Introduction to God’s Journey with His People

God created all things, (world and the human persons). They were in
“paradise” which means, there was harmony, justice, peace, and joy. Despite the
very good conditions of life that they were in, the first human beings (“Adam” and
“Eve”) still committed sin.
Brief Historical Background of the Church
 
Sacrament: means channel, representative, visible sign of an invisible reality
 
God →  Jesus → Church
           The Sacrament of God is Jesus and the Sacrament of Jesus is the Church
(John 20:21, Acts 1:8)
The Church started as a religious renewal “movement”/group in Jerusalem, Israel
by no other than Jesus Christ.  Jesus grounded the Church on the foundation of the
Apostles and it spread from Jerusalem to the Roman Empire world until
throughout all the earth.
           The first “name” of the Church was The Way  (Acts 9:2), The members of
the Church were called Christians in Antioch (Acts 11: 26). The Church was
persecuted by the Roman Empire (which was still pagan) until the Conversion of
the Emperor Constantine in 313 AD which paved the way for Christians to
infiltrate Rome until Christianity was declared as the official religion of the Roman
Empire in 380 AD by Emperor Theodosius.        
            Way back in 45 AD, the first apostle who went to Rome and started the
Church there was no other than Peter. Later, reflecting on the mission of Jesus
which He passed on to the Church, the Church’s official “name” or title evolved
into:  One (John 17:21), Holy (Ephesians 1:4, 5:27, I Peter 2:9),
Catholic (Matthew 28: 18-20, Acts 1:8, Gen 12: 3, John 3: 16-17) and
Apostolic (Ephesians  2:20 )           
 
            From the Church developed the Hierarchy (Bishops, priests, and deacons –
with the Pope as the overall head for the sake of division of work and maintaining
the unity of the Church while it spreads the Kingdom of God on earth. 
 
            From the Church comes the different “kinds” of priests according to
spirituality or mission area.
      a. Diocesan is a term use for priests serving their local places;
      b. Monks: started in the 3rd century AD in Egypt and in Syria with a life of
simplicity or asceticism.
  Monks who are composed of sisters (not priests) only came out later. Example of
few monks in Cagayan who are sisters are those at the St. Claire monastery in
Iguig
      c. Missionaries are group/community of priests who really want to go to serve
remote places not yet evangelize.
           Examples of missionaries are the following:
c.1. The Dominicans who was founded by St. Dominic in Prouille, France in 1216.
(Dominic was a Spanish priest).
c.2. The Augustinians which started in 1244 in Italy (group or no specific
founder).
c.3. The Jesuits or called Society of Jesus who was founded in 1540 by Ignatius of
Loyola, formerly a Spanish soldier who became priest.
c.4. The CICM and other missionary groups only came out later. 
       The CICM was founded by a diocesan priest Theophile Verbist in 1862 in
Scheut, Anderlecht, Brussels,
        Belgium.
        So what is a CICM? It is just one of the missionary groups which is
an arm of the Church for evangelization.
 
One of the strategies for missionaries to evangelize people especially the youth to
prepare them to become also evangelizers in the future is to establish schools. With
this, the missionary schools and even in the schools established by the local
Church, the core of the curriculum is the Christian Faith Education of the young
(children to college). In a wider sense, the Christian formation of the Community
who are in the school. The CICM established schools for such purpose. Here at the
University of Saint Louis, our motto for us to always remember this is “Mission
and Excellence” and among the core values of our University’s Vision-Mission,
the first is Christian Living.
VISION-MISSION AND CORE VALUES OF USL
USL’s VISION, MISSION, AND CORE VALUES
 
VISION
             USL is a global learning community recognized for science and
technology across all disciplines, strong research, and responsive community
engagement grounded on the CICM mission and identity for a distinctive student
experience.
MISSION
             USL sustains a Catholic academic community that nurtures persons for
community, church and society anchored on CICM’s Missio et Excellentia.
 
 
EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY AND CORE VALUES

             The University of Saint Louis upholds the philosophy that education is for
building of self and persons for the Church and the Society. Wisdom builds. To
these ends, the following are the core values of University of Saint Louis; integral
in the formation of every member of the Louisian community.

1. Christian Living. We are witnesses to the Gospel values as taught and lived
by Christ thus making God’s love known and experienced by all.

2. We seek and maintain uncompromising standard of quality in teaching,

learning, service, and stewardship of school resources.

3. Professional Responsibility.We are committed to efficiently and responsibly

apply the learned principles, values and skills in the chosen field of discipline,
taking initiative and command responsibility in one’s professional advancement.
 4. Social Awareness and Involvement.We engage ourselves with society by
listening to the prevailing issues and concerns in the society, thereby initiating and
participating in constructive and relevant social activities for the promotion of
justice, peace and integrity of creation and for people’s wellness and development
consistent with the CICM charism.

