Catholics and the Prayer Phenomenon of "In Jesus Name"

-

By Ogiri John Ogiri.

One prayer practice among many Catholics today is that of beginning their prayers, especially when they find themselves in the midst of our Protesting brethren, with the phrase "in Jesus name". These people follow popular trends in praying more than what the Church teaches. Perhaps, they're ashamed of being Catholics among non-Catholics. Consequently, they sheepishly conceal anything that reveals their Catholic identity whenever they're around our Protesting brethren. 
As a Catholic, wherever I find myself, I don't begin my prayer with " In Jesus name " as commonly used by many Christians during their prayer sessions. I wasn't taught that way. I was taught to always begin my prayer "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" and to the best of my knowledge, the Church hasn't adjusted or changed her position on that. So far, in my over 24 years as a Christian of Roman Catholic extraction throughout my life in Benue, FCT-Abuja, Kaduna, Gombe, Lagos and Nasarawa States, this is what I have always used whether in Catholic or non-Catholic gatherings. 
Now, many Christians barely realize (though some simply ignore it) that Jesus Christ is part of the Holy Trinity and that Jesus Christ has never been taught to be more equal and significant than the other components of the Trinity for they are one and equal. God is one in three persons of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Therefore, we're expected to begin our prayers using the complete phrase of "in the name of the Father and of the Son  and of the Holy Spirit".
I am aware that many Catholics, in order to make themselves more acceptable and appealing to the denominational expectations of most protestants' prayer meetings, usually abandon their " Catholic selves" during such prayer meetings. When they're called to pray, you hear them start with "in Jesus name" instead of beginning the prayer "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit". However, this shouldn't be so. I think the best place to be a Catholic is when you're not among Catholics. The non-Catholics have a lot to know and understand about Catholicism and it's their ignorance of some Catholic practices that makes them criticize the Church with such a vehement usually derogatory fervour. Make researches, offer the needed intellectual insights that help people to know more about the Catholic Church.
Go into the world and preach the Good News! Be proud of your Catholic faith. 
Glory be Jesus!
Honour to Mary!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Why We All Need Philosophy

-
Image
MARK MANSON WHY WE ALL NEED PHILOSOPHY   Mark Manson 1 day ago “To win true freedom, you must be a slave to philosophy.” —Epicurus T he great philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein was once sitting in a park having a philosophical discussion with a friend when his friend, quite animated, stood up and said loudly, “That  is  a tree! I  know  for a  fact  that that is a tree!” An awkward pause ensued as the two men realized that passersby had stopped and were now staring at them. Wittgenstein, thinking quickly, turned to the people and said, “Do not worry, this fellow is not insane… we are merely doing philosophy.” When most people think of philosophy, they likely imagine indecipherable books that stretch on for a thousand pages, saying and solving nothing. They envision stuffy old men in misbuttoned shirts, untied shoelaces with mismatched socks, shuffling about hallways of some archaic university, mumbling to themselves, completely unaware of the humanity aro...
Read more

Polygamy Vs Homosexuality

-
Image
Polygamy in Africa Polygamy Several times,I have regurgitated over and over again on two diametrically-opposed anomalies in the church of today -Polygamy and gay union, particularly in the Western world. I have wondered why the one,polygamy, predominantly practised by Africans before the advent of the white colonialists and their Christian missionaries, should be denounced and passed as evil by the whites who brought us Christianity and the churches while its twin,Gay Union, is tolerated, elevated and applauded by the same whites in the church. In the US and Europe, Polygamy is discouraged while gay union is vigorously encouraged, pursued and promoted. In fact,it belongs in the public policy of many Western Nations today as a powerful determinant of how much aids the Less Developed Countries (LDCs) can get from them. The question is why? Which between the two can be more morally reprehensible and disgusting -Polygamy or gay union? Even the churches whose missionaries told ...
Read more

Idoma Language: A Rich Lingua Franca On Its Way To Extinction!

-
Image
Photo Credit: Every Every NG By Ogiri John Ogiri Let me begin this write up with a paraphrase of a statement attributed to the late Kenyan literary sage, Professor Ngugi Wa Thiongo. According to him,every language is rich in knowledge.So,when a language dies,the knowledge contained in such a language equally dies. Again, in one of his interviews with the Germany's DW TV in 2008, he said "if you know all,and I mean all the languages of the world and you do not know your mother tongue, that is enslavement. If you know your mother tongue and add all the languages of the world to it,that is empowerment" It is saddening, however, to know that many Idoma people today by choice seem to be on the side of deliberate enslavement instead of choosing empowerment by first learning their mother tongue before adding other languages to it. It may interest you to know that the Idoma language is the second most spoken language after TIV language in Benue state. It is spoken by ...
Read more