CHAPTERI THEOLOGY AND FAITH A. On Theology Filipinos are a spiritual people, We have a deep sense and reverence for a spirit realm chat pervades our world. Faith, however, is another mater, Many of us have reached the age of reason already “tied” to the faith of our fathers and mothers. Some of us, for convenience, choose to hold on to our family’ religious afliation, Some choose to be more adventurous in cocking the truth about God, going from one religion to the other, Whatever the ease, all of us have questions regarding matters of faith. FILIPINO POPULAR RELIGIOSITY cnr pint revel hat we re siritreme ant ou igus images serve as poms of cont Ours oponnar em ware aern ante Worf ele Studies show that many of the Filipino youth are not inclined to ask their questions, not because they ate apathetic about religion, but apparently because ofacultural conditioning, views questions as.asign ofignorance,a thea to authority, or lack of faith (Wostyn 200 g questions is almost natural for human beings endowed with the However, a think, Because we can think, we can be curious; and since the objects of our fally available co our mind, we ask questions. In fact, life is a constant se lifelong endeavor of questioning,SALVA VIDA + UNIT ONE - INTRODUCTION God has always been an object of human curiosity. Perhaps, as human beings, thete is an inveterate desice in us, to relate to a higher being that could provide meaning to our existence, St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) began his lifelong venture to know God with this question: “What is God?® While the statement is incrrogative It nevertheless affirms two. fandamental truths: Get, theres an idea of “God”; then, chene Js she hiuman tila. Watt poses it. “THE FIVE WAYS OF ST. THOMAS AQUINAS. ‘Thomas Aquinas came up wih five aigumeats fr proving Ges Chisteee without the de of sopeatural elation: “Tn sores of motion necesita fis mover “Te scres of nse andefet requests cause ‘Te comngeney of beings nevesiotes ¢-non-ontngent tring te bang forth existe | Ther degrees of erection point toa perfect being who as the anima ol positive ques {The onder and beat vNBle la We world regutes an srctigent deste ‘ Hisgotyshows thar people veryihere havea sense of “divine longing,” that ig an innate desire for God. Belief in God has played a major role in the lives ofall peoples. People hav alyays regarded a supreme being as their origin and destiny. Without this sense of origin’ destiny, human life would be devoid of meaning. = Se Thomas Aquinas wrote that God has gifted all human beings with the natural facil + ibe Mg Ti hares ln thcapaccy orcsine Cra lioaaei e oan itis but nacural for people to seek God, to ask questions, and to engage in a quest for ans ‘This fusion of belief in God and the incellectual activity which attempts to understand the di {gives rise roa discipline we now cal theology. St. Anselm, (1033-1109) defined theology as “fides quarens incellecrum? (“faith seekin understanding”). Ir showed that the faith of human beings is not merely a passive assent to the: idea of God, but also an active engagement in whatever is knowable about God. As gifts fro God, faith and reason tend toward him contrastingly and complementary, ifCHAPTER — THEOLOGY AND FART. ST. ANSELM OF CANTERHURY, "My sou, have you found what you ae Sok for? You were ‘ooking for Gas, and you hve discovered hat he the Saree ‘Beg. and that you eat ot poy imagine anything more pares ‘Yeu have discovered tt Supra Ring i ie tae. windom, oodnen, temal blesadnens und blessed eerity Hes verve, and he times” Excerpt fom St Ansel’ Proslogom The word “theology” is derived from the Greck words “theos” (“God”), and “logos’ (*word” or “discourse”). Theology, therefore, involves a critical look at God's Word, His self- ‘ommunication to humanity Its likewise an attempcto articulate such divine communication in human language. For Christians, the/ultimate Word of God is the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, incarnated in history as Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ we profess our faith in, In Him, God becaine human, spoke to us directly through human language. However, since God is too great to be confined in words, human language is always and immediately insufficient to depict God in his totality. Its inevitable then, that we ean only speak of God analogously, that is, in comparison with things in the realm of human experience (Knox 2003:38). Since God's word does not always come to humanity in the same manner as men and women would speak to each other, there sa constant fort on the part of human beings to determine, organize, and systematze the communication that comes from God. Doing this involves critical thinking, reasoning, and research. Hence, we also call-theology 2 science. “Theology is scicrfic because God i beyond mere subjective experience, The truths abour Gad are objective truths that could be treated scientifically. While theology may ack several fe of “ypical” sciences, still in theology, we find body of knowledge that has accrued and through