Zach Uram's Blog

  • Intercession and Veneration Considered

    Sadly, many Catholics and Orthodox elevate Mary way above her lowly status. They argue that Mary, though a humble servant of God, is treated almost as a demigod or goddess in Catholic and Orthodox traditions. She was an “ordinary sinful woman”. She was merely a vessel who carried Jesus until His birth. This is a clear distortion of the truth. Christ will act according to His will. Not even Mary can cause God to do something that He didn’t will to do.

    If given the choice between asking Mary to intercede/pray for me on my behalf and just going directly to Jesus and instead asking him to intercede/pray for me, I would always pick Jesus.

    Intercession

    Catholics and Orthodox believe they can pray and ask Mary and certain saints to pray for them. This practice is found nowhere in Scripture. It is utter idolatry. Prayer is to be directed to the Trinity only. There is not a single example in Scripture of any believer praying to someone in heaven to intercede for them.

    Veneration

    Catholics venerate Mary and saints in heaven by erecting statues, which Catholics bow before. They even prostrate themselves on the ground in front of the statues, by having Marian processions, by praying the rosary (Hail Mary, etc.), kissing icons, by seeking salvation through Mary (see Ligouri’s writings), and by visiting sites of alleged apparitions of Mary, seeking healing or other blessings.

    The earliest church fathers did not pray to Mary.

    What the Church Fathers taught:

    1. Irenaeus (c. 130–202 AD)

    • He called Mary the “new Eve” because of her obedience, but he never suggested praying to her.

    • He emphasized that salvation comes only through Christ (Against Heresies, Book 3, Ch. 22).

    2. Tertullian (c. 155–240 AD)

    • He actually rebuked excessive Marian exaltation, saying she was a faithful woman but still human (On the Flesh of Christ, Ch. 7).

    • He taught that believers should pray only to God.

    3. Origen (c. 185–253 AD)

    • He acknowledged Mary’s blessedness, but he explicitly warned against worshiping saints or angels (Contra Celsum, Book 5, Ch. 11).

    • He affirmed that prayer should be directed to God alone.

    4. Athanasius (c. 296–373 AD)

    • While he defended Mary’s title as “Mother of God” (Theotokos), he taught that prayers should be directed to Christ alone.

    5. Augustine (354–430 AD)

    • He deeply honored Mary but stated:

    “Let no one say that he does not need Christ as a mediator” (Sermon 229N).

    • He consistently affirmed that only Christ intercedes for us before the Father.

    The teachings that Mary was ever-virgin and sinless since conception were formed much later in church history. They were not held by the earliest Church Fathers, nor were they taught by any of the Apostles in the New Testament church. The truth is that most of the Marian teachings were alien to the witness of Scripture. The Apostle Paul warned of new heretical doctrine arising even while he was still alive. So, it’s no surprise that later on, these teachings gained popularity.

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  • Autumn Delights

    I see
    A panoply
    Of vibrant
    Colors
    Leaves
    Crunch
    Under foot
    The chilly
    Rain
    Pours down
    I love
    Listening
    To the falling
    Rain
    As I exhale
    I see
    My breath
    Frozen
    In suspension
    I walk
    Through
    Schenley Park
    Above me
    Birds fly
    I see
    Squirrels
    And chipmunks
    Finally
    I arrive back
    On our street
    Several homes
    Have smoke
    Coming out of
    The chimneys
    It brings back
    Many fond
    Memories
    When I open
    Our front door
    My Golden Retriever
    Greets me
    I fall asleep
    Dreaming of my
    Adventure

    by Zachary Uram
    (C) 2025

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  • The Good News of Jesus Christ

    The tulips are blooming
    I hear people sing
    It is time for spring

    When I think of spring
    Easter comes foremost to my mind
    Apart from Christ, we’re all blind

    We must spread
    The Good News far and near
    Let it ring in every ear

    There is only one path to God
    It is through faith in Christ
    The Holy Spirit man cannot resist

    All whom God the Father
    Gives to Christ will come to Him
    We are not saved on a whim

    We can have assurance of salvation
    Because of Christ’s grip on us
    Spiritually, we go from minus to plus

    We are a new creation
    Before regeneration, we were dead
    At Calvary, Christ bled

    All our sin was imputed to Him
    We receive Christ’s perfect righteousness
    We repent and trust in Christ in all earnestness

