Let Us Reason Together

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By Cynthia Aralu

Hello everyone! Remember to pray the Rosary!

Today I’m taking time to examine a variety of thought processes, some I’ve heard directly, some I’ve inferred from conversations even when they weren’t explicitly stated, and may not reflect what was actually meant or thoroughly meant. A few may be benign, but they still feel worth exploring and putting into words. I give thanks to God for His guidance, and the discipline of God and Mother Mary. The Lord is Good and His Mercy endures forever. And Mother Mary always takes care of her children as the best of all mothers.

  • You don’t have to beg God. 

To beg means to beseech, to implore, to importune, to ask for charity or a gift. 

“Give us this day our daily bread”, we pray in the “Our Father”, since we own nothing of our own and everything we have has been given to us. It is just to consider how beggarly we are, seeing as we cannot give ourselves our daily sustenance. However, if we truly know who we are in relation to God, we would read our prayer as a plea or a beg or importunity since we say it often or daily. You might say we’re children not beggars and I’ll agree that Christians are heirs of God through adoption through, with and in Jesus, however it is a type of adoption where we are servants, beggars and heirs. A child, in human terms, grows up to be independent and then takes care of their parents when their parents become dependent on them, but we cannot be independent of God and God never depends on us to act. He loves us and wishes that we share in His Divine Life so He works with us. Let us consider ourselves more poor than people who reside in “impoverished countries” or the homeless man out on a cold Alberta winter night, with no hope of food or shelter. Then, consider every request we make to God from the standpoint of our lowliness and desperation, as one of a humble and respectful petition or a beg.

  • You don’t just endure it (referring to life’s challenges). 

Here is what Jesus says to that: 

“…Then they will deliver you up to tribulation, and put you to death; and you will be hated by all nations for My Name’s sake. And then many will fall away, and betray one another, and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because wickedness is multiplied, most men’s love will grow cold. But he who endures to the end will be saved.” 

From my limited experience, endurance supplied by God’s grace is sufficient. This may seem unpleasant to many who seek more. When you’re in pain or troubled, with no respite in view, endurance through, in and with Jesus is what carries you. I should say, it can be the perspective in those moments that there’s no way out, and not truth, as God always provides a way out. God willing, there will be a breakthrough of sunlight in between, but endurance is necessary so you remain steadfast in this life. Then, someday, by God’s grace you come to love and appreciate it all like Jesus as a labour of love; knowing, believing, accepting that all situation in your life is God’s Will, for His Glory and indeed necessary for your salvation. 

  • How can you think God is punishing you?

Punishment is not inherently evil. Punishment is discipline and a show of love from a parent. It is wickedness if punishment is excessive or beyond what a person can bear, but we know that God will only give us what we can handle, and He is not a human parent that He would be impartial or unjust. Here is what the Bible teaches: “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor lose courage when you are punished by him. For the Lord disciplines him whom He loves, and chastises every son whom He receives. It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons…”. There is more on this topic in this chapter of the Bible.

  • Don’t pray using language that it is definite that you will receive from God. 

Jesus used absolutes when He spoke of asking of anything in His name and that God The Father will grant it: “Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father, he will give it to you in my name.”

The argument might be that other scripture explains you will not always receive, because it says that you ask and do not receive because you ask of your own desires or that you doubt, but I think the same generosity applied to understanding the Bible can be applied towards understanding the people who say such prayers, since their hearts are unknown to us, and they pray according to how they were taught to in full faith and confidence, by Jesus: “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you receive it, and you will.” So, it cannot be bad to pray that way. It would be better to instruct the ignorant about what it means to pray in absolutes than to put down praying in absolutes, and to encourage the acceptance of God’s will as the ultimate goal of prayer, and the ultimate expression of faith. 

Just a side note; the memorare prayer follows the same approach: “Never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help or sought your intercession was ever left unaided…” So, it is actually a very Catholic way of prayer, and it is not a bad thing.

  • God is only pleased with your faith and not your works. God is not pleased by works. You think you have to do works for God to be pleased with you, but you don’t. You are saved only through faith. 

The bible is explicit in teaching that it is impossible to say you have faith if you do not complete the works that show your faith. They are active together and faith is completed by works: “What does it profit, my brethren, if a man says he has faith but has not works? Can his faith save him? If a brother or sister is ill-clad and in lack of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what does it profit? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder. Do you want to be shown, you foolish fellow, that faith apart from works is barren? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by works, and the scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness”; and he was called the friend of God…” There’s more in that chapter in James to explain this. 

Perhaps it is a misunderstanding on their part when they read St. Paul, but when St. Paul spoke specifically against works, he spoke against the works of the law like circumcision or the law on unclean food, and spoke well of the works that are active along with faith. Since truth does not contradict truth, it is evident, that there are works that are bad and there are works that are good. 

In addition, the Bible makes it clear that part of Jesus’ mission was to purify a people for Himself, zealous for good works: “who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all iniquity and to purify for Himself a people of His own who are zealous for good deeds.” So, all who are part of Jesus are zealous for good works. 

I will say this though, there’s something the Protestants seem to have a full grasp on, which is the concept of God’s mercy. Though they may abuse it or appear to have a grasp of it, without really grasping it, since they deny the power of the sacrament of confession; since to deny the authority of the Catholic Church is to reject the authority of Jesus and the sacraments He gave to His Apostles and their successors (though these people could be misguided, it comes to the same result).

It is this: At the end of our lives, we’ll come to see how faulty and imperfect our good works have been, even though we invariable meant and intended good. For “we have this treasure in earthen vessels, to show that the transcendent power belongs to God and not to us.” We’ll also come to see how our success or failure in ministry did not come from us being completely faithful in public or private (though there may be some who pray to fail by worldly standards and God is able to grant it). We’ll come to learn how thoroughly imperfect we have been though our hearts were never away from God. For if anyone says they do not sin, they call God a liar; and His Word is not in them. For greater context, St. John explains that all wrongdoing is sin, and there are 2 types of sin, one which anybody can pray for the person to have life (venial sin – as understood by the Catholic Church, which does not cut you off from God), and one, which is mortal, and we cannot pray for the person so they have life (mortal sin, as understood by the Catholic Church); though all is forgiven through the ministry of reconciliation (Confession as is understood by the Catholic Church). So, it is reasonable to conclude that when he says “No one who abides in Him sins”, St. John refers to habitual sin, since truth cannot contradict truth.

How Beautiful and Loving is Our God that He looks at our failings and says, “You, I call.” “Yes, you are my beloved.” “Yes, you I choose.” “Yes, you, I will use.”

What great shouts of joy will erupt in Heaven and in us, on that day, to see how merciful Our God is to have called us, to have loved us, to have chosen us, to have saved us. So, even in that, God is glorified through us even more perfectly. 

  • A spiritual practice is easier so it is the lesser. 

Ease is relative to an individual. To one, it is easy to fast from 9 pm one day to 12 pm the next day or beyond that, before receiving communion on Sunday. To another, it is unthinkable. Also, to those who still feel hunger for food much easier, fasting gives an opportunity to feel a hunger which can translate to a hunger for The Holy Eucharist, if God wills it. Although that is not to say that one could not also come to feel a hunger, anticipation, or deep longing for The Eucharist by saying prayers like, “I can’t wait to receive You Lord Jesus in the Holy Eucharist”, “I long to receive you Lord Jesus in the Holy Eucharist”. I learnt this from someone and found it to be true. This doesn’t mean that long periods of fasting is bad since there are many benefits of fasting which are known and others which we have not seen: “we do not yet see everything in subjection to Him.”

  • It is harder to do certain spiritual practices so therefore, that spiritual practice is better 

All spiritual practices are good so if one can do all, it is best to do all. In the book, The secret of the Rosary, it is said that there was a holy, self-willed woman, so devout, so fervent, who performed a lot of spiritual practices and so met St. Dominic one day to give her advice on her spiritual life and a confession. He gave her one whole Rosary as her penance and advised her to pray the Rosary daily. She, who was so used to doing so much, did not see the significance of praying The Rosary, despite St. Dominic’s urging. However, she was taken up in a vision where she appeared before God in judgement, and all her penances and other prayers could not outweigh her sins and imperfections. Then in terror, she implored the Help of Our Lady, her glorious advocate, who laid the one Rosary she prayed as penance on the tray of her good works, and it outweighed all of her sins and her good works. Then, Our Lady reproved her for refusing to follow the counsel of her servant Dominic, and for not saying the Rosary every day. “As soon as she came to herself, she rushed and threw herself at the feet of Saint Dominic and told him all that had happened, begged his forgiveness for her unbelief, and promised to say the Rosary faithfully every day. By this means, she rose to Christian perfection, and finally to the glory of everlasting life”.

Only those who don’t understand the power or the secret of The Rosary or True devotion to Mary will scoff at this. Audiobook link: The Secret of the Rosary, Online publication link: The Secret of the Rosary

  • God is not glorified by the wicked or the wicked do not give God glory.

All things are under subjection to Jesus as He has been given a Name above every other name. We also know that all things which we have seen and not seen are under the control of Jesus. So, though this world is under the dominion of the evil one, we know that the evil one is under subjection to Jesus Christ: “putting everything in subjection under His feet. Now in putting everything in subjection to Him, He left nothing outside His control.” We know all this because it is explicitly revealed by the Bible. So, even through the evil that goes on in this world, God uses it all for His greater Glory and for our salvation.

Consider Caiaphas, the man who plotted and condemned Jesus to death, when he prophesied as the high priest that year:““You know nothing at all; you do not understand that it is expedient for you that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation should not perish.”. The bible explains that “He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus should die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad.” So, we know that God is more than able to be glorified by the wicked, as they are all under His Dominion. To them is their folly; To God is The Kingdom, The Power and The Glory, forever and ever. world without end. Amen.

When you realise that the wicked are giving glory to God in one area, you should feel a holy jealousy and a deep sadness, and a desire to do it more perfectly. 

  • There are other things greater than Eucharistic miracles. Even Jesus said we would do greater miracles than Him. 

It is true that Jesus said His disciples will perform even greater miracles than He did. However, even scripture says not all the miracles Jesus performed were written down, and St. John supposes that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written, but what has been written has been written so we can believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing we may have life in His name. Consider how visibly miraculous it must have been to live with Jesus day in and day out and just to see Him at work. Simply miraculous and amazing! So, my thought is this, if we do not know all the miracles Jesus performed and even if we did see all, how could we as humans know which miracle is greater unless we were told by God? It is not wise that anyone speak of the Eucharistic miracles that occur in the Catholic Church as though they were not part of the “greater miracles” Jesus referred to, having limited knowledge. Could this individual or any such individuals have been the conduit to a Eucharistic miracle or have they witnessed or performed or heard of the “greater” miracles they believe Jesus was referring to? I suspect their answer would be “No” or “I don’t know” or perhaps a longer explanation. Had they rejoiced in the revelation of the glory of God with a relaxed, joyful and content heart, it would have been better.

That said and to clarify, at every mass, a Eucharistic miracle occurs, imperceptible to most human eyes, that is, during the consecration of the bread and wine, through the words of the priest acting in the person of Christ, asking the Holy Spirit to make present to us, the faithful, the Holy Sacrifice of Jesus on the cross at Calvary, such that the bread and wine, though retaining the way they appear to the eyes, become transformed in substance, into the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ, in an imperceptible way to the naked eyes, except through the eyes of Faith. The Eucharistic Miracles that have occurred multiple times at different locations of the Catholic Church are only called Eucharistic Miracles because they stand out visibly to the physical eyes, in that the Consecrated Host or Bread begins to bleed with the Blood of Jesus at or after consecration or in one case in India, the Holy Face of Jesus appeared on the Consecrated Host. These consecrated Hosts notably in Lanciano (750 AD), Buenos Aires (1996), and Sokółka (2008), have been tested and found to be changed into living human heart tissue (myocardium) and findings reveal they share a blood type AB which matches the shroud of Turin, contain active white blood cells, and show signs of severe stress, typical of a person who has suffered. 

I believe these miracles have occurred to increase the faith of Catholics, not that we are strong but because we are so weak. Honestly, it is not so horrible to be so weak. Because when you are weak, you are strong, because your strength has now become God. 

  • One might think you are saying that there is a competition for God’s glory, when you say a woman should veil their hair (their glory) to magnify the glory of God. 

A human being cannot be in competition with God. There was never a comparison. However, God opposes the proud and uplifts the humble. So, in all honesty, veiling is more for us than for God. It is easy for us to be proud without even realising it. Consider the action of kneeling; this is seen an act of humility before God and this meaning persists in other cultures as a show of respect and an imploring for mercy. Someone from the west might say kneeling is not the predominant posture of the west for showing humility or imploring for someone’s favour or showing reverence, yet in the culture of the west, the man gets on his knees to ask the woman to marry him, showing her reference, imploring her, humbling himself before her so that he may be lifted up by her into the holy and noble role of a husband. I think venerable Fulton Sheen says of this display of the man; that love does not ask or need to know why or perhaps he said, it is the very formula of love that one knows without understanding; I forget the direct quote. Likewise, in a similar way, we are to consider veiling. 