5. Innovation, Creativity and Agility.We keep ourselves relevant and

responsive to the changing needs of our stakeholders by being flexible, solution
oriented, and having cutting-edge decisions and practices.
The Bible and its Background
Introduction to Sacred Scriptures
The Formation of the Bible
            The Bible did not come out as a book/compiled from the beginning. The
process was God’s revelation to people, oral tradition by which the people
preached and passed it to the next generations, and the writing stage.
            The whole Bible was written over a period of more than 1000 years. From
about 1000 BC (OT) to about 100 AD (NT).
Crucial Events that led to the Formation of the Bible

1. The Call of Abraham: The call of Abraham (Gen 12:1-3) marked the very
beginning of God’s historical intervention in the lives of humans to bring them
back to His fold, since they have been going astray. This was the actual start of
God’s mission of bringing Salvation (total well-being, true meaning of life) to
humanity. God made a covenant with Abraham (Gen. 17:7-8) which will be
followed up by the Israelites, the descendants of Abraham being formed into one
nation who will live the covenant and statutes of God.
2.
3. The Exodus and the Covenant at Mt. Sinai: This event speaks about
God’s direct intervention in liberating the Israelites from their slavery in Egypt
through Moses and the giving of the Decalogue or 10 Commandments at Mt. Sinai.
The 10 Commandments made God’s intention clearer, to free or to save people
from going astray using the Israelites, His chosen people as starting point.
 
3. The Establishment of the Kingdom: With the Kingship of David, the
kingdom of Israel was finally established. This was the most prosperous and
peaceful time for the Israelites. So, David became the model king for the Israelites.
This was made possible because of his faithfulness to God.
                        Despite the exemplary kingship of David, the succeeding kings
failed to emulate or even just to sustain, it led to the unfaithfulness of the Israelites.
This unfaithfulness came in the form of idolatry or believing and worshipping
other gods, and even oppressing their poor co-Israelites. God will again intervene
by sending the prophets to remind them their covenant with God which they should
be faithful to. The prophets will only write their messages usually at their old age if
not, by their “disciples.” Despite the coming out of the prophets the situation even
became worst which will lead to their exile.

4. The Babylonian Exile (587 BC): With the unfaithfulness of the Israelites,

God allowed them to be conquered by other countries until their exile in Babylon
by King Nebuchadnezzar. The Babylonians burned Jerusalem and the temple and
exiled all the rich and proud Israelites in Babylon and made them their slaves. This
experience in Babylonian exile made the Israelites realize their unfaithfulness and
their being unjust to the poor and decided to remorse and return back to God. This
was the time that they wrote some of their concept about God such as the Creation
Story and others which was usually passed orally. So, they started to worship God
in small groups in small places which will be called Synagogue by praying and
studying the Torah (commandments).
            King Cyrus of Persia defeated Babylon and freed the Israelites and later
allowed them to go back to Israel in 538 BC with the guidance of the prophets Ezra
and Nehemiah.
           Later when there will be no more prophets, Israel tried to look for other
guidance for a meaningful life and so this was the time they have written their
wisdom books.

5. The Jesus Event: Jesus is the perfect embodiment of God’s mission. The

same process with that of the Old Testament, that there was Jesus who personally
worked for the kingdom, later the apostles will continue Jesus’ mission by
preaching (oral tradition) and at their old age will be the writing.
The evangelists (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) wrote their gospels at the second
half of the 1st century A.D (50-100 AD) which was the stage of the early Church.
Aside from the Gospels, the other books of the New Testament such as the Pauline
letters and other Epistles were written at this era and even later.
The Catholic Church (recall the evolution of the Church from The Way to
Becoming One Holy Catholic and Apostolic in week 1 topic) started to compile all
the books which they believe to be inspired by the Holy Spirit from the time of
Prophets until after the Jesus’ event which they will call BIBLE. The first
compilation was in 360 AD, another was in 382 AD, and another in 1441 AD and
the final was in 1545 by the Council of Trent or meeting of the Church in Trent.
The compiled books of the Bible since 360 AD were all 73. 46 books of the Old
Testament which includes the 7 Deutero-canonical and 27 books of the New
Testament. The Church carefully discerned the canon/books of the sacred
scriptures. It was Tertulian (200 AD) who introduced the “Old Testament” for the
Jewish/Israelites Scriptures and “New Testament” for the Christian Scriptures.
(From the very beginning there were no protestant churches yet since they started
emerging in the 16th century and they will later follow the Canon of the Israelites
who did not accept the Seven Deutero-canonical books as inspired by the Holy
Spirit.)
The Israelites who did not acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah and stick to their Old
Testament beliefs and practices called their religion Judaism in 70 A.D. They only
finalized the compilation/canon of their sacred scriptures (which were Old
Testament books) around 930-1009 AD. They called their canon of Sacred
Scriptures TaNaK which stands for Torah (Law/Pentateuch), Nevi’im
(Prophets/Prophetic books), Ketuvi’m (Writings/wisdom books). The TaNaK is
composed of 24 books. In their counting it is 24 but if you count their books
individually it is actually 39. They only have 39 books since they did not include
the 7 Deutero-canonical books. This counting of the books of the Old Testament
will be the basis of the Protestants (who only emerged in the 16th century) when
they had their version of the Bible.

