LEARNINGENCOUNTER 5: THE INTERVENTION OF THE TRIUNE GOD

THROUGH THE LIFE OF SELECTED PROPHETS

• Specific Objectives: At the end of the lesson, the students are expected to:

1. WORD OBJECTIVE ( Believing: Knowledge of the Word of God, doctrine or teachings of the
Catholic faith) Relate the role of prophets in terms of prefiguring Jesus Christ the Word to
present social-moral issues;

2. WORSHIP OBJECTIVE (Trusting: Affective objective or love of God expressed through faith and
worship) Appreciate the importance of the role of the prophets by being able to identify its
connection to one’s life and to the society;

3. WITNESS OBJECTIVE (Doing: Psychomotor objective or applying and living the Word of God):
Express in concrete action one’s intention to become a living prophet of God in today’s world.

WORD DIMENSION OF THE FAITH

1. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew wiord for prophet is “nabi”, which means the spokesman of
God at the present moment who communicates God’s message to men.

2. This divine message could refer to the past, present or future.

3. Because of the supernatural illumination through which the divine message came to him, a
prophet was also called a “seer” (1 Kings 9:9).

4. The central message of the prophets is faithfulness to the Covenant of God.

5. The whole history of Israel is a history of a people turning their back on God despite God’s love
and faithfulness.

6. The prophet like Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel responded to the issue of social injustices by
condemning and denouncing them and reminding the people of God’s message.

7. The prophets constantly reminded the people of God’s love, calling them back that they might
only live in His love.

8. The prophets were God’s instrument of the true liberation of the people.

9. The prophets by faith, conquered kingdoms, did what was righteous, obtained the promises ...
(Hebrews 11:33)

10. Prophetic hope: Jer 32:26-27 God makes himself the firm foundation for the hope held out to
the people by the prophets.

.
 Prophetic hope
a. Grounded on the memory of God’s great saving acts in the past (Is. 51: 1-2). Thus grounded,
hope works against the rootlessness with which modern secularism plagues us all.

b. Looks essentially also to the future and to posterity. It helps us to overcome our excessive
individualism. (Is. 51:6)

c. A promise of God’s forgiveness which brings comfort and frees us from the guilt of sin (Is. 40:1-
2).

d. Sketches a new life that drives out resignation and despair (Is. 40:31).

e. Bursts out of all narrow pragmatic, utilitarian views by offering a vision of the future that only
God can create (Is. 65: 17-18).

WITNESS
1. God is speaking to us today through the Old Testament prophets as much as in the days of the Old.

2. The prophetic message is inspiring an extraordinary active ministry of the Catholic Church in the
Philippines in its thrust for justice throough a preferential option for the poor.

3. The prophetic conversion of hope in the Lord, of fidelity to the covenant with God through the
covenant with God our Savior, remains ever new and ever relevant.

4. We are called to be prophet.

5. We are called to hear God’s Word and help other people hear and listen to God’s word.

6. We are called to be witnesses to the WORD in words and actions.

Learning Encounter 6: God’s Intervention in the Old

Testament: Salient Points

• Specific Objectives: At the end of the lesson, the students are expected to:
1. WORD OBJECTIVE ( Knowledge of the Word of God, doctrine or teachings of the Catholic
faith); To use the covenant God has made with His Chosen People as basis for critiquing
present international agreements in the economic and political arenas such as NATO,
APEC, etc., or simply national/local agreements such as the practice of too much usury
like the so called 5/6.
 2. WORSHIP OBJECTIVE (Affective objective or love of God expressed through faith and
worship); To grow in holiness through prayer or meditations or creative expression of
one’s feelings in regard to pertinent issues in the world today;
3. WITNESS OBJECTIVE (Psychomotor objective or applying and living the Word of God): To be
just in dealing with others by realizing a specific promise one has made to family members or
friends.