The Catholic Church has retained the connotations behind veiling, even though you hear some teachers say it has been abrogated. When royalty appears before the pope, they are advised or expected to wear a veil based on a strict protocol. They veil in the presence of the vicar of Christ because he is the representative of Christ and occupies the seat of St. Peter, then it should be reasonable that a woman should veil in the presence of God. This veiling could be argued to be merely tradition but I believe as a people we once had a good understanding of its significance which has been muted now by sinfulness and wickedness. While one might argue it is just a dress code, here’s a deeper truth: it is a dress code that shows reverence and humility for the office of the pope, and if for that reason alone veiling is encouraged by those who discourage it in the Church, without the deeper explanation of glory, that would have been better. Herein lies a anagogue: if a woman is to be considered a royalty or dignitary, they must veil before God.

That said, scripture tells us that God loves a humble heart. So, one who abases themselves before God, not only by physical posture (kneeling, veiling etc.) but also by interior posture (prayer of contrition etc.) is more pleasing to God. We are also informed by scripture that we should humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, that in due time He may exalt us. So, though one humbles themselves, it is done in expectant hope that God will lift them up higher than they imagined themselves to be either in this world or in the world to come, for God is faithful. 

  • The place of the woman is to take care of the children and raise them up. That includes homeschooling. 

I agree the woman’s role is to take care of her children and take care of her household since she is to be domestic and speak with wisdom and teach of kindness like the virtuous woman of Proverbs 31. I also believe that being faithful, sensible, temperate, gentle and not violent, an apt teacher, not a lover of money, not a drunkard, not quarrelsome and managing his household well, keeping his children submissive and respectful in every way; are among some of the qualities of a good man and father, as St. Paul highlights these qualities as important to have before one is chosen to be a bishop and a deacon, citing that marriage is the test of a man, transferable to taking care of the Church. It appears to me through this, that the man takes the greater share of the responsibility in raising his children to be upright, and how is that to be if he is not actively present to them in a manner that is felt or impactful, even more than the mom’s presence? I agree the wife should echo the husband and her food should be to do his will and the husband’s food is to do God’s will. I also agree that they can’t have differing opinions on any matter. To be spiritual or to live in The Spirit is to know that “no matter” in the physical is not likewise spiritual. The husband and wife need to be of one mind and agree so the evil one has no room. Though she can give good counsel or he can reveal his plans to her and she can speak of kindness and with wisdom, the wife submits respectfully to her husband and the husband leads with love, compassion, mercy, openness and flexibility (see what happened when God told Abraham His plan for Sodom and Gomorrah, and the manner in which Abraham interceded with wisdom, kindness and respect, and how God listened to Him; or the verse which reveals that God does nothing without revealing His secrets to His servants, the prophets). Though to be clear, no woman is required by God to submit to sin for anyone, and no man is required by God to agree to the sinful counsel of anyone.

I just think there is something missing in the description of the role of the woman from this talking point.

My culture believes it takes a village, so, even if the woman is a stay at home mom, she may still be given a house help or have relatives around who may help, like the Proverbs 31 woman who though she is not idle gives tasks to her maidens. It is not traditionally considered the place of the man to be domestic. Though, there are some that would do so minimally or to a larger extent, it is simply considered the place of the woman. However, the man is sensible about what it takes to take care of a household and does not want his wife to suffer so, he may provide help, though not necessary through his physical hands. I should add that it would not be ungodly for a man to perform the role of the woman, since God brought ready-made food, a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water, to Elijah when he wanted to die, not the materials to prepare food, but the wholly prepared food, and woke him up to eat on 2 occasions to fortify him for his journey. And Jesus appeared to 7 of His disciples while they were fishing, after St. Peter denied him and the rest abandoned Him, though St. John had returned, and He had prepared for them, bread and fish that over a charcoal fire for them to eat. It takes discernment, humility and above all, it takes love.

However, the business of educating a child or heir or giving them the building blocks which would shape the career they will take on later in life is not typical for the wife. In fact, the most traditional Nigerian woman I know of agreed that it is good for a woman to stop working and take care of the children, but she thoroughly rejected the idea of the wife homeschooling the child. So, it appears to me that homeschooling or the education of an heir must be something not in the role of the wife, because of the deep structure it requires if one wants to raise up children who become independent. Not that this is impossible for the woman, and a godly woman would be excellent at it; but because giving such structure for the children is not her role.

Unless the family lives in a society which permits flexible education for the child to be capable of being independent in it, and also, there’s a family business the heirs will inherit; then this will simplify the education or training they will need to be able to take over the business, and the true experiential part of the training of an heir to a family business will be best given by the father while the training on domestic life is best given by the mother.

It is a good idea to homeschool children, to reduce their exposure to the evil of the world, but I don’t necessary think it is the primary role of the woman. If a wife is able to perfectly echo her husband in educating the child, it might work. However, the man would need to be actively present in a way that the wife and children do not feel the sacrifice of his absence. Perhaps, through the provision of the structuring of the education provided, recorded trainings, and being available for guidance. And he would need to make provision for help to the woman to support her well being and rest. 

I believe that either husband or wife can help each other because “helping” is an expression of love. I am only saying that if we are to define “traditional” roles, it becomes not exactly what some “traditional” people think it is. I also think roles are there to protect us from being imbalanced, just like a child who raises or educates or corrects their parent will end becoming dysfunctional over time. And it is an injustice the parent does to that child. That child will have to learn how to say one and allow the parent to say ten times more (only speaking in terms of proportion, not literally), in order to stay balanced and still be clear when they speak that they believe whatever injustice and evil they see is something they are opposed to, in God’s will.

It is practical that she homeschools the children but, I think if she does this, it is the same as having 2 jobs. If a man is truly against women having a second job but is in support of his wife homeschooling, then he has not done a good job of keeping his wife from having a second job. The perception I get from such a man is that he is not against women working as long as it saves him from the pain of the toil of raising his children, so he leans heavily on the woman. It is visible to me that the stay-at-home mom’s work does not have the set work hours of 9 to 5; like the man typically would be expected to have or should work towards.

I don’t think in the time of St. Joseph, the education of a male heir would be given to the mother, and I believe just as Jesus did only what He saw His Heavenly Father doing, that while still taking care of earthly pursuits, He did what he saw His earthly father do. There’s a school of thought (or pious opinion) that St. Joseph was sanctified in the womb, often interpreted as being cleansed of original sin shortly after conception, and confirmed in grace, meaning he never committed a mortal or venial sin. And the more I consider the distinction between the role of the man and woman, I start to believe that the school of thought is very possible. But what do I know?

If a husband lives as the Bible teaches to “love his wife as Christ loved the church”, it becomes natural to prioritise her rest and wellbeing even over his, since Christ died for the Church. So, being a husband is a high and noble call, not for every man. 

  • Women are not supposed to work. Proverbs 31 does not mean they are. 

It appears the virtuous woman engages in business, so it does not seem as though she is not permitted to work but it could be that she multiplies what her husband gives to her or what she has, in a manner that is beneficial to him and the household, or in accord with what he desires, not neglecting her children or her family: “The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life. She considers a field and buys it; with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard. She girds her loins with strength and makes her arms strong. She perceives that her merchandise is profitable. She makes linen garments and sells them; she delivers girdles to the merchant.”

I know this: Proverbs 31 is explicit in describing that a virtuous woman works at home and has a business. I also know that not everything Mary did is known by all and that the great women in the bible are a type of Mary, embodying parts of Mary, as warrior, intercessor, a judge (leader), prophetess, a mother in Israel; and as well, all the qualities of the virtuous woman in Proverbs 31 belong to Mary. It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out.

I know that St. Paul shared the same trade with Prisca and Aquila in tent making and he praised them as “my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, who risked their necks for my life, to whom not only I but also all the churches of the Gentiles give thanks”. I also know that in my culture, women work and maintain their households (domestically) and the men are providers, generally speaking, and the house help can be outsourced if they can afford to or sometimes relatives might help.

From the little I’ve learnt or know, I believe the Igbo men of the past or maybe even present (uncertain of the present) established businesses for their wives, which their wives ran and generated income from. Some own businesses together. Some manage their husband’s businesses or women start businesses but stay under the leadership of their husbands as the head. This is because the Igbo people tend to be business minded people while taking care of their children; to the extent that you’ll find that the DG of the World Trade Organisation is a 71 year old Igbo woman (I do not say her path is for all women because even this woman has said it was a painful sacrifice she didn’t imagine for herself but a call to make a big change, brought to her, way back then by the President, for her to be the finance minister in Nigeria, one not undertaken without her husband and children saying “yes” to it, and how she is skilled at putting her ego in a handbag to carry out her job. It takes discernment for a family to understand what will work for them without throwing off the balance of the home, as the man as the head). Then, you have those who are fully stay at home wives, and there are Igbo women who desire this because they know they’ll be well taken care of by their husbands. There’s nothing wrong with this. They don’t have less value, in fact they are living in it. Then, you have the husbands who abuse their power or those that disrespect the value of the house wife. 

It is possible that because of the fall, there are men who feel threatened when they encounter a woman they perceive to be powerful and so they are mean to her, and the only way for her to be victorious is to stay feminine, soft, merciful, humble, silent, do God’s bidding, and mind her business. “Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good”. It is not easy to discern when or how to apply all these. It takes the grace of God.

It even seems to me that the loophole used to kill St. Joan of Arc was that she dressed like a man and used her God-given gift. I do not say it is her fault at all, since she was left without a choice, as she was held in military prison and she either dressed like a man once again to protect her dignity and virginity, or her “female” clothes may have been taken away to force her to dress like a man and trap her.

Though it was politics, underneath it all, I am presented with a deeper layer that they ultimately used her God-given gift (The Power of The Holy Spirit) and what was perceived as “manly” dressing, as excuses to secure a conviction. It is so important for women to remain feminine. It is the only way they will truly be victorious in this life and in the world to come. It is easy to become so short sighted in such a noisy world, and women have been short changed in such a huge way by the fashion industry. For a man to be considered respectable, he covers himself up, but for a woman, there has been a move away from what is respectable to what is revealing and open, and that is openly praised and rewarded. There should be plenty of empathy for women, especially for those living in the west, because at least in Nigeria, I can get easy access to affordable, modest clothes, or even get a tailor to sew something affordable and stylish for me, but in the west, even the seemingly modest clothes may have a sheer see-through effect on closer examination against the light, and a clothing store attendant may not know what a “women’s underskirt or slip” is, and a store like Gap may not have a single long Jean skirt, only trousers, and other online stores have immodest slits. And I have noticed on my journey to dressing like Mary, that a lot of clothes readily available for women to wear, should only be worn as undergarments.

It is important to note that if St. Joan of Arc were not a woman, they would have found another excuse, since really, they hated God in killing her. Jesus said humans would perform greater miracles than He did, and He is God, so, how much more mortal men? Who has known the mind of God but The Spirit of God and those blessed with/by The Spirit of God, and who can discern the call that God has for women or the glory that awaits once they pass on from this world, after their painful obedience? But then again, what do I know?

On a final note, pray the Rosary and entrust yourself to Jesus through Mary through the method of St. Louis Marie de Montfort! And if you need help with this entrustment/consecration to Jesus through Mary, look up the course provided by the Heralds of the Gospel on their Reconquest Platform. It is a solid 33-day course.

Thank you for reading today’s post. Remember to like this post and share it with your friends if you enjoyed it. Follow me on my blog, Katmira’s blog, to receive notifications whenever I have a new post. You can also subscribe below to get an email notification whenever a new post is out. This is particularly helpful if you don’t have a WordPress account.

Let it be, until we meet again or “Ka ọ dị” as it is said in Igbo.

Note: Co-pilot was used as an editing tool. Google AI was used as a research and editing tool.

A lovely song you should listen to! (O DARA is Yoruba and means “He is Good!”. In Igbo, “You are Good!” is said as “I di nma!” and can be used to refer to God.)

On Christian Veiling

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By Cynthia Aralu

Hello everyone! Remember to pray the Rosary!

Quite recently, I came across the verse from St. Paul telling women to veil when praying and prophesying and I remembered the words I used recently in my last post: “If you believe the bible is the Word of God and you have the Mind of Christ, you would believe this.”

The full bible verse is Romans 11:1-16, but I’ll include parts here: “… Any man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head (God), but any woman who prays or prophesies with her head unveiled dishonors her head (man)—it is the same as if her head were shaven. For if a woman will not veil herself, then she should cut off her hair; but if it is disgraceful for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her wear a veil….That is why a woman ought to have a veil (“authority” in Greek) on her head, because of the angels. Judge for yourselves; is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? Does not nature itself teach you that for a man to wear long hair is degrading to him, but if a woman has long hair, it is her pride? For her hair is given to her for a covering…”

In the past, I had wondered why we didn’t veil in the Church in the West. Back in Nigeria, I believe it was emphasised when I was younger, but I think upon seeing it not done here, I believed it was okay not to cover my hair in Church. In addition, upon my reversion to the Catholic Church, I watched a video where a priest explained that veiling is a lower t tradition that did not have to be followed and I accepted it as true.

