THEOLOGY 102 Reviewer for Midterm Exams
1AE-101
Course Title: Special Issues in Catholic Theology
Course Description:
- Discerning Signs of the Times
- Designed to address special issues
- Explores variety of Moral issues
- Enables students to clarify their values
- Pursue objective moral values
Module 1: “Sensitivity to the Beautiful as Filipino
Moral Sensibility”
- Ganda as an understanding of Moral Goodness
- Pagsasaloob ng kagandahang-loob: Embracing
Moral Goodness
- Pangangatawan ng Kagandahang-loob:
Commitment to be moral
Filipinos are fond of maganda.
Ganda In General
- Delight bringing totality
- “Not a mere aspect of social, intellectual and
material reality” but “the sum total of katangian
(traits) associated with anything”.
Pleasant Physical Apperance = insufficient
Ethical Concept of Maganda:
1. Maganda ang Mabuti (beauty in Goodness)
- There are mabubuting tao (good people) who
are cold in relating to others whereas
magandang loob facilitates ease in relating to
them for they are welcoming.
2. Maganda ang Maayos (beauty in Orderliness)
- What is perceived in the right place (maayos),
like spaciousness (maaliwalas), cleanliness
(kalinisan).
- Maayos suggests congenial relationships and
orderly life as a whole.
3. Maganda ang totoo/walang daya (beauty in
truth/guilelessness
- True, real and lack of deceit or pretense
- Beauty that wells up from within
- Natural and not hiding something
Pagsasaloob ng Kagandahang Loob (Embracing Moral
Goodness)
Kagandahang-loob
- Winsome goodness
- Kabutihang nakabibighani/nakakaakit
- Ethical goodness and aesthetic charm are
combined
- Pure positivity that captives and wins people
over
Characteristics of Kagandahang-Loob
1. Kagandahang-loob is an eminently relational
concept.
2. Kagandahang-loob is authentic if it rises from
the personal initiative of one acting.
3. Kagandahang-loob is directed towards the well-
being or welfare of the other.
4. Kagandahang-loob is not self-seeking and does
not look for a “return of the favor.”
5. Kagandahang-loob is tends to an “excessive”
manifestation of goodness and generosity.
6. Kagandahang-loob is discerned and proven
through experiences over a period of time.
Pangangatawan ng Kagandahang-loob (Commitment to
be Moral)
Discipleship – pangangatawan sa kagandahang-loob ng
Diyos.
Magandang kalooban – an internal and invisible
characteristic of a person.
The internal world of interiority becomes visible and
tangible through external manifestation.
“Sa magandang asal at ugali nababakas ang kagandahan
ng loob.” Otherwise, “palabas lamang ito at pakitang
tao.”
“Walang loob kung walang katawan.”
- Only in pangangatawan that the kagandahang-
loob becomes manifest.
Module 2: Jesus: Ang Kaaya-ayang mukha ng
Kagandahang-loob.
Jesus Christ – the point reference of our Christian Faith.
- Our maxim for a Christian way of life.
- Witness God face to face through his words and
deeds.
Jesus’ Pagsasaloob of God’s Kagandahang-Loob
- Jesus is a man of prayer. He prayed from the
beginning to the end of his life, with others and
by himself, and particularly at every crucial
moment of his life.
In the church (Luke 4:16)
Outside the Church (Luke 22:14-20)
By Himself (Mark 5: 30; Mark 1:35, 39; Luke 6:12)
For Others (Luke 22:32; John 17:15; John 17:17; John
17:21; Luke: 22:34)
With the scriptures (Luke 4:8-12; Luke 4:17-20)
At Pivotal Moments (Luke 4:1-13; Luke 9:28)
At the end (Luke 23:34; Luke 23:46)
For Jesus, Prayer = Intimacy with God whom he called
“Abba” (Father)
Jesus’ Way of Prayer, taught through “Our Father”
revealed 3 Intertwined Elements of Prayer:
1. An intimate contact with God;
2. A feeling moved by God
3. A hope to God’s reassuring pressence.
To be prayerful (madasalin) – the condition of being
constantly mindful of God’s Kagandahang-loob in all
things and at all times
Jesus, a Person of Service: Ministry of Kagandahang-
Loob
Jesus face to face witness through deeds was
characterized by his:
1. Authentic goodness flowing out of graciousness
(pawang kagandahang-loob)
2. Genuine desire (Kusang loob ang
pagmamagandang loob ni Hesus) for a better