BIBLE
Names Used for the Bible
The bible has a lot of characteristics given mainly by the ancient people.
Thus, the existence of its other names:
Holy Scriptures:                                                                         
The bible is also called Holy Scriptures which was taken from
the Latin scriptus, meaning “written” and
Greek graphe, Hebrew (mikra), the word refers to religious
writings that are considered authoritative,
foundational, and/or sacred by some religious groups.               

Holy Writ:                                                                                   
“Writ” literally means something that is written, the Bible is
also called Holy Writ because it contains salvation history that
started with the call of Abraham and climaxed with Jesus’
Paschal Mystery. 

The Word of God: The Greek term used is logos, which

means “a word as embodying a concept or discourse.” It is also
used of the “revelation of God’s word.”

The Oracles of God: This name is used in Rom. 3:2 and Acts

7:38 where it is translated as oracles. For Christians, the whole
Bible can be called “The Oracles of God because it contains
God’s divine utterance for humanity.
 The Law (Torah): The Jews call their Scriptures as Torah or
Law, because the whole of the Old Testament is authoritative as
God’s Word of instructions to humanity on how to live well as
human beings                                                                               
The Law and the Prophets: This name looks at the Old
Testament from the perspective of its divisions (which will be
discussed to you as we move towards learning) -the law, the
prophets and the writings.

BIBLICAL INSPIRATION

The human authors were chosen by God, inspired by the Holy Spirit/directed by
divine presence to write the truth about our Salvation or in short called Salvific
Truth. The Holy Spirit acted in and through the author’s own natural powers and
abilities, God did not dictate what to write, but the Holy Spirit made sure that in
their choice of words and forms of expression they were conveying the message of
God.
                    Therefore, the Holy Spirit is the principal author of Sacred Scriptures
(CCC 304), but the message God wanted is embedded in human language that
corresponds to the intention of the author.

INERRANCY OF THE BIBLE

           Since the Bible is not a scientific book, not even a pure historical one, there
might be errors in it such as; spelling, grammar, structure and worldview, but in
terms of its salvific message which is the truth about our salvation it has no error.
Why? Because it is inspired by the Holy Spirit.
LANGUAGES OF THE SACRED SCRIPTUR
Except for the Deutero-canonical books whose original manuscripts did not
survive, all the Old Testament scrolls were originally written in Hebrew which is
one of the ancient languages of the Israelites. The New Testament books were all
written in Greek.
BIBLICAL CANON
 Explanation of Terms
 Etymologically the word Canon comes from Latin ‘Canon’ which is a
translation of Greek word, derived from Hebrew, meaning bar or rod used for
measuring. As a tool for measuring, like a ruler or T-square it is used as a basis to
draw a straight line. Symbolically the word canon is applied as norm or standard
in proclaiming an official teaching of the Church. Adopted with Christian
importance the word was used in the Canon of Saints, Canon of the Mass, and
Canon of the Bible. These examples suggest that there are official contents which
we must observe as standard, thus, outside these lists, invalidates its connection to
the Church’s teachings.
            We are now ready to define the term Biblical Canon. 
It is a collection or a list of books which the Church receives as divinely
inspired and which she considers as norm of faith and morals. We say that the
Bible is a library--- books within a book. Librarians must make an account of all
the books which the library had acquired. Like a librarian, the Church takes into
account the list of books to be treated as the official roster which we should uphold
as divinely inspired. Thus, the Church has the authority to approve and reject a
book to be included in the Scriptures.
            With these in mind, let us look at the relationship of Biblical Inspiration
and Biblical Canon. Inspiration is the work of the Holy Spirit while canonicity is
the work of the Church. Inspiration is simultaneous with the composition since the
Holy Spirit inspired the human authors. Canon of the Bible simply means the
Church just collected and compiled into one the books which passed the criteria as
being inspired by the Holy Spirit. The Church recognizes this book as the Word of
God for our Salvation. As sacred and inspired, it becomes Canonical. 
            The Catholic Church recognizes two groups of Canonical
Books--- Protocanonical and Deuterocanonical Books.
 
             Proto is a Greek word which means first. Protocanonical Books belong
to the first collection of books (Canon) of which the Church had no difficulty in
accepting their inspired character. They easily passed the criteria as being inspired
by the Holy Spirit. These are the 39 books of the Old Testament and the 27 books
of the New Testament.
Deutero is also a Greek word, meaning second. Deuterocanonical Books
belong to the second canon. These books were carefully discerned and even
disputed before being accepted by the Church as inspired.    
 The Deuterocanonical Books are the books of Judith, Tobit, Baruch,
Wisdom, Sirach, 1 Maccabees and 2 Maccabees. Moreover, there are some
books which came out after the death of the Apostles which are not inspired. These
books are called Apocryphal Books. The word apokriptus in Greek means hidden.
Thus, in order for the readers not to be misled with the teachings of the uninspired
books, the Church invalidates its credibility as a norm of faith and morals. 
In order not to be confused with the Bible editions that we have today, it is
also good to know that the Protestants who only came out later in the 16th Century
followed the Jewish groups who did not recognize the Deuterocanonical Books as
inspired. So, in order to know if our Bible is a Catholic one, we look at its list if the
Deuterocanonical Books are included.
Events that support the inclusion of the 7 Deutero-Canonical books