‭‭I considered that I ought to obey my words. So, I read and re-read the verse over and over again, then came across an explanation from a woman about her journey to veiling, then got the wrong understanding of it, although I guessed it could be wrong. I concluded at the very least to veil constantly in Church, which I did from then on. I also had conversations with AI, then tried independently to understand what the Bible verse really meant. I believe I got frustrated when I could not decipher what St. Paul meant by “because of the Angels” or “Authority on her head”, although my memory is unclear on the exact parts that confused me. Later on, as I was on IG, I came across a reel that said something like, “you can’t try to understand the bible without the help of the early church fathers”. It felt like God was speaking to me, so, immediately, I left IG and did a little research on the viewpoints of the early church fathers, and have come to learn about the history of veiling in the Catholic Church, the seriousness with which the Catholic Church took St. Paul’s command of veiling for centuries, the obligatory nature of veiling in the Catholic Church in the past, and how the obligatory nature of veiling became seen as abrogated when the new code of Canon of the Catholic Church was released post Vatican II, in 1983.(1, 2)

The humblehousewives blogpost mentions that a Father Bugnini (involved in the development of the New Novo Ordo mass) was misrepresented as saying veiling was abrogated, to which he had clarified the law had never been abrogated in a publication in the LA Times from June 22, 1969, but the damage was already done and the tradition of veiling began fading away. Later on by 1983, veiling was removed from the code of Canon.(1, 2) I think this removal without pastoral encouragement for veiling may have something to do with the loss of submission of wives in the west for their husbands, the spread of feminism and gender theory. In any case, It is possible other cultures have been influenced by the West. Although, it seems from my first and only attendance of the Traditional Latin Mass here, they have kept this tradition of veiling. The humblehousewives blogpost argues that a protective clause exists in Canon 28, which preserves certain laws from the old code: “Without prejudice to the precept of canon 5, a contrary custom or law revokes a custom which is contrary to or beyond the law. Unless it makes express mention of them, however, a law does not revoke centenary or immemorial customs, nor does a universal law revoke particular customs.”(2) She notes veiling is not mentioned in the canon, and it is both centenary and immemorial, since it’s been around since the beginning of the church.(2) It sounds logical to me but I’m not the expert on canon law and neither is she. Others believe the same, and when I lived in Nigeria, not veiling was not viewed in a positive light.

I learnt there are expert arguments against it, one such citing that even if it were a custom, canon 28 says customs are revoked by contrary customs, and since the majority of Catholic women have not veiled for 30 years (the expert’s post was written 20 + years ago, so it would actually be 50 + years now), a “contrary custom” has legally replaced the old one. However, this seems flawed to me, if I am correct, and one considers that millions of Catholic women in non-western countries never stopped veiling, and their numbers could make them majority. In addition, since the traditionalists in the West never adopted it (not veiling), then could the contrary custom be said to have replaced the old one? If majority of people or everyone commits a particular sin, does that suddenly make the sin good practice?

There is a canon lawyer who says that the “custom” argument is a category mistake and contends that because veiling was a written law (1917 Code), it cannot be claimed as an immemorial custom to bypass its 1983 abrogation. However, this seems flawed to me. If the requirement comes from the Bible and the “direction of the blessed Peter” as Pope St. Linus is said to have said, and veiling was widely practiced by the Church, not just in Corinth, as is affirmed by the early church fathers across different cultures, then it stands to reason that the directive is Divine; especially since veiling reveals God’s order of creation and expresses reverence toward the Angels, who are not bound to any one culture but exist universally. Because the Angels love order, and because their love is perfectly oriented toward God, conforming ourselves to that order draws us toward a more perfect love of God and a deeper reverence for God. The fact that many Orthodox traditions kept the directive of St. Paul for head covering, suggests the early church viewed it is a universal practice of the Church, even if one would argue the Liber Pontificalis is apocryphal. If the Church removed the requirement for Baptism or the Ten Commandments or the sacrament of Penance, or even the obligation to support the needs of the Church, from the Code of Canon Law, would they cease to be mandatory?

That said, could it be possible that a large group of women stopped veiling if the men had honored them, as they ought to have been honored? It would be a one sided story if I do not acknowledge that it must have been easy for the women to accept the alternative, and then everything went awry. Taking care of a woman is not something that comes naturally to every man. That is why in a huge country like Nigeria, being the least of three major tribes in the country, Igbo men are known to know how to take care of their wives. From what I’ve heard, you’ll see the man looking simple (not for lack of wealth) and his wife looking majestic. He uplifts his wife, and he takes great pride in that. This is not to say that this is all Igbo men but to say this is what these group of men are known for. I believe it was the women saying this about the Igbo men and not men. I wonder if this has changed. In any case, although the culture is not perfect, I think the principle here is valid and rooted in Scripture.

Prior to learning about the Church history, and post my reversion to the Catholic Church, I have worn a head scarf if I had it with me on weekdays and mostly on Sundays, because it felt good to do so, and I come from a culture where head covering in Church is predominant. Even the traditional wear of my Igbo tribe features a stylish head covering. In addition, my hair is almost always covered at home in a pink hair bonnet to protect my hair from the environment, at first, and then I realised it felt good to have it on while praying too, and so I made a note to do so as well. There have been times I over analysed why I wanted to use the head scarf, only to leave it around my neck in church instead of using it. I believe it was in part due to the influence of a Catholic Youtuber who over analysed it and in addition to these thoughts, I recall not liking how it altered my look, and feeling bad about it, when at home. I realised that I never considered whether it was a pious thing to do when I was home, but seemed to do so in Church. So, I concluded that I ought to veil whenever I have it. However, upon learning that the act of veiling is an unarguable good thing, I realise now that the fear that one’s heart is not right is not a good reason to stop veiling. I think the best thing to do is to thank God for revealing it, ask for God’s forgiveness, and then pray to God for a change of heart, since the good thing is ultimately your obligation to God. 

When I thought of St. Paul’s words about the hair of the woman being the glory of the woman and the need to cover it in Church, I couldn’t help but consider the “black African hair” (having no better vocabulary to describe this hair type). In essence, when this hair shrinks after contact with water (what we’re supposed to do when we come in contact with God), it can lose as much as 80% or more or less of its length and in appearance, it can look quite short and small. When stretched out using a heat tool like a blow dryer, or other non-heat methods, it can become longer and voluminous; the result, dependent on the method used. In addition, frequent use of heat tools can be bad for the health of the hair. I considered that the hair which God has given to me is a modest hair, since it is made to hide majority of its glory. Most people seem drawn to whatever is loud or ‘out there’, no matter how fiercely they claim to value modesty but I see God truly loves modesty. I even failed to understand St. Paul when he called the hair, the woman’s glory, because I considered my hair and I didn’t feel that way. I don’t remember exactly what made it click for me. Maybe it was upon seeing the volume and length of another black woman’s hair that I suddenly agreed, or maybe it was something else.

Some black women, in trying to love their hair as it is (short even when stretched), have come to love what is not exactly good in of itself. Since, their hair can grow, if it is given the care that it needs and the woman is healthy. The hair just needs so much more care, gentleness and patience during manipulation than straight hair does, and it loves to be put away in low manipulation styles like cornrows, or hidden, and not overly touched or manipulated, and it loves water (echoing scripture), in order for it to thrive without breaking. It is such a delicate and precious hair.

Instead of loving the hair only because it is a gift from God, some black people, in wanting to love themselves, learnt to love the length that is not exactly their fullest potential (indeed, in this world, we are yet to know what we’ll become when face to face with God). You’ll hear in the (black) natural hair community: it’s not about length, it’s about health. But, a healthy hair should grow and retain length. Then, there’s this newer cultural acceptance of black women cutting their hair, for fashion’s sake. What is not good has become seen as fashionable because the cultural perception has changed, but in truth growing up, I remember desiring long hair, and perhaps at another time, voluminous hair, but I did not realise the chemical relaxers used in my hair prevented this from happening. It was only until I watched videos of Black Americans stop using the relaxer, grow out their hair, cut off the chemically straightened portions and suddenly have curly, voluminous hair, that I wondered if that would happen to my hair too, if I did the same. So, I did the same, and discovered the coily/curly texture of my natural hair, and I think just doing that, living it loudly on social media through hair-centred videos, praising it and encouraging it, managed to influence my mom and sister to do the same over time (at least I’d like to think it did since they followed suit).

Then, I considered an old tradition among my Igbo people: when a husband dies, a widow’s hair is shaved off with a razor blade until her head is completely bare. The reasons I have read online is that this is done to make her look unattractive during mourning, as a spiritual practice to break off all links between the woman and her deceased husband (i.e., she is no longer under the protection of the husband), a sign of mourning and grief, purification rites, a symbol of a loss of glory, tradition and social conformity. 28 years ago, this was still practiced, although, I read online that due to education, Christianity and women’s rights advocacy, many of these harsh practices are being abolished or modified in modern times. I think to myself that there’s probably still a place that practices it mandatorily. What about the men? Older generation don’t see long hair or men braiding their hair or even dreadlocks (this is associated with a spirituality), as a good thing in culture, but younger generations and artists have adopted this as though it is good. And from what I know of from growing up in Nigeria, only the women were required to cut their hair if their spouse dies (although I saw a Facebook comment and nothing else to back it, that cutting of hair on the head pertained to men too, I didn’t trust it then, but I have now read 2 other sources that it is/was an Igbo tradition that men cut the hair on their head and moustache as a symbol of mourning, though they are/were not compelled to do so by men like the women are/were by women. It is possible that since this is not usually practiced by the men, and only the woman’s ordeal was talked about growing up, I didn’t hear about it. It doesn’t change my conclusion since it doesn’t seem as though it has been enforced for the men, and the reason he might do it is only in mourning, for a considerable short time (28 days) in comparison with the woman (1 year).

My thought is this: since the words of St. Paul present themselves in nature, first, in my Igbo culture, though imperfect, where a woman’s hair is seen as her glory and a sign of the husband’s covering, and serves as an “innate” symbol of authority over her head (if I may put it that way since it is created by God to hide most of its glory); and second, in the way ‘black African hair’ itself has been fashioned by God to be modest and hidden, it seems wise to me to take what St. Paul said seriously as the Perfect Word of God.

After learning about the Christian history and tradition of veiling, I approached my mom and pointed to an image of Our Lady of Fatima on the fridge, and asked my mom whether she knew that Christians used to dress like Mary in the past? She didn’t seem to know. As she walked away, she said, almost casually, ‘Why don’t you start dressing like her?’ She may not have meant it seriously, but unbeknownst to her, I had already been thinking about veiling full‑time and exploring what modest dressing looks like for Muslim women so I could incorporate some of it into my own wardrobe, and this was my subtle way of evangelising. The very next day, I wore a headscarf to work. I think it surprised her. She told me, ‘I saw you leave the house wearing it, but I didn’t think you’d wear it at the office. Don’t you have a dress code?’

I told her there isn’t any, thinking specifically about a code surrounding head covering. She really went ahead to say that I need to go buy different scarves so I don’t wear the same one everyday. Since, I was able to wear a scarf at work that first day, I did the same the next day and have continued ever since. I have noticed women seem to respect me more or at least this is my perception from their looks and their niceness and responsiveness. It is also possible, but not certain, that a certain hostile man became softer. I have even begun to feel and notice a softening in my speech, my responses and in me, and I give thanks to God for this. I’ve started looking into varied styles of head coverings that are fashionable, which Muslim women use and have invested their time into creating for themselves. I’m still learning what modesty looks like from a modern Christian lens which may be insufficient, but I believe the Muslims have something more to offer. 

I realise the directive St. Paul gave seems to only be applicable when the woman is in Church, like Pope St. Linus, who was the successor to Peter as Bishop of Rome, is said to have said, in “The Liber Pontificalis” (~530AD): “He, by direction of the blessed Peter, decreed that a woman must veil her head to come into the church”(1). However, I keep thinking, “aren’t the Angels present whenever I pray. And we’re exhorted to pray without ceasing, so it makes sense to keep it on at all times”. I am probably missing something here and I’m being absolutely foolish (although being foolish for Christ does appeal to me, although I’m not the strongest to be so effective at this). I’m trying to understand all of this while veiling with a head scarf.

In any case, a blogpost by Emily G shares about what the early church fathers said about head covering. Some like St. John Chrysostom (c. 347 – 407) believed veiling was not only at the time of prayer but continuously, because if it is shameful for a woman to be shaven, then it is always a reproach to be uncovered, and also because of the presence of the Angels (I interpret it to mean he believed the angels are always present)(1). Emily G does a rather impressive job of dissecting the Christian tradition and history of head covering right from the stories of the Old Testament, including what veiling signified, and is a much better read than this post so go check out her work here: Emily G’s work. Reading her work made me understand the value and dignity of veiling all round and the reasons why women do so.

Another person that I found helpful is the humblehousewives blogpost. I related to her comment that women who veil often feel a gut instinct or intuition telling them it’s the right thing to do in church. I also find interesting St. John Chrysostom’s viewpoint about the subjection of women under men not being there until after the fall and the subjection being the balm to restore harmony between them: your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.(2) It appears to me, only as I understand it, that this subjection foreshadows the subjection Jesus took willingly onto Himself, in coming down from The Father to us and taking a human nature into Himself, in the Incarnation; hiding His glory for most of the time He dwelt among us (at least 90.9% of His life on earth). So we say with Jesus that Jesus and The Father are One and The Father is greater than the Son. Greater does not mean superior. This hierarchy we see is only in function or roles but not in Nature or Divinity or Glory or Essence. Likewise, we can say man is greater than woman, not in nature or substance, but in order and function; and greater does not mean superior. And indeed, through Christ’s obedience to His Father’s Will, we have been reconciled to the Father. And so, God The Father has placed all things in subjection to Jesus, that at the mention of Jesus’ name, every knee shall bow, every tongue confess, that Jesus is God, to the Glory of God, The Father. So in a like fashion, in imitation of Christ, and in a unique way through their subjection under men (and ultimately under God), just as The Son subjected Himself to The Father, women are able to participate in a unique way in the cross of Christ and in His salvation of the world. This also echoes of Mother Mary and her role in salvation history. God is truly beautiful!

