INTRODUCTION

Obviously many people today can recite the ‘Our Father’ but of course not all can explain what it means or answer basic questions about it.

The Lord’s prayer has traditionally been divided up into two parts: the introduction (Our Father who art in heaven) and the seven petitions.

THE INTRODUCTORY PART

OUR FATHER WHO ART IN HEAVEN
We call God our Father because He was revealed to us through His Son Jesus Christ who became man. Through the Sacrament of Baptism, we are adopted children of God. This free gift of adoption requires on our own part the continual conversion and a new life. When we say the ”Our Father” we are speaking to God in a very intimate way, not as a distant figure but as a close member of the family. When we pray the words ”Our Father”, we are saying that God is not just ‘my Father’, but the Father of all. We can’t exclude anyone from God’s care, for we are all His children.
When we say ”Our Father who art in heaven”, we are not banishing God to the outer coners of the sky, for where there is peace, joy, happiness and love, there is a slice of heaven. So we acknowledge His presence in our lives, our world and our hearts.

THE SEVEN PETITIONS

1ST PETITION: HALLOWED BE THY NAME
The term ”hallowed” literally means ”to make holy” or ”to demonstrate as holy”. In this petition, we are asking that God’s name be made holy. This line of the prayer is an extention of the opening acknowledgement that God is our Father in heaven: first we recognize that God loves and listens to us (Our Father who art in heaven), and then we move on to recognize His holiness (hallowed be Thy Name). So when we pray that God’s name be made holy, we are praying that God Himself be given the reverence and honor due to Him.

2ND PETITION: THY KINGDOM COME
Through out the Old and New testaments there is a great longing for the time when God will rule the world in full glory and power. The second petition is the first with a double meaning: first, we pray for the coming of the kingdom of God here and now in our daily lives. Secondly, we pray for the glorious return of our Lord Jesus at the end of time and the final coming of the reign of God.

3RD PETITION: THY WILL BE DONE ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN
The word ”will” means the same as ”desire.” So by praying for God’s will to be done, we are are praying for all that God desires to be done. If we pray but refuse to submit to His authority, then we are deceiving ourselves and we are not really praying the way Jesus taught His followers to pray.

4TH PETITION: GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD
This is actually the part I love the most. This petition has a twofold meaning: first, we pray for (the physical) daily bread for our earthly naurishment that is necessary to physically sustain us throughout the day. Secondly, as the scripture says ”man must not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God”, there is a great hunger and thirst for the word of God in the world today. Therefore as Christians, we must make every effort to proclaim the good news to the people around us. Specifically, the Christian sense of this part of the Lord’s Prayer is the Bread of Life. The Holy Eucharist is our daily Bread. The power belonging to this divine Bread makes it a bind of union. Its effect is then understood as unity, so that gathering into His Body, and made members of Him, we may become what we receive. In addition, the reading and hymns we hear and sing at Mass are also part of our daily bread. All this are very important for our speritual growth.

5TH PETITION: FOR GIVE US OUR SINS AS WE FORGIVE THOSE WHO SIN AGAINST US.
In this petition, we beg God to have mercy on us and forgive our sins. We acknowledge that the Father’s mercy is able to penetrate our hearts to the extent that we will be able to forgive our enemies. But there is a condition here: His mercy can only feel our hearts when we have forgiven our enemies. Remember the verses that follow the Our Father in Matthew 6:14-15:”If you forgive those who wrong you, your Father will also forgive you, but if you do dont forgive others, then your Father will not forgive you.”

6TH PETITION: LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION.
In this petition, we ask God not to allow us to fall into temptation, we also ask for the grace and strength to overcome sins of the flesh.

7TH PETITION: BUT DELEVER US FROM EVIL.
In this final petition, we pray in communion with the Church for the deliverance of the whole human family.

(FOR THINE IS THE KINGDOM, THE POWER AND GLORY, NOW AND FOREVER.
Though this part was not included in the prayer recorded in the Gospels, it was included in the Didache. We Catholics pray this line only after a prayer by the priest, in order to honor the tradition while also maitaining the traditional prayer recorded in the Gospels.)

AMEN
After praying our petitions, we end by affirming our belief in all that we have prayed by saying AMEN.

THE ORIGIN AND SIGNIFICANCE OF ASH WEDNESDAY

HISTORIES

OBSERVED BY: Christians

OBSERVANCES: Holy Mass, Service of the worship,
Divine Liturgy, Placing of arsh on the forehead

( image source: gettyimages.com)

INTRODUCTION
Ash Wednesday is the name given to the first day of the season of Lent, in which the priest applies ashes to the forehead of Christians to signify an inner repentance.
This year’s arsh Wednesday falls on March 1, 2017. It marks the beginning of Lent- a 40 day liturgical period of prayer and abstinence. It will always fall on a wednesday since it is exactly 40 days,(excluding Sundays) before Easter Sunday. There cannot be an Ash Thursday, or Ash Tuesday. On this day, we see many people walking around the streets with a cross marked with ash on their foreheads. But what does this really mean? Why do most Christians leave the ashes until the end of the day? What is the history and meaning of this Christian Holy Day of Obligation?

