to be acceptable in your behalf it shall be a male without blemish, of the cattle or the sheep or the goats. 20. You shall not offer anything that has a blemish, for it will not be acceptable in your behalf.
(Book of Leviticus Chapter 22 verses 17 to 20)
Oh God I offer You all the days of my life as one big offering. I promise to do my best in all I do, because it is not myself but Your presence that dwells in me that is at work. I wish to have the specifications to be a perfect offering in being without blemish but I am still tainted by sin, however if I stay close to You even from those sins You can heal me, so that I will become a perfect offering. I also offer You my work and all the time I spend at home, which as You know is not always a pleasant time. I offer You my mistakes so that You can perfect these areas of my life and make me whole Amen. In this spirit I would like you who are meditating on this chapter to join me in the following prayer by clicking on the following link:-
Prayer as song 'We are an offering'
21. When anyone offers a sacrifice of well-being to the LORD, in fulfillment of a vow or as a freewill offering, from the herd or from the flock to be acceptable it must be perfect; there shall be no blemish in it.
(Book of Leviticus Chapter 22 verse 21)
Oh God when we make promises or vows to You as in marriage or the Celibate life, it is to be a complete offering. Even though storms may blow, once the offering has been made there is no going back from the word we have given to You. We are to work on the marriage which is to be an offering not once but every day of our life even in the celibate life. Amen.
22. Anything blind, or injured, or maimed, or having a discharge or an itch or scabs-these you shall not offer to the LORD or put any of them on the altar as offerings by fire to the LORD.
(Book of Leviticus Chapter 22 verse 22)
Oh God my Father as in the case of Cain and Abel the inferior offering was not accepted, I therefore pray oh God my Father that our offering both of ourselves and even of our produce will always be acceptable in Your eyes Amen. May we offer You nothing but the best.
23. An ox or a lamb that has a limb too long or too short you may present for a freewill offering; but it will not be accepted for a vow.
(Book of Leviticus Chapter 22 verse 23)
According to verse 23, if we make an offering on our own free will it does not matter if our offering is not perfect, but if our offering is intended for a particular occasion such as the atonement of sin it is to be a perfect offering. For instance if I am praying to You my God I feel at home and behave in a way that is proper for home meaning I can shout and proclaim Your name until I become a public nuisance and have to be silenced by restraint or a tranquilizer gun, but if I am in Church I need to behave in a way that is fitting to the occasion such as Communion or maybe baptism, marriage or ordination among others.
24. Any animal that has its testicles bruised or crushed or torn or cut, you shall not offer to the LORD; such you shall not do within your land, 25. nor shall you accept any such animals from a foreigner to offer as food to your God; since they are mutilated, with a blemish in them, they shall not be accepted in your behalf.
(Book of Leviticus Chapter 22 verses 24 to 25)
Oh God my Father Yo are nothing but perfect, however You still accept me and love me even though I am not perfect or even clsoe to perfection. I thank You for loving and accepting me as I am with all my blemishes and imperfections Amen.
26. The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 27. When an ox or a sheep or a goat is born, it shall remain seven days with its mother, and from the eighth day on it shall be acceptable as the LORD's offering by fire.
(Book of Leviticus Chapter 22 verses 26 to 27)
Oh God according to the criteria established by You even I am a worthy offering to be tested by the fires of tribulation and if found unworthy to be sent to hell forever. I pray oh God for the sake of my soul that You have mercy on me being unworthy as I am as a sinner Amen.
28. But you shall not slaughter, from the herd or the flock, an animal with its young on the same day.
(Book of Leviticus Chapter 22 verse 28)
Oh God You are the God of life and not of death, thus ending the life of a mother with the baby is ending the possibility of further life. I pray for the many victims of wars and accidents that claimed the lives of both fathers and sons on the same day. I also pray for the wives or mothers who are still mourning over the loss of both their sons and their husbands or daughters. I pray that You give consolation to all who are in mourning amen.
29. When you sacrifice a thanksgiving offering to the LORD, you shall sacrifice it so that it may be acceptable in your behalf. 30. It shall be eaten on the same day; you shall not leave any of it until morning; I am the LORD.
(Book of Leviticus Chapter 22 verses 29 to 30)
As previously mentioned when we present our offering to You my God and Father it is to be according to Your will and according to the instructions that You give us. Oh that we may obey Your ways oh God in all circumstances to the letter and not behave according to what we think or feel amen.
31. Thus you shall keep my commandments and observe them: I am the LORD. 32. You shall not profane my holy name, that I may be sanctified among the people of Israel: I am the LORD; I sanctify you, 33. I who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God: I am the LORD.
(Book of Leviticus Chapter 22 verses 31 to 33)
Oh God You strictly order us to keep Your commandments which means all of them and not only those which we like. Moreover You promise us that You will sanctify us, because by means of our own frail will we cannot achieve sanctification. Time and time again You made it clear that we are to be holy because You our God and Father are holy. I pray oh God that You give us this gift of holiness for to be holy is to go against our sinful nature which is something we can achieve only with Your help my God and Father.
Oh God I would like to end this chapter with the following prayer:
Oh God my Father I would like to offer You my entire life, all my wishes, thoughts, plans and desires so that You sanctify them to be according to Your Will. I also offer You my sinful self and all my weak areas, so that You also sanctify them and make me a new person according to Your Holy will Amen.
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