The common reason I’ve heard about veiling is modesty and while there’s truth to it that you appear modest if you veil, I don’t believe it is the real or full reason. This is only my musing and from what I can see by God’s grace through scripture and brief study, this is a fuller reason: Because God made the man in His Image, man is directly created in the Image of God. So, man is the Glory of God. The creation of man foreshadows the Incarnation of Christ, since The Word of God teaches Jesus is the visible Image (Glory) of the Invisible God. And we have seen His (Jesus’) glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father. The woman, however, was made by God from man’s ribs and given to man, so we can say as scripture says that the woman is the glory of man. Or we can call her the image of the man, if we consider how Jesus is called the Glory or Visible Image of God.

Likewise, He (Jesus) was in the beginning with God; all things were made through Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made. So we say with Jesus, that The Father and The Son share the same glory from before the foundation of the world. Similarly, the woman was formed from the rib of the man, and so we can say she was with him from the beginning, if we can say Levi paid tithe through Abraham to Melchizedek for he was still in Abraham’s loins. And we can say the woman has a glory that was shared with the man from the beginning of his creation. So, she is made in the image of God through man.(3) “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” St. Paul demystifies what the glory given to woman is, and tells us the hair is the glory of the woman “given” to her for a covering.

The goal of the Christian life, in imitation of Christ, is to decrease so God can increase. So, man decreases in glory in the presence of God, when the woman’s hair is covered since she is his glory and her hair is her glory which she has by extension through man, and the woman also participates in this jointly by a voluntary exercise of the will when she covers up her glory, so that in the presence of God, only God’s glory which is man, is visible and magnified in the Assembly of God. This has nothing to do with the importance of the man or the woman, but everything to do with the magnification of the glory of God. Indeed we can say with Mother Mary, “My soul glorifies/magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour…”.

This is why I hesitate in receiving the explanation that the Angels mentioned by St. Paul mean anything other than Angels. Although it is possible in a non-literal sense that Angels could mean priests or holy men. I am just too jaded by my experiences to accept that women should veil so she does not provoke lust in a man, and less inclined to believe it since Jesus said if your eyes causes you to sin, gouge it out, and He took on the form of a man and still said that. So, I believe the onus is on the man to do something about it and to draw closer to God. Because if not, even if a woman covers her hair, her eyes would be the next point of contention or her mouth or her voice or even her presence, if she is all the way covered up. We ought to be able to view each other with purity of heart, if we dwell in Christ. While I agree that the loving thing for a woman to do is to be modest in dressing, I could say the same for a man’s hair being the source of temptation to the woman or some other masculine feature. But I would not expect the man to cover his hair or stop talking or close his eyes, because it could tempt me to sin. Instead, I close my eyes or look away, and draw closer to God (Jesus) through Mary in prayer. And there is no end to the list of things that can distract a person, even our individual selves, but we do not demonise ourselves. I just don’t think that explanation will yield lasting fruit if used. (I’ve come to learn that it is possible that the term used, “provoke lust in men”, may not mean or interpret the heart of the user, and so it is best to leave room for that. It is possible that people have interpreted this badly. It is also possible that I don’t know what I’m talking about).

However, if Ambrosiaster’s viewpoint which centres on God is to be taken, it becomes agreeable to me: “The veil signifies power, and the angels are bishops, as it says in the Revelation of John, where, because they are men, they are criticized for not rebuking the people, though good behavior on their part is also praised. A woman therefore ought to cover her head, because she is not the likeness of God (I take this to mean directly since she is made from man’s rib by God, and is the likeness of God because of man, as Ambrosiaster explained) but is under subjection. Because transgression began with her, she ought to indicate this by covering her head in church out of reverence for the bishop. Nor should she speak, because the bishop takes the place of Christ. In front of him, and because he is the representative of Christ, she ought to appear as she would before a judge, as one under subjection, because of the way the sin of which we are guilty originated.“(3) It is best to read this with a spirit of love and understanding rather than offence. I wonder if men should have a sober spirit since Eve was deceived to sin but Adam was not deceived but sinned.

So, while I can agree it is modest to cover up the hair, I can agree it is modest, only in direct relation to God and the revelation of His glory. 

I also hesitate to accept the explanation that sacred things are covered and that is why women should cover their hair since they are sacred vessels able to bring forth life. Men are holy temples of The Holy Spirit and through their self-sacrificial love are able to give life. So, man and woman are complementary in function and share in the same glory. The explanation seems to me to serve to make women feel so precious, though they are in Christ, same as men, but I don’t think it will produce a lasting effect since it is not centred on God and His glory. 

Funny enough, I have had the desire in the past to be able to wear a scarf wherever I am going to, so as not to bother with elaborate styling of my hair or wearing a wig, and there are days when I’m out and about, including while travelling through airports, that I have used the head scarf, although I never wore a hair covering like this while at work, prior to a little over a week now.

I regret liking IG posts about banning hijabs. At the time, I couldn’t see that banning the hijab could be akin to forcing those women to go around naked and exposed, because I did not understand the true depth or dignity behind the wearing of a head covering, because I was oblivious that it had roots in God and that it was a part of my Christian heritage. I only saw it as an Islamic tool with negative connotations. I suppose also because there is a perversion in me which God is rooting out. I am quite remorseful about my poor behaviour. However, I still don’t think the reason imposed on them to cover their hair is holy, and the coercion to wear the hijab is not right, but I believe it is the right and dignity of every woman to cover her hair since this is a gift from God for women. The acceptance of His gift is an acceptance of His Divine Order of creation, that the man came first and has authority over the woman, and the woman was formed from the man and for the man, although in Christ, the man is not independent of the woman since she gives birth to the man, and neither is the woman independent of the man, and all are from God.

So, muslim women who wears a head covering give glory to God, even though this is imperfect, they do not really understand the reason behind it and they do not belong to Jesus Christ in a voluntary way through the exercise of their will. However, they belong to Christ in Divine Justice, through Conquest by the Cross and through Nature by His Divinity. Because the framework of their religion lacks the complementarity between genders or equality in dignity of men and women in Christ Jesus, there exists in their religion, a perversion in the enforcement of this head covering. This is why in some majority Islamic countries and sometimes in the West, there are cases where the Muslim men over-exert their dominance over women, even to the loss of lives of muslim women who fail to follow this rule (at times the women join in), because this order is meant as much for women as it is for men. Where Christians get it wrong is when they ignore that the teachings of the bible on this Divine order implies only a difference in office or roles and not in value or nature, since all are one in Christ, and if we thoroughly study the relationship between Jesus and The Father through scripture (especially in John at the last supper), we will gain better insight as to how this relationship flows well. In addition, from a Catholic and Orthodox standpoint alone, the presence of the Angels in the Church, especially during Worship or the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, who love God’s Order, compels women to wear a head covering in Church out of reverence for them. 

I don’t think women covering their hair will stop men from lusting after women or that even women dressing modestly would change that. Because being a child in primary school or secondary school didn’t protect me from the perversion in men and boys alike that I experienced, and it didn’t matter that I was too young or lacked understanding or dressed modestly, or lived in a country where at the time women still dressed modestly. This is not to say that I am devoid of perversion within me but to say these were unwanted, unencouraged, and I lacked the basic understanding or awareness of the body or of what was happening or why it was happening. Nowadays, women expose their bodies, unconscious to the truth that it is the body parts which are precious, delicate and intimate that are protected and are invested in with greater honor. And also, the love of your neighbour compels you to dress more modestly so they don’t fall into sin (here, I refer to both men and women). There is the possibility also, that an innate modesty of hair and the exterior sign of the modesty of the hair covering, may not translate to interior modesty or purity of heart. This is why we all need Jesus to be transformed from heathens to new men and women in Christ Jesus.

Liking those IG posts wasn’t my finest moment, and it was troubling and humbling to realise it, but I’m thankful to God for calling me back to repentance, for enlightening me and for everything. He has done so much for me.

On a final note, pray the Rosary and entrust yourself to Jesus through Mary through the method of St. Louis Marie de Montfort! And if you need help with this entrustment/consecration to Jesus through Mary, look up the course provided by the Heralds of the Gospel on their Reconquest Platform. It is a solid 33-day course.

Thank you for reading today’s post. Remember to like this post and share it with your friends if you enjoyed it. Follow me on my blog, Katmira’s blog, to receive notifications whenever I have a new post. You can also subscribe below to get an email notification whenever a new post is out. This is particularly helpful if you don’t have a WordPress account.

Let it be, until we meet again or “Ka ọ dị” as it is said in Igbo.

Note: Co-pilot was used as an editing tool. Google AI was used as a research tool.

(1) Gossard Emily (2024). Christian Tradition of Head Coverings for Women

(2) Humblehousewives’ Blog – Wait do Catholic women have to veil

(3) What did ambrosiaster believe about head covering

Bonus Reference you can also read: What did Saint Augustine believe about head covering

If it was up to me…

Ave Maria, Gratia Plena

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By Cynthia Aralu

Hello everyone. Remember to pray the Rosary!

It’s been a long time since my last post. These days, I feel as though I’m moving between keeping my head above water, walking on solid ground and living in Heaven. I believe there is a saint who said one must walk on earth and live in Heaven. I understand subtly without grasping the full depth of what he meant.

Recently, I have considered the idea of detaching from what is good. Initially, it annoyed me to hear of this spoken, because to my thinking, I wondered why anyone should desire a dysfunction. However, I’ve come to think that one must detach from all things evil, sinful and worldly, and in addition all things good because it must be the only way to reach a pure love of God.

Some overstate the importance of understanding over the power of love. However, give me an army of 10 men who truly have pure love of God, or no…give me less with such pure love, over 300 men who do not have pure love and have only supposed understanding.

Love led me to Mary and God willing, Love will keep me there.

For a while, I misunderstood the dogma of the “Immaculate Conception” even extending into a period of time past my reversion to the Catholic Faith which happened about 3 years ago. I thought the Immaculate Conception referred to Conception of Jesus. I learnt afterwards that it was about Mary. My brother who is more knowledgeable than me about the intellectual aspect of the faith did not know this as well, to my surprise, until I told him around last Christmas with so much joy. I don’t think anyone would think that it is inappropriate to speak of the term “Immaculate Conception” because it could potentially cause confusion. This is because it is a Dogma of the Church given through the teaching office of the Church and we are obedient to the Church. I believe I only learnt about the other 3 dogmas coincidentally recently (God’s providence) due to the recent bout of confusion that swept through the Church, although I had said them for a while now as part of a Marian devotion, “The Little Crown of the Blessed Virgin Mary”.

I listened to a priest, who to me seemed to boast to be an expert in Mariology, say the average Catholic cannot recite the creed if asked to do so and yet lacking knowledge, they gave objections to the doctrinal note released by the church. His words did not inspire confidence in me.

I could not help but wonder about the other times the term “co-redemptrix” has been used by the Church. My research brought me to the Papal encyclical written by St. Pius X (Pope, canonized saint) Ad Diem Illum Laetissimum No.12, which evokes the underlying meaning of co-redemptrix (click on the link for the full text): “…And from this community of will and suffering between Christ and Mary she merited to become most worthily the Reparatrix of the lost world (Eadmeri Mon. De Excellentia Virg. Mariae, c. 9) and Dispensatrix of all the gifts that Our Savior purchased for us by His Death and by His Blood.”

I think to myself, if the term “co-redemptrix” is never appropriate to use, what is to be said about the title of Mary as the Reparatrix of the lost world, or the dispensatrix of all the gifts that Our Saviour purchased for us by His Death and by His Blood, taken from an encyclical that comes from the authentic Magisterium of the Church.

I also came across a quote of St. Augustine referenced in the Book by St. Bonaventure titled, “Mirror of the Blessed Virgin Mary” which states: “O truly blessed humility of Mary, who brought forth the Lord to men, gave life to mortals, renewed the heavens, purified the world, opened paradise, and delivered the souls of men from hell.”. This kind of language indicates a theological view where Mary’s role is a necessary, though subordinate complement to Christ’s unique redemptive work. This is the way St. Louis Marie de Montfort describes it in “True Devotion to Mary”: “Secondly, we must conclude that, being necessary to God by a necessity which is called “hypothetical”, (that is, because God so willed it), the Blessed Virgin is all the more necessary for men to attain their final end. Consequently we must not place devotion to her on the same level as devotion to the other saints as if it were merely something optional.“.

A YouTuber claimed that during the time of the saints, it may have worked well to use co-redemptrix but it is not the right language now. I could not help but feel uneasy about that explanation because Wisdom is unchanging. During my research, I learnt that St. Pope John Paul II used the term “co-redemptriix” at least 7 times, and St. Maximillian Kolbe as well.