NAME
Ash Wednesday derives its name form the practice of blessing ashes made from palm branches blessed on the previous plam Sunday and placing them on the forehead of participants to the accompaniment of the words “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return”

ORIGIN
Ash Wednesday, originally called “Dies Cirnerum” (day of ash) is mentioned in the earliest copies of the Grigorian Sacramentary, and probably dates from at least the 8th century. One of the earliest descriptions of Ash Wednesday is found in the writings of the Anglosaxon- Abbort Aelfrec (955-1020).
This practice derives itself from the old testament liturgy which signifies remorse, morning, and repentance. There are several accounts of individuals in the Holy Books using sackcloth and ashes during times of lamentation and repentance.
Jacob tore his clothes, and put sakcloth on his lions(Gen.37:34). In the book of Esther chapter 4:1-2, Mordecai put on sack cloth and ashes when he heard of the decree of Kng. Xerxes (485-464 BCE) of Persia to kill all of the Jewish people in the Persian Empire
Job repented in sackcloth and ashes- Job 42:6
Prophet Daniel pleaded with God to rescue Israel with sackcloth and ashes- Job 42:6. When prophet Jonah finally obeyed God’s command and preached in the great city of Nineveh, his preaching was amazingly effective. ” When the King of Nineveh heard about it, he got up from his throne, took off his robe, put on sackcloth, and sat down in ashes “(Jonah 3:6).
Judith 4:11 ” and all the Israelite men, women and children who lived in Jerusalem prostrated themselves in front of the temple building, with ashes strewn on their heads, displaying their sackcloth covering before the Lord” see also Judith 4: 15 and 9:1. Just prior to the New Testament period, the rebels fighting for Jewish independence, the Meccabees, prepared for battle using ashes: “that day the fasted and wore sackcloth; they sprinkled ashes on their heads and tore their clothes” ( 1Mc.3:47, 4:39).
Obviously the best known example of repentance in the Old Testament involved wearing of sackcloths and sprinckling of ashes.

In the New Testament, Jesus refer to the use of sackcloth and ashes as a sign of repentance: ” How terrible it will be for you, Chorazin! How terrible for you too, Bethsaida! If the miracles which were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, the people there would long ago have sat down, put on sackcloth, sprinkled ashes on themselves, to show that they had turned from their sins”(Lk. 10:13, Mt. 11:20-24).

Other Bible reference: 2Sm.3:31, Job 16:15, Job. 42:6, Lam 2:10, Joel 1:8, 1Kngs 21:27, 2Kng 19:1-2, 1Chr.21:6, Neh. 9:1, Jon 3:5-9, Is.15:3, Jer.49:3, Ez.27:31, Is.3:24, Is. 58:5, Is.50:3.

The early Church continued the use of ashes for the same symbolic reasons. The famous. Early Church historian, Eusebius (260-340 A.D), recounted in one of his books, how an apostle named Natalis came to Pope Zephyrinus begging for forgiveness, clothed in sackcloth and ashes. During this times also, the priest sprinkled ahes on the heads of those required to do public penance.
In the middle ages, those who were about to die were laid on the ground on top of sackcloth sprinkled with ashes. The priest would bless the person with holy water saying “Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return.” In all of the examples, the symbolism of mourning , mortality and penance is clear.
Eventually the use of ashs was adopted to mark the beginning of Lent.

OBSERVANCES
In the typical Ash Wednesday observance, Christians are invited to the alter to receive the ashes; the priest applies ashes in the shape of cross on the foreheads of all who approaches the alter. The words used traditionaly to accompany this gesture are:

“Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return”

“Repent and believe in the Gospel” (this formula wasintroduced as an alternative during the revision of the Roman Rite in 1969).

The old formula which is based on words spoken to Adam and Eve after their sin, reminds us of our sinfulness and mortality and thus, implicitly, of our need to repent in time. The new formula makes explicit what was only implicit in the old.

DATE
Ash Wednesday is a moveable feast, occuring 46 days before Easter. The earliest date Ash Wednesday can occur is in February 4 in a common year with Easter on 22 of March, which acctually happened in 1573, 1668, 1761 and 1818, and will next occur in 2285. The lastes date is 10 March, when Easter day falls on 25 April, which occured in 1546, 1641,1736, 1886, and 1943 and will next occur in 2038. Ash Wednesday has never occured on Leap Year Day(29 Feb), and will not occur tuntil 2096.

FUTURE DATES
•2015 – February 18
•2016 – February 10
•2017 – March 1
•2018 – February 14
•2019 – March 6
•2020 – February 26
•2021 – February 17
•2022- March 2
•2023 – February 22
•2024 – February 14
•2025 – March 5

CONCLUTION
The Lenten season is intended to be a time of self- denial, moderation, fasting, and the forsaking of sinful activities and habits. Ash Wednesday commences this period of spiritual discipline.
It should be noted that the ashes like similar external practices are meaningless without a correponding inner repentance and change of behaviour. This is made clear in Isaiah 58:5-7.
With this in mind, however, the rite of ashes on Ash Wednesday is heartily recommended to Christians as a grand opportunuty for repentance and spiritual renewal within the framework of confession and absolution.

WISH YOU ALL A BLESSED ASH WEDNESDAY OBSERVANCE.