life to the people and not to glorify himself:
3. Transformative power (nakakahawa ang
kagandahang-loob ni Hesus); and
4. Total dedication for the goodness of Others
(walang kapantay ang kagandahang-loob ni
Hesus)
Beatitudes = Beautiful Attitudes;
- Simplicity, Gentleness, Merciful, Righteousness,
Purity of Heart, Peacemakers, Humility
2 Great Commandments:
1. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and
with all your soul and with all your mind and
with all your strength (Matthew 22:34-40; Mark
12:29-31)
2. Love your Neighbor as Yourself (Luke 10:25-28)
Wisdom in Witnessing begins with our communion with
God and is reflected in our conduct and conversation
with others.
Module 3: As Beautiful Images of God: An Invitation to
be Human
Genesis 1:26-27,31 – the making of man according to
His (God’s) own image.
Image of God
To be made as God’s image in a world that did not think
much about their worth was a double declaration:
(Cacho and de Mesa, 2012)
1. It was an endorsement of the inherent
goodness of humans and, at the same time,
2. It offered the challenge to be human by
exercising responsibility.
Human Person Adequately Considered (HPAC)
• Precondition – a morally good disposition (one
is truly seeking for the good)
• Discernment of a Morally Good Act
• Synthesized by Belgian theologian Louis Janssen
from the Vatican II document Gaudium et Spes
(Joys and Hopes)
8 Dimensions of a Human Person
1. Possess freedom (kusang-loob)
- Authentic freedom is not just doing and saying
what I want, but doing what is good.
- Basic Freedom, according to Gula (1998) is
directed towards a loving relationship with God.
- Sin = abuse of freedom. (Pandaraya because it
is deliberate)/sinasadya.
2. Conscience (makataong-loob)
- A voice within us telling us to do what is good
and avoid doing wrong because it makes us feel
guilty (Ian Knox, 2003)
- It is the conscience that judges the morality of
the act considering the object.
- Moral conscience is the key to responsible
freedom of desiring to what we do because we
value what we are seeking.
3. Corporeal Being (sumasa-katawan)
- Self-care/self esteem is a virtue.
4. Material Being (sumasakalikasan)
- We are “beings of the world”
5. Relational – I-Thou (nakikipag-kapwa)
- Martin Buber: only in relation to a Thou, can
one became an I.
- Significant people in your lives
6. Relational: Social Beings (Sumasa-lipunan)
- Social Structures and Institutions: created for
the common good.
7. Historical Beings (sumasa-kasaysayan)
- Personal History/Story.
- It is important to know our developmental
stage.
- Cultural History
- We are a part of a nation with a story and a
culture. Culture is dynamic.
- Development of Beliefs in one’s religion.
8. Fundamentally Equal but Unique (Pantay-
pantay subalit may pagkakatangi)
- We have a common body with common needs,
therefore, moral demands are universalizeable.
(e.g. Universal Declaration of Human Rights by
United Nations)
These dimensions should always be considered in
making a moral decision.
Moral Decision-Making
Moral decisions – when you have to decide between
what is the right and the wrong thing to do.
The following is a fool-proof method of MDM:
The STOP sign method for making moral decisions
Search
Think
Others
Pray
1. Search out the facts (Wh- questions)
A good intention does not justify evil means to attain it.
If any part of the act is wrong, DON’T DO IT!
2. Think about the alternatives and the
consequences.
3. Others: Consult and Consider. Talk to other
people.
4. Pray.
- Talk – let God know what’s in your mind.
- Listen – pay attention and God will answer in
some way.
Other methods for MDM:
1. Deontological method
- Law, duty and obligation are the points of
reference in deciding what to do.
- This method is not flexible in dealing with
conflict moral situations.
 2. Teleological Method
- Answers the question, what is my goal?
- Point reference: consequences
- This method first determines the possible
alternatives and the consequences it produce.
- This method substitute a part of morality
(consequences) for the whole.