1. Septuagint or LXX: This was a Greek translation of the Old Testament by

72 Jewish Scholars in Egypt upon the request of King Ptolemy Philadelphus
around 300-200 BC. The Jewish scholars translated their scriptures from Hebrew
to Greek and they came out with 46 copies (OT). This means that the 7 deutero-
canonical books had their original bases but these copies may have been destroyed
or were not preserved. This Septuagint version of the Old Testament was also used
by the Apostles.
2. Dead Sea Scrolls: This event had happened after the Canon of the Bible was
finalized, but greatly proves that the inclusion of the 7 deutero-canonical
books in the Bible is correct. Between the years 1947 and 1956 they
discovered scrolls in eleven caves along the Northwest shore of the Dead
Sea which were ancient copies of all the 46 Old Testament books, these
copies were most likely written by the Essenes around 200 BC.

The canon of Scriptures is divided into the books written before Jesus’ life (Old
Testament) and those written after (New Testament). Guided by the Holy Spirit,
the Church determined the inspired and normative New Testament Books in terms
of their apostolic origin, coherence with the essential Gospel Message, and
constant use in the Church’s Liturgy. After a long development, the Church finally
accepted as inspired, sacred and canonical, the 46 books of the Old Testament and
the 27 books of the New Testament that we find in our Catholic Bible.
(Draw Chart)
 Biblical Interpretation
As divinely inspired, the Bible carries truth. Moreover, in getting the
meaning of the text we must treat truth objectively. The meaning of the text is not
always in its literal sense but employing some methodic ways of hermeneutics,
there is a need to dig the meaning of it. We should also understand that in reading
the Bible, we may encounter a lot of scientific and historical errors. Even though
the Bible is speaking about science and history, it is not trying to present facts
about them, for the purpose of the Bible is the self-disclosure of God to us and
treating this as a the Word of God for us and for our salvation.
The Bible is a book written in different literary styles. Thus, in order for us
to be led to the meaning of the text it is deem necessary to discuss some literary
genres present in the Scriptures.
 
Some of the Major Genres within the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament)

1.  Foundational Myths and Legends- Narratives about the beginning of the

world, the first generations of humans, early years of nation, intended to provide a
foundational world-view upon which people base their communal and individual
lives. (Ex. Gen, parts of Exod., Num, and Deut)
2. Legal Codes- collection of laws by which the people are to live (Lev, parts
of Exod, Num, Deut)
3. Genealogies- lists of inter-relationships between peoples, either of
successive generations or different nations (Parts of Gen, much of Num)
4. Annals- semi-historical narrative accounts of decisive events in a nation’s
life that gives emphasis on the political and military exploits of its leaders. (Josh,
Jdg, 1 & 2 Sam, 1 & 2 Kings)
5. Prophetic Books- collection of oracles or words of God spoken to the
people through human intermediaries and the symbolic actions they perform at
God’s direction for the people’s benefit (Isaiah, Jeremiah, etc.)
6. Psalms- poetic lyrics of songs/ hymns intended for communal worship and
individual prayer. (Psalms)
7. Laments- words addressed by people to God, especially reflecting situations
of crisis or laments
8. Proverbs- generalized sayings and aphorisms containing advice on how to
live well: “do good and avoid evil”
9. Apocalypses- symbolic narratives that interpret historical crises through
God’s eyes to provide hope for a better future. (Dan)
 
Some of the Major Genres within the New Testament

1. Gospels- proclamation of the “good news” about Jesus intended to establish/

strengthen people’s faith in Him; quasi-biographical, semi-historical portraits of
the life, teachings, and actions of Jesus (Mt, Mk, Lk, Jn) The gospels contain many
sub-genres of literature.
2. Acts- a partial narrative account about the beginnings and the growth of
early Christianity; not a complete history of the early Church, since it focuses only
on the actions of few missionary leaders.
3. Letter/Epistles- real letters addressing practical and theological issues
relevant to particular communities
4. Homily/ Sermon- an exegetical sermon that cites and interprets older
biblical texts in reference to Jesus. (Heb)
5. Enyclicals- more stylized works in letter format; circular letters intended for
broader audiences. (1 & 2 Pt)
6. Apocalypse- a vividly symbolic narrative that “reveals” God’s views about
a historical crisis in order to provide encouragement for a difficult present and
hope for a better future. (Rev)
Smaller Genres and Sub-Genres within New Testament:
 The New Testament Gospel contain narrative materials, discourse materials,
and some mixed genres:
 Narrative genres include the following:
            -genealogies
            -narrators introductions, transitions and summary passages
             -miracle stories
            -call and sending stories
            -conflict or controversy stories
 Discourse genres include the following:
            -parables and allegories
            -laws and legal interpretations
            -short exhortations: individual sayings or proverbs
            -longer speeches: discourses or monologues
 