DEFENDING THE CATHOLIC FAITH

APOLOGETICS, , , , , , ,

1Peter 3:16: “always be prepared to make a defense to anyone who calls you to account for the hope that is ib you.”

The Church has faced lots criticism and accusations from her separated brethren. Some say Catholiicism is devilish. Others say it is an occult religion. Well, they are all entitled to their freedom of speech. Many have left the Church in search of miracle else where. While many others left just because they know little or nothing of their faith as a Catholic.

“The difficulty of explaining ‘why I am a Catholic’ is that there are ten thousand reasons all amounting to one reason: that Catholiicism is true” Chesterton Gilbert.

TIMELINE OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
The Catholic Church was founded by Jesus Christ on 33AD at Jerusalem.
The first gathering of the Church was in 33AD
The reformation was in 1517(with Martin Luther as the pioneer, leading John Whycliffe, Ultrich Zwingli, John Calvin, John Lanox and many other)
Catholiicism became the official religion in Rome in 382

WHO FOUNDED YOUR CHURCH
Today there are thousands of Churches and sects in the world all claiming to be the true Church. These are all Churches founded by men, except the one founded by Christ Himself.

RELIGION FOUNDER YEAR
Catholic. JESUS. 33AD
Anglicans. King Henry III. 1534
Baptist. John Smyth. 1609
Salvation Army. William Booth. 1878
Mormonism. Joseph Smith. 1840
Seventh Day Adv. E. G. White. 1863
Jehovah’s witness. C. T. Russel. 1870
Kingdom of Christ. Apollo. 1985
PBMA. Ruben Sr. 1965
And many others.

THE BIBLE
The separated brethren has always backed their accusations with scriptures from the Bible. They Claim that most of the traditions, and teachings of the Church is not found anywhere in the Bible, forgetting that the Bible actually belongs to the Catholic Church.
The first hand-wirting Bible -the Latin Volgate- was compiled by St. Jerome in 382
The chapters and verses were divided by Stephen Langton and Robert Estiene respectively in 1228.
The first printed Bible- the Gutternberg Bible- was in 1450. These men were all Catholics. So how could they have compiled and printed a book that will be used against them in future?

BIBLE RELIGIOUS NAME
No matter how fashionable you dress a monkey, it will forever remain a monkey. It will never transform to a human. The very best way to deceive these people now, is to make use of the Bible as if their name is found in it. However, history will prove them wrong-history will prove to them that their Churches were merely founded by mortal men. No matter how big the word ‘God’, ‘jesus’ or ‘Christ’ in the name of your church, it will never convert it to the one founded by Christ Himself.

THE FOUR MARKS OF THE CHURCH
We believe in ONE, HOLY, CATHOLIC and A. POSTOLIC Church… Nicene Creed.
How to help you find the one and true Church.
I. ONE: The Church is one because Jesus founded only one Church and not a collection of Churches. He said to Stm Peter: you are rock, and upon this rock I shall build my CHURCH; (He did not say ‘my churches’)
II. HOLY: the Church is holy just as her founder is holy. This does not mean that all its members are always holy. Jesus said there will be both good and bad members(Jn.6:70), and not even all of its members will go to heaven(Mt.7:21-23)
III. CATHOLIC: the Church is universal because she has been sent into the word on a mission to the whole human race.
IV. APOSTOLATE: the Church is apostolate because she is founded on the apostles in three ways:
I. She was & remain built on the foundations of the apostles, the witnesses chosen and sent on a mission by Christ Himself;
II. With the help of the Holy Spirit dwelling in her, the Church keeps and hands on the teachings “The Good Deposit” the salvatory words she heard from the apostles
III. She continues to be taught, sanctified and guided by the apostles until Christ returns.
Already the Church has produced over 200 popes as successors of St. Peter.

THE SIGN OF THE CROSS
Latin: Sigum Crucis. Wonder why we make the sign of the cross? It is because Jesus Christ died on the cross for the salvation of all mankind. Apart from this very obvious reason, it should be noted that as Christians, one essential belief is the Holy Trinity-the Father, the Son and the Holy spirit-are distinctly separate, but one. Read 1Jn.6:7. Biblical Reference: the cross is the power of God for those saved (1Cor.1:18), cross was marked on the forehead (Ez.9:4-6), Father’s name written on the forehead (Rev.14:1),name of the Son written on the forehead(Rev.22:4),marked with the Holy Spirit(Eph.1:13), Constantine won a battle with through the sign of the cross with “In Hoc Signo Vincer PLHS Chi Rlio A. Still not convinced? Go and ague with saint Augustine.

HOLY TRINITY:
Bible proof: in the creation story, God said: let us make man in our own image and likeness”(Gen.1:26) was He referring to your pastors? Hell no. Baptize them in the name(not names) of the FATHER, the SON, and the HOLY SPIRIT(Mt.28:19), the HOLY SPIRIT rested on the head of the SON, and the FATHER spoke from heaven(Mt.3:16), there are three things that bears witness in heaven: the FATHER, the SON and the HOLY SPIRIT, and these THREE are ONE!(1Jn.5:7) what other proof do you want?