To be honest, that explanation from the YouTuber felt to me like the same spirit that led a popular Catholic man to say he didn’t like to say “sin” when he preached the gospel, as though it did not carry the power to convict people of their sins, as though it is by his power people reach conviction for their sins and not through The Holy Spirit; him being only a subordinate and The Holy Spirit reigning supreme over all, to the Glory of God. It is the same spirit that declared not liking the description used in the bible: “the woman caught in the act of adultery”, citing how it labelled the woman, as though it did not proclaim the Glory and Mercy of God to use that description, and still the same spirit that moved a priest to change the word the priest says at Mass from “sin” to “fault” and finally, a similar spirit that filthily craves to take the focus from the sacrifice of the Mass, when all congregation had knelt down, right after the “Sanctus”, and a priest urged the congregation to close their eyes to think of the poor and pray for the poor in an extended speech before moving on to the words of consecration; never mind this could have been done at the start of mass, during the “Prayer of the Faithful” or even after the final blessing.

I listened to another famous Youtuber who seemed to be in support of the writing, but I am not inclined to give his words on Marian devotion much credence since he has had on his show, a man who said Mary was just like everybody else before her fiat, and he did not dispute it. This video in question stayed on his channel years after the fact for me to able to see it, by God’s grace. I felt clarity when I heard Two (2) priests mention it is not binding under pain of sin to not follow the instruction of the doctrinal note, one of them explaining that the doctrinal note cautions that such terms can be unhelpful if used in a way that causes confusion or seems to reduce Christ’s unique role as Redeemer. If, however, these titles are understood and explained correctly — emphasizing Mary’s participation with Christ (never equal to Him) — then their use remains completely legitimate. The other priest (Fr. Ripperger) explained statements made in the note were inaccurate because it did not communicate an understanding of Primary Cause (God) and secondary cause (all created things), and exhorted Catholics to follow the example of the saints.

To be honest, listening to the note read out loud or even reading it where it says, “Given the necessity of explaining Mary’s subordinate role to Christ in the work of Redemption, it is always inappropriate to use the title “Co-redemptrix” to define Mary’s cooperation.”, my logical conclusion was that it is never legitimate to use, but Fr. Chris Alar explained that it is, if it is not used in a way that it causes confusion. I don’t use the term “co-redemptrix” myself in devotion, although I use terms like “Mary Immaculate, Mediatrix of all graces” and “Our Mediatrix with You” when I pray the Catena Legionis, a century old prayer sanctioned by the Catholic Church as an official prayer of the Legion of Mary, a worldwide lay apostolic organization that has received official approval from the Holy See.

I think St. Louis Marie de Montfort in his book, “True Devotion to Mary”, did a good job of upholding the phrase “Slave of Mary” without diminishing it. He’d mentioned he did not condemn the use of the term, “Slave of Mary”, as He mentions he himself uses it, but affirms that it is better to speak of “slavery of Jesus in Mary” and to call oneself “slave of Jesus” rather than “slave of Mary” to avoid giving any pretext for criticism. So that in that way, the devotion is named after its ultimate end which is Jesus, rather than after the way and the means to arrive there, which is Mary. I believe it is hard to confuse the intent and the heart behind this.

To those who hate the Church, Jesus and Mary, they sensed “less love” was given to Mary, and they rejoiced foolishly. To those who love the Church, Jesus and Mary, they sensed the same, most (including myself) without understanding much but loving much, and they felt uneasy; something akin to the feeling of the enemies of the Church encroaching. To those who sense nothing, it is all the same.

I will leave you with a devotion I have prayed for a while now almost daily, known as the “Catena Legionis”. I was given pamphlets for this prayer more than once, by a very strong old woman and urged to pray for the Legion of Mary by saying the prayer daily. I once saw that old woman use her feet to lift up the heavy kneeler of the Church to put it away, and she did it so powerfully that I was left shocked because I know how heavy that kneeler is and it is not easy for me to raise it up with my feet, yet the old woman who appears frail seems to be the strongest of us all. I credit it to her frequent reception of the Holy Eucharist at Mass, her praying the Rosary (which she also would have urged me to pray if I had told her I didn’t pray it), and this devotion I have shared below. The Catena Legionis (Latin for “Chain of the Legion”) is a daily prayer for members of the Legion of Mary, a Catholic organization founded in 1921.

THE CATENA LEGIONIS

Antiphon. Who is she that comes forth as the morning rising, fair as the moon, bright as the sun, terrible as an army set in battle array?

(Make the Sign of the Cross)

v. My soul glorifies the Lord.*

R. My spirit rejoices in God, my Saviour.

v. He looks on His servant in her lowliness;* henceforth all ages will call me blessed.

R. The Almighty works marvels for me.* Holy His name!

v. His mercy is from age to age,* on those who fear Him.

R. He puts forth His arm in strength* and scatters the proud-hearted.

v. He casts the mighty from their thrones* and raises the lowly.

R. He fills the starving with good things,* sends the rich away empty.

v. He protects Israel His servant,* remembering His mercy,

R. The mercy promised to our fathers,* to Abraham and his sons for ever.

v. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.

R. As it was in the beginning is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Antiphon. Who is she that comes forth as the morning rising, fair as the moon, bright as the sun, terrible as an army set in battle array?

v. O Mary, conceived without sin.

R. Pray for us who have recourse to you.

Let us pray.

O Lord Jesus Christ, our Mediator with the Father, Who has been pleased to appoint the Most Blessed Virgin, Your mother, to be our mother also, and our mediatrix with You, mercifully grant that whoever comes to You seeking Your favours may rejoice to receive all of them through her. Amen.

CONCLUDING PRAYERS

Make the Sign of the Cross) In the name of The Father, and of The Son and of The Holy Spirit. Amen..

We fly to your patronage, O holy Mother of God; despise not our prayers in our necessities, but ever deliver us from all dangers, O glorious and blessed Virgin.

v. Mary Immaculate, Mediatrix of all Graces (or Invocation appropriate to Praesidium)

R. Pray for us.

v. Sts. Michael, Gabriel and Raphael

R. Pray for us.

v. All you heavenly Powers, Mary’s Legion of Angels

R. Pray for us.

v. St. John the Baptist

R. Pray for us.

v. Saints Peter and Paul

R. Pray for us.

Confer, O Lord, on us, who serve beneath the standard of Mary, that fullness of faith in You and trust in her, to which it is given to conquer the world. Grant us a lively faith, animated by charity, which will enable us to perform all our actions from the motive of pure love of You, and ever to see You and serve You in our neighbour; a faith, firm and immovable as a rock, through which we shall rest tranquil and steadfast amid the crosses, toils and disappointments of life; a courageous faith which will inspire us to undertake and carry out without hesitation great things for Your glory and for the salvation of souls; a faith which will be our Legion’s Pillar of Fire – to lead us forth united – to kindle everywhere the fires of divine love – to enlighten those who are in darkness and in the shadow of death – to inflame those who are lukewarm – to bring back life to those who are dead in sin; and which will guide our own feet in the way of peace; so that – the battle of life over – our Legion may reassemble, without the loss of any one, in the kingdom of Your love and glory. Amen.

May the souls of our departed legionaries and the souls of all the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace. Amen.

(Make the Sign of the Cross) In the name of The Father, and of The Son and of The Holy Spirit. Amen.

On a final note, pray the Rosary!

Thank you for reading today’s post. Remember to like this post and share it with your friends if you enjoyed it. Follow me on my blog, Katmira’s blog, to receive notifications whenever I have a new post. You can also subscribe below to get an email notification whenever a new post is out. This is particularly helpful if you don’t have a WordPress account.

Let it be, until we meet again or “Ka ọ dị” as it is said in Igbo.

Ave Maria!

To Jesus Through Mary—A Personal Reflection

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By Cynthia Aralu

Hi everyone! Remember to pray the Rosary!

I recently realized that I may not have been entirely clear about the sources of the information I’ve shared regarding devotion to Mary and the path to Jesus through her. I had thought I was, but upon reflection, I see that I could have been more precise.

My last post, ‘We are sons, not slaves,’ was inspired by two books—the Bible and True Devotion to Mary by St. Louis Marie de Montfort—as well as the teachings of the Heralds of the Gospel, a Catholic International Association of Pontifical Right that has learned from both teachers and St. Louis Marie de Montfort’s writings.

At times, I reflect on the fact that I do not have a spiritual director and have expressed this to Mary, and claimed her as my own. Yet, I also think it is fair to consider the saints as my teachers, particularly St. Louis Marie de Montfort in this case. I do not possess half of his devotion or love for Mary—and if I claimed to be close to half, that would be generous—but his words resonate with me as though they were written about my life. His prayer to Jesus feels as if I could have spoken those very words myself: “Ah, would that I could proclaim throughout the whole world the mercy that Thou hast shown to me! Would that everyone might know I should be already damned, were it not for Mary! Would that I might offer worthy thanksgiving for so great a blessing! Mary is in me. Oh, what a treasure! Oh, what a consolation! And shall I not be entirely hers?”.

I have used strong words to describe Jesus’ complete giving of Himself to Mary, stating that He wrapped Himself in her flesh. I am unsure where I first encountered this phrase. Initially, I thought it came from St. Louis Marie de Montfort, but now I am uncertain. Perhaps it arose from the saint’s reflection on a holy person—also a slave of Mary like Jesus—who was described as being wrapped up in her. Regardless, the intention expressed by those words is that Jesus is the seed of Mary from her flesh, and that in her 2 natures were united Divinity and Humanity, at the incarnation. It reveals the profound intimacy of the incarnation. I don’t believe my expression was literal but rather an expression of a mystery—one the heart understands if it is open. However, who could truly claim full understanding of the mystery of the Incarnation or how it came to be? If in truth, even a minute aspect of it meant Jesus walked among us with flesh wrapped around His divinity, I wonder if such simplicity could be dismissed if echoed by Jesus on the last day. Additionally, Mary’s womb is the sacred dwelling place where Heaven and earth met in the Incarnation, where God and man remain united in Christ, and where souls continue to be formed in holiness, grow mature in enlightenment, in experience and in wisdom, and in a short time reach the fullness of the age of Christ.

In St. Louis Marie de Montfort’s words: the principal mystery celebrated and honoured in the true devotion to Mary is the mystery of the Incarnation where we find Jesus only in Mary, having become incarnate in her womb, it is appropriate for us to call the devotion, “slavery of Jesus in Mary”, of Jesus dwelling enthroned in Mary, according to the beautiful prayer, recited by so many great souls, “O Jesus living in Mary”.

He further explains that these expressions show more clearly the intimate union existing between Jesus and Mary. He writes: “So closely are they united that one is wholly the other. Jesus is all in Mary and Mary is all in Jesus. Or rather, it is no longer she who lives, but Jesus alone who lives in her. It would be easier to separate light from the sun than Mary from Jesus. So united are they that our Lord may be called, “Jesus of Mary”, and His Mother “Mary of Jesus”“.

Here are his brief remarks on the incarnation:

  • The Incarnation is the first mystery of Jesus Christ; it is the most hidden; and it is the most exalted and the least known.
  • It was in this mystery that Jesus, in the womb of Mary and with her co-operation, chose all the elect. For this reason the saints called her womb, the throne-room of God’s mysteries. It was in this mystery that Jesus anticipated all subsequent mysteries of His life by His willing acceptance of them. Consequently, this mystery is a summary of all His mysteries since it contains the intention and the grace of them all.
  • Lastly, this mystery is the seat of the mercy, the liberality, and the glory of God. It is the seat of His mercy for us, since we can approach and speak to Jesus through Mary. We need her intervention to see or speak to him. Here, ever responsive to the prayer of His Mother, Jesus unfailingly grants grace and mercy to all poor sinners. “Let us come boldly before the throne of grace”.
  • It is the seat of liberality for Mary, because while the new Adam dwelt in this truly earthly paradise God performed there so many hidden marvels beyond the understanding of men and angels. For this reason, the saints call Mary “the magnificence of God”, as if God showed His magnificence only in Mary.
  • It is the seat of glory for His Father, because it was in Mary that Jesus perfectly atoned to His Father on behalf of mankind. It was here that He perfectly restored the glory that sin had taken from His Father. It was here again that our Lord, by the sacrifice of Himself and of His will, gave more glory to God than He would have given had He offered all the sacrifices of the Old Law. Finally, in Mary He gave His Father infinite glory, such as His Father had never received from man.

I would not have esteemed his words so highly had he not spoken of Mary with such profound love and devotion. Nor would I have valued them had he not been a canonized saint, speaking alongside other canonized saints who shared the same devotion. His words, which I already held in high regard, carried even greater weight when I learned that Pope St. John Paul II himself esteemed them. More recently, my appreciation deepened as I renewed my consecration to Jesus through Mary last month. During the 33-day period, I came to see how his writings resonate profoundly with my own life—as though I were reading the truth of my own life. It would be helpful to exercise discernment when listening to perspectives contrary to the words in this book. Listen with discernment, always seeking to uphold and honor Mary and Jesus—with prayer for yourself, for those speaking, and for God’s mercy. Should you choose to respond, do so with all the angelic kindness and deep humility of Mary—or most perfectly, with all of her virtues.

