Learning Evidence: At the end of the term, students will submit a THOROUGH DISCUSSION of SELECTED

TOPICS from the course and how these maybe applied in their personal lives.

Instruction: Based from all the topics covered from this course, answer the following questions in a
CLEAR, COMPREHENSIVE manner.

(Source: Module 2 CANVAS Notes: Tenets of Roman Catholic Spirituality) 20 points

Thesis Statement: “Christian Spirituality is the cultivation of a style of life consistent with the Spirit of the
Risen Christ within us and with our status as members of the Body of Christ”

Question: Explain the salient characteristics of Christian Spirituality based on the Tradition of the
Catholic Church? (Refer to the SOURCE mentioned above)

1. Christological
- Christian contemplation, teaching, and belief about Jesus of Nazareth. Christology is the
area of theology dealing with the nature and activity of Jesus, particularly the Incarnation,
the Resurrection, and the connection between his human and divine natures. The basic
conceptual premise of Christology is that the New Testament includes both expressly and
implicitly the authentic and accurate narrative of Jesus. According to the New Testament,
the first disciples of Jesus were convinced that God was revealed in him, and they gave him
names such as "Messiah," "Son of Man," "Son of God," and "Lord."
2. Trinitarian,
- The Trinity has been portrayed as a dry numbers game that makes no difference to our faith.
Rather, it is a dynamic perception of God that leads us to the profound realization that God
is Love. God is a reciprocal self-giving connection in which there is no holding back or
denying, and it is inside this Relationship that "we live, move, and have our being." To assist
individuals in moving from "God loves us" to "God is Love." "God loves me if I do the right
thing, and God does not love me if I don't," we may readily conclude. When we say, "God is
Love," we are implying that God cannot not love. God’s love is unconditional and that is the
very love that can transform our lives.
3. Pneumatological
- The importance of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer is emphasized in Roman Catholic
spirituality. No one can admit that Jesus is Lord without the power of the Holy Spirit. Even
this group also includes Christian doctrines on new birth, spiritual gifts, Spirit-baptism,
sanctification, prophetic inspiration, and the indwelling of the Holy Trinity, which covers a
wide range of topics. Differing Christian groups have different theological positions on a
variety of pneumatological issues.
4. Biblical
- To understand real faith, biblical Christianity looks to the Bible. It is diametrically opposed to
cultural Christianity, which does not adhere to the religion or the Bible in its entirety. The
Bible is the exclusive source of biblical Christianity's teaching. What the Bible states is
secondary to what cultural Christianity is based on family background, personal experience,
nation of residence, or social context. Nominal Christians who identify as Christians but let
culture dictate their beliefs are the result of cultural Christianity. True believers who utilize
God's Word to comprehend salvation and what it means to be a Christian are produced by
biblical Christianity.
5. Communitarian
- The early community of believers were devoted very much with four activities: Teaching,
Fellowship, Breaking of the Bread and Prayers, and they had come to know Jesus who is
their “the Way, the Truth and the Life”. Living the spirituality of communion of communities
orientates us to become the Church, One Body of Christ where each of us is a part of it. The
body is a unit, though it is comprised of many parts. Although its parts are many, they all
form one body. So, it is with Christ.
6. Sacramental
- Sacraments are sacred signs. They demonstrate the presence of Christ in all the important
moments of life: birth, death, maturity, community leadership, the most basic family
relationships, our daily struggle to love better and, in the Eucharist, our daily life. In
fellowship with the God, we adore. In the sacraments we consume that grace, we live it in
its fullness. The sacraments show what grace does in us. And when we come to those
perfect moments in the life of Grace, when we behave as people of Grace by actually
participating in the sacraments, the sacramental life of Grace is fulfilled and renewed in us,
and so the sacraments propel us forward.
7. Eschatological
- Eschatology is the study of eschatology, the last things. It is about the eternity of God and
the supreme relationship of man to God, and also about heaven, hell, purgatory, the special
and final judgment, the bodily resurrection, the new heavens, and the new earth. Believing
that death is from the power of sin in the world raises several questions. Our theological
understanding of the human person tells us that man is an incarnate soul. But we also know
that the soul and the body are separated through death. Eschatology looks at how it works,
what happens to the soul or what is the dignity of the body in preparation for a general
resurrection.
8. Developmental
- Christian spirituality is the means and goal of Christian spirituality is perfect union with
Christ. In order to arrive at this communion with Jesus one has to purify himself/herself
from all blemishes. The stage of purgation is marked by ascetic practices. In the stage of
illumination, the soul is enlightened by the Word of God and the gift of the Holy Spirit to
discern the proper way of responding to God's love. Such a loving union leads naturally to a
life of perfect love of the neighbor.
9. Diaconal
- The diaconal church has a rich history in Christian theology. Diaconal church is both about
authentic worship of God revealed in Father, Son, and Holy Spirit by worshippers and of the
scattering of the faithful for service in the world. The gathering of worshippers is an act of
presenting the self before God and acknowledging God as Savior. It is also an act of
empowering or agency through the power of the Holy Spirit in the world. Catholicity is a
concept that is common to most churches. The early church was generally concerned with
the healing of the sick, care for the widows, and providing of the poor.
(Source: Module 3 Canvas Note 1: Role of Laity in the Mission of the Church (Vatican Council II and later
Church Documents, pp. 33-39) Sub-Title: “Mission at the societal level”) 20 points