IMAGE AND STATUE
Do you have the pictures of your dear ones? So dowe. Do you worship those pictures, neither do we. Do you love and honor they people represent? So do we. God ordered Moses to make a graven image of the Cherubim(Ex.25:18-19)n there were lots of images in the temple of God (2Chr.3:3-10)

VENERATIONS
Is it wrong to venerate sacred images of the Saints and the apostles? No. Proof: will I commit adultery by kissing my girl friend’s picture? Or will I commit a sin by bowing before a king? Definitely no. We venerate not the images, but who they represents. Read Ez.41:18-19, 43:3-4, Ex.25:21-22n and Num.21:9.

THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
Thousands of separated brethren still do not believe that She is ever virgin. Well I have thousands of proofs but will only give you some of it. She was and remained a virgin. Though she was betrothed to St. Joseph, he never touched her. They was never a flesh contact. How did know? Ordinarily, Joseph couldn’t have seen her nakedness because she is the New Covenant! She was pre-selected from the origin to be the New Arc of Covenant(Gen.3:15) do you remember what happened in 1Sm.6:19? God killed 70 of the men of Beth Shemesh because they looked inside the Covenant Box. Imagine what would have happened to St. Joseph if he tried to “look inside the Covenant Box”? Remember also what happened in 2Sm.6:6-9? Uzzah was stroke dead immediately he tried to touch the Covenant Box. Now what do you think would have been the fate of St. Joseph if he had attempted to “touch the Covenant Box” read Is.7:14, Lkm1:28n Ps.132:8.

JESUS AND HIS BROTHERS
“Look, your mother abd brothers are standing outside, they want to speak you” Mt.12:46. The word “brothers” in Hebrew “adelphos”. Which means ‘relatives’ or ‘cousins’ Abraham called Lot his brother in Gen.14:12; but Lot was actually his ‘nephew’.

INFANT BAPTISM
“He who believes and is baptized shall be saved” Mk.16:16. Why then do Catholics Baptize infants who knows nothing about faith? Ever wondered why the Jews circumcised their children 8 days after birth? Read Lev.12:1-5. Baptism now replaces this Jewish rite of circumcision. Bible reference: col.2:11-2, Acts 2:38, Eph.5:26, Rom.5:12, Ps.51:5, Ws.12:10, Rev.21:27, Jn.3:5 and Acts2:39.

PURGATORY
Latin: purgatorium: the state or place of purification or temporary punishment by which those who died in a state of grace are believed to be made ready for the beatific vision of heaven. Only those who dies in a state of grace goes to purgatory, and therefore no soul will be there forever nor go to hell. Bible proof: Rev.21:27n 2Mach.12:46, Mt.5:22, Lk.12:48, 1Jn.5:16, 1Cor.3:5. To claim that purgatory does not exist because the name cannot be found in the Bible, is a failure to understand the scriptures. The name does not make the place. The place must exist first, then we can give it a name. You can call it whatever you like we call iit PURGATORY.

WORSHIP: ONE WORD, THREE MEANING
The term used to mean adoration which is the highest form of worship directed only to the HOLY TRINITY.
DULIA- veneration or honor: the degree given to angels and saints(a form of respect).
HYPERDOLIA: hyperdolia is above dolia. It means praise which is reserved only to our LADY alone for her role in the salvation of mankind.
LATRIA- the worship of GOD. This is above the other two.
Always be prepared to defend your faith as a Catholic. Try to ask questions if you do not know.

MY CHURCH IS THE ONE AND TRUE CHURCH

I AM VERY PROUD TO BE A CATHOLIC.
WHAT ABOUT YOU?

WHO WAS MARY MAGDALENE?

INTRODUCTION

Mary Magdalene is seen as a religious figure in Christianity. She journeyed with Jesus as one of His followers, she was present at :is death, and at His resurrection; within the four gospels she is mentioned at least twelve times more than most of the apostles.

MEANING

The name “Magdalene” identifies Mary with her birth place, just as Jesus was called “the Nazarene” because of His association with Nazareth. Magdala means “tower” or “castle” and in the time of ;esus, was a thriving, populous town on the coast of Galilee, about three miles from Capernaum. Dye work, and primitive textile factories added to the wealth of the community.
FAMILY CONNECTION
There are no record of her parentage, her marital status or her age. That she was free enough to follow Jesus in His journeying would suggest that she had no home obligations.

The name “Mary” appears 54 times in the new testament: Mary, the mother of Jesus(Mt.1vs18), Mary Magdalene(LK.8:2) and Mary of Bethany(Jn.11:1); also Mary, mother of Paul(Acts12:12), Mary mother of James and (Mk15:40) etc.
Mary was obviously a popular name in the new testament time. No Mary was as popular as Mary Magdalene for she was featured in many books, games, stories, etc. Sadly her role in the life of Jesus and the early Church has been misunderstood by many.
Was Mary Magdalene a secret lover of Jesus? Was she a prostitute? Did she erotically wash the feet of Jesus with her hair? Did she eventually became the wife of Jesus and bore Him a child? WHO WAS MARY MAGDALENE?
If you have heard only of the modern day Mary Magdalene, you may be surprise to find out that the real Mary Magdalene does not fit the modern day, dramatized Mary Magdalene.
Let us look at the 12 occurrences in the new testament where her name was mentioned:
I. Jesus cast out seven demons out of her (Lk8:2)
Ii. She was one of the many who provided for Jesus(Lk8:1-3)
Iii. She was present at his death(Mt27:56)
Iv. She was present at his burial(Mk15:47)
V. She was at His tomb on sunday(Mt28:1-8)
Vi. She saw the risen Lord(Mt28:1-8)