It can be confusing to sort through these perspectives. I once heard a very Catholic man confidently state that Mary was just like everyone else before she gave her Fiat: “I am the handmaid of the Lord. Let it be done to me according to your word”. His brilliance on other matters captivated me, so I didn’t immediately reject his claim that night. Yet, I didn’t accept it either. Whether it lingered in my mind out of unease or temptation—or perhaps both—I’m unsure, as time has passed. But the next morning, as I prayed the Rosary, his words resurfaced, and deep within, I felt a conviction that his words did not align with truth.

I acknowledge that Mary is human like everyone else and that doesn’t change at the point of her Fiat, so I can see that this is not the point being made. The only change in state that I can see is that she went from being the predestined Mother of God to Mother of God, and yet who else was prepared for it by God. Given this, would it be fitting to consider Mary just like everyone else until she gave her Fiat—especially in light of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception? After all, the angel Gabriel’s greeting at the Annunciation affirms her unique grace: ‘Hail, full of grace’.

For a long time, I wondered where the phrase “full of grace” in the Hail Mary originated, since some Bible translations render Luke 1:28 as “Hail, O highly favored one”. By God’s grace—and through Mary’s quiet ordering of my life—I stumbled upon an insightful explanation in a Q&A on Catholic.com which illuminated the richness of the original Greek.

The answer I found was that meaning can sometimes be lost in translation. I’ve even experienced this with my own Igbo name, Amarachukwu. At one time, my mom explained that it meant more than the Grace of God. It apparently carries a deeper blend of grace, mercy, and goodness (or so), in its meaning—particularly directed toward her and me—which is difficult to fully express in a single English word. Yet, if asked, I will say it means Grace of God, as that is the common understanding. According to the writer of the post, the same challenge applies to the translation “full of grace”. The Greek phrase pleres charitos is what translates literally to “full of grace” and it appears in reference to Jesus (John 1:14) and St. Stephen (Acts 6:8), with its meaning shaped by context, such that we can infer that anyone who has recently been baptized or received the sacrament of confession is pleres charitos. In Luke 1:28, however, the angel uses kecharitomene, derived from charitoo (meaning “to give grace”). This verb, kecharitomene, is in the perfect passive participle tense (which I learned is more accurate than ‘past perfect’), signifying that the action of grace was to the fullest, in the past and with enduring effects. The verb is used as a title. Gabriel does not say “Hail Mary, you are kecharitomene” but rather “Hail kecharitomene” 

I am not a theologian but to my mind the greeting could be rendered as ‘Hail, one who has been graced to the fullest and enduringly, the Lord is with you’ or perhaps colloquially as “Hello, Your Royal Highness, Immaculate, the Lord is with you”. Kecharitomene appears to be used within the context of Angel Gabriel’s greeting as her name, revealing her identity as the Immaculate one, and revealing an action of grace given in a complete and enduring way, implying that purity, holiness and sinlessness is intrinsic to her very being rather than something temporary. Since sin and grace oppose each other, could one who has been graced in a complete and enduring way bear even the slightest stain of sin?

It begs the question: when was her identity given to her by God, and when was the spiritual action completed? To explore possibilities, we can look at how God has worked with His prophets throughout Scripture, preparing them uniquely—sometimes even before they were in their mother’s womb.

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”  

“For he will be great before the Lord, and he shall drink no wine nor strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.” 

God completely prepares the ones He calls to fulfill their mission. Throughout the Old Testament, we find prophecies and typological connections that foreshadow Mary’s role—the New Eve who will crush the serpent’s head (‘I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; (s)he/they shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his/her/their heel’). While this verse carries multiple meanings, my focus is on one at this time. As well, the Ark of the Covenant and other symbols—which I cannot fully expand on here—suggest that she was predestined to be the Mother of God (taking into consideration her freedom to surrender her will completely to God, where the first Eve did not).

If we believe that God never changes and He doesn’t, it follows that He would act in the same way with her, preparing her to be a worthy dwelling place for God Himself. Considering how profoundly God prepared His prophets, would it not be fitting that His preparation of the one entrusted with forming and shaping Jesus would be even greater—since Jesus, being perfectly obedient to her as a good Son, honors her to fulfill the commandment?

Catholic dogma holds that Mary was preserved from original sin from the first moment of her conception through the merits of Jesus. While this might seem difficult to grasp, it is entirely possible—especially considering that at the Last Supper, when Jesus referred to the bread as ‘His body that is given for us’ and the wine as ‘His blood that is poured out for us,’ He spoke of His sacrifice as if it were already accomplished in intention and grace. In doing so, He applied the merits of His sacrifice to a time before it had fully unfolded for us—extending this grace prior to His bodily presence in the moment of His sacrifice. To those who have faith, it is believable that His sacrifice and its merits are not bound by time. Fitting, since He is God eternal. This makes me pause, especially when I consider that He gave thanks to the Father for it, or that He could still pray afterwards: ‘Abba, Father, all things are possible to thee; remove this cup from me; yet not what I will, but what thou wilt’. He could still hope, and it remained possible to pass from Him, even though the mystery of His sacrifice was already completed and accepted by Him—unfolding for us yet still awaiting His physical entry into the moment of His sacrifice. So, it is okay to have hope, even when a poor outcome seems inevitable. Yet, there is a right way to hope—a hope rooted in trust, surrender to God’s will, and profound acceptance of whatever He permits. I could not sufficiently penetrate the infinite depth of this, being finite myself. However, in all things, it is always good to give thanks to God.

On a final note, pray the Rosary!

Thank you for reading today’s post. Remember to like this post and share it with your friends if you enjoyed it. Follow me on my blog, Katmira’s blog, to receive notifications whenever I have a new post. You can also subscribe below to get an email notification whenever a new post is out. This is particularly helpful if you don’t have a WordPress account.

Let it be, until we meet again or “Ka ọ dị” as it is said in Igbo.

Note: Throughout this process, I prayed to Jesus through Mary for insight, renewing my consecration with the words inspired from True Devotion to Mary: ‘I renounce myself completely, and I give myself entirely to you, Mom’. To explain briefly, to give oneself entirely to Mary, is to give oneself entirely to Jesus, since she belongs entirely to Him. There is a need to renounce our evil dispositions and corrupt nature, since our perception of our good intentions is colored by self-love. While we can always go directly to Jesus, going through Mary to Jesus is a reliable way, direct and sure, since Mary purifies your intentions, calls down the mercy of God on you and shapes you and your intentions to His liking.

In addition, I used Copilot as a thought partner and writing assistant to refine my ideas, improve readability, and explore deeper connections.

A song you could listen to!

We are Sons, Not Slaves

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By Cynthia Aralu

Hi everyone. I hope everyone is doing okay and you are remembering to pray your Rosary. This lent has been an enlightening season. While I look forward to its conclusion, I find myself reflecting on this time and wanting to cherish this meaningful period—to savor it fully before it passes. Yet, the future holds its own promise, and I look forward to embracing it with hope and excitement.

Today, I’d like to share a perspective on the phrase, “we are sons, not slaves”, or a variation of the phrase which I have heard from multiple people recently.

To begin, consider St. Louis Marie de Montfort’s book True Devotion to Mary, in which he describes three types of slavery: Natural Slavery, Enforced Slavery, and Voluntary Slavery. By the order of justice, all creation, including humans are by nature, slaves to Almighty God, as all things come into existence and continue to exist in Him. Even those who rebel against God remain His slaves and, in spite of themselves, give Him glory in a forced type of slavery. Those who follow God’s will by their own volition also remain His slaves, but through love, their slavery is elevated—they become slaves of love giving God more perfect glory.

With this in mind, consider the parable of the prodigal son, which might lead some to question viewing oneself as a slave, since once the prodigal son came back to his senses and in his repentance desired to return to his father as a slave, his father welcomed him instead as a son. It is understandable, and while I agree that there is truth to our heirship in the parable, I also recognise that it is not the complete truth. This relationship of father and son in the parable exemplifies, in human knowledge, the relationship between God and humans. Jesus uses this illustration to reveal God’s mercy, forgiveness, and grace, through which He makes us heirs. He reveals other things as well, but I will only focus on the relationship between a father and son, as this is the focus of this post. No human father-son relationship can truly capture that of a slave and master, as no human father has ultimate authority over the life and death of his son. Through this analogy, Jesus illuminates one facet of God’s nature: God as Father. However, this represents only one aspect.

In another passage, Jesus teaches those who already believed in Him, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” He explains that sin enslaves and causes one to lose their place in God’s house, but only the Son can free us from the bondage of sin. From this, we learn—as echoed by St. Louis Marie de Montfort—that discipleship requires two essential elements: belief in Christ and perseverance in keeping His commands. When we choose this path, we become His disciples by our own volition. We come to know Him—the Truth—love Him, know ourselves, and experience the freedom He gives. However, this freedom is a freedom to love God as slaves: “For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love be servants/slaves of one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.“. To give ourselves entirely to one another in loving servitude.

In much older times, the terms “servant” or “handmaiden” did not carry the same connotations as they do today. Rather, it was understood to mean “slavery”. When encountering such words in the bible when used to describe our relationship with God, try to shift your perspective from your understanding of modern slavery to the understanding of what it means to be a slave of God; being that in Him we live and move and have our being. We are wholly dependent on Him for the very sustenance of our life. As such, we could not hide or run from God.

It is also explained in the bible that Jesus took the form of a slave, appearing as a human, humbling Himself, and subjecting himself to obedience of the entirety of the law—even to the point of death on a cross. In subjecting Himself as a submissive slave, He glorified God in the most perfect way. God, pleased with the offering of The Son placed all things in subjection under Him. Thus, Jesus Who is Lord of all by His Divine Nature became Lord of all by conquest to the glory of God the Father.

From this, we can understand that God the Son, Jesus, Who is Divine, condescended to take onto Himself, the nature of a human—a slave—thereby uniting both natures (Divine and Slave) within Himself. Such that by perfect obedience to God the Father, as the God-Man, He offered the most perfect sacrifice for us slaves so that we could be reconciled to the Father and have a share in His Divine Nature through our union with Him. It is our union with Him that enables us to be co-heirs with Him, as slaves and divine heirs. This is why Jesus said, “So, if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.” The only possible way to be united with Him is to be aligned in His Will, keeping His commands. Rebellion, by its nature, cannot coexist with union. And elsewhere, disobedience is equated to unbelief: “And to whom did he swear that they should never enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient? So, we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.“

The most perfect, easiest, and quickest way to be in union with Jesus is through the humble path He opened to us: Mary. The humble Mary, full of grace and without blemish through the merits of Christ, exemplifies the perfect slave of Christ. She became the most intimate and personal means for Christ to come to us, clothing himself in her flesh. In doing so, He retained His Divine Nature and Immensity while embracing humanity and allowing Himself to be comprehended by her in the most profound way. Through Mary, we find the most perfect and intimate path to union with Jesus and deeper knowledge of Him. Since Jesus chose to give himself completely to Mary in this way without reserve, and to make Himself known to us, we cannot err in imitating Him by embracing the same devotion He shares for His mother, since we would be imitating Christ; the focus of the Christian life.

We were made to know Him, to love Him, to serve Him, and to be happy with Him in the next. In portraying the faithful servitude of a slave, Jesus offers an example: no one who has a servant laboring all day in the field would invite the servant to sit at the table upon returning. Rather, the master will ask the servant to first prepare and serve his meal; only once the master is served and fed is the servant permitted to eat. Moreover, the master does not thank the servant for simply doing what was commanded. In the same way, we should not expect thanks for fulfilling our duty to serve God, especially as we are unworthy or imperfect.

If Christ Himself was rejected and condemned by the world, how can we, as Christians, expect a life free of suffering when serving Him, when He is our Lord and Master? Even then, God is generous and boundless in His love, and cannot be outdone in His generosity and love. Yet we, as slaves of love, are duty-bound to serve Him with humility, always recognizing that our service is ultimately for our own sanctification and eternal good. For He is able to make the stones cry out in worship and glorify Him.

St. Paul succinctly re-affirms the perspective when he stated, “You are not your own; you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”, addressing the Body of Christ. This highlights that all in the Body of Christ are slaves of Christ by conquest, with our end to glorify God. I would like to mention again that God does not need us. If He willed, He could raise up stones to be His heirs. Yet, He seeks a relationship with us. Why would He desire this, considering what we are? It is a mystery beyond comprehension—but it is love. True love. We are the work of His hands and He has loved us with an everlasting love. Elsewhere, St. Paul calls himself a slave of Christ.

There is therefore no shame in being a slave of God, as Jesus—being God—out of His profound humility, took on the form of a slave. Indeed, it is wholly admirable to be in loving servitude to God, for truly we have nothing to offer Him that He did not first give to us. Furthermore, in His perfect obedience to the entirety of the law, Jesus chose to subject Himself to Mary as a slave. Through this, He has shown us a path to embrace a devotion of loving servitude to Mary as a means of loving Him more perfectly, always with God as the ultimate goal and end of such devotion. Consecrate yourself to Jesus through Mary. Visit this link for help: Consecration to Jesus through the hands of Mary

Just some food for thought to help you reflect and, God-willing, deepen your knowledge of God. In turn, may this also deepen your understanding of yourself—bringing you ever closer to true freedom.

On a final note, pray the Rosary!