the age, has remained open to new realities, has adopted methodologies be examined and verified, similar to other sciences (Rauch 1996:20).java Vink ONT ONE = STROM ‘OUR FILIPINO MODELS ty THESE PARADOXES OF FAITH sonia i at oe Spi cloniers int i Sto ope or a wns tec ae em a on oh "carrying out faithfully her prayer Tife andl x och a 2. On the Faith of Christians Our faith becomes Christi sy when we aceept thar God, at a graced time in our history, ‘assumed our human nature in order to accomplish our salvation, Christians believe thar God ‘was ceuly ar wotk in the life, jeachings. and especially in the passion, death, and resurrection ‘of Jesus of Nazareth. Cheistan faith therefor calls us co a personal relationship with Jess t0 accept him as Lord anid Savior, as the Way to the Father. “MY LORD AND MY GOD™ ‘This oil painting by Michelangelo Meris it Canvaggo (1573-1610) depicts the incredulty of St. Thomas, the apostle Thomas’ profession of ath, however, surumarized what a Christian believes about Jesus thatthe enfin ie carpenter from Galilee is Lond and Go The Acts of the Second Plenary Council of the Philippines (PCP-11) tell faith means “to know, to love, and to follow Christ in thé Chutch he’ enumerates five essential characteristics of Christian faith: a, Total and Absolute ~ patterned cae after Christ's completeANTER | THEOLOGY AND FAITHS by Trinitarian ~recogniting that God is nova solitary person bur a community of love heise is our entry point to this communi. c. Loving, Maturing, and Missionary ~ not stagnant but dynamic, and this dynamism is manifested in growing knowledge of Christ and in imitation of his example of selfless service Informed and Communitarian ~believing all the words and teachings of Jesus ad thac the Church, these words and teachings are safeguarded for us by the Christian community, nculturated — manifested in the affairs of daily life especially in human tionships. Today we are confronted with the sad reality of a divided Christianity. Nevertheless, all ¢ dans are united in the belief that Jesus Christ is the Divine Savior of the world. 3. On the Faith of Catholics { POPE BENEDICT XVI As Prefect ofthe Congregation forthe Dectene ofthe Fath, then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, through the Jocuricnt NoMIINUS IESUSe reverted te teaching ofthe Second Vatican Council tht the Catholic fatful ae required to potent thee sore eontmty betwee techs founded by Chis wo te Cathie Chart fat shin es perch of Chris "aubaists inthe Catholic Chireh, governed by the mucceasor of Petr and bythe bishops in ‘communion with his) Catholic faith is the belief that Jesus Christ revealed God in and through the Holy Catholic Church, Catholic means “universal.” The Catholic faith is intended for all men and women; and as such, it has always been characterized by plurality and diversity of ideas and expressions. Iris a faith that is deeply sacramental, as manifested in its use of religious symbols to signify God's presence; radisional, as preserving and transmitting the original teachings of Christ ftom on to generation; and communal, as drawing people together in a gene‘quva vipa « UNIT ONE =INTRODUE characresiti of the Catholic Fath ig of life, and worshiy haps the most distinguishing f life, and worship. Perhaps th distinguishing 1- as the successor of the apo icsscognizes dhe Popes the syccessor af Peter and the bishop’ (Marinell: 1999:32-33). 114 Catechism for Filipino Catholics Ni FAITH CHRISTIAN FAITH Palicsing in the God revealed by CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN FAITH | Believing that Chriss reveals God 0.38 inand through the Catholic Church In the conwexe of Catholicem, theology is pare of the Church's evangelizing Saas evangelize means to proclaim the Good News. For Chvstians, che Good News = 8 pia Jesus himself Evangelization maybe understood in two ways: inalserier sense, evangelization could refer to the inital proclamarion ofthe Christian faith © people who do not know Chtiseyes (CT 19) cig. the Spanish missionaries as the evangelizers ofthe Philippines; and broadly, evangelization could refer to.ellthe offors exorted bythe Church ta proclaim Chris (ceachings preaching, worship, charitable deeds, ete) (EN 14) ney Cutan a Ae aR 162], Easter Sunday Ths firt mas Old be considered asthe foe efbrahec ote eae ‘Spaniards on the satives aSALVA VIDA + UNITONE™ INTRODUCTION THE CATHOLIC SCHOOL. “The speoific mission of the (Catholic) school, then, is a critical, systematic transmission of culture in the light of faith, and the bringing forth of the power of Christian virtue by the integration of culture with faith and faith with living,” Catholic Schools, Sacred Congregation for Catholic Education, 24 June, 1977 Hence, at the heart of College ‘Theology should always be the person of Jesus. It is not merely about knowing things about Christ, bur knowing Christ himself and entering into a relationship with him; for it is only through Christ, with Christ, and in ‘Christ, that all of us can become agents forthe renewal of out Filipina church and society,