Now where are the passages about her physical relationship with Jesus? Where are the hints of erotic behavior? Where is the sexual version of Mary?
Now you see that there is no place in the Bible where it says that Mary and Jesus were married or were romantically involved in anyway.
There are no substantial evidence to any of these claims. Non of the gospels hints of her as being Mary Magdalene, wife of Jesus.
According to the Jewish Talmud, Magdala had an unsavary reputation and because of the halotery practices, Magdala was destroyed. Possibly it was from this tradition abd from the fact that Luke’s first reference to her follows the story of a sinful woman, that the idea developed that Mary was a prostitute, but still there is no iota of genuine evidence to suggest that such a bad reputation

HER LIFE

IN DEMONIC BONDAGE
According to the scriptures, Mary was a woman of high standard and comfortable. But she suffered from the malady of periodic insanity. The number SEVEN -in occult science-is a mystical figure which means completeness or totality therefore when Mary was dominated by the devil, her suffering was extremely severe. She possibly may have been a victim of epilepsy. Her demonic possession did not affect her morals, badness of character did not ensue. Only the derailment of her mental faculties. Her weaknesses making it easier for the demons to enter her were not told. All we know is that she was later delivered of the demonic possession.

LIBRATED
Apart from Mary, Luke also mentioned Joanna, Susanna and “Many others” as those healed of evil spirit by Jesus. The condition of Mary must have been worse than the rest since she was possessed of seven demons. But she became whole again when she came in contact with Jesus. Her sufferings were over, and she regained her right senses. Saved from the fire of hell, Mary Magdalene gave her all to Hi m who had fully emancipated her from demonic possession.

JOURNYES
Mary, after her deliverance, became a disciple of Jesus. Freed from satanic bondage she became harnessed to the chariot of Jesus and her personal ministries, along with other women who had been healed, greatly aided Jesus in his ministries.

AT THE CROSS
Mary was among those who followed Jesus on his last Journey from Galilee to Jerusalem. And as they followed, they still ministered unto Him. Mary was present with other woken at the mock trial of Jesus. After He was arrested, some of His followers disappeared, but Mary never forsake Him.
Mary was one of the agonizing group of holy women who stood to comfort Jesus by their presence in the closing agonies of the crucifixion.

AT THE RESURECTION
Mary Magdalene, among all the disciples of Jesus, was the first at the tomb to witness the most important event in world history and the pivotal truth of Christianity- the resurrection it was indeed a great honor conferred on her to be the first to witness the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Mary apparently was a devout, faithful follower of Jesus. The new testament which is the most reliable witness to her identity testifies loudly and clearly about these things which the twenty first century sensationalists allege.
The Bible did not say anything about her marital status, her love life or parentage. Therefore we must learn respect the Bible’s silence as in so many instances. And there is a deafening silence concerning Mary as a prostitute or even as the wife of Jesus Christ.

THE SIX COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT CHRISTMAS

THE SOLEMNITIES

INTRODUCTION

Christmas is a time for friends, families, cheer, giving, and general annoyance. It is also a time for celebration, gifts, etc. A lot of traditions have grown up around christmas, and a lot of misconceptions have too. Below is the list of six common misconceptions about christmas that are repeated every year.

#1. MATRYMONY BETWEEN JOSEPH AND MARY
Joseph and Mary were betrothed to get married when he was told by an angel of Mary’s pregnancy. They had likely signed the ‘Katubbah’ which was the Jewish contract for engagement. As intructed by the angel, Joseph took Mary as his wife but did not consumate the marriage until after the birth of Jesus. So publicly they were married, but technically, since they had not consumated it, you can say that they were not married yet.

#2. JESUS WAS NOT BORN IN A MANGER
When Joseph and Mary arrived Bethlehem, since no room was available at any guest chamber (inn), they went to the place were livestocks were kept. In those days, places like these were small grottos or caves. According to the 7th advanced Oxford dictionary, a manger is a long open box that horses and cows can eat from; that is to say that the manger was actually in the cave and not the other way round. So after the birth of the baby Jesus, his mother wrapped him in strips of cloths and laid him in a manger. These were the two signs given to the shepherds by the angel.

#3. JESUS WAS NOT BORN ON 25TH OF DECEMBER
According to research, it is likely that he was born somewhere between 3-5B.C and likely in the spring. December 25th is a traditional date which was first mentioned in the Roman almanac in the 3rd century. According to Clement of Alexandria, several different days had been proposed by various Bible scholars but certainly December 25th was never mentioned by any of them. As at then, December 25th was the feast day of the unconquered sun, decreed by the pagan emperor Aurelian in 274 A.D. This day was later converted into the celebration of the birth of the Son of God by emperor Constantine who had already made Christianity the effective religion in Rome. The Church of Rome officially celebrated the first christmas on 25 of December, 336 A.D.