Thank you for reading today’s post. Remember to like this post and share it with your friends if you enjoyed it. Follow me on my blog, Katmira’s blog, to receive notifications whenever I have a new post. You can also subscribe below to get an email notification whenever a new post is out. This is particularly helpful if you don’t have a WordPress account.

Let it be, until we meet again or “Ka ọ dị” as it is said in Igbo.

Note: Co-pilot was used to refine this write up.

I love this rendition!

Consecration to Jesus through the Hands of Mary

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By Cynthia Aralu

Hello everyone! I hope you are all doing well and you remember to pray the rosary.

For quite a while now, I’ve felt as though I have nothing meaningful to share—like I have no voice. Whenever I wanted to express something, it always seemed like the timing was off, or my words came across as too harsh and unrefined. With that in mind, I could offer you a glimpse into my current thoughts and direct you to a consecration course to Jesus through the hands of Mary.

1. The concept of “unconditional love,” as it is often interpreted to mean, that is, the enabling of evil for the sake of love, is a distortion. Reflecting on the verse, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.”, we see that God, who is Love, has demonstrated the depth of His love for the world. Yet, He also made clear that only those who believe in His Son, sent as a perfect sacrifice, will have eternal life.

This highlights that holy love—the highest and purest form of love—maintains boundaries while remaining enduring, as mercy itself is an expression of love. You are loved as you are, but called and nurtured to be the best. This is the true definition of unconditional love. Any love that strays from or fails to align with God’s Holy Love becomes an aberration, no longer love but a corruption of the term. I believe this is reason people do not believe in love or the transformative power of love. They have imagined in their heads what love is not and defined it as love and their imaginations have failed them.

2. The world and its people are steeped in corruption—a truth that should not come as a surprise. I felt the weight of this truth profoundly last year when I renewed my consecration to Jesus through the Hands of Mary. I do not exclude myself from this observation. It is difficult to truly grasp the depth of corruption embedded in the mind of someone who has lived an unguarded life, shaped and influenced by evil perspectives. Recently, this feeling has grown remarkably intense.

Consider this: “Mary is the supreme masterpiece of Almighty God and He has reserved the knowledge and possession of her for Himself”. Yet “Mary being a mere creature fashioned by the hands of God is, compared to his infinite majesty, less than an atom, or rather is simply nothing, since He alone can say, ‘I am He who is'”. Mary herself knew and believed this truth, proclaiming, “I am the handmaid/slave of God… He has regarded the low estate of His handmaiden… He has put down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of low degree”.

Reflect further: “God the Father gave his only Son to the world only through Mary. Whatever desires the patriarchs may have cherished, whatever entreaties the prophets and saints of the Old Law may have had for 4,000 years to obtain that treasure, it was Mary alone who merited it and found grace before God by the power of her prayers and the perfection of her virtues. “The world being unworthy,” said Saint Augustine, “to receive the Son of God directly from the hands of the Father, He gave His Son to Mary for the world to receive Him from her.” The Son of God became man for our salvation but only in Mary and through Mary. God the Holy Spirit formed Jesus Christ in Mary but only after having asked her consent through one of the chief ministers of His court.” See “Treatise on True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin”, by St. Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort

Now considering that Mary is esteemed greatly but is nothing in comparison with God, and her merits far surpass those of the saints in Heaven—who are themselves esteemed to the extent of their merits—by this true measure, I recognize how wretched I am.

3. Since “Mary loves Jesus ardently and glorifies Him more perfectly than all of God’s other creatures—saints and angels alike”, it follows that honoring Mary and the saints brings honor and glory to God. In the same vein, all creation, whether in heaven, on earth, under the earth, or in the sea, rightly gives God praise. Who could do this more perfectly when praised and honored than Mary and the saints in Heaven? Consider Mary: when praised by her cousin St. Elizabeth, her immediate response was a song of praise to God, proclaiming, “My soul glorifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior…” This truth should be as evident as when one gives charity to the less fortunate and brings glory and praise to God—whether through the grateful lips of those helped, the hearts of those who witness or learn of the event, or by the charitable deed itself inspired by God. Similarly, when the saints in heaven are honored, they give glory of God as a sort of reflection, having been conformed to Him to the extent they have merited. See “Treatise on True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin”, by St. Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort

4. There is a noticeable inconsistency between truly serving God and what some individuals, who believe they are serving Him, deem acceptable—such as reading books or watching movies with pornographic content in their homes. This is just one example, yet it has become so normalized for some that their conscience has grown desensitized. They may believe their conscience is clear, even when confronted with this truth from an external observer.

5. It is inconsistent to claim to “believe and follow all the teachings of the Catholic Church” while accepting or engaging in certain practices that contradict its teachings. Allow me to list a few examples: being complacent about your children leaving the Catholic Church, speaking about confession as though it is optional, speaking negatively about devotion to the saints, accepting the use of contraception, abusing the sanctity of the marital bed, or considering IVF as an acceptable option.

A recent instance that left me unsettled involves the engagement with content where someone, under the label of ‘Christian prophecy’, examined palms to predict the future. I have been cautious in describing the activity as it was relayed to me, refraining from attaching specific labels to it. However, I was informed that it is not considered divination or palm reading—or that palm reading, in this context, is not divination—but I struggle to see how the conclusion could be otherwise, even if it is rare in its occurrence, as I’ve been told. I believe the truth will come out one day.

Ironically, it would be better to follow all the teachings of the Catholic Church in simplicity, even without raising “wise questions” or trying to be wise in one’s own eyes, as such simplicity in faith could make one truly wise.

6. There is no greater mother than Mary. Even if I falter, I trust her to guide me back to true contrition and repentance. I rely on her to show me the best way to please her Son, Jesus, who, in His love, has chosen to be my brother. This was once a source of concern for me, but through the consecration course, I learned to entrust myself to her care. Now, I feel a deep sense of peace, knowing that she intercedes for me before Jesus.

7. Why go to Jesus through Mary? It pleases Jesus, as it is the most perfect way He chose to come to us, and thus the most perfect way for us to go to Him. Furthermore, since Jesus is God, just as God the Father is God, and we have been given Jesus Christ as a Mediator between us and the Father, it is fitting that Jesus, being God, would also have a mediator. Out of His profound humility and perfection, He gave us Mary—not out of necessity, but because it is the most humble and perfect way He chose to unite Himself with humanity in the flesh; through her.

Humility is not easy, and in today’s world, its meaning has been lost. Many have also lost a sense of a Holy Fear of God, to the point where roles and stations are no longer given their due regard. I personally grapple with the concept of humility, as it feels foreign to me. Yet, in Heaven, hierarchies exist as part of God’s divine order.

8. There is a consecration course set to begin on March 24th, led by the Heralds of the gospel. I will renew my consecration to Jesus again this year by God’s grace.

“The Consecration Course is based on the Treatise on True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin, by St. Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort, a prophetic work and a theological document of the utmost importance. A daily video lesson will be on Heralds of the Gospel’s online catholic course platform (“Reconquest Platform“)”. 

  • “The first class, on the evening of the 24th of march, will be a Live on Youtube at https://live.heralds.org/
    On consequent days, you will be able to attend each day’s class at your convenience. The classes will be recorded and will be available from 5 a.m. 
  • To easily receive all the information, you can join their WhatsApp group – although this is not necessary: click here.
  • Send any questions you have to: consecration@heralds.org
  • To join the consecration course, sign up at this link: https://consecration.heralds.org/slei
  • Alternatively, if you are wary of links, google “Reconquest Platform Heralds of the Gospel”. It should be easy enough to navigate to the free consecration course that starts on March 24th and ends on April 26th.
True Devotion to Mary By St. Louis Marie de MontfortDownload

Here is an another excerpt from the True Devotion to Mary: Consequently, this great Lord, who is ever independent and self-sufficient, never had and does not now have any absolute need of the Blessed Virgin for the accomplishment of His will and the manifestation of His glory. To do all things He has only to will them. 15. However, I declare that, considering things as they are, because God has decided to begin and accomplish His greatest works through the Blessed Virgin ever since He created her, we can safely believe that He will not change His plan in the time to come, for He is God and therefore does not change in His thoughts or His way of acting.

On a final note, pray the Rosary!

Thank you for reading today’s post. Remember to like this post and share it with your friends if you enjoyed it. Follow me on my blog, Katmira’s blog, to receive notifications whenever I have a new post. You can also subscribe below to get an email notification whenever a new post is out. This is particularly helpful if you don’t have a WordPress account.

Let it be, until we meet again or “Ka ọ dị” as it is said in Igbo.

Note: Co-pilot was used to refine this write up.

An Invitation to Love

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By Cynthia Aralu

Hello everyone! Remember to pray the Rosary!

January was a long and busy month, and I’m still working on getting back into my daily mass routine after returning from Houston and moving recently. I am thankful to God for another month in this new year. Since my last blog post, I’ve learned more about myself and discovered a missing piece. Before the year was over, I was called selfish in a situation where I believed my reasons were justified, but it was perceived differently. This made me wonder, if I couldn’t handle being called selfish by a human, how would I bear it if God called me selfish? It was a chilling thought. So, I resolved to accept insults from people, keeping that in mind, to prepare myself for that day.

I’ve also reflected on my last blog post, wondering if it came across as selfish. Since being called selfish, I’ve been questioning my actions, asking myself, “Is this selfish?” and “Am I being selfish?” I thought maybe my blogpost seemed selfish, but my heart and intent weren’t, as the post didn’t capture the full context or my complete feelings. I considered other details I hadn’t included, not intentionally, but because they didn’t come to mind while writing. Who is to judge the heart but God?

Those accusatory words and my blog post propelled me to delve deeper into lessons I previously only understood superficially. This principle might seem simple or straightforward to you, who are wise, and maybe I had heard it before, but it only truly registered when I watched a video about suffering last month. The video mentioned, “There is no love without sacrifice. How could a mother claim to love her child without sacrificing for that child,” or something similar. Then, I realized my inclination is to desire to love without pain, but the pain and sacrifice are proof of the genuineness of my love. Here is a link to the YouTube video: Heralds of the Gospel – What CATHOLICS are not told about FASTING

All through last year, God invited me in so many ways to love Him. So, the year I couldn’t say I enjoyed was actually filled with moments where I loved God, a lot of moments I previously saw as inconveniences. Although, this does not apply to every moment, it felt like last year was marred by struggles. Yet, even the lows, which I didn’t enjoy, were highs in disguise. My perspective was just skewed. So, I resolved to welcome this year, by God’s grace, with the joy of knowing that this moment, this time, God is inviting me to love Him. It’s an opportunity.

I had equated loving God with loving my neighbors, and in truth, to love God is to love your neighbors. What I hadn’t considered is that to love God means to love everything He has willed to come my way, knowing it’s for my benefit. In fact, knowing the weakness of my will, these seemingly inconvenient moments are necessary for the salvation of my soul, if I cooperate with His grace. Cooperating with His grace will look different each time and doesn’t necessarily mean doing nothing.

Since having these thoughts, I’ve joyfully embraced everything God has sent my way, doing my best by His grace and offering it all up to Him. When I reflect on January, much of it has been focused on this. I try not to get too upset when things go wrong because I have a goal in mind. I don’t always get it right and I’m not perfect, but that’s okay. With time, I will perfect this by God’s grace. It’s such a privilege to be invited to love God. How many people truly realize this?

On a final note, pray the Rosary!

Thank you for reading today’s post. Remember to like this post and share it with your friends if you enjoyed it. Follow me on my blog, Katmira’s blog, to receive notifications whenever I have a new post. You can also subscribe below to get an email notification whenever a new post is out. This is particularly helpful if you don’t have a WordPress account.

Let it be, until we meet again or “Ka ọ dị” as it is said in Igbo.

A lovely song you could listen to!

Testimony

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By Cynthia Aralu

I waited patiently for the Lord;

He turned to me and heard my cry.

He lifted me out of the slimy pit,

out of the mud and mire;

He set my feet on a rock

and gave me a firm place to stand.

He put a new song in my mouth,

a hymn of praise to our God.

Many will see and fear the Lord

and put their trust in him.

Psalms 40:1-3

Hi everyone! Remember to pray the Rosary!

I have been meaning to share about God’s blessing to me and to give thanks to God in the presence of everyone like the Psalmist says: “Let them extol Him in the congregation of the people, and praise Him in the assembly of the elders”.

I held back at first because I couldn’t say anything at the time and then later on, I suppose I started to overthink everything. I got a new job within the same role at the same workplace and it gives me the opportunity to gain more project management experience while I make plans for my future. I give thanks to God for the opportunity that he has given me and it is my hope that I am able to be courageous and kind within this role, always keeping God at the forefront of all that I do. I pray for the grace to do good, for God’s guidance in all that I do, for God’s help to gain all the experience that I need. I must admit the role fills me with uncertainty about a few things but all I have to do is trust God and love as God desires. With God, I can do anything.

On a final note, pray the Rosary!

Thank you for reading today’s post. Remember to like this post and share it with your friends if you enjoyed it. Follow me on my blog, Katmira’s blog or my podcast, Amara’s Musings, to receive notifications whenever I have a new post. You can also subscribe below to get an email notification whenever a new post is out. This is particularly helpful if you don’t have a WordPress account.

Let it be, until we meet again or “Ka ọ dị” as it is said in Igbo.