            There are two kinds of interpreting the Biblical Text. The first one
is Exegesis, It is the exposition of a text based on a careful, objective analysis. The
word exegesis literally means “to lead out of” that means that the interpreter is
being led to his conclusions by following the text.
Exegesis is drawing out the meaning of the text after considering its
background or context such as the background of the author, his styles of writing
and delivering his message to his audience, the audience of the author, the time and
situation of the audience to mention few.  With this method, the interpreter will be
able to determine the message of the Biblical text. According to Catechism of
Filipino Catholics 92-96, there are at least four factors which play significant part
in interpreting the Scripture: (i) the inspired human author’s intention, (ii) the
text itself, (iii) the reader of the text, (iv) the common horizon connecting the
original community context of the text with our community reading today.
 Eisegesis, is the interpretation of a passage based on a subjective, non-
analytical reading. The word eisegesis literally means “to lead into,” which means
the interpreter injects his own ideas into the text, making it mean whatever he
wants. This kind of interpretation may be implied during reflection, Bible sharing,
and personal prayers. However, the task of giving an authentic interpretation of the
Word of God has been entrusted to the living teaching office of the Church alone.
(Dei Verbum No. 10)
             Between the two methods of interpreting the text in the Bible, Exegesis is
the proper or highly recommended, as it is being used by the official interpreters of
the Bible.
             Why is the need to do exegesis in interpreting the Bible? First, we must
know or be aware that we do not have the copy of the original Sacred Scriptures
which were written in Hebrew and Greek. All the Bible editions that we have today
are just translations from the original manuscripts. Even in the process of
translating the scriptures, there is/are “dagdag-bawas” if the translator is not
careful. Remember that the translations/editions are most often not in exact words
or not literal. This means that the words in the translations may not capture the
exact meaning of the words in the original manuscript. Second, we are not the
original audience of the authors of the Sacred Scriptures. These were the Israelites.
This means that the worldview and message of the authors were focus on their
direct audience. Third, the situation of the original audience may not be the same
with our situation at present. So, with these important reminders, we cannot
directly apply the words of the Bible to us but a lot of it should be re-appropriated
or be contextualized to our situation at present.
 
Chapters and Verses
            When the Bible was compiled there were no chapters and verses yet. 
Stephen Langton, Archbishop of Canterbury divided the Bible into chapters only in
1227. Later, Robert Stephanus divided the Bible into verses only in 1551.
How to read Chapters and Verses in the Bible?
            Genesis 3:16 
           The word Genesis represents the book, the first number before the colon (3)
represents the chapter while the number after the colon (16) represents the verse.
The above sample reads as Genesis chapter 3 verse 16.

Abraham and the Patriarchs

Introduction:          
 