#4. THE NATIVITY SCENE
The nativity scene that we see today is totally different and not at all biblically accurate. Two gospels talk about the famous scene, Luke and Matthew. Matthew talk about the wise men while Luke mentions the shepherd going to see the infant king; but the two groups were never together at the time of their visits. There is no specific mention of animals and the gospels say nothing of an angel witnessing the birth of the king. This belief started when St. Francis of Assis first staged a live nativity show in 1223 A.D. At that time, Masses were in Latin, and not assesible to most poeple. So instead of learning the Bible from the church, they learned about it from plays like the nativity show. Two animals-donkey and ox- in particular are almost always included in the nativity scenes, but neither of them are mentioned in the gospels.

#5. KINGS OR SCHOLARS?
This is one of the most popular misconceptions about christmas. Some say they were kings riding carmels and following a star of Bethlehem to see the infant king. But this is totaly different from what the gospel of Matthew says. In Matthew 2:1-12, some group of men visited king Herod, asked for the new born king of the Jewsh, and then met him with his mother in a house where they worsheped him. He did not say that they were kings, that that were three in number or that they even rode carmels. These were refered to as magoi, a Latin word for magic, so far from being kings, they were astrologers, they were not even three in number because according to history, they had been elevated to the rank of preisthood before they visited the king, so probably they were many but dicided to pick out three among them to present the gifts on their behalf to the king. Nine presons can present three gifts and one person can also present three gifts. So they were certainly not three in number. They were not kings either.

#6. THE WISE MEN WERE NOT PRESENT AT THE NATIVITY.
Contrary to what we see in pictures today, the wise men were never present at the birth of Jesus. According to the gospel of Matthew 2:7, when the wise men met with king Herod, they apparently told him that the star had appeared two years ago. This could have been the reason why king Herod ordered the killings of all boys in Bethlehem at the age of two and below. Obviously he was no longer a baby but a samll child who had started walking and playing with sand. The wise men visited him two years after his birth and met him at home and not in a manger as we see today. Perhaps it took them two years the study and understand the star that appeared to them.

Let us try to correct these misconceptions about christmas in order to have a better understanding of the nativity story.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL.

THE BOOK OF BOOKS (PART FOUR)- MAJOR EVENTS AND PLACES

THE BOOK OF BOOKS

There are still so many things yet to be discovered in the Bible due to its size. Below is list of maor events recorded in the Bible.

EVENTS

OLD TESTAMENTS
* Creation………………………………….Gen.1
* Noah and the flood……………..Gen.7
* The tower of Babylon………Gen.11
* The offering of Isaac…………Gen.22
* Sodom and Gomorrah……..Gen.19
* Crossing the Red Sea……….Ex.14
* Ascension of Elijah…………..2Kgs.2

NEW TESTAMENT
* birth of Jesus………………………..Mt.2
* Baptism of Jesus…………………Lk.3
* Last Supper………………………….Jn.13
* Death of Jesus……………………Mt.27
* Ascension of Jesus……………Mk.16
* the Holy Spirit…………………..Acts 2
* Conversion of Paul………….Acts 9
* Wedding at Cana……………Jn.2

PLACES
* Garden of Eden.
* Canaan
* Sodom
* Gomorrah
* Egypt
* Israel
* Jerusalem
* Judah
* Judea
* Red Sea
* Upper Room
* Syria
* Greece
* Golgotha
* Phillipines
* Galilee
* Mesopotamia
* Mediterranean Sea
* River Jordan
* Babylon
* Antioch
* Bethlehem
* Nazareth
* Mount Sinai
* Palestine
* Damascus
* Rome

MAKE THE BIBLE YOUR COMPANION!

THE BOOK OF BOOKS (PART THREE)- LIST OF MAJOR BIBLICAL FIGURES

THE BOOK OF BOOKS, Uncategorized

Below are the names of major figures in the Bible.

OLD TESTAMENT

PROPHETS
* Moses
* Joshua
* Gideon
* Samuel
* Nathan
* Elijah
* Elisha
* Isaiah
* Jeremiah
* Ezekiel
* Daniel
* Hosea
* Habakkuk
* Amos
* Obadiah
* Jonah
* Micah
* Zephaniah
* Zachariah
* Malachi

KINGS
* Abimelech
* Saul
* David
* Solomon
* Nebuchadnezzar
* Pharaoh

PRIESTS
* Aaron
* Eleazar
* Eli
* Melchizedek
* Phinehas

HOLY MEN AND WOMEN
* Noah
* Job
* Hannah
* Enoch
* Naomi
* Jacob
* Isaac
* Abraham
* Lot
* Joseph
* Sarah
* Esther

OTHERS
* Adam
* Eve
* Cain
* Abel
* Queen Jezebel
* Ruth
* Jonathan
* Rachel
* Rebecca
* Benjamin

NEW TASTAMENT

SACRED RULERS
* Herod the Great
* Herod Antipas
* Pontius Pilate
* Agrippa
* Felix, governor of Judea

PROPHETS
* Agabus
* Zechariah
* Simeon
* John the baptist

PRIESTS
* Caiaphas the high priest
* Annas, first high priest
* Zachariah, father of John d baptist

FAMILY OF JESUS
* Jesus
* Mary
* Joseph

THE FOLLOWERS OF JESUS CHRIST
* Matthew
* Mark
* Luke
* John d baptist
* John d beloved
* Jude
* Philip
* James the just
* Thomas
* Simeon the Zalot
* Judas Iscariot
* John, son of Zebedee
* Bartholomeo
* Andrew
* Nathaniel
* Peter
* Judas, son of James
* Mathias
* Paul
* Barnabas
* Joseph of Arimathea
* Mary Magdalene
* Lazarus
* Pricillia
* Stephen
* Epaphras
* Mary
* Martha
* philemon
* Silas
* Necodemus
* Apollos
* Aquila
* Dionysius d Aropagite
* Onesimus
* Timothy
* Titus
* Zacchaeus
* Silas
* Elizabeth

REFERENCE: Good News Bible, King James version and Bible dictionary.