God bless you!

A lovely song you could listen to!

Pray the Rosary

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By Cynthia Aralu

Hello everyone. Pray the Rosary.

This week, within a short period of time, I started and completed the book “The Secret of the Rosary” written by St. Louis Marie de Montfort, thanks to the audiobook on Spotify. See link here: The Secret of the Rosary

It is the most powerful book I have ever read in my entire life, next to the Bible, that is. The Bible slapped some sense into me, but this book has given me an exponential increase in trust in the Blessed Virgin even as I read it and it has given more meaning to the “Our Father”, “Hail Mary”, “The Creed”, and the meditations on the life, death and glory of Jesus Christ, which really is all taken from the Bible. I have also realized the importance of praying the Rosary on my knees. My prayer to the Blessed Virgin is to make it as though I was born out of her womb, the same womb that carried Jesus, through the power of Holy Spirit at work, and to be my mom in every way possible it is to be a mom, so I can be like Jesus.

I will leave some beautiful quotes taken from the book here so that your mind might be enlightened.

“For no one can possibly be saved without the knowledge of Jesus Christ. And yet a man who knows absolutely nothing of any of the other sciences will be saved as long as he is illumined by the science of Jesus Christ. Blessed is the Rosary that gives us this science and knowledge of Our Blessed Lord, through our meditations on His Life, Death, Passion and Glory.” –St. Louis Marie de Montfort. 

“If only these poor, wretched sinners will say My Rosary, they will share in the merits of My passion and I would be their advocate and I would appease My Father’s Justice. ” – Our Lord to Blessed Alan de la Roche

“There is no other way to arrive at perfection than to meditate on Our Lord’s passion” – St. Michael the Archangel sent by Our Lord to St. Mary Magdalene. Then he placed a cross in the front of her cave and told her to pray before it contemplating the sorrowful mysteries which she had seen take place with her own eyes. 

“After the Holy sacrifice of the mass, there is no finer devotion than the Holy Rosary, which is like a second memorial and representation of the life and passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ” – Our Lady to Blessed Alan de la Roche

“Whenever a person in a state of grace says the Rosary while meditating on the mysteries of the life and passion of Jesus Christ, he obtains full and entire remission of all his sins.” – Our Lady to Venerable Dominic the Carthusian

“Although there are numerous indulgences already attached to the recitation of my Rosary, I shall add many more to every 50 Hail Marys, each group of 5 decades for those who say them devoutly on their knees, being of course free from mortal sin, and whosoever shall persevere in the devotion of the Holy Rosary saying these prayers and meditations shall be rewarded for it. I shall obtain for him full remission of the penalty and of the guilt of all his sins at the end of his life. Do not be unbelieving as though this is impossible. It is easy for me to do because I am the mother of the King of Heaven and He calls me full of Grace and being full of Grace, I am able to dispense Grace freely to my dear children.” – Our Lady to Blessed Alan de la Roche

I came across many stories that turned my heart to make many prayers to the Blessed Virgin Mary. There was a story of a man who wore a blessed Rosary to get rid of the demons that tormented him and how effective it was at chasing the evil spirits away forever, since the man resolved to wear it night and day. It also talked about a priest who placed a Blessed Rosary around a possessed girl’s neck and how the demons in the girl screamed for it to be taken off, to which the priest did because he worried about the girl. The demons went to priest at night to finish him but the priest had his Rosary in his hand and used it to beat the demons. The next day, the priest went to the girl and the demons told him that if he hadn’t had his Rosary they would have finished him, so, the priest placed the Rosary around her neck and commanded the demons to leave by the Sacred Name of Jesus, and that of Mary, His Holy mother and by the power of the Holy Rosary. In another story, there was a Breton soldier called Othère, who wore the Rosary on his arm and carried it on the hilt of his sword as he went off to fight heretics and robbers. His enemies admitted that they had seen his sword gleam and that another time they had noticed a shield on his arm that had pictures of our Lord and our Lady and the saints upon it. This shield made him invincible and gave him the strength to attack well. He defeated 20,000 heretics with only 10 companies and without losing a single man. This impressed the general of the heretic’s army that he came to see Othère afterwards, abjured his heresy and declared publicly that he had seen him surrounded by flaming swords during the battle.

I started wearing my rosary recently because I remembered the advise I got from my mom, back when I had nightmares as a child, to wear the rosary. I had confessed to her about all of my nightmares when one in particular seemed to have broken through into reality. The first time but not the last. (oh, sorry, I just remembered the first time was when I was maybe about 4 or a little older or younger by months. I went to my mom but I did not speak about the dream. Because it happens quite often that I remember things better after the fact and go back to amend my post, I must apologise in advance. I do not mean to lie.). Anyway, my mom had also given me some Psalms and told me to say them as well as to pray the Rosary but I stopped after a short while. I was too tired to pray and I didn’t want to have to rely on the Rosary or on anything or anyone, even if it did work when I prayed. I have known about the power of the Rosary from my mom, and an exorcist speak about it when he placed it around a possessed person’s neck but I didn’t know about the things in “The secret of the Rosary”, prior to this week, and I can 100% relate to the stories being said and I resonate so strongly with the emphasis on the meditation on our Lord’s Passion being the way to arrive at perfection, so, I know the Blessed Virgin Mary was leading me to it. 

Anyone who speaks badly or in a reserved manner about people wearing the Rosary should take care in their speech. Better to pray for them that they one day begin to pray it, if it is indeed true they do not pray the Rosary. I have heard the argument for this negative view held by some Catholics being that a pop star wore it as a jewellery, and as such the Rosary should not be worn as Jewellery, as though the Rosary should be considered Jewellery by a Catholic when a Catholic sees it being worn. People wear the Religious habit of priests or Nuns as costumes or even to mock or to blaspheme, but I find it hard to believe this has caused any priest or nun to have a reserve about wearing the Religious Habit or Catholics seeing it being worn because it is supposed to mean something to us. My advice to anyone who may have a reserve towards the religious habit or wearing the Rosary openly would be to try to acknowledge to themselves the real reason they are reserved and set themselves free with the truth. “And you will know the truth and the truth will make you free.”.

I have a hard time believing anyone wearing a Rosary openly in the US and Canada is expecting to be loved for wearing it. I questioned myself for days on whether I was afraid to wear it openly, instead of hidden, and the truth is I was, even if I told myself I am at work so, I should not do it. I have been praying for courage and the fervour of the saints because, as I told Jesus, I am lacking in Fervour. I had many thoughts yesterday about how I believe it is a tremendous good to wear the Rosary openly and after the thoughts which I do not quite remember (or perhaps I have shared some in this post already), I asked myself a question, “Then, why are you not wearing the Rosary openly?”. I surprised myself when I pulled out my Rosary in the open. I was conscious about it briefly then I forgot I was wearing it, until I got a stare from a colleague, but no question. My prayer is to have the courage to continue to wear it and to be able answer any question when asked. Another beautiful thing happened before I pulled out my Rosary, I did not shy back from speaking about Jesus and the transformative power of life through Christ to a colleague. I felt so happy. I know it is little since there is still so much to speak about, but to me who lacks courage, it is everything.

Do you know that it was once granted to members of the Confraternity of the Holy Rosary, a 100 days indulgence for openly wearing the Rosary out of devotion and to set a good example? I do not know why this was changed.

There are still so many other spiritual benefits of joining the Confraternity and if you already pray the three traditional mysteries (Glorious, Joyful and sorrowful mysteries) in a week, you can join it too. I joined the Confraternity quickly after reading the book. My enrolment date is a future date and on the day I got the email from the Confraternity, I felt as though I could die in peace because I had even gone to confession and attended mass and received Communion that day too. To join the confraternity, use this link: Rosary Confraternity.

Pray the Rosary.

Thank you for reading today’s post. Remember to like this post and share it with your friends if you enjoyed it. Follow me on my blog, Katmira’s blog or my podcast, Amara’s Musings, to receive notifications whenever I have a new post. You can also subscribe below to get an email notification whenever a new post is out. This is particularly helpful if you don’t have a WordPress account.

Let it be, until we meet again or “Ka ọ dị” as it is said in Igbo.

A lovely song!

Baptism is Necessary

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By Cynthia Aralu

Hello everyone! (Pray the Rosary)

I watched a video recently of someone scoffing at the word “baptism” and saying they don’t do that at his church but they do something else, although it does involve water. I could not listen to the end of the video so I don’t know the full story, but what I did hear was annoying to my ears, and it disturbed me, so, I thought I would make a blog post about Baptism. I wrote most of this post months ago and posted on my IG story after I saw a reel where somebody said Baptism is not necessary for salvation or something like that. I could not believe anyone would even say that but I suppose anything is possible with the evil one.

I believe it is such great violence to willfully deny oneself baptism. 

As core and focus of the christian life, is the imitation of Christ. What did He say? What did He do? How can I say the things He said? How can I do the things He did?

To be a true follower of Christ, one has to look at Jesus and notice that Jesus, being Himself God and without sin, still went through a baptism and then offered baptism as a gift and a means of becoming a disciple. “Now when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John (although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples)…”

Personally, I think if Jesus went through a baptism, being that He is God and without sin, for anyone to think that they do not need it, would be akin to saying I think I am better than Jesus. Even if such a person or group says that is not the case. Some one might say, “I did not know” and maybe this is true, but if a person believes they follow Jesus, they should try to do all they can to learn about Jesus and all He commanded, even going as far as looking at history, at the Catholic Church Jesus established and said the gates of hell will not overcome.

Some might argue that the Catholic Church of the past is not the same as the Catholic Church of now, but to that I say, “Do not think to call Jesus a liar.”. Because, to say that would mean that the doctrines of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church fell into error at some point, and the gates of hell have indeed overcome it. And at no point did Jesus desire a split over differing ideologies or bad apples but He did see it coming. “I do not pray for these only, but also for those who believe in me through their word, that they may all be one; even as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.”. I do believe that one day, there will only be “One” church to the glory of Jesus Christ, but as of present, there are those who do not love Jesus in the fullness of all He revealed about Himself and about The Father. No matter, that will change.

Jesus was serious and He meant business in every single thing He did or said. When he was going to wash the feet of Peter and Peter was going to reject Jesus’ gift, Jesus said, “If I do not wash you, you have no part in me.” It is possible that in the limited nature of human understanding, one might think, “what is the big deal?”, but, everything Jesus did and said meant something. He is perfection and everything He did was aligned to the will of the Father. Think about it, the King of the universe washed their feet. Can one’s mind fathom this?. But, He did this to show them what they ought to do, so that they imitate Him. “Do you know what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.”

So, when Jesus went through a baptism, He did it so that the glory of God would be revealed through Him and in Him and with Him, when He acted in obedience to the will of the Father, as He Himself said, “Let it be so now; for thus it is fitting for us to fulfil all righteousness.” I believe I have heard it said that in being baptized, Jesus sanctified all waters of baptism. If you look closely at the baptism of Jesus, there are things which happened when the water touched Him. The Holy Spirit came down upon Him like a dove, and a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” Jesus has shown through His baptism, the reason we need to be baptized. We become recognized as Heirs of the Father through baptism, and by that happening, it is evident that through baptism we are reconciled to the Father, all sins being washed away. You also receive the Holy Spirit at your baptism, God is very pleased with you, God is revealed to all through you and God is glorified through you. Baptism is such a great gift we have been given.

A disciple of Jesus takes everything Jesus says as a command and not a suggestion and Jesus instructed this right before His ascension, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” – Matthew 28:18. So, who is anyone to argue about this?

Baptism was even spoken of in the old testament, so, how can anyone deny baptism? “I will sprinkle clean water upon you and you shall be clean from all your uncleanliness…” – Ezekiel 36:25-27

In addition, the apostles have told us the essence of baptism. “Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ…” – 1 Peter 3:21

In another verse, it is written, “Repent and be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit…”- Acts 2:38-41

And yet again, it is written, “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” This is because we become incorporated into the Body of Christ through Baptism.

And many more, so, there can be no excuse on that day. This is why I think it is willfully violence to do oneself to think you do not need baptism. 

Someone might argue, what about Cornelius who received the Holy Spirit before He was baptized? but then, did God allow him to stop at receiving the Holy Spirit, or did God will for Cornelius and his household to receive the gift of baptism because He loved Cornelius?

One might also argue, what about the thief on the cross beside Jesus whom Jesus told, “Today, you will be with me in paradise.” but what do we know of this man’s life before he was on the cross? Do we know if he was already baptized by Jesus’ disciples, but fell into sin afterwards. He won’t be the first to do just that. All we know is that He was forgiven by Jesus when he repented. However, even if the thief wasn’t baptized prior to being crucified, if God willed it as an exception, because He wills what He wills and everything He does is good, who is anyone to want to be the exception, when he has given us a command. It feels like pride to me to desire to be the exception. The thing is to deviate from Jesus’ command is to despise His gift and throw His gift in His face, to despise His heart and to be presumptuous, to hold the relationship claimed to be had with Him in contempt. On what leg does one have to stand on? Bear in mind that rebellion is likened to the sin of divination in the bible. It was so serious that King Saul was rejected by God.

God help us all.

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Pray the Rosary. Let it be, until we meet again or “Ka ọ dị” as it is said in Igbo.

A lovely song!