 In week 1 we had a general overview on how God journeys with his people.
This initiative of God to journey with His people is our Salvation History. As a
manifestation that God loves us so much, He made his presence felt through many
ways. The fullness of this presence was when the Word became flesh---God
becoming human. Our encounter with Him will find its completeness when we will
fully experience the Kingdom. In relation to our present life, there are traces of
God’s really intervening in human history for us to always remember the great
destiny which He planned for all people.
            This Chapter will discuss the Patriarchs, the foundation of God’s people
whom God will use as instruments to start journeying with His people. 
The Patriarchs
            For us to understand the importance of the Patriarchs in the history of the
Israelites or in modern term called Jewish people, let us make a glimpse of the
stories before the calling of the first Patriarch--- Abraham. These stories are called
“reconstructed history” by some Biblical experts.
Stories in the Old Testament revolve with the cycle of sin-curse-
blessing/restoration. When Adam and Eve committed the sin of pride and
disobedience, they became conscious and were ashamed that they are naked. In
Genesis 3, the curse or punishment was given by God in verse 16 and 17, such as
pain in child bearing, making man till the soil before reaping its fruits, and death as
the consequence of the sin they have committed. As a blessing, towards the end,
God did not allow them to be naked, he made garments of skins and clothed them.
            Same cycle is also applied in the story of the children of Adam and Eve---
Cain and Abel. In Genesis 4, Cain out of jealousy murdered his brother Abel, who
was a more favored son because of his best offering to God. Clearly, in this story
sin was present in the act of killing and the feeling of jealousy by Cain. After
which the punishment was when the Lord said’ “…and now you are cursed from
the ground…When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield you its produce; you
shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on earth.”(Gen 4, 11-12 RSV) Cain was fearful
of becoming a fugitive and wanderer and said “My punishment is greater than I
can bear… you have driven me … and I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the
earth, and whoever finds me will slay me.”(Gen 4, 13-14) However, as a response
on the fear of Cain, the Lord answered, “Not so! If anyone slays Cain, vengeance
shall be taken on him seven-fold. And then the Lord put a mark on Cain, lest
anyone who came upon him should kill him.” (Genesis 4, 15) Even though the
Lord cursed him to be a fugitive and wanderer, yet the blessing came when He
promised that Cain will never be killed.
            The pattern is also the same in the Story of Noah in Genesis 6. The
wickedness of mankind made God plan to wipe out all people on earth. As a
symbol for cleansing, the great flood was the punishment. However, Noah was
presented as the blessing when he builds the ark to save them from the flood. After
the flood subsided, there was only one nation under the descendants of Noah.
            When people grew in number sin comes into the fore again in the story of
the tower of Babel.  The building of the tower of Babel was a desire to have fame
so that their names will spread throughout all the earth and the next generation
instead of that of God (Genesis 11:4). It was also a sin of disobedience since they
did not spread throughout all the earth as God commanded their forefathers.
Their desire to be the ones to be glorified instead of God was shattered when the
Lord differentiated their languages. Thus, they really were scattered on earth as
God planned for people. 
           The cycle in the stories before the calling of the Patriarchs presents the
people’s act of always turning away from God despite God’s act of always
restoring them. This act of committing sin was continuous from the forefathers to
the next generations. This will lead to God’s calling the first Patriarch Abraham to
start journeying with His people.
           Meanwhile the continuity of sin is what we call “original sin”. Why
original? Because it is not local (joke only). Original sin does not mean that we
inherited the sins committed by our forefathers but what we inherited is the weak
human nature which has the tendency to commit sin. In tagalog, this is called
“kahinaan ng tao”. This is the reason why some of us when we are accused of
committing mistake would answer by saying “tao lang”. Water or the flood as a
sign of cleansing in the story of Noah will come to us in the water of Baptism
which will remove our original sin and so we are also marked as God’s people. So,
with our Baptism, we hope that we overcome that weakness of being “tao” will
live out our nature as the image of God. This means that if God is good, we should
also be good, if God is just, we should also be just, and so on and so forth. You can
enumerate a lot of God’s traits which we should live being his image such as
loving, caring, compassionate, etc.
            With the continuity of sin or people always turning away from God, comes
the calling of Abraham in Genesis 12. How will Abraham become a blessing? Who
is Abraham? What is his role in the life of the people of God and in God’s plan for
all people?
Genesis 12:1-3: The Call of Abraham.
Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country
and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that
I will show you.  2  And I will make of you a great nation,
and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that
you will be a blessing.  3  I will bless those who bless you,
 and him who curses you I will curse; and by you all the
families of the earth shall bless themselves.”[a]
4 
So Abram went, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was
seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. 5 And Abram took Sarai his
wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions which they had gathered,
and the persons that they had gotten in Haran; and they set forth to go to the land
of Canaan. When they had come to the land of Canaan, 6 Abram passed through the
land to the place at Shechem, to the oak[b] of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites
were in the land. 7 Then the LORD appeared to Abram, and said, “To your
descendants I will give this land.” So, he built there an altar to the LORD, who had
appeared to him. 
Let us analyze the words of God to Abram in Genesis 12:1-4. What are the three
things that God promised to Abraham? Among those three promises, which one is
clearly telling us that God calling Abraham was just the beginning of His plan to
give salvation to humanity?  Obviously, the first promise was the land which is
Canaan as found in Genesis 12:5. For the second promise which Abram did not
immediately believe was the son since he had no heir with Sarai. How can Abram
become a great nation if he will not have children or even a son? The third promise
which may also be very remote for Abram was God’s plan to save or journey with
His people starting with Abram and his descendants who will be the Israelites. This
third promise was greatly implied in Genesis 12: 4, when God said, “all the
families of the earth will find blessing in you.”
God’s covenant with Abraham
          With the plan of God for all people as greatly implied in the calling of
Abraham, there are series of events that will slowly give signs on how it will be
carried out starting with Abraham. With the promises of land and a son to Abram,
the next would be the changing of their names and the circumcision (Genesis 17:1-
22). Circumcision is a sign of cleanliness and holiness, which means that one must
walk blameless with God. The changing of names has a deep and greater
implication. In Genesis 17:5, 15, God will change the names of Abram and Sarai
into Abraham and Sarah. Change of names in the Bible greatly implies the change
that the person must undergo, and the name greatly signifies one’s mission that he
will carry out. One good example of this is the name “Jesus” which means savior
(Matthew 1:21). With this, Abraham’s mission was to become the “father of a
multitude of nations”.
 
 How will Abraham become the “father of a multitude of nations”?
Biologically, Abraham was the father of the Hebrew nation only or the Israelites.
How can we call Abraham our father? As said in Genesis 12:3, how can we gain
blessing through Abraham? With this, we must ask the question, what was really
the covenant between God and Abraham in its fullest sense? In Genesis 17:7- 8, it
is greatly implied that God will slowly introduce Himself as the God not only of
Abraham but even his descendants. So, the covenant was “I will be your/their
God. While Abraham and his descendants were the only ones being mention here,
we need to go back to the wider context of God’s words to Abraham which was
“all the families of the earth will find blessing in you.” Back to the question, how
will Abraham become the “father of a multitude of nations” or how can we call
Abraham our father? The people descended from Abraham would be the trustee,
the chosen people, called to prepare for that day when God will gather all his
children into unity. They would be the root onto which the gentiles would be
grafted, once they come to believe. So, what would connect us with Abraham? It is
our faith in the God (YHWH) who called Abraham and the patriarchs. So,
Abraham is not our biological father, but he is our father of faith. This is why we
hear many people singing “father Abraham has many children, and I am one of
them…” Still, we have to ask the question of how will God bless all the families of
the earth through Abraham? Who is the person from the lineage of Abraham who
will bless all the families on earth? Going back to the background of the calling of
the patriarchs, it was because of the people continuously committing sin. So, it is
now very clear that the person who will bless us all is no other than the Savior, the
Word or the promise of God who became flesh. It is now clear that Abraham is our
father of faith. 
           