THE BOOK OF BOOKS (PART TWO)- MORE AMAZING FACTS, FIGURES AND UNUSUAL THINGS/EVENTS

THE BOOK OF BOOKS

QUOTE
Best way to study the Bible: ready a particular chapter, ask every stupid questions you can think of, and then find answers to your questions- STEVE RAY

HISTORY
The Bible was written by about 40 men over a period of about 1600 years dating from 1500BCE to about 100 years after Christ.
* The first translation of the English Bible was initiated by John Wycliffe and was completed by John Purvay in 1388
* Divided into chapters by Stephen Langaton in 1228 the old testament was divided in to verses by R. Nathan in 1488
* New testament was divided into verses by Robert Stephanus in 1551.
* The entire Bible divided into chapters and verses first appeared in the Geneve Bible of 1560.
* Middle book of the old testament is PROVERBS
* Middle book of the new testament is 2THESSALONIANS

CHAPTERS
A) FACTS AND FIGURES
* All chapters…………1189
* Old testament…….292
* New testament….260
* Middle chapter…..Psalm 118:8
* Middle chapter of the old testament…………..Job 29
* Middle chapter of new testament…………..Romans 13
* Longest chapter..Psalm 119
* Shortest chpater..Psalm117

B) SOME GREAT GOLDEN CHAPTERS
* Ascension…………………..Acts 1
* Bread of life………………John 6
* Beatitudes…………………Matthew 5
* Brotherhood……………..Romans 14
* Comfort………………………Psalm 23
* Confession…………………Psalm 51
* Consecreation…………..Philippins 3
* Converts…………………….Psalm 32
* Deliverance……………….Acts 12
* Divinity………………………John 1
* Faith……………………………Hebrews 11
* Friuts…………………………..John 13
* Gifts…………………………….1Corint. 12
* Good shepherd…………John 10
* Holy Spirit………………….John 14
* Humility……………………..John 13
* Joy……………………………….Isaiah 12
* Judgement………………..Matthew 25
* Law……………………………..Exodus 20
* Love…………………………….1Corint. 13
* Intercession……………….John 17
* Messiah……………………….Isaiah 53
* New covenant…………..Hebrews 8
* Omnisscience…………….Psalm 139
* Passover…………………….Exodus 12
* Prayer…………………………Daniel 6
* Praize………………………….Psalm 103
* Ressurection……………..1Corin. 15
* Temperance………………Proverbs 23
* Transfiguration………..Matthew 17
* Tongue……………………….James 3

VERSES
* All verses…………………….31,173
* Old testament……………23,214
* New testament…………7,959
* Middle verse of old testament…………………..2Chr. 20:17
* Middle verse of new testament……………………Acts 17:17
* Longest verse…………….Esther 8:9
* Shortest verse……………John 11:35

WORDS
* Total words……………………773,692
* Old testament……………….592,439
* New testament…………….181,253
* Letters…………………………….3,566,480
the longest word with 18 letters can be found in Isaiah 8:1
Daniel 4:37 contains all letters except ‘Q’

WORDS THAT APPEARED ONLY ONCE
these are some of the words that appeared just once in the Bible:
* Eternity……………….Isaih 57:15
* Reverend…………….Psalm 111:9
* Grandmother…….Timothy 157
* Gnat……………………..Matthew 23:24

UNUSUAL THINGS/EVENTS FOUND IN THE BIBLE
* Sons of God married daughters of men (Gen.6:2)
* A man used a stone for a pillow (Gen.28:11)
* Man who was sopken to by the ass (Num.22:28-29)
* Women who shaved their heads before marriage (Deu.21:11-13)
* Women were forbidden to wear men’s clothing (Deu.22.5)
* Sun stood still for a whole day (Josh.10:13)
* Men lapped water like dogs (Jud.7:5)
* Man whose hair wieghed about 6.5lbs at his annual hair cut (2Sam.14:26)
* Man who had twelve fingers and twelve toes (2Sam.21:20)
* Sun travelled backwards (Is.38:8)
* Man walked naked for three years (Is.20:2-3)
* Army of 185,000 destroyed in one night (Is.37:36).

“All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching the truth, rebuking error, correcting faults, and giving instruction for right living, so that the person who serves God may be fully qualified and equipped to do every kind of good deed” 2 TIMOTY 3:16-17.

GOD BLESS YOU ALL AS YOU MAKE THE HOLY BIBLE YOUR DAILY COMPANION. AMEN.