    Thanks to our Redeemer
    We are reconciled to God Almighty
    We are totally free spiritually

    Spread the Gospel
    Near and far
    Remember the Christmas star

    by Zachary Uram
    (C) 2025

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  • From Darkness to Light

    I was lost
    In despair
    My sin put me in
    A quagmire
    It weighed heavily
    On me
    The light
    Of the gospel
    Pierced through
    The darkness
    The love of Christ
    Radiates through
    Our souls
    We are
    A new creation
    Spiritually alive
    We have new
    Desires and affections
    Christ must be Lord
    And Savior to us
    When the Holy Spirit
    Quickens our souls
    We pass from
    Eternal damnation
    To eternal life
    We once were
    Children of Satan
    But now
    We are children of God
    The Imago Dei
    Is restored
    In us
    We will delight
    In obeying
    Christ’s commandments

    by Zachary Uram
    (C) 2025

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  • Good News

    In the Garden of Eden
    With God, man walked
    They even talked

    Because of Eve
    Adam fell into sin
    But Christ would be a propitiation

    On the Cross, Christ died for us
    The Elect were predestined
    Our salvation was predetermined

    The effectual calling
    Is a manifestation of God’s sovereignty
    Man is conditioned to receive faith, you see

    Regeneration precedes faith
    We are saved by grace alone through faith alone
    We trust in Christ alone, For us He did atone

    Repent and believe the Gospel
    The Bible is God’s Word indeed
    From sin and death, we are freed

    by Zachary Uram
    (C) 2025

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  • Untitled

    Mary was a teenage virgin
    When Christ was conceived
    Her, the Holy Spirit overshadowed

    This amazing miracle
    Was Christ’s incarnation
    It’s cause for jubilation

    Joseph and Mary
    Had kids you see
    This was no fantasy

    Scripture records that
    They had both sons and daughters too
    This is true

    Christ did carpentry
    Before His public ministry
    His knowledge grew exponentially

    by Zachary Uram
    (C) 2025

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  • Showdown

    The sheriff
    And his two deputies
    Stood near the saloon
    The air was hot
    And dusty
    The sun blazed down
    On the men
    Beads of sweat
    Streamed down
    Their faces
    Then a group of
    Desperados approached
    The two groups
    Faced off
    Their hands slowly
    Inching for
    Their pistols
    Muscles tense
    The sheriff
    And his deputies
    Fired first
    The desperados fell
    The showdown
    Was over
    Another day
    In the Wild West

    by Zachary Uram
    (C) 2025

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  • A Child of the 70s and 80s

    I had many toys
    In my youth
    They were not uncouth

    I had He-Man
    With Castle Greyskull
    Playing was never dull

    I had Star Wars
    The Millenium Falcon
    I put it into action

    I had Voltron
    It was so much fun
    With it, I would run

    I played every day
    I ran and lept
    I didn’t have a pet

    by Zachary Uram
    (C) 2025

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  • The Halcyon Summer of My Youth

    I think back
    To the summertime
    Of my youth
    I was carefree
    We went swimming
    At the Brentwood pool
    We played in
    The Big Yard
    All the time
    Mommy bought us
    Flavored italian ice
    And orange
    Push up pops
    From the ice cream man
    We’d also get popcorn
    And long strands
    Of strawberry licorice
    My sisters and I
    Caught lightning bugs
    In glass jars
    We played
    All day long
    We rode our Big Wheels
    Around the neighborhood
    We made mud pies
    And played in the woods
    We played It Tag
    Red Rover
    And Hide ‘n Seek
    We were free

    by Zachary Uram
    (C) 2025

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  • Gospel Musings

    I walk
    Into the abyss
    Survival is
    Hit or miss

    In the distance
    I see the Light
    It will save me from
    The Satanic blight

    I’m surrounded
    By many a demon
    They are grotesque
    One was named Legion

    Apart from Christ, we’d each
    Hear the death knell
    As it sounds
    Another soul goes to hell

    But Christ was a perfect
    Propitiation
    He died for our sins
    This is cause for elation

    On the third day
    He rose
    This great truth
    Is beyond what one could suppose

    Repent sincerely
    And believe the gospel completely
    You will be regenerated
    You’re a new creation totally

    by Zachary Uram
    (C) 2025