so people always ask me uh follow Mike
what does your what does your ring say
it's not um it's not uh just say
something can you're embarrassing me
this is on my record I'm recording this
just say something just kidding
it reads um it reads you are a priest
forever in Hebrew and comes to a look of
Psalms and the letter to the Hebrews
quotes the Book of Psalms you are a
priest forever actually had it checked
out like that making sure like they said
she ordered that online I was in Israel
and actually there was a man who didn't
know what was supposed to say in Israeli
man and he said what's your what is your
ring say and I showed it to him he said
Wow oh wow I like that he said you're an
everlasting priest and I like that
translation even more than your priest
forever you're an everlasting priesthood
I was really taken I've always been open
since I am a priest um I wanted that I
thought maybe I should get a tattoo and
then I thought well I mean I want to be
a priest forever I'm going to be a
priest forever thanks be to the Lord but
uh our ring is probably better probably
better on a ring speaking of tattoos
let's let's talk about tattoos shall we
having in spite of my expense this is
essentially present we're going to talk
about tattoos because people ask me all
the time father Mike is it okay to get
tattoos
is there anything sinful or evil about
getting tattoos well great question
number one in the Book of Leviticus
chapter 19 it says don't get tattoos
don't mark your body don't cut up your
body that's good and that's in the Bible
and what we have to do whenever we read
the Bible is understand the context what
the Bible is talking about when it's
prohibits tattoos is is talking about a
certain kind of marking on one's body
that gives oneself an identity typically
in terms of tribal identity or in terms
of dedicating one's body like for the
Dead or some other kind of like ritual
necks in that sense the Jews were
instructed in the Book of Leviticus not
to do that you don't have a tribal
identity you are your identity is you're
part of the people of God you're not
marking your bodies for the dead because
your identity is found in God who's the
true and living God so with that being
said the prohibition in Leviticus 19
might say temporal or cultural or
temporary in the sense that if your
tattoos mean that you're conjugating
yourself to something other than God
then yet don't do that if your tattoos
mean that you're concentrating yourself
for the dead or to the dead then yes
don't do that but if they don't mean
that then there may not be I would say
there isn't a prohibition specifically
or explicitly against any and all kind
of tattoos now that being said there are
some tattoos even if it's not
intrinsically evil there are some
tattoos that we would not descriptions
be able to get based on a couple things
number one if if they're an of an evil
thing right so to get an evil image so
it's something that would be satanic
something that would be what's the word
lewd would be quick lewd to be the right
word I say crude lewd a crude don't do
that secondly the where you get it is
kind of important sometimes the where
you get a tattoo is directly related to
some kind of like I'm trying to say
something about a use or misuse of my
sexuality so that kind of tattoo would
also probably be don't do that kind of
thing so the kind of tattoo the worry
where you get the kind of tattoo the
third thing would be the amount the
number
tattoos now what I mean by that is this
there are some people who just they have
tattoos all over the place simply
because they like tattoos and on a
certain element you'd say okay I mean
that's whatever
another element if you cared about the
person you might ask the question hey
what's going on with all the tattoos
because a person could find themselves
seeking tattoos out of a sense of maybe
self-loathing oh of course I'm not
saying that everyone who has a sleeve
has that kind of thing but it is a good
question to ask what am I saying when I
mark up my body that's the big question
as Catholics will ask what am I saying
if I feel compelled to mark up my body
now a lot of times people say well I'm
not saying anything I just I'm trying to
be unique I'm trying to be distinctive
or I like this image I like this saying
the thing I have tattooed on me is a
cross or the thing I have tattooed on me
is a verse from Scripture like that
again I'm not saying that's wrong I'm
just saying it's a great question to ask
is what am i seeking or what am I trying
to say with these tattoos just like you
I would say the same thing when it comes
to like hey you're wearing that t-shirt
like what are you saying by wearing that
t-shirt nothing necessarily wrong with a
certain kind of dress or certain kind of
haircut it's just the question is what
he's saying what's what are you
revealing about yourself particularly
what revealing as your deepest identity
should I get a tattoo that's the
question should I get a tattoo I
remember someone asking they were to
article about this and they said you
know with our changing culture and our
changing tastes there's some important
questions to ask before you get a tattoo
that's kind of a permanent thing and he
asked the question he said okay so
you're talking to a random you know 23
year old or 20 year old who wants to go
out and get a tattoo and say okay rewind
your life by 10 years and ask yourself
the question 10 years ago what would be
the one tattoo that you would get 10
years ago now 10 years later would you
still want that tattoo on your body
permanently no if someone says yeah
absolutely I would okay great wonderful
no problem but it's a good question to
ask not the way I like to do it is this
um if you have an image you want like I
want this image on the tattoo I think
it'd be super cool great no problem
here's what you should do just you don't
have to just part part of my advice get
that exact image
the actual size get it silk-screened on
a t-shirt or actually on 70 shirts and
wear that under as an undershirt every
single day and if after a year of
wearing that same image every single day
you want that tattooed on your body then
that is a good sign that that's going to
be an image that lasts if after year
you're like oh man I am bored of this
image then now you know you just dodged
the bullet and you don't have that
permanently imprinted on your body now
I've always wanted to get tattoos I as
of yet have zero and why because I know
the unfill I want to cross well what
kind of cross I don't know I wanted
scripture verse what kind of scriptures
I want something identify me as a as a
soldier of Jesus you know what will
identify me as a soldier as a son of God
as a as a as a Christian not a tattoo
but the way I live the t-shirt we put on
the cross and put on our neck or even
the tattoo we print and print on our
skin it might just be it might just be
too easy of an identifier even the ring
we slip on our finger might be too easy
of an identifier the heart of thing that
identifies me as a son of God or as a
priest of God or as a follower of Jesus
is the way I live that's hard to do and
it make takes a daily decision tattoo is
a one-time decision I want to live my
life like a Christian every single day I
want to live my life as a priest every
single day that's why when I have this
on my ring I take it off at night and I
put it on in the morning saying today it
once again I want to live as a priest
today and forever
my guess is whatever you would get
tattooed on your body that's more a
thing that you want to live then you
just want to wear but from all of us
here has sent represents my name's
father Mike Smith's god bless
you