THE BOOK OF BOOKS (PART TWO)-AMAZING FACTS

THE BOOK OF BOOKS

N.B Feel free to check them youselves, and if you find an error, please notify me. Thanks

THE BIBLE
DO YOU KNOW?
* the Bible has 66books
* old testament-39books
* new testament-27books
* shortest book-2John
* longest book-Psalm

CHAPTERS
* 1189 chapters
* old testament chapters- 292
* new testament chapters- 260
* longest chapter- Psalm 119
* shortest chapter- Psalm 117
* midle chapter- Psalm 118:8
* verses- 31,173
* old testament verses- 23,214
* new testament verses- 7,959
* longest verse- Esther 8:9
* shortest verse- John 11:35
* words- 773,692
* words in old testament-592,439
* words in new testament-181,253
* letters- 3,566,480
*promises- 1260
* prophesies- 8000
* questions- 3294
* reference to the second coming of Jesus: O.T- 1845, N.T.- 318
* longest sentence- Eph 1:3-4
* most used word ‘the’- 24000 times

THE ‘FIRST’S’
* First left handed man-Ehurd (Jud 3:15)
* Er was first to be killed by God because of his wickedness (Gen.38:7)
* Lamech was the first polygamist(Gen.4:19)
* first Christian martyr was Stephen(Acts 6:7)
* first apaostle martyr was James(Acts12:1-2)
* first color to be mentioned in the Bible was color green(Gen.1- 30)
* Miriam was the first woman to sing in the Bible(Ex.15:21)
* first iron bed was owned by King Og(Deu.3:11)
* Enoch was the first to prophecy in the Bible(Jude 14)
* Joseph was the first to shave(Gen.41:4)
* the first question God asked in the Bible was ‘where art thou?'(Gen.3:9)

GENERAL: DO YOU KNOW?
* Methuselah was the oldest man- 969 years
* only H more persons lived over 900:
* Adam-930yrs
* Seth- 912yrs
* Enosh- 905yrs
* Kenana- 910yrs
* Jared- 962yrs
* Noah- 950yrs
* Dogs were mentioned 41 times in the Bible
* Dililah did not cut Samson’s hair(Jud.16-19)
* the only place an apple tree is mentioned is in Song of Songs 2:3
* the most quoted old testament book in the new testament is ISAIAH-419 times
* second is the book of Psalms- 414 times
* Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines
* ‘David’ was mentioned 1139 times in the new testament
* ‘Sarah’ was mentioned most among other women- 59 times followed by Rachel-47 times
* there are 7 Mary’s in the new testament
* the book of Job was written before the book of Exodus
* ‘God’ was not mentioned in the book of Esther
* the longest word in the Bile is ‘MAHER-SHALAL-HASH-BAZ’
* EVERY QUOTE THE jesus used on Satan was from the book of Deuteronomy
* Jesus quoted Genesis 25 times
* Jesus, Moses and Elijah fasted for 40days
* Bethlehem means Ahouse of bread’
* 125 animals were mentioned in the Bible
* Solomon wrote 3000 proverbs and 1005 songs
* 12 books of the Bible starts with ‘J’
* Jesus asked 107 questions in the new testamnent
* the ‘Law’ has 613 articles
* “verily I say unto you” was used 77 times in the Bible
* Ball was mentioned only once- Is.22-18
* there was a man named ‘SO’- 2kin.17:4, another named ‘HEN’ Zch.6:14
* the names of the wise men with gifts were: Gasper, Bathazar and Melechior
* Salt was mentioned 41 times
* Hate was mentioned 81 times
* Love was mentioned 310 times
* only Joseph was buried with a coffin
* there is no letter J in Ezra 7:21
* three men were named DODO: the grandfather of Tola-Jud.10:1, the father of Eleazar-2Sam 23:9 and the father of Elhanan-2Sam. 23:t4
* Acts and 2Peter never used the word LOVE
* the letter X is not used in the King James Version of the Bible.
* Acts of the Apostles is the longest book in the new testament
* the Bible is the only book that has been translated into 600 languages

SEVEN PEOPLE COMMITTED SUICIDE IN THE BIBLE
* Zimri (1Kin 16:18)
* Samson (Jud. 16:25)
* Saul (1Sam. 31:4-5)
* Abimelech (Jud.9:53-54)
* Ahithophel (2Sam.17:23)
* Saul’s armorbearer (1Sam.31:5)
* Judas Ischariot (Mt.27:3-5)
* Ahithophel and Judas Ischariot were the only two to die by hanging

PEOPLE WERE RAISED FROM DEAD IN TEN DIFFERENT PLACES
* Elisha raised Shunammites daughter (2kin. 18:37)
* a dead man rose from dead when he was set on the dead bones of Elisha (3Kin.13:20-21)
* Jesus raised weodow’s son (Lk.7:11-15)
* Jesus raised daughter of Jairus (Lk.8:41-42)
* Jesus raised Lazarus (Jn.11:1-46)
* Jesus ressurected (Mt.28)
* Saints rose from the dead (Mt.27:51)
* Peter raised Tabitha (Acts 9:36- 51)
* Paul raised Eutydus (Acts20:9- 12).
* have you read your Bible from cover to cover? If you have’nt, then you need to. It will take you 3days to read from cover to cover.

PART THREE COMING SOON!
TO BE CONTINUED…….