 
Readers may be troubled by God's choice of Abram. Is Abram somehow special, or
better, or more religious than other people? Again, God called people not because
they are perfect or holy, but God would intervene and comes to our rescue because
of our sinfulness. Abraham’s faith was tested many times when he questioned his
being childless, but again, this is where God’s power and love would work. The
ultimate test of his faith was when God asked him to offer his only son Isaac which
was just a proof that Abraham now would fully trust God after all his encounters
with Him. So, with faith in God, His grace will overcome our human weaknesses. 
 
Conclusion
         The Story of Abraham is the starting point of God bringing salvation to
humanity. Abraham became the father of the Israelites whom God will continue to
use as instruments in spreading His Love / salvation for all. From the Israelites
would come the peak of God’s promise to give blessing to all the families on earth.
The Next Patriarchs
The major theme of Genesis 12-50 is how God overcomes obstacles in order to
keep His covenant and the promises that goes with it. From Abraham to the next
patriarchs until their formation as God’s chosen people, God would sustain His
covenant with them. He was a God who really journeyed with them.
          After Abraham, the next patriarchs would be his son Isaac, who is the father
of Jacob and his twelve sons who would become the founders/fathers of the
Israelites until they will be formed as one nation. Among the sons of Jacob, the one
who would become famous since he was God’s instrument for saving Jacob’s
family from the great famine would be Joseph.
          The story of Joseph going first to Egypt could not also be understood by
many until its peak which was his becoming the acting pharaoh of Egypt who will
eventually rescue his family when the great famine even affected Canaan where his
parents and brothers lived.  
          Joseph was the 11th son of Jacob. He was considered the favorite son of
Jacob and was a dreamer and an interpreter of dreams. One of his dreams when he
was young was that the sun and the moon and eleven stars were bowing down to
him. His brothers were so envious that they tried to kill him but later decided to
sell him. They sold him to the Ishmaelites, but the Midianites traders pulled and
took Joseph to Egypt and sold him to Potiphar who was a courtier and chief
steward of the Pharaoh. By the way, the term “Pharaoh” is a “title” for the king of
Egypt. Joseph’s refusal to have an affair with the wife of Potiphar who reversed the
story sent Joseph to the prison cell.  
          Despite the hardships in Egypt his name became great because of his
interpretation of the Pharaoh’s dream. This will eventually promote him to become
the governor or the acting Pharaoh of Egypt. Pharaoh’s dream was about a great
famine who would come after years of good harvest.           
 The famine for which the Egyptian greatly prepared for with the leadership of
Joseph did not only
affect Egypt but even Canaan where Jacob’s family was. With such great crisis in
food, Jacob asked his sons to go to Egypt to buy food which will lead to their
discovery of Joseph who will eventually let them settle in Egypt.
         In the stories of the next patriarchs, God would always remind that He is the
God of their forefathers and would always sustain His covenant with them.
 
The Call of Moses
Hello beautiful people! Welcome to the week 5 of our journey, at this point
let us continue to study a concise history of the Chosen People of God in the
Torah. The identity of the Israelites started from the calling of Abraham, the first
patriarch. Patriarch means father of a family, tribe or of a nation. In the context of
the Israelites patriarchs would strictly refer to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob who was
also named Israel when he encountered an angel. The twelve sons of Jacob/Israel
may also be included as patriarchs in a wider context as they were part of the
foundations of the Israelites when they will grow as a nation.
            The increase of the Israelites in number and growth as a nation started in
Egypt when they settled there during the great famine which affected Canaan, the
place of the first patriarchs. The death of Joseph and the pharaohs who knew him
and the Israelites would change the condition of the Israelites in Egypt. Pharaoh by
the way is a title of a king in Egypt just like an emperor in Rome or a president in a
republic.
           The new pharaoh who did not know anything about Joseph and the great
things he did for Egypt would have a negative suspicion with the growing number
of the Israelites in Egypt. He would suspect that these Israelites might take over
and rule Egypt in the future. With this suspect in mind, he would make a drastic
move to stop the growth of the Israelites in number by killing all the male
infants/babies of the Israelites and making the male Israelites slaves. This scene
will lead us to the story of the Prophet Moses.
Moses, the greatest prophet in the history of the Israelites
           
Why is Moses so important in the life of the Israelites? Let us take a journey of
what had happened during the Egyptian persecution and how God will rescue His
people.
           The story of the prophet Moses is common to most Christians and is so
important for the Israelites. As an infant, he was rescued by no other than the
princess, who was the daughter of the Pharaoh who ordered the killing of the male
babies of the Israelites. Consequently, Moses grew in the palace of the Pharaoh as
a prince. Despite growing in the palace, Moses knew very well that he was an
Israelite. Moses was so upset with the condition of his co-Israelites who being
slaves were also maltreated by most Egyptians. With this, he did something bad in
the eyes of the Egyptians and the Pharaoh. He had to run away for his life and fled
to a place called Midian. He met Jethro and later married Zipporah, one of the
daughters of Jethro.
 The Calling of Moses          
 