Thesis Statement: “Human individual grows and develops only in the fabric of society. The very purpose
of the whole society is geared to the human person. So, the Christian responsibility to serve human
being is intimately connected with a responsibility to serve society.”

Question: Explain in what ways the lay Christian faithful can play a specific role in transforming society
in the following areas in our society. Refer to the source mentioned above before you make your
personal discussion.

1. Family
- The family is the primary cell of society, cradle of life and love, the primary place of
humanization for the person and society. As such it has so basic a role in society that it has
more active and responsible place for proper growth and participation in social life. The
Catholic Church's social responsibility begins with marriage and family. God established the
earliest form of human connection via the partnership of man and woman. By forbidding
divorce, Jesus restored fundamental dignity to the married pair.
2. Social Service
- Compassion for someone's neighbor, shown in different forms of spiritual and bodily deeds
of compassion, contributes to the Christian vitality of the temporal order. Since goodwill is
the ultimate gift given by the Spirit for the building up of the Church, and it gives birth to
and maintains solidarity activities that address the entire needs of the human being.
3. Politics
- The desire of the collective good, or the good of all and the good of each individual viewed
as a whole, should be the primary ideal. Since moral and gospel principles are at risk, both
clergy and laity must be politically active. However, the clergy's position should be non-
partisan, providing only guidance and articulating moral principles on political issues. The lay
faithful, on the other hand, must actively and personally participate in politics, especially
party politics.
4. Socio-Economic Life
- Lay leaders have a unique duty to provide a solution to the major problems of
unemployment and organizational injustice. They should strive to make the workplace a
community of people who value their differences. They are supposed to foster a new sense
of unity among individuals who share a shared goal.
5. Ecological Concerns
- A comprehensive definition of development must take into account the utilization of natural
resources, resource renewability, and the repercussions of haphazard industrialization. The
constraint placed from the beginning by the Creator himself, "not to eat of the fruit of the
tree," demonstrates that humans are subject to biological rules and moral boundaries when
we enter the natural world.
6. Evangelizing Culture
- Only from inside and through culture can Christian faith, which works for the common good,
become a part of history. All of the elements that contribute to the refinement and
development of humanity's many spiritual and physical endowments are referred to as
culture. It is the improvement of conventions and institutions to humanize social life. As a
 result, the lay faithful are invited to be present and act in privileged cultural spaces such as
schools and universities, scientific and technical research institutes, and areas of creative
creation.
7. The Field of Social Communication
- Today's lay faithful mission requires them to be conscious of a unique duty in this area.
Culture is created and transmitted through mass media, which is a strong tool. This
evolution has a significant impact on the creation of mindset and traditions all over the
world. The Christian faithful, as professionals, must foster acknowledgment of all of its
principles.
8. In a Multi-Religious Context
- The Church's desire to meet and work with all persons of good will, traveling together on
the path of discussion with other religions and civilizations, all in the shared struggle to
convert the world into an abode of justice, peace, and harmony, is known as 'dialogue.' In
this framework, it becomes the lay faithful's responsibility to understand some of the main
ideas with which the Church has adopted the new approach and to apply them in their
everyday lives.