3. Relational-Responsibility Method
- Answers the question, “What is happening?”
- Determines what action is harmonious to the
meaning of the whole relational context.
- This method tries to include all the factors in
the relevant situation within a proper
relationship.
- It realizes that all human behavior must be
judged in the context of actual relationships.
- Moral decisions in this method come with some Module 4: Living Beautifully: Responding to the Call of
degree of uncertainty and tentativeness. the Kingdom

Gustafson (1971) shown that an adequate method of Kagandahang-Loob – a central concept in the Philippine
helping us love well and do what one ought to do Ethical Discourse.
should tale into consideration the agent, the beliefs, the - Generally regarded as a basic component of
situation and the appropriate norms. morally worthy behavior.

The agents – where the practical moral question begins “You are Not an Accident”
and ends, I of the What ought I to do? “TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR LIFE”
Beliefs or Stable Convictions – shape the agent’s self- “Your Life is Your Message to the World. Make sure it’s
understanding and the ability to consider what is inspiring.”
possible to do.
Analyzing the situation by exploring as thoroughly as 5 Steps on How to make a Personal Life Mission:
possible the reality revealing questions
Appropriate norms or the various sources of moral 1. Write 3 of your greatest Personal
wisdom – should be consulted as a criteria of Qualities/Gifts/Talents
judgement. Ex.
1st = green thumbs
Discernment 2nd = Resourcefulness/creativity
- Refers to the quality of perception and the 3rd = Service
capacity to discriminate degrees of importance
among various features before making a 2. Write one or two ways you enjoy expressing
judgement. these qualities when you deal with others.
- It helps us see things in their relation to God Ex.
- It is possible if we take into consideration Faith, 1st = To join tree-planting activities
the Will of God, Jesus, and the human person. 2nd = To support charity works
- Its process includes prayer, gathering of 3rd = To touch and empower people
information and seeking confirmation.
 3. Imagine that the world is perfect right now.
Particularly the environment. What would it
look like? How would it feel? Describe people’s
lives with a well manage environment and just
society. Write it in the present tense.
Ex.
1st = Everyone actively fulfills the call for stewardship.
2nd = Everyone reaches their full potential
3rd = Everyone loves one another
4. Fill in the blanks blanks based on your answers
above.
Ex.
My mission is to use my (1) green thumbs and
resourcefulness and creativity (2) to join tree-planting
activities and to support charity works (3) to fulfill the
call for stewardship and reach my full potential.
5. Below your ultimate mission, identify simple
but concrete means on how you will exercise it
everyday.
Note: Make sure that your means is SMART (Specific,
Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timebound)
Group Manifesto (alignment of Personal manifesto
following specific instructions)
“Pangangatawan” as discipleshhip
- Pangangatawan presupposes pagsasaloob
- Pagsasaloob undergrids pangangatawan
- We really cannot express of it withou the other.
- Pangangatawan denotes putting of one’s whole
self (pagbubuhos ng sarili) into something alive
in the loob and connotes the particular and
concrete manner of realizing it in the world.
Transcending the Physical
Loob lies inside but it can only be manifested or
perceived externally. In a way, it is “what-lies-within-
that-lives-without”
- Love (what is being expressed in conveyance)
Kagandahang-Loob and Goodwill
“Loob” may be taken to mean “will”
In a sense, it is the willingness of something good, and
thus, the expression of love, for others.
Kusang-Loob
This means that the agent 1. Must not be acting under
external compulsion, 2. Must be motivated by positive
feelings, 3. Must not be motivated by the anticipation of
payment or reward.
God’s Kingdom: Experiencing our Common Vocation
The call for the kingdom may be likened to falling in
love.
By falling in love, we are impelled towards graciousness,
generosity and compassion.
From this experience arises a “call”, a “vocation”
It is “calling” us to live according to a particular
orientation in life with a magandahing-loob.
Such is an experiential call which is that of the Kingdom
of God, ang pamamayani ng kagandahang-loob ng
Diyos.
EZ

Pangangatawan = discipleship
- Because those who follow Jesus represents in
their “bodies or “personhood” his spirit today.

Pangangatawan = spirituality
- Because it is the particular manner by which the
spirit of Jesus is realized in day to day living.

Sa katauhan o katawan ng bawat isa natutupad at

naipapahayag ang diwa ni Hesus.

Ako ang aking katawan; Ako ang aking

pangangatawan.