INSIDE OLD CATHOLIC

  By †Gabriel Obiano, D.D. The Christian life is a life of prayer. If we speak of prayer as the breath of the soul, then the Liturgy of the Hours is the Church’s steady breathing—rhythmic, communal, and sanctifying. It is not an optional extra for the spiritual elite; it is the prayer of the whole People of God, ordered through the day so that every hour is touched by praise. In what follows I want to introduce this ancient practice plainly and pastorally: what it is, why it matters, how it grew, what it contains, and how clergy and laity alike can make it part of daily life. What is the Liturgy of the Hours? The Liturgy of the Hours—sometimes called the Divine Office, the Breviary, or the Prayer of the Church—is the Church’s official prayer, made up principally of psalms, canticles, readings, and intercessions. It is the voice of the Church rising without ceasing: morning praise, midday remembrance, evening thanksgiving, nighttime trust. When monks chant at dawn, when a parish pri...

  By †Gabriel Obiano, D.D. When people ask why the Catholic Church is so rich in doctrine and tradition, our answer should always remain simple: because our faith is not built on man’s imagination, but on the living Word of God and the sacred deposit handed down from the apostles. Catholic life is a living echo of Scripture. Our worship, practice, and liturgy are immersed in bringing out the Scriptures and making them visible for all to see. The Church does not invent her worship; she carries it forward from what Christ Himself taught and did, and what the apostles witnessed with their own eyes. Through our liturgy, we make the pages of the Scriptures visible for all to see and witness. Catholics do not just read the Bible—we live it. Each sacrament, each liturgical season, each gesture in the Mass echoes the words and actions of Christ in the Gospels and the witness of the early Church in the Acts of the Apostles. Let us walk through how Catholic doctrine and tradition are deep...

By †Gabriel Obiano, D.D. Are We Now Neglecting the Holy Spirit in Our Churches? The question before us is not small. This question needs a simple answer wrapped in truth because it is the question of whether in our churches today, in our liturgies, in our communities, in our very pastoral lives, we have started neglecting the Holy Spirit—the current of grace, the living breath of God. It is not a light matter, because the Spirit is the very soul of the Church. Without Him, the Church is a structure, a fine cathedral, a choir, a system of canon laws, but not the living Body of Christ. With Him, even a humble gathering in a thatched room becomes the dwelling place of God. The Church cannot rid itself of the Holy Spirit. We can't drive the Spirit of truth away. He has come to stay, to advocate for us—to be our Counselor and reveal the deep things of God. Without the Holy Spirit, the Church has no direction. He leads, He guides and instructs the Church. The Church isn't a social cl...

By †Gabriel Obiano, D.D. Prayer is not just one of the things Christians do—it is the lifeline of our faith, our communion with God. Prayer is not about, "Father, I need this," or "Father, give me that." No! Do we only seek our dads when we need something? How do we relate with our dads? Is it only in times of need and want? Our prayer life shouldn't be based solely on placing demands or always requesting things from God. If we want to pray, let it be where heaven meets earth, where the heart of man communes with the heart of God. Yet for many, starting and sustaining a daily prayer habit feels like a struggle. We have good intentions, but the distractions of life often rob us of consistency. We might pray today and fail to pray tomorrow because we are so soaked in with the issues of life. But the truth you need to know is this: prayer is not about impressing God with many words, perfect rituals, or even hours of prayer. It is about relationship. Yes, you heard ...

By †Gabriel Obiano, D.D. Introduction: A Tale of Two Errors In my last teaching, I warned about the claim that “if you don’t pay your tithe, you will go to hell.” I asked a simple but serious question: Can a person doomed for hell move to Heaven simply by paying his tithe, without knowing the message of the Cross and accepting Christ as his Lord and Savior? Preaching about tithing and condemning people to hell because they didn't pay is misleading and dangerous. Let me tell you, this is not a new problem in the life of the Church. A similar scenario has occurred before in history. This mandate to put a price tag on God’s grace happened at the center of one of the most pivotal moments in the Church’s story—the selling of indulgences in the 16th century. Just as then, so today: when money is preached louder than the Cross, the Gospel is obscured. More emphasis is placed on the message of money rather than the message of the Cross. Should we now get rid of the Cross that we all should...

  By †Gabriel Obiano, D.D. Have you heard someone say, "If you don't pay your tithe, you will go to hell"? Excuse me, how can not paying a tithe send someone to hell? Is that even logical, let alone biblical? Our salvation is not tied to tithe-paying. Think about this: If someone who isn't born again stumbles into your church, and the message they hear that day isn't the message of the Cross, but rather a loud proclamation from the pulpit that they are doomed to hell for not tithing... so this person rushes out, drops their tithe, but still doesn't know the message of the Cross—has they truly moved from hell to eternal rest? Really? Brethren, the teaching on tithing has divided us. When a teacher of God's word tries to correct this narrative, that teacher suddenly becomes an enemy. This is the handiwork of the enemy himself. Tithing must not be overemphasized above the message of the Cross. The Apostle Paul said, "For I decided to know nothing among y...

By †Gabriel Obiano, D.D. Raising children has never been simple, but raising Catholic children in today’s modern world comes with unique challenges. From technology to shifting cultural values, parents often feel pulled in many directions. Yet, these challenges are also opportunities to help children develop a deep, resilient faith that prepares them to live as witnesses of Christ. 1. Build a Home Church The first school of faith is the family. Children learn more by what they see than what they hear. When prayer, the sacraments, and Scripture are part of daily life at home, children grow up knowing that faith is not just something practiced on Sunday, but a way of life. 2. Teach the “Why” of Faith In a world that questions everything, children need clear reasons for what we believe. Explain Catholic teachings in ways that connect to their lives. Apologetics can be age-appropriate—helping children understand not just the what but also the why behind Church traditions. 3. Use Tec...