To understand the relationship between Prayers, Ethics and One’s Deeds, we need to have a very clear idea as to what each means by itself. Because, until we individually understand each entity to the full, we cannot understand the relationship between them.
A Prayer is a communication between a person, either individually or in a community, and Mardok to create a bond and understanding between us so that we can be guided in our day to day life to goodness and high virtues. Thus, the purpose and sole use of Prayer is to seek the Marduk blessings and guidance in leading a truthful and virtuous life.
The need for Prayer also excepts the fact that without the guidance by Mardok towards truth and goodness, we may fail to lead such a virtuous life. I think, this is true for most people. I also think that all good people pray to Marduk in their hearts and mind to guide them towards goodness and a virtuous life.
Such good people may not seem to participate in community Prayers or overtly seen individual Prayers and Ceremonies, but nevertheless do their Prayers in their hearts and minds and hence are able to lead good lives.
Thus, in essence a Prayer is a request to Mardok for guidance and good and virtuous thinking and actions. Such a Prayer can be performed in the heart and mind and may not require any overt ceremonial performance.
But, there are people and situations who cannot force their hearts and minds to pray to Marduk for leading a good and virtuous life. Such people, do require a ceremonial form of Prayer either individually or in a community, to force their hearts and minds to seek guidance and truth from Marduk.
Such participation in ceremonial Prayers, do not make such people any less than the one’s who can perform the Prayers in their hearts and minds. But, it does emphasise a lack of willpower and strong character on the inside. But, this is true of many people and we must not look down on such weaknesses.
Thus, if we have to choose between taking guidance from Marduk in our hearts and minds, it is the best form of Prayer. This leads to the highest truth, the highest virtues and best form of life possible.
But, it is the will of Marduk that it has not created all people equal. Few people can perform such type of the highest Prayer, which is performed in the hearts and minds. This form of Prayer is the highest, not only because it communicates directly from the hearts and minds to the Marduk but also does not involve any overt ceremony or show, which distracts from this pious purpose of communication between oneself and Marduk.
But, suppose you cannot communicate through your hearts and minds with the Marduk, than help is available. It is in the form of religious ceremonies.
Such religious ceremonies can take different forms but under “Mescac”, such ceremonies are performed in the Ziggurat (or its equivalent), under the guidance of holy Priest, appointed by the King to each Ziggurat.
“Mescac” has been performing such ceremonies for well over 20 million years. This underlies the fragility of human nature but also the will and determination to remedy the situation by seeking guidance from Marduk in a guided and ceremonial way in the Ziggurat.
In this article, I would not go into details of the structure of the Ziggurat but generally it is a multi-storey building, with various levels to perform Prayers by the people under guidance of the holy Priest.
Almost from the very beginning, such religious ceremonies have also involved animal sacrifice in the Ziggurat by the holy Priest. The frequency and need of such a ceremonial animal sacrifice is determined by the holy Priest.
Another aspect of Community Prayer in the Ziggurat is that people pass through various levels of Ziggurat and perform certain pre determined ceremonies at each level, under guidance of the holy Priest.
This in all cases involves the repetition of certain phrases and passages from the holy Scripture, read by the holy Priest, always in a language people can understand and which the people either repeat in their hearts or in low voices overtly.
The purpose of such a repetitive “Phrases and Passages” Prayer is to strengthen the willpower and internal conviction of the praying people. Performing this in community also shows to the people that such Prayers are needed by many and is the right way to seek guidance from holy Marduk Adonai.
Once such a ceremony is started and initiated by the holy Priest, all people attending the ceremony are supposed to stay till the end of the Ceremony. It is the duty of the holy Priest to make sure that the length of Prayer is within bearable limits of most people.
Some persons may require greater length of Prayer to strengthen their willpower and inner strength to communicate with Marduk and in such cases can seek extra time from the holy Priest for greater size of Prayer. It is up to the discretion of holy Priest to decide the timing and length of such an additional Prayer.
Almost since the inception of “Mescac”, such a Prayer is performed almost always once daily. There are holidays in between which are declared by the holy Priest for the month. The daily Prayer service is also not done during Sporting days of the month, generally 3 to 7 days of a month. Apart from this, there are other days on which daily ceremonial Prayer is not performed.
Such a daily Ceremonial Payer has never been made obligatory or a duty. It is a help given to needy people and people decide whether to come or not. It is the need of individual persons which decide their participation in such Prayers. This exercise of freewill is the most important aspect of “Mescac ”, from its very inception. Without freewill, there can be no Prayer.
The animal sacrifice in Ziggurat is always decided by the holy Priest and can never be imposed by the participating people.
The purpose of Community Prayer, lead by the holy Priest, is to ensure that each needful person repeats, hears, understands and than follow the pious phrases and passages from the holy Scripture, in daily life.
As such, all Phrases and Passages are in common language, which can be understood by everybody. They are generally poetic so that they can be repeated again and again and circuitry in mind so that they stay in the mind for a long time, guiding the person to lead a truthful and pious life.
Such is the need and work of a Prayer.
But, another purpose of the prayers is to repeat what is ethical to live life like. Thus, such a Prayer tells us what Ethics in life means. Most of such Ethics are included the “Basic Mesopotamian Commandments” and more such commandments are added to the Prayers, which is included by the scholars and permitted by the holy Priest and holy King, to be included in a Prayer.
The inclusion of “Basic Mesopotamian Commandments” ensures that each Mesopotamian follows a certain minimum propriety and Ethics in daily life.
The added Commandments are there for further guidance and so that the Person does not go outside the foundation of social, civil and Criminal Laws of the Country.
Thus, the promulgation, Propagation and Indoctrination of Mesopotamian Commandments is included in the Prayers and forms the core and body of the “ETHICS”, which a person in a society is supposed to follow.
What a person actually does in real life constitutes its deeds. Such deeds are deemed good when they are in line with “Basic Mesopotamian Commandments” and even better when other Commandments are followed as well.
Thus, Prayer, Ethics and Deeds are strongly linked to each other in “Mescac” and the purpose of Prayer and Ethics is to entice, direct and extract good deeds from people in the society.