3 Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law,
Jethro, the priest of Mid′ian; and he led his flock to the west
side of the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of
God. 2 And the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame
of fire out of the midst of a bush; and he looked, and lo, the
bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. 3 And Moses
said, “I will turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush
is not burnt.” 4 When the LORD saw that he turned aside to
see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!”
And he said, “Here am I.” 5 Then he said, “Do not come
near; put off your shoes from your feet, for the place on
which you are standing is holy ground.” 6 And he said, “I am
the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of
Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he
was afraid to look at God.
7 
Then the LORD said, “I have seen the affliction of my
people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of
their taskmasters; I know their sufferings, 8 and I have come
down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and
to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a
land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the
Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Per′izzites, the
Hivites, and the Jeb′usites. 9 And now, behold, the cry of the
people of Israel has come to me, and I have seen the
oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. 10 Come,
I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring forth my
people, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt.” 11 But Moses said to
God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the
sons of Israel out of Egypt?” 12 He said, “But I will be with
you; and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you:
when you have brought forth the people out of Egypt, you
shall serve God upon this mountain.”
 
 God called Moses at the time when Moses has chosen the paths of a father
and a shepherd of sheep. He does this in the desert where Moses apparently
isolated himself from the misfortunes of his people. This calling of Moses marks
the beginning of God’s direct intervention in the history of the Israelites. God
asked Moses to return to Egypt to deliver the Israelites out from their slavery.
 
           Who is this God who called Moses? How did He introduce Himself to
Moses and why does this God intervene in the situation/life of the Israelites in
Egypt? Let us analyze some words or verses in the calling of Moses. First, God
asked Moses to remove his sandals and staff since the ground where he stood is
holy. Therefore, this God is a Holy God. This God deserves the highest
respect from anyone. Even the ground or place where God called Moses is
considered holy. This is one of the bases of the practice of the Catholic Church
of respecting holy place, things, and other matters that God uses as an instrument
in communicating with His people. This also tells us that anything, or person or
other matters that God uses as instruments is holy.
The holiness of God radiates to these instruments or medium. The presence
of God or His grace will convert the person to become holy. This is why most
theologians would say “God does not call the qualified, but He qualifies the ones
whom He will call for a mission”. Moses even had to hide his face, knowing that
looking at God could cost him his life (v. 5). In the beliefs of the Israelites, one is
not worthy to see God, that is why they must cover their face whenever they
encounter God “face to face”. Second, God said, He saw the sufferings of His
people in Egypt and heard their cry. This means that this God is
a Compassionate God. God’s intention to deliver the Israelites from Egyptian
bondage is not only motivated by His holiness, but also by His compassion for
them in the midst of their affliction. Third, why did God say “my people” referring
to the Israelites in verse 7? How did the Israelites become people of God? This
reminds us of the covenant that God made with their forefather Abraham when he
told him that he will become a father of multitude and He will be their God. Here
we can see the very reason why God called Moses; that this God is a
very FAITHFUL God. He is faithful to His covenant with Abraham, which He
sustained with Isaac, with Jacob, until the formation of the Israelites, His chosen
people. This was very clear when God introduced Himself to Moses as the God of
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that there is a covenant and the promise attached with
it that God is maintaining. In a wider context, that God’s plan to bring salvation to
humanity beginning with the Israelites has to be fulfilled.
 
 If we continue reading the call of Moses, he also asked the name of this God,
and God said “I AM” / YHWH. For many Biblical experts, this “YHWH” or “I
AM” is not really a name. This is because in the strict sense, God has no name
since giving a name to God would put limitations on Him. The two great
implications of this “name” YHWH/I AM are: first, God is here, God is Alive, or
this God is a living God. This means that this God/YHWH is existing; it is not just
an imagination or a wish. Second, “I AM” means I am here, and I will be with you
or will accompany you. This assurance of God’s presence to those whom He
will send for the mission will be God’s consistent word to the next prophets until
the Apostles (Matthew 28:19-20) that God called and will send for the mission.
One important question in the events before the calling of Moses was, why did
Moses grow in the palace of the pharaoh? Aside from being saved from the killing
of the male babies, Moses grew in the palace for him to be prepared as a leader in
the future; to lead the Israelites out from Egyptian bondage to be formed as God’s
chosen people.
 
         What will be the role of Moses as a leader for the Israelites and what will be
the source of his strength as a leader? Moses will be the “mouth” of God for the
Israelites and he will be God’s spoke person to Pharaoh when he will convince the
Pharaoh to free the Israelites. Moses’ strength or source of authority will be God
whom he represents and who is accompanying him. This was clear during his
calling when God said, “I will be with you” when Moses was so hesitant to go to
Pharaoh. With this, it is very clear that when God calls someone for a mission, God
will accompany him. God will always accompany someone or people He will send
for a mission. This is like the case of our priests or ministers and missionaries.
These people that God called are not doing their personal mission, but they are
performing God’s mission. They personify God in their mission areas. On the part
of a prophet or a missionary, it is also very important that they should always have
God’s presence with them which is done through a constant conversation or
closeness with God. This will be the case when Moses later will withdraw to a
mountain to have a communion with God. In our present situation, this will be
done through constant prayer, recollections and retreat if longer period.