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ORANDI. CREDENDI. VIVENDI

  • Writer: Olufunmilayo Adekusibe
    Olufunmilayo Adekusibe
  • Jun 22
  • 3 min read

Today’s Readings:

Isaiah 42:1-7

Psalm 27:1-3,13-14

John 12:1-11

 

Bear these three words in mind: Orandi, Credendi and Vivendi. And yes, you guessed right, I am speaking Latin. These words mean Prayer, Faith, and Life. They are connected to a follower of Christ. The full Latin expression is “Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi and Lex Vivendi.” This means that how you pray is influenced by what you believe, and what you believe influences your life. Is this the case for you?


We see this in stark display in the persons of Martha and Judas Iscariot. Mary returns home with an alabaster jar of perfume ointment and pours it on the feet of Jesus and wipes it with her hair. A token of gratitude for Jesus’ miraculous restoration of Lazarus, her brother and a testimony to the fact that Jesus is truly the Messiah. For her, nothing is too great to offer God the Son, the Word incarnate. Do you know how costly the ointment was? Judas tells us that it is worth one year’s salary—three hundred denarii. He called Mary’s offering “a waste”: ‘Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii, and the money given to the poor?’ Scripture says that he said this because he was a thief. If your faith does not influence your life choices, you are a fraud. Does your prayer reflect your faith in Jesus? And does your faith inform your life? Most of the time, our ‘orandi’ does not match either our ‘credendi’ or ‘vivendi’. The reason there is a disconnect between our faith and our lives is that we do not know who Jesus is. And since we lack knowledge of Jesus, we do not have a relationship with Him.

“Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi and Lex Vivendi.” This means that how you pray is influenced by what you believe, and what you believe influences your life.

Psalm 27 tells us who Jesus should be to us, “The Lord is my light and my help; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; before whom shall I shrink?” You can rely on Jesus because He is Go,d and all power belongs to Him. Do you believe this?

  • Jesus is looking out for you.

  • His actions of dying and rising from the dead are for you.

  • Whatever good works you do in His name are for your good.

  • Your good works are transforming you into the image of Christ.

  • Let others see your faith in Jesus in your manner of life.

  • Even when sorrow endures through the night, joy will be yours in the morning.

JUDE-MARY OWOH



To surrender your life to Christ, say this prayer aloud. “Father, I acknowledge my sin against You. I repent and ask for forgiveness, in the name of Jesus. I surrender to the Lordship of Jesus. By the power of Your Holy Spirit, take control of my heart and lead me in Your path of righteousness. Thank you, Lord.” 

If you said the prayer, Congratulations! You are welcome to the body of Christ. Prayerfully look for a living church and meet the resident reverend, pastor or priest.



Prayer:

  1. Lord, I believe in You. I hope in you. I trust in You. I love you. Let my prayer match my faith, and my faith be reflected in my way of life through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

  2. Eternal Father, all that I have, all that I am and all I will ever be is from Your hands. Let my prayer be a reflection of my faith in You, and let my faith be evident in all that I say and do, in private and in public, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

 
 
 

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