WORD:
1. Salvation history is the story of God’s intervention to remedy; to change that situation
the human being brought to himself.
2. The salient points that are important to understand this process and also to be able to
get in touch wth God’s pattern of acting, in behalf of His Chosen People, because He
continues to behave in the same way even with us today:
2.1 Election
2.2 Desert experience
2.3 Covenant
2.4 Promised land and prosperity
2.5 Babylonian exile

1. ELECTION
1.1 The ultimate end of God’s intervention is the good of the whole humanity and creation. But
in order to do this God always uses te instrumentality of one or a collective as a means and
vehicle of His intervention.
1.2 This is connected with the idea of consecration: that God selects, sets aside someone or
some people for a task he wants done for the good of the whole
1.3 God chooses certain persons to accomplish His plan.
1.4 Moses was chosen by \God to liberate the Issraelites.who, in turn were chosen as people of
God.
1.5 Another pattern connected with election is that God’s choice does not follow the standard
of humans. While human persons judge their fellow human beings based on appearance and
other physical realities, God looks at the heart (1 Sam 16:7; 1 Thes 2:4b).
1.6 In the case of His first move, God could not have chosen worst group of people – slaves in
Egypt. They had no influence. This choice ascertained that what happened to them was done
bu somebody else, not by them.
1.7 The Chosen People of Yahweh were a mixed multitude (Exodus 12:37-38).
1.8 What is something common to all of these people is their experience of oppression.
1.9 Their being slaves, in a certain sense, was God’s standard for choosing them.

II. DESERT EXPERIENCES

2.1 “Desert experiences”, that is, situations, usually difficult,come uninvited and unwelcome to
the life of the one chosen. But once faced squarely, they provde avenues for purification
specifically in terms of faith.
2.2 The Israelites’ sojourn in the desert (Exous 15-17) was a preparation so that they could
have a deeper understanding of God as liberator, defender of the oppressed and provider.
2.3 God’s providence was best manifested through the manna and quail stories (Ex. 16:1-36,
Num 11:31-34)
2.4 In the desert, we encounter either the true loving God before whom there is no other (Ex.
20:1-4) or the false god represented by the golden calf (Ex. 32). In the world today, what is
being symbolized by the golden calf?
2.5 Taking place in the desert are temptation experiences which should not be construed as
designed by God. But God allows human beings to undergo temptation. Why? “God is faithful
and will not let you be tempted beyond your strength. He will give you together with the
temptation, the strength to escape and to resist.” (1 Cor. 10:13)

III. COVENANT
3.1 A covenant is a binding agreement between two parties. In the Old Testament, God,
because of His great love, always takes the initiate to make a covenant with His people.
3.2 God is a Father who keeps his covenant-promises. His being faithful had been shown in
these covenants:
a. Adam’s covenant of marriage with Eve (Gen 1:26-2:3) and God’s promise to be delivered
from the power of evil as symbolized by the serpent (Gen 3:15).
b. Noah and his family were kept safe from the flood and God’s promise not to wipe out
again the world with a flood (Gen. 9:8-17).
c. Abraham was promised land and descendants (Gen. 12:1-3; 22:16-18).
 d. Moses and the rest of the Israelites were called to be a holy nation (Ex. 19:5-6) and were
promised the land of Canaan (Ex. 3:4-10).
e. Ex. 19:5-6 If you will obey me and keep my covenant, you will be my own people. The
whole earth is mine, but you will be my chosen people, a people dedicated to me alone,
and you will serve me as priests.
f. The essence of this covenant is best captured by this verse: “You shall be my people,
and I will be your God” (Jer. 7:23; 11:4; 24:7; Ez. 11:20; Ho. 2:25) This implies that
Yahweh who carried the Israelites on eagles wings and brought them to himself (Ex.
19:4) henceforth will continue to be their liberator, protector and provider on
condition that they will be faithful to HIM
g. To aid them in maintaining their fidelity or faithfulness to Yahweh, the TEN
COMMANDMENTS were given (Ex. 20:1-7)
h. The TEN COMMANDMENTS or Torah would guide Israel on the way of life such that if
they do follow the laws it would slowly bring them back to where God originally
wanted them to be.

IV. Promised Land and Prosperity

4.1 God eventually led the Israelites to that land he promised them “flowing with milk
and honey” (an expression to express prosperity). In the Promised Land, they became
economically and politically prosperous.
David was called to build a worldwide kingdom and promised an everlasting throne (2
Sam 7:8-19).
4.2 They became a nation that other surrounding nations had to reckon with.
4.3 This prosperity reached its peak in what they would call the Davidic Dynasty.
4.4 But it is human experience that prosperity brings along with it the seeds of its own
destruction.
4.5 The sins of the people of God as mentioned in Ez. 22 were “not only culltic abuses
like the profanation of the Sabbath but also ethical crimes: bloodshed, adulltery,
extortion, dishonor of parents, and the violation of the rights of the orphans, widow and
sojourner.
4.6 Jer. 26:1 God send representatives (Prophets, Judges, Kings) to remind the people
of their part of the covenant. The prophet tried to show the people the evil they were
doing.
4.7 After some time of reform, the people went back to their sinful ways.
 4.8 Then God sent Jeremiah the prophet, who went around the towns and
marketplaces naked like the day he was born and with a yoke around his neck, warned
the chosen people, unless they change their ways, they too will become naked and with
a yoke around their neck.
4.9 People did not listen, instead they had him deported and continued their sinful
ways.

V. BABYLONIAN CAPTIVITY
5.1 Despite their military power, Israel was conquered by the Babylonians. The policy
of the Babylonian King was bring all captives to Babylon and make them slaves there.
5.2 King Jehoiachin, king of Judah, together with Ezekiel and the aristocrats of Judah
were made slaves in Babylon. King Zedekiah was made King of Judah. (2 Ch. 36: 1-23; 2
Kgs. 24:10-16; Jer. 39).
5.3 The Babylonian captivity was a traumatic experience to the Israelites. This period of
exile and captivity gave them time to reflect and these were their realizations:
a. The Israelites were special to God because of His intervention and because God, the
Creator and the Supreme Being, made a covenant with them;
b. God’s favor, presence, and protection were responsible for whatever prosperity they
have arrived at;
c. Why then this sad event of slavery and captivity in a foreign land?
5.4 Interpretation of the prophets: The Israelites did not live up to the demands of the
covenant. Through the exile and slavery, God is canceling the covenant He had made
with their forefathers.
5.5 He will make another intervention by making a new covenant.
5.6 Promise of another intervention (Ez. 36: 24ff).
5.7 Summary points:
a. Alone and unaided, man and woman cannot save or realize themselves;
b. Despite human unfaithfulness, God will always remain faithful;
c. Human’s failure and sinfulness is not greater than God’s love and goodness; it cannot
destroy God’s plans.
 A.Alone and unaided, man and woman cannot save or realize themselves.
The tragic events in the life of the chosen people just highlights the main event,
that is God’s loving intervention. Why did God have to intervene It is because salvation
cannot be worked out or merited?
This is the concept of unmerited grace. After the fall, human nature is always
weak but made strong by the Spirit of God who lives in us, calling us always to
repentance and love.
God’s grace of unconditional love, the main teaching of Jesus, is also the
principal motif of God’s dealing with his chosen people.
b. Despite human unfaithfulness, God will always remain faithful.
God’s love is characterized by faithfulness despite the unfaithfulness of human
beings. The unfaithfulness of the Israelites is portrayed in the metaphor of harlotry. (Ez
16:28-29)
Israel’s being a prostitute is worse because unlike ordinary prostitute, she
“scorned payments”, “gave gifts” to her lovers and bribe them to come to her (Ez.
16:32)
c. Human’s failure and sinfulness is not greater than God’s love and goodness; it cannot
destroy God’s plans.
1. The coming of King Cyrus of Persia who allowed the return of the Israelites to
their land maybe interpreted as God’s intervention through the instrumentality of
persons.
2. Psalm 23; Ps. 100:3; Is. 40:11

3. This God does not only seek the lost but gives him life. Ez. 37:1-14. These bones
symbolize Israel who were dead in sin but became alive because of the transformative
power of God..
4. Return to Jerusalem, Restoration and Rebuilding: In their return to
Jerusalem Ezra restores Israel’s life of worship and Nehemiah led the people in the
rebuilding of the temple.
5. Israel’s experience of restoration as a holy people is an allusion to the
exchatological promise, that is, the coming of God’s kingdom in fullness – another motif
of the teachings of Jesus.
Learning Encounter 7: Jesus Christ, the WORD who reveals the Father

A. What symbol did Jesus use in revealing the image of God to us? Abba or Father
B. Three statements that form the very foundation of our Christian faith:
1. God always loves me unconditionally.
2. God always forgives and forgets.
3. God is always present with me and for me.
C. God always loves me unconditionally.
a. Why do many find the idea of God’s unconditional love hard to accept? Because they are
not sure if God can love them without conditions at all. They already feel guilty just thinking of
God and definitely unworthy of such a love.
b. Is there anything that we can do to make us worthy of God’s love? There is nothing we
have to do in order to be loved by God, because even before we do the things, we intend to do
that would make us worthy of God, we are already loved by God.
This is the message of the story “Woman caught in adultery” (John 8:3-11)
c. So if God’s love for us is unconditional, what then is the problem? The problem is in
our response: Can I let this love permeate me and change my life? Can I respond in a
way that I too love God with all my heart, with all my soul and with all my strength?
(Mt. 12:28-34)
d. God’s unconditional love is at the heart of the message of Jesus.
e. Why did Jesus relate the parables: to correct our notions about who God is and how
God loves us.
D. God always forgives and forgets.
a. God will never give us up: the constancy of his love depends on what He is and not on
what I am or on how I behave.
b. Samplings of God’s forgiveness: Joel 2:13; Is.44:22;; Is. 3:12; Jer. 31:34
c. What is the best image of this forgiving God?
d. If our past has been forgiven what will happen to the effects of our sins? The effects of
our sins are not automatically healed.
e. Why are the effects of sin not automatically healed? Because deeply ingrained habits
will not go overnight.
e. How can deeply ingrained habits be healed?
Cooperate with God’s forgiving love through discipline and sincere efforts to overcome the
craving of the past and to let myself gradually be healed.
f. What is the first step towards receiving God’s pardon and forgiveness? Honesty in admitting
our sins and faults without any excuses.
g. Is it wrong to feel resentment and hatred in our hearts after having forgiven somebody
who has hurt us? No, because God created us with a heart that takes time to heal from
hatred and resentment.
h. What it means for a Christian to forgive? Acc. to Martin Luther, what should you not
want that feeling of resentment to become? You should not allow that feeling of
resentment and hatred to become a wall between you and the person who hurt you
such that you cannot reach out to him in Christian charity, especially if he is in need of
your help.
i. God is always “Present With and For Me.”
a. Meaning of “Emmanuel?” “God-with-us.” Yahweh is a God who cares for us and who loves
to be with us.”
b. As “God with us”, what is the most appropriate word that will describe God’s relationship
with us? The word ‘compassion” found in Exodus 34: 6-7a
c. What does the word ‘compassion’ in Hebrew connote?
In Hebrew, the word used for “compassion” is “Rahamin” which is the same word used in
referring to the “womb of a woman.”
d. Based on the way a mother loves, what does compassion denotes? 1. the ability to suffer
with; 2. to be filled with empathy; 3. to be able to share the suffering and pain of others;
4. To experience their joy and happiness as if it were happening to me
. What is the true mystery of God in terms of Pain and suffering? Not that he takes away our
pain and suffering, but that he wants to share it with us.
f. What is the real good news in Jesus’ message about God? That God is with us who
shares our pain and misery.
g. This is not a guarantee that we will never have to suffer or that we are already insured
against every eventuality?
h. It just simply tells us that God will always be there, with his compassionate love, we can
always count on His presence.
Learning Encounter 8: Jesus Christ: The Word Reveals Who a Human
Being Is

• Specific Objectives: At the end of the lesson, the students are

expected to:
1. WORD OBJECTIVE ( Knowledge of the Word of God, doctrine or
teachings of the Catholic faith): Identify Biblical passages which
portray what it is like to become truly human.
2. WORSHIP OBJECTIVE (Affective objective or love of God expressed
through faith and worship) Reflect one’s goodness in dealing
with others;
3. WITNESS OBJECTIVE (Psychomotor objective or applying and living
the Word of God): Perform a concrete act of kindness to others.

1. Two characteristic attitudes in the life of Jesus that shows us what

it means to be truly human and how to respond to God’s
invitation to a love-life relationship with Him:
a. To love God is to do His will.
b. To love God is to love the neighbor.
a. To love God is to do the will of God.
1. How did Jesus make God the center of His life?
By always being ready to do His will.
2. Jn. 15:10 How can we remain in the love of God the Father
3. Matthew 7:21 Who will enter the Kingdom of heaven?
4. 1Jn2:4-6 When do we become liars?
 5. What norm binds us all together – lay, priests, religious, rich and
poor, young and old, into being sons and daughters of the one
and only God our Father? To do the will of God.
6. In doing God’s will, what should we always be ready to give up? Our
own will
7. Why should we give up our own will in favor of God’s will
So that God can lead our lives according to his own plans, plans for our
welfare not for our woe.
8. How does one know and discover the will of God?
We discover God’s will in the consequences of one’s life
vocations, i.e., being mother of a family and a wife to one’s husband;
being father of a family and a husband to one’s wife; one’s work and
profession; being a priest; a religious; living a single lifestyle; etc.
9. How can we do the will of God in whatever vocation we are or in
whatever profession we have?
10. By doing our obligations well and conscientiously with all our
heart and soul, with everything that we are.
b. To love God is to love the neighbor.
1. What impression did Jesus give us in dealing with our neighbor?
2. Jesus gives the impression that when dealing with the neighbor he
was always on tip-toes, very careful, giving the impression that he
was always treading on holy and sacred ground.
3. In the parable of the unforgiving servant, Jesus clearly teaches us
that our gratitude to God for the undeserved love we experience
must be shown by replicating to our neighbors that love of God
we experienced.
4. After I have condoned your big debt, you should have done the same
to your fellow servant.
5. Jesus teaches us what it means to love and what love invloves:
a. Sensitive to the feelings of others: (Mt. 8:1-4)
b. Time to waste for the others: (Mk. 6:30-38)
c. Respect the freedom of others: (John 6:67)
d. Saw Himself as servant: (Jn, 13:2-11)
5. What love for others involve?
a. Sensitivity to the feelings of others. Mt. 8:1-4
• Law of Moses forbids mingling with sinners and persons with
contagious diseases, esp lepers. They should live outside city
walls and should have bells around their necks so as to warn the
people that they have contagious disease. Israelites stand 10
meters away when dealing with lepers.
• Jesus touched the leper and he was healed. Only those stricken
with contagious disease will understand this act of sensitiveness
to the feelings of others.
• The root of breakdown of marriages is when husband and wife
take each others’ feelings for granted.
. Time to waste for others. Mark 6:30-38
• His heart was filled with pity because they were lie sheep without
shepherd.
• Letting go of their tiredness, letting go of their plans he begn to
teach them many things.
• Jesus had time to waste for and with others.
• Any time spent for and with others is never wasted-time when
done out of love for the other.
c. Respect the freedom of others. (John 6:67 “The Eucharistic Crisis:
Jesus was misunderstood by the people.)
• Life to a Jew was located in the blood.
• In butchering, they cut the jugular veins, and slowly the life of the
animal ebbs until the last drop of blood, then, the animal dies.
• Life belongs to God. This must be the reason why Jews are not
allowed by law, to eat animals whose blood is still in their bodies.
Kosher meat for them means animals butchered by cutting the
jugular veins.
• John 6:63 ….if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and
drink His blood, you will not have life in yourself…
• Jn 6:67 Many of his followers heard this and said and said. “this
teaching is hard. Who can listen to it? … Because of this, many of
Jesus followers turned back and would not go with him anymore.
• Jesus did not explain what he said about his “flesh as real food
and his blood as real drink.” He respected their freedom to
choose and to make a decision.
• Jesus went to his disciples and asked them: and you – would you
also like to leave?
• To love the other also means respecting the freedom of others to
make their own decisions, even allowing them to make mistakes
in the process.
d. Saw himself as servant (Jn. 13:2-11)
 • The last supper is a living commentary to the meaning of Jesus life
and to what was to happen the next day (his suffering and
eventual death on the cross).
• On this occasion, he washed the feet of his disciples, This is an act
that only servants or slaves did.
• Why did he wash the feet of his disciples? His coming to this
world, his life and his suffering and death on the cross was an act
of service for humanity.
• This is why He came, this is why the Word became flesh and dwelt
among us: that we may have life and have it to the full.
Jesus teaches us what it means to love and what love invloves:
a. Sensitive to the feelings of others: (Mt. 8:1-4)
b. Time to waste for the others: (Mk. 6:30-38)
c. Respect the freedom of others: (John 6:67)
d. Saw Himself as servant: (Jn